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For a while, it seemed the electric motorcycle scene was dominated by high-priced, high-performance superbikes built by shaky startups fueled by venture capital. Then most of them went under. This summer brings something a little different: small, stylish urban runabouts built by names you know.
I'm looking at two models, both of them important to their manufacturers, that have surprisingly similar performance envelopes despite radically different styling touches, both hitting the market this summer but on opposite sides of the world: the LiveWire H4 Honcho and the Flying Flea C6.
These are not products from some investor-capital-incinerating startups but actual motorbikes from two established players, LiveWire, the electric spinoff still majority-owned by Harley-Davidson, and Flying Flea, the electric brand from Indian manufacturer Royal Enfield.
What's in common, what's different
While they look quite different (more on that later), the Honcho and the C6 are surprisingly similar by some metrics. The Honcho claims a top speed of 59 mph and the C6 claims 71 mph, but anyone with experience with electric motorcycles knows that top-speed runs drain batteries so fast that range becomes a fraction of expectations, so both of these are, realistically, going to be city bikes. The Street version of the Honcho (there's also an off-road-only Trail version) weighs a claimed 266 pounds and has a 3.48 kWh battery while the C6 weighs a claimed 273 pounds and has a 3.91 kWh battery, so expect similar range. The Honcho Street lists for $5,499 and is supposed to be available any day now. The first C6s are being delivered in Bangalore, India, (see the post below) where they cost about the equivalent of U.S. $3,000. We still don't know when they will be available in the U.S. market, and when (if?) they are, I expect the price to be at least double the price in India, and probably higher than that.
I do expect the Honcho and C6 will be close enough in price to be considered competitors, just as they are closely matched in performance. Both will serve the same purpose: efficient, easy-to-ride, urban transportation. But will buyers actually take more than a minute to choose one over the other? Probably not. Just because they are so different in style.
What's your preferred look, semi-industrial minibike or swoopy retro-modern? Do you lean toward the Honcho's simplicity (touted in the Instagram post above) and chain drive or the C6's electronics, including ride modes and ABS, with belt final drive? Which is your preferred method to deal with the inevitable urban street imperfections, a fat tire to soak up the bumps or a 19-inch wheel to roll over them? While these two electric motorcycles may fill the same niche in terms of performance, I expect they'll appeal to two distinctly different aesthetics.
Why they matter
Two reasons I feel these two bikes are worth another mention. First, for riders who want an electric motorcycle that's clearly street-legal, instead of an electric bicycle or off-road-only e-bike, these are among the few that come close to hitting the sweet spot of practicality and non-stratospheric price, unlike the halo superbikes we were served too many of by the electric motorcycle startups. These are motorcycles I could see myself actually using.
Second, as mentioned above, they're also from known entities and they're both important models to those companies — for opposite reasons. The C6 is the first model in the Flying Flea brand. It is sold in its home country as a premium product but will need to succeed in the U.S. market (assuming it arrives here) as a practical but stylish option.
While the C6 is a first for Flying Flea, there's a non-zero possibility that the Honcho could be a last for LiveWire. The company started with its flagship LiveWire ONE, and sales tailed off dramatically after the supply of early adopters was burned through. The less expensive S2 line was supposed to expand sales, but LiveWire is still selling hundreds of motorcycles a year, not the many thousands it once projected. (LiveWire currently offers promotional pricing on new S2 Del Mar models — from 2024, still on dealer floors!) The S4 Honchos are the next level of affordability. Will they fare any better than the S2 line? And if they don't, will LiveWire run out of time and money? Or will the company pivot in a new direction after its most recent acquisition?
Also, both of these motorcycles clearly deserve to end up on an episode of Daily Rider. Let's hope that happens.
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