At Salone del Mobile.Milano 2025, the art world and motorcycle cognoscenti bore witness to an extraordinary unveiling. Motototem is a singular creation born from the collaboration between Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artist Mattia Biagi and Flying Flea, the nascent electric vehicle marque under Royal Enfield’s storied banner. No mere motorcycle, this is a profound artistic statement—a kinetic sculpture that elevates the Flying Flea C6 into a realm where craftsmanship, nature, and technology converge with breathtaking elegance.
Biagi, renowned for his alchemical approach to materials, has reimagined the C6—a machine already distinguished by its forged aluminum frame, girder fork suspension, and magnesium battery case—with a reverence for the organic. His selection of travertine, clay, bronze, stone, leather, walnut, and hand-blown glass transforms the motorcycle into a totem of elemental beauty. Each component is a deliberate nod to the natural world and the storied legacy of the Flying Flea, a wartime motorcycle of the 1940s.
The Motototem commands attention from its outset. The grips and footpegs, recast in bronze, bear the artist’s fingerprint—a tactile signature inviting the rider to commune with the work.
The C6’s LED lights yield to insect-like delicate hand-blown glass sculptures, their creation through intense heat symbolizing resilience and transcendence.
The tank, hewn from travertine, evokes the mineral springs of antiquity while mirroring the parachute-like contours of the original Flying Flea—a tribute to its airborne heritage. This stone, sculpted with a jeweler’s precision, anchors the piece in both history and artistry.
The fenders encase leaves within clear resin, speaking to renewal and vitality while seamlessly integrating with the C6’s girder fork. The fork girders, adorned with hand-molded clay guards, exude an organic vitality.
The tires’ sidewalls are adorned with hand-stitched leather swallows, reminding everyone that the original Flying Flea arrived from the sky to protect freedom around the world. The choice of knobby tires signals a bold departure into uncharted terrain, visually and emotionally.
The standard magnesium battery case, already a study in futuristic organicism, is further ennobled by a black stone inlay. Its rawness echoes the forged aluminum frame’s unadorned strength.
An unexpected walnut seat replaces the standard perch with firm yet textured support.
Biagi’s Motototem is not merely a visual triumph but a narrative one, weaving together the Flying Flea’s heritage with a forward-looking ethos of sustainability and innovation. Royal Enfield Chief Growth Officer for Electric Vehicles Mario Alvisi aptly describes the work as a manifestation of Flying Flea’s ambition to be more than a motorcycle brand—a creative platform that “electrifies and inspires.”
The collaboration, spanning teams in India, the United Kingdom, Los Angeles, and Milan, underscores this global vision, with Biagi’s artistry amplifying the Flying Flea C6’s cutting-edge technology.
Beneath its artisanal veneer, the C6 remains a technological marvel. Developed by over 200 engineers and powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon QWM2290 processor, its in-house operating system and Vehicle Control Unit offer thousands of ride mode combinations. Multi-modal connectivity—via a smartwatch/smartphone app and a traditionally round TFT display—promises an intelligent, seamless riding experience. This fusion of innovation and artistry makes Motototem a fitting centerpiece for Salone del Mobile, a crucible of global design excellence.
As Motototem embarks on a global tour through 2025, it stands as a testament to the motorcycle’s potential as high art. For those versed in the language of two-wheeled engineering, Mattia Biagi’s creation is a revelation—a machine that honors the past, engages the present, and rides boldly into the future.
