California’s Fly Free Adds Café Racer To Its Electric Lineup

The lineup is shaping up nicely.

By: Sabrina Giacomini

Dec 18, 2018 at 11:22am ET

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Earlier this year, California-based Fly Free unveiled the first of three models in its Smarts electric urban motorcycles, the Desert. As you may have guessed, the Desert draws inspiration from off-roading and is one of the most successful iterations of a scrambler out there. The brand has now officially unveiled its second model. What’s a good follow up to a scrambler? A café racer of course!

Fly Free is all in on the retro trend and is not afraid of playing the stereotypes. The Smart Classic has the typical 50s café racer look with the flat tuck and roll saddle, the front and end cowls that round off the edges, as well as, of course, the clip ons. It shares the same tubular frame as the Desert which makes production easy and, hopefully, will keep the price appealing.

The company is clearly banking on great style rather than world-changing technology to gain momentum. Just like the Desert, the Smart Classic is fitted with a battery that offers a range of up to 50 miles, teamed with a 3000w motor capable of propelling the bike at up to 50 mph. An extra battery pack can be added to double the range.

The retro design clashes with modern technology with the integration of a big push start button on the “tank” and an blue-lit LCD speedometer gauge. The bike is also equipped with a USB outlet. Thanks to a variety of color schemes and accessories, the company claims it offers up to 80 possible combinations for a truly personalized look. Just like for the Desert, pricing and availability have yet to be confirmed by Fly Free for either models.

What do you think?

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Maybe it will wait to have its full lineup out before talking numbers? The brand has one last model to unveil: the Smart Old. What silhouette might we expect? If the Desert and the Classic are any indications, we could possibly expect a classic bobber or maybe an early 20th Century look à la Harley? To be continued...