Ultraviolette F77 First Ride Review: India’s Best Electric Sportbike?

The Ultraviolette F77 sounds incredibly impressive on paper. We find out how it’s like in the real world. 

• The F77’s 29kW motor makes a massive 95Nm at the wheel.
• It also claims a colossal 307km IDC range.
• The F77’s top speed, meanwhile, is said to be around the 152kmph mark. 

Ultraviolette's journey has been a long one, and for good reason. When the Indian EV market was dominated by slow, cheap, and sluggish electric scooters, the Bangalore-based brand decided to venture into the world of performance electric motorcycles, drawing inspiration from aviation. 

The Ultraviolette F77 finally made its debut in 2022, after massive delays, and we were invited to ride the electric motorbike. The route was divided into two sections: track and mountain roads. In this article, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the fastest and most expensive EV two-wheeler on the market in India. 

Ultraviolette F77: Motor Specs

While its power figure of 29kW, or slightly less than 40 horsepower, may appear standard for a bike in this segment, what makes this electric horsepower soo impressive is all the torque available from the start.

When you open the throttle at any speed, the F77 just goes, rapidly gaining speed. You're never in the wrong gear or at the wrong speed because there's no gearbox or engine RPM to worry about.

Surprisingly, even in top Ballistic riding mode, the F77 does not feel ballistic from a standing start. Ultraviolette claims that this was a deliberate decision because their customers did not want jerky acceleration off the line. 

The other two modes - Combat and Glide... if you're riding in the city, you'll spend the majority of your time in Combat mode because it's the best balanced. Glide mode, which is similar to Eco mode on the F77... it's usable, but honestly, we think you'll only use it if you're low on battery and trying to find a charger nearby.

Ultraviolette F77: Chassis

In the first ride of F77, the weight does show if you try to move the bike with your feet or tip it around. But once you get the bike going, the weight just melts away. The only time you feel the bike's weight is when you brake. It has the same brake setup as the new KTM RC390 so brake feel is excellent. 

However, bringing all of this bike mass and rider to a complete stop requires a significant amount of lever effort. And, especially on the go-kart track we rode on, which had a lot of hairpin turns and was all stop-and-go, you have to use the brakes a lot, which means you get a bit of brake fade after about 5-6 laps.

Ultraviolette F77: Dimensions

Another minor issue we noticed while hard braking was that when the ABS kicks in, it feels a little intrusive and the lever judder is quite high. This could be quite unsettling for many riders. To resolve this issue, Ultraviolette must further improve the ABS calibration of the F77.

Increasing the motor's regenerative braking is one way to reduce the load on the brakes. The F77 currently has three levels of regen braking (Low, Medium, and High), and even in the highest mode, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. However, Ultraviolette claims that 10 levels will be added soon via a software update.

Ultraviolette F77: Variants & Price

Prices for the F77 begin from Rs 3.80 lakh onwards. Yes that might sound like a lot of money because….well it is. The F77 is no cheap bike. That said, the sheer amount of petrol you’d save each year by opting for the F77 over a petrol-powered bike is definitely something worth considering. 

Conclusion

There are still many unanswered questions about the F77. Is it true to its stated range? How is it to live with on a daily basis? How does it deal with traffic? These are questions that can only be answered once the bike arrives in Pune for a thorough road test. 

But we did answer one question today: "Is it fun to ride?" And the answer is, "Hell yes!" It's a lot of fun to ride. It's as much fun as a KTM RC, a BMW G310, or an Apache RR 310, and you have to believe that amazing impression.

However, there is a huge elephant in the room, and that is its price. Even in its most basic configuration, the F77 is prohibitively expensive. But one thing to remember about electric bikes: don't be put off by the ex-showroom price, because the on-road price isn't as high as it is for petrol-powered motorcycles.

Having said that, it is an expensive motorbike designed for early adopters with a very niche market. It is not intended for the general public. At this point, if you want a fast, fun electric motorbike, the F77 is your only option.