Ultraviolette F77 review: An extraordinary machine for a company making its first bike

All told, the F77 is an extraordinarily good machine for a company making its first bike; any established manufacturer would be happy to have made it.

In 2019, Bengaluru-based EV startup Ultraviolette did something interesting: it unveiled a concept for an electric motorcycle, the F77. At a time when electric scooters were (and still are) all the rage, this was a gutsy move, because it automatically made the F77 a niche product, since there was no way the production model could be priced like a scooter; nor would it offer the practicality of one.

Fast forward to late 2022, and the production version of the F77 was finally revealed, with a whole host of additions that essentially required the bike to be entirely rebuilt—another brave call. In the styling department, it stayed more or less true to the concept, designed completely by the in-house Ultraviolette design team, and they've done an absolutely smashing job. The F77 is one of the best-looking motorcycles on sale in India, across segments, and its aircraft-inspired streetfighter styling should go down very well with potential buyers; in fact, it manages to pull off the trick of looking like a fully-faired machine as well as a streetfighter, which is rather unique.

Design

The bike is all about sharp lines, creases and edges—there’s hardly a rounded bit on it other than its wheels. This makes it look ultra-aggressive and, to use a cliche, it looks fast standing still. The slick LED headlamp, set low down, the low handlebars, the front fork covers, the ‘winglets’ on the fairing, the creased side panels, the stunning alloy wheels and the sharp tail section all give it a truly international look, which the folks at Ultraviolette (backed by TVS) can be very proud of.

The F77 wouldn’t look out of place in any big-brand showroom. It has the biggest battery on any electric two-wheeler in the country, but there’s no hint of bulk or flab; it looks ready for the racetrack. Ultraviolette claims that the bike has a coefficient of drag of just .29, which is phenomenal.

Features & Performance

The firm hasn’t skimped on fit and finishing (a common complaint with startups and even established brands). All the materials look and feel of high quality, there are no panel gaps and the wiring is very well concealed. There are plenty of features, too. Full-LED lighting kicks off the list, with goodies such as a Bluetooth-enabled TFT screen, three ride modes (Glide, Combat, Ballistic), smartphone pairing, navigation and ride-by-wire throttle bringing up the rear; more features will appear on later versions and with OTA updates.

You can pick from three F77 paint schemes, and the one I tried out was the Recon variant, with a claimed range of 307 km (as opposed to the 206 km offered by the Original variant). This one has a 10.3 kWh battery instead of a 7.1 kWh one, and the standard charger it comes with takes between 7 and 10 hours to fully charge the battery.

Another Rs 27,000 buys you a 3 kW Boost charger, which does the same job in just over three hours. The Recon variant puts out 40.5 bhp of power and 100 Nm of torque, and has a claimed top speed of 152 kp/h; those figures are enough to make any enthusiast hop on board its svelte seat. Even shorter riders will find that they can plant both feet on the ground, which is important on a bike that weighs 207 kg. The riding position isn't extreme despite the low handlebars and the tucked-up seat; it’s sporty for sure, but there’s little strain on your wrists and feet. The seat is large enough to move around in and is well-cushioned, too.

How it moves & stops

In order to ease you into the riding process, the F77 starts in Glide mode, which is the most relaxed; the instant acceleration offered by an EV can otherwise catch inexperienced riders off guard. In this mode, ideal for city traffic, the bike feels very manageable, and the torque delivery is gentle. You can go up to 70 kp/h in Glide, which is all you would need in city traffic conditions. Once you find a more open stretch of road, a switch to Combat mode reveals an instant increase in overall sharpness and the rate at which torque is delivered, and you can feel the bike straining at the leash.

Ballistic is where the action is at; the slightest twist of the accelerator is enough to slingshot you towards the horizon. There’s an absolutely seamless and relentless blast forward, forcing you to hang on for dear life, and the power delivery is exceptional. The 0-60 kph time in Ballistic mode is just over 3 seconds, and you’ll see 130 kp/h on the digital speedometer very quickly with enough road; after that, it tails off a little bit. All the while, there’s a whine from the electric motor that’s actually quite cool, and you can hear a lot of tyre and chain noise, since there’s no engine noise at all. In this flat-out mode, range drops to around 100 km, but it’s worth the fun you get in exchange.

The braking system is from the KTM RC 390, so bite and feedback from the brakes are both top-grade, with no fade evident. There are also three regenerative braking modes on offer, and even the top one isn’t too extreme; this is a good thing for mid-corner braking and traffic conditions (so you don’t take vehicles behind you by surprise). The brake levers take a little getting used to—the layout is like a regular motorcycle (a lever on the right handlebar and one under your right foot), but since you don’t have to operate a clutch or gears, your left hand and foot will find themselves occasionally gripping/treading air out of muscle memory.

The F77 handles beautifully as well, leaning over happily into corners and feeling extremely stable while doing so; the MRF tyres offer lots of grip. The 207 kgs that you’re piloting do make their presence felt, however, so it takes more effort than usual to flick the bike around rapidly through bends, and move it around a parking lot (there’s a reverse gear to help you do this). The ride quality on offer is very good, even over broken surfaces, and the suspension feels well set up; the units at both ends are preload-adjustable (fully adjustable ones would have been nice, though).

Verdict

All told, the F77 is an extraordinarily good machine for a company making its first bike; any established manufacturer would be happy to have made it. It looks fantastic and premium, offers great performance with everyday usability and range, and has no competition in the EV segment. It’s not cheap, at Rs 3.8 lakh onwards (ex-showroom; a fully-specced model with various add-ons will cost you over Rs 5 lakh), and it currently goes up against bikes such as the KTM RC 390 and TVS Apache RR 310; those bikes come from tried-and-tested manufacturers and have extensive sales and service networks to back them up.

As good as the F77 is, it’s not an easy bike to recommend because Ultraviolette doesn’t have a full-fledged network as yet. Once (or if) it does, it’s a no-brainer.