Ultraviolette F77 : Paint ‘em black and blue... and red

The average e-scooter user views it more as a commuting tool and tends to be less of a passionate rider than a motorcycle owner. But given that future where, electrics are an inevitability, it is only a matter of time before the market is flooded with options. There are a few commuter-segment e-motorcycles already, like the Revolt and Tork Kratos. They are trying to find their footing in this nascent market. But can the true blue biker be tempted to make the switch to electric? What will it take to woo that buyer?

Ultraviolette Automotive, a Bengaluru-based start-up that is launching its first motorcycle after six years of research and development, is confident that the F77 is the answer that these buyers have been waiting for. The F77 has been in the news for a while now, with the final production version having been showcased on multiple platforms. It did go through various iterations before it reached this stage, and company officials say that it has undergone extensive and rigorous testing. The F77 looked wicked cool in pictures, and I had been waiting for the opportunity to ride it. A couple of weeks ago, that finally happened.

The F77’s design places it squarely in the sports category with its rear-set contoured split seat and committed riding posture | Photo Credit: S Muralidhar

Design

Seeing the F77 in the flesh is eye-opening in its ability to prove that excellent fit, finish, and quality are entirely possible coming out of the start-up ecosystem in India. If you think that I may have gushed too soon, wait till you lay your hands on one. The F77’s design places it squarely in the sports category with its rear-set contoured split seat and committed riding posture. The price versus value and quality equation is a whole different discussion, which I’ll take on in a bit. But, with sculpted ABS panels covering much of the frame and giving the F77 a purposeful and premium profile, it does lend the e-motorcycle a very young vibe. The design and sourcing strategy’s strength is evident in the quality and finish of all the cast parts, plastic panels, switchgear, and digital bits. 

The F77 cockpit offers bike info, maps, performance control, a documents vault for storing stuff like your driver’s licence, and battery info like SOC, etc | Photo Credit: S Muralidhar

The founders of Ultraviolette are said to be fans of comic-book superheroes, and it shows up in many places in the F77’s design. In fact, starting from the Ironman arc reactor style logo, the gaming console style electrical control buttons on either side of the handlebar, and the V-shaped pilot lamps, there are design elements that seem to have drawn inspiration from what the youth of today identify themselves with. 

Features

The chassis is a steel trellis frame with an aluminium bulkhead. Much of the frame, body, and even the upside-down front forks have been clad with panels, giving the F77 a rather clean look. The switchgear on either side of the handlebar offers intuitive controls for accessing most of the menus on the 5-inch digital instrument screen. There is also the toggle button for switching from one ride mode to another. The F77 cockpit, as Ultraviolette calls it, offers bike info, maps, performance control, a documents vault for storing stuff like your driver’s licence, and battery info like SOC, etc. While the overall fit and finish is good, there are a couple of places where generic improvements in quality could offer long-term reliability benefits. One of the parts that has been designed to fit the bike’s futuristic stance but didn’t deliver on practicality was the rear view mirrors. I couldn’t get them adjust them to my satisfaction. 

The F77 can also accommodate sliders on the swingarm and front forks if extra protection is needed. For more storage needs, the bike gets four mounting straps on the rear seat, which can be used to mount the boost charger during longer rides or for fixing a soft box or top box. 

Battery

The F77’s battery pack, featuring an aluminium enclosure, has over 500 cells, and the chemistry is NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt)

The lithium-ion battery pack of the F77 sits like an upright suitcase and is positioned right under what looks like the fuel tank. It is virtually cradled by the frame and features additional protection from impacts and falls. Ultraviolette’s founders say that they drew inspiration from aeronautics while designing and conceiving the F77. One of the features that was born out of that inspiration and is expected to both offer improved aerodynamics and impact protection for the battery pack is the small fin-like structure sticking out mid-panel. The aerofins, one on either side, are attached to the strongest section of the crashguard encased around the battery. Apparently, the fins have been designed in conjunction with the knee recesses, which have been carved into the panels, to offer some protection to the rider too. The F77’s battery pack, featuring an aluminium enclosure, has over 500 cells, and the chemistry is NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt), which is said to be more efficient for two-wheeler applications.

The motorcycle is offered with two different battery pack sizes: 7.1 kWh and 10.3 kWh. The F77 is also offered in three different motor output states for the three different variants. So, while the regular F77 gets 36.2hp and 85Nm, the F77 Recon’s output is 38.8hp and 95Nm, and the F77 Limited (limited to 77 units) gets the highest output of 40.5hp and 100Nm. My test mule was the F77 Recon.

All three variants get three levels of selectable regenerative braking and three ride modes too: Glide, Combat, and Ballistic. The high-performance “Ballistic” mode is an optional addition. All of these are part of the magic of software-driven tuning! The riding range will, of course, depend on the riding mode. But the rated range (IDC) is 307 km for the Recon and Limited and 206 km for the regular F77. The range will be progressively lower for the Glide, Combat and Ballistic modes, respectively. 

Despite some attempts at lightweighting, the F77 is not really a light motorcycle, with a kerb weight of about 200 kg. The bulk of the weight comes from the battery pack. The permanent magnet electric motor itself is positioned vertically, right next to the battery pack. It sends torque to the rear wheel via a chain drive. Some of the charge and battery management components have been positioned above the battery and under the skin of what would’ve been the fuel tank. Lifting the fuel cap reveals the charging port here, which supports both AC and fast DC charging. The battery pack is IP67-rated, so it is protected against dust and water ingress. Ultraviolette engineers tell me that the bike has been tested extensively for its water-wading abilities. The ground clearance is 160 mm. 

Performance

I tested the Ultraviolette F77 on both regular roads near Nandi Hills and on a fairly technical go-kart track on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The first impression right after a a few kilometres on the odo, riding on the straight sections of road leading up to the hill climb at Nandi, is the sense of poise and balance that the F77 offers. The nibbling worry during the pre-ride inspection that it might feel front-heavy and unwieldy was gone in a jiffy. That impression was probably coming from not being able to see any of the major powertrain parts when I first walked up to it.

The F77 is genuinely quick too. The two test mules that I rode during the day were both Recon variants. The ride-by-wire throttle has been calibrated to offer differentiated response for the three modes. I tried all of them; though I tended to stay more often in Combat, I switched regularly to Ballistic (the test mule have it pre-loaded) for an overtaking manoeuvre or to test acceleration. In Ballistic mode, the acceleration is seriously quick and can unseat you if one is not ready for it. On closed sections of road, I found 3-digit speeds come up in seconds (claiming 7.8 seconds to 100 kmph), and there is nearly no vibration due to fewer moving parts. There is only a constant whine with a sort of high-tension wire buzz during regen braking. The saddle height is 800mm, and the riding position is set into the bike and committed, so that does help stay in control. This also helps in weight distribution and consequently confident cornering on all those tight turns going up Nandi Hills and the 12 corners on the go-kart track. Foot peg scraping, which leans into many corners, was handled with ease.

Bottom Line

The suspension is definitely on the firmer side. And this can be a bit of a problem if you are riding long distances on broken tarmac. The F77 is also not built to tackle too much of off-road style “kutcha” sections. Both the front forks and the rear monoshock are offered with preload adjustment in the Recon and Limited. Braking performance is also good with hydraulic discs with dual-channel ABS, and a 320mm disc for the front and a 230mm disc for the rear.

At ₹4.55 lakh, the Ultraviolette F77 Recon is expensive. But that is the point; it is not meant for everyone. It fits into a niche, and the company says it is okay to stay a strong player in that currently small segment of the market. So, if you are a young buyer looking to experience the possibilities of electric, the F77 can be that switchover you’ve been waiting for, and it can truly match the performance of an ICE motorcycle with its breadth of capabilities.