A Forgotten Moto Brand Is Launching a Comeback with a New Neo-Retro Urban Bike

A resurrected Portuguese nameplate plans to break into the market with a slick city-ready bike packed with old-school cool.

Famel

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By Gray Van Dyke

Published December 5, 2025

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Updated December 8, 2025

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Back in the 1960s and 1970s, an outfit by the name of Famel dominated the Portuguese moped market with thrilling small-bore offerings such as the Suzuki-based XF-17.

While the company’s eventual bankruptcy means that it’s a name unfamiliar to most two-wheeled enthusiasts outside of Portugal, it’s nevertheless an important part of the country’s culture.

Red and black Zundapp Famel XF-17 motorcycle with gold-rimmed wheels and chrome exhaust on a gray background. — Famel rendered the original X-17 in the making of its E-XF.

In fact, Famel’s bikes became so popular that the name supposedly gave way to an acronym-based expression known to this day: “F***-se, A Mota É Linda”, which translates to ‘F***, this bike is beautiful’.”

30 years after shuttering its doors, the company is poised to make a return with an exciting new neo-retro urban moped offering. Though not bound for the United States just yet, its disruptive style means that it could be expanding its reach before too long.

Red and black electric motorcycle with gold front forks and Famel branding on a gray background. — The Cafe Racer brings an aggressive stance for the urban runabout.

A tale of two looks

It’s called the E-XF, and it’s essentially a modern electrified take on the company’s XF-17 moped. Famel first debuted the concept back in 2022, and it brought an overhauled version to EICMA this year.

Round motorcycle headlight with LED halo and horizontal LED strip, mounted on gold front forks with an orange fuel tank in the background. — The lighting gives the bike an almost factory custom look.

Now, it’s finally going into production, and with not one but two choices of body style. As part of the E-XF launch, Famel is offering it in both ‘Cafe Racer’ and ‘Classic’ flavors.

Assuming you spring for the former, you’ll get the usual accouterments typical of the cafe racer style. Along with some low-slung handlebars and bar-end mirrors, it sports a solo seat with an integrated rear hump.

The Classic, expectedly, is largely similar, though more upright in posture. It trades the clip-ons for risers, and it also sports a two-up seat and a set of more traditional mirrors.

Blue and red Famel electric motorcycle with black battery casing and spoked wheels, held by a person in jeans and white shirt. — The Classic is more upright and comes with a two-up seat.

In any case, while the differences between them are minor, Famel’s two E-XF bikes do manage to pull off the retro look quite well. They’re far more classic than BMW’s futuristic CE-02, and they offer a different flavor of old-school compared to the bobber-like look Maeving offers.

Equipped for urban riding

While it might seem odd for a once-bankrupt name like Famel to make its return via battery power, there’s actually good cause — the company has a history of experimenting with renewable energy solutions. In fact, back in the 1990s, Famel came out with one of the world’s first electric scooters, calling it the Electron.

Black rectangular battery pack with vertical ridges and a handle on top, placed near the rear wheel of a FAMEL electric motorcycle. — The removable battery makes charging a breeze for urbanites and commuters.

At the time, the world wasn’t ready for such a disruptive innovation, but Famel’s E-XF seems almost fool proof for what it is.

That’s because the bike pairs its classic styling with a simple design, and its neo retro nature means that it’s highly motorcycle-like throughout the cockpit.

As such, while it’s far from a long-distance tourer with a 5.5 kW motor and only about 75 miles of max range, it does at least promise to be a perfect urban runabout.

Man in white t-shirt and jeans placing a black storage box into a blue and red Famel electric motorcycle. — As much as the E-XF looks like a simple old-school bike, it’s actually a very modern machine.

Between a svelte 264-pound curb weight, a removable battery and USB connectivity, it’s a bike built with commuters and digital nomads in mind. And with a top speed of 62 mph, it can hang with city traffic without problem.

Pricing and availability

As you’d expect from a brand about to field its first offering in years, Famel is playing things safe with the E-XF to start and keeping the release to Europe. The first 100 E-XF units are scheduled for delivery in early 2026, with a starting price of around €7,000 (~$8,150).

Red and black electric motorcycle with gold front forks and black seat on a white background.

Famel E-XF

30 years after shuttering its doors, Portuguese moped brand Famel is back with a new offering in the form of the E-XF. Inspired by the brand’s XF-17 moped, it’ll be available in both ‘Classic’ and ‘Cafe Racer’ forms. While it’s far from a long-distance tourer with a 5.5 kW motor and only about 75 miles of max range, it does at least promise to be a perfect urban runabout. It brings a svelte 264-pound curb weight, a removable battery and USB connectivity and a top speed of 62 mph, so it can hang with city traffic no problem.

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About the Author: Gray is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, motorcycles and anything else with wheels. When he’s not chasing the latest industry news, he’s probably wrenching on one of many projects. For better or worse, he believes classics make perfectly practical daily drivers.

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