Royal Enfield WD/RE the “Flying Flea”

"Made like a Gun." Royal Enfield's slogan is quite literal. In WWII, Royal Enfield delivered the Flying Flea. This innovative, ultra-light motorcycle could be airdropped by parachutes behind enemy lines. This bike had an engine between 98 and 125cc and weighed only 56 kg. Its one-and-a-half-gallon fuel tank gave it a range of around 240 km (ca. 149 miles) while traveling between 55 and 65 km/h (ca. 35 and 40mph).

Initially, the motorcycles were launched together with the paratroopers of the Pegasus unit, but after the first attempts, they decided to launch them separately when the soldiers were already on the ground.

Once the bike landed, all a paratrooper had to do was unscrew the single wing nut, lift the bike out, rotate the handlebars 90 degrees, kickstart and go, all this could be done in seconds.

For motorcycle fans, Royal Enfield registered the name “Flaying Flea” in 2020, possibly preparing to launch a new low-cc motorcycle or a modern electric motorcycle.