Royal Enfield this week launched the Classic 500 Pegasus limited edition motorcycle. The ‘Pegasus’ is inspired by the legendary RE/WD Flying Flea 125 motorcycle that was manufactured at Royal Enfield’s underground facility in Westwood, UK during World War II. The motorcycle will be available for booking online starting July, and will be priced at £4,999 (on road).
The ‘Flying Flea’ was a compact two-stroke 125 cc motorcycle that saw action in some of greatest battles of World War II, including D-Day and Arnhem. It was the only proper motorcycle to be dropped successfully behind enemy lines with paratroopers, with the War Department ordering more than 4,000.
Conceived as a tribute to the Flying Flea and Royal Enfield’s military heritage, the Classic 500 Pegasus will have only a 1000 units: 190 on sale in UK and 810 for the rest of the world.
Each of the 1000 new Classic 500 Pegasus motorcycles wears a maroon and blue Pegasus emblem — the official Parachute Regiment insignia — on the fuel tank along with an individual stencilled serial number. The famous Royal Enfield ‘Made Like a Gun’ decal on the battery box is another reminder of the machine’s heritage. The Pegasus motorcycles’ markings are based on a genuine World War II Flying Flea used by the 250th (Airborne) Light Company, now in Royal Enfield’s official collection at the company’s UK Technology Centre. The new motorcycles will be painted in the wartime colours of Service Brown and Olive Drab Green, except in India, where only Service Brown will be available.
Each of these limited edition motorcycles comes with a bespoke set of military-style canvas panniers bearing the Pegasus logo. Each motorcycle will have authentic markings of military motorcycles, including brown handlebar grips, a leather strap with brass buckles across the air filter, blacked-out silencers, rims, kickstart, pedals and headlight bezel to complete the period look. In addition, consumers can also buy a range of genuine motorcycle accessories that are compatible with the motorcycle.