Ultraviolette F77: Mach 2 Review: Indian-Made E-Bike Breaks Electric Silence

You could almost forget it, but electric motors still exist. Lately, it has remained eerily quiet around new bikes with an electric motor, especially from the mainstream brands. While car manufacturers are electrifying their ranges at breakneck speed, the big bike brands are mostly stuck with prototypes. A newcomer wants to shake things up and measures its ambitions against Tesla's. Meet the Ultraviolette F77: Mach 2, an Indian-built bike from a brand breaking the silence in the electric motorbike market with an impressive entry.

Text: Charly de Kinderen

Photography: Pien Meppelink & Andrew Walkinshaw

Smooth to pronounce

In rural Dalfsen (The Netherlands) today, we are introduced not just to a new model, but to a brand new motorbike brand. Indian brand Ultraviolette chooses MotoMondo as its partner for the European launch, with Benelux and the UK as initial targets. Or is it just the other way around, and has MotoMondo found in Ultraviolette the ideal candidate to finally fill the gap in its electric offering? Either way: it's a bold move by both parties, but one with big ambitions.

The F77 Mach 2, which we are previewing today, is the start of a wider model offensive. Behind the scenes, work is already underway on other variants, such as a sporty scooter and a lightweight all-road machine. And that name, Ultraviolette? It was chosen mainly because it is easy to pronounce worldwide. What's in a name...

MotoMondo is not alone in convincing us today. For this launch, Ultraviolette's engineering team has flown in from India - determined to show their prowess. This time, no flawed pigeon English as we sometimes experience with Japanese engineers, from whom - despite their best intentions - we often don't understand a word. No, clear English is spoken here, allowing us to dive deep into the engineering without getting lost in translation.

Team comes from the aerospace industry

What the engineers want to underline right away: this motor is not the result of a conversion. Not a combustion engine that was made electric, but a machine developed from the outset for an electric powertrain. The Indians took up that mission back in 2016, and since then, they have been intensively testing and optimising. Interesting detail: most of the team comes from the aerospace industry - a background that clearly had an influence on this motor.

Tron-like styling

It has to be said, this motor stands out. Especially for an A1-category bike, it looks remarkably modern and well-finished. Its design exudes the future, with a style that seems plucked straight out of the Tron movie. The side panels on the front fork further enhance that effect, and I wonder aloud why I haven't seen this before outside the chrome panels on Harley-Davidsons. After seeing the first press images, I briefly feared a cheap affair in real life - with flapping bodywork and sloppy panel transitions - but those fears proved unfounded. The finish is extremely handsome, especially for a debutant brand.

Beware the flower box of the hotel!

We start the bike in the most austere way possible - no futuristic sounds or theatrical light shows on the TFT. Just a green light on the dashboard, and done. No vibrations, no engine noise, nothing to suggest that 73lb ft of torque is waiting beneath you to catapult you forward. It takes some getting used to, that lack of feedback. It is no coincidence, then, that some test drivers have already crashed into the hotel flower box.

You’ll always have your insurance and driving licence to hand

The dashboard indicates that we are in Ballistic mode, accompanied by an icon of a supersonic aircraft. This is the most powerful driving mode. There are also Combat and Glide, each symbolising slower aircraft. The reference to aerospace is clearly woven into the whole concept. The screen itself is simple but logically structured. It is not yet a BMW or KTM-like interface, but the basics are right. A nice addition is the ability to upload documents such as your driving licence or insurance certificate via the app and save them in the menu. That way, you always have them digitally to hand. How nobody thought of this before is a mystery. Furthermore, the menu also lets you set the traction control to your liking.

It's no XL bike, but comfortable enough

We soon turn off the hotel car park and steer towards rural roads between vast farm fields. The seating position is sporty, but despite this not being an XL bike with India as its home market, I am not too bad with my six-foot-two-inch frame. I don't fear a day in the saddle full of cramps and sleeping body parts for now.

On to the kart circuit

The ride doesn't last long, by the way, as we soon stop at Zwolle's local go-kart circuit. Some were already dreaming aloud of Assen, but that might be for later, when Ultraviolette shows up with an electric superbike. In any case, they have plenty of ambitions: already, they claim to be building India's fastest motorbike with the prototype's top speed of 160 mph. And the looks of this prototype are even more impressive, with a wow factor not inferior to, say, a Ducati Panigale.

Italian flag? Nope, that's the Indian flag!

What is particularly striking is that Ultraviolette manages to create its own house style, without blindly copying established brands. Pride can be detected in their design and in the details. For instance, there is a small sticker of the Indian flag on the handlebars. At first, I foolishly thought it was an Italian flag, as if they wanted to suggest that the design came from Italy, a trick that some Asian brands tend to employ. But no, it is not a red-white-green stripe, but saffron-orange, white and green.

Hack your CBT

On the track, of course, we immediately switch to Ballistic mode. Efficiency or range-anxiety? We're not thinking about that right now. Anything goes in this mode, and it feels surprisingly impressive. The Mach 2 delivers peak power of 39bhp. "Wait a minute," I hear you thinking, "isn't this an A1 or CBT-friendly bike?" True, that is more than the 15bhp limit, but with electric motors, it is the rated continuous power that counts - and that is lower than the peak it can produce in short bursts. The exact regulations remain a bit vague for me, too, but it seems that electric bikes are the ultimate hack to partially bypass the A1 driving licence restrictions.

Feels like an A2 bike

In practice, the F77 Mach 2 feels more like an A2 motorbike. It shoots off smoothly and accelerates particularly snappily up to around 75 mph. After that, the pace flattens out, although the top speed would legally be limited to 86 mph to stay within the A1 category. But on a go-kart circuit, that's more than enough. From 0 to 35mph, it does so in just 2.8 seconds, and 60 is reached in 7.7 seconds - impressive figures for this class.

In terms of agility, too, the F77 does just fine. Still, it remains an electric motorbike, and the extra weight of the battery is noticeable. For instance, it weighs 207 kg, not extremely heavy in absolute terms, but still above average within the A1 segment - a KTM Duke 125, for instance, tips the scales at around 150kg.

You barely need to brake

The brakes are set up and powerful enough, although when braking hard, you do feel that weight making an appearance. Another interesting feature is the adjustable regenerative braking, which can recuperate up to 30 per cent of output. You set how much you want to capture in nine levels: at setting 0, there is no regen’ and thus no engine braking feel; at setting 9, the system engages so firmly that you hardly need to brake at all. That highest setting turns out to be the favourite of most riders and is ultimately the most efficient.

Super Street

After a croquette sandwich with fries, we hit the track again. Due to a GPS setting that was a little too enthusiastic, we did an extra lap through Zwolle. No problem, this way we immediately test the bike in all conditions. Moreover, for this part of the ride, we are on a special first: the F77 Super Street. We left the Mach 2 at the track, and I challenge you to spot the differences. The Super Street has straight handlebars and thus a more practical, comfortable seating position. The Mach 2, on the other hand, is sportier in design. Other than that and different colour schemes, the two models are identical. For instance, they share the same suspension, which is rather sporty, and therefore quite stiff, in its set-up. That was chosen not only for sporty handling, but no doubt also to cope with the weight of the battery. And believe me: batteries are heavy. When I recently had to drag a 5 kWh home battery up three floors, I suddenly remembered how much they actually weigh. Let alone double that, as with this bike.

Claimed 143 miles of range

Still, such a hefty battery is necessary to put down a credible range. Ultraviolette claims an autonomy of 143 miles with the 10.3 kWh battery. That's hefty. But those who have experience with electric motorbikes know that such a factory quotation is often on the optimistic side. During these kinds of electric press presentations, we rarely cover endless rides, so I have to go by my gut. And that says a realistic range is more likely to be around 70 miles, which is about right for a bike of this type.

You'll need to carry a heavy charger - for now!

For now, you don't charge using a Type 2 charging socket, as is common in Europe these days. According to engineers, they are working on a retrofit solution to build that in later. Until then, you will have to take a heavy charger with you if you want to charge on the move. Fortunately, there is a special side case under development where it fits neatly. Charging from 20 to 80 per cent takes 2.5 hours, so fast charging is also out of the question for now. 

Verdict

I'm impressed - and I'm not just talking about the design. Electric A1 bikes often felt like an afterthought: half-hearted attempts to still have something electric in the range. As a result, real success failed to materialise. In that light, the Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2 is an outright surprise, as it hardly has any competition. Super Soco might still come to mind, but would be beaten by this in really all areas and feels more like scooter in biker gear than a full-fledged motorbike. Can-Am has just presented two attractive electric models, but they cost £5,400 more, making any comparison almost irrelevant.

Introductory price

The F77 Mach 2 will cost £8,499 at launch. Note: from 31 July, the price increases by £1,000. MotoMondo stresses that this competitive price is part of Ultraviolette's strategy to launch firmly in Europe. Still, that's a lot of money for an A1 bike, especially when you know that petrol variants often sell for half that amount. But a direct comparison is difficult: the F77 offers significantly more power, a remarkably good fot and finish, and its futuristic looks certainly deserve a premium price as well. You are without a doubt buying the fastest A1 bike of the moment - hopefully, this loophole in the regulations will remain untouched for a while.

Best A1 bike of the moment?

The cost of ownership is also positive: less maintenance and a lower price per mile. Loading remains a concern, though, and the current side mirrors are frankly an awkward monstrosity - although according to the developers, an improved version of the latter is coming soon. But otherwise, the idea keeps running through my head: this could well be the best A1 bike of the moment. What an entry for a brand new brand!

Ultraviolette F77: Mach 2 - specs