In Pictures: Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2 Review

The Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2 gets a bunch of upgrades improving the riding experience. Here’s an in-depth review of the bike in detailed pictures:

The Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2, the sportiest electric bike in India, is now cheaper than the first iteration, but does that mean there are fewer features? No, on the contrary, the bike now gets better performance, range, features, colour options, and more. We got to ride the F77 Mach 2 Recon for some time and here’s what we think about the bike:

Design

The design of the Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2 remains unchanged from the previous model. The bike looks straight out of a sci-fi movie and will grab plenty of attention on the road, not because of its ‘exhaust note’ but rather, its overall design. It has a very premium look and the panels hide the wiring, welding marks, and bolts, which gives it a clean finish. The bike now gets an aluminium cover for the charging port instead of the plastic one on the older variant. It also gets tank grips as standard. The bike is offered in 3 variants and  9 striking colourways:

Motor & Performance

While the previous gen F77 had a likeable performance on offer, the company has now improved it with the Mach 2. It feels quicker off the line. While it still isn’t as crazy as the KTM Duke 390 or the KTM RC 390, it is still plenty of fun and you will have a smile on your face while riding it. The bike has a smooth throttle with a linear power delivery. The 10.3kWh battery on the F77 Mach 2 Recon will give you a claimed range of 323km while the base variant with a smaller 7.1kWh battery offers 211km. 

IDC stands for Indian Driving Cycle 

How long does it take to charge? 

The standard variant takes approximately 3 hours to charge from 20 to 80 percent while the Recon variant takes about 5 hours with the standard charger. The company also offers a Boost charger, with which the standard variant charges from 20 to 80 percent in 1.5 hours and takes 2.5 hours on the Recon variant. With the Ultraviolette Supernova Plus 12kW Fast Charging station, the standard variant can juice up from 20 to 80 percent in 45 minutes while the Recon variant takes 60 minutes. 
 

Handling & Ride Quality 

The Recon variant weighs 207kg, while the Base variant weighs 197kg. Sounds heavy, but in reality, the bike effortlessly handles low-speed direction changes and can be easily tipped into corners at high speeds. Even moving the bike around in the parking lot seems fairly easy. It also gets a reverse mode, which can be engaged by long pressing the brake lever and the ‘down’ button on the toggle switch together. Overall, the handling of the bike is very likeable.

There haven’t been any changes in the riding posture and the suspension setup. With a seat height of  800mm, the bike is accessible to short riders also. The bike sports low-set clip-on handlebars and you will have to lean forward slightly to reach them. This puts the rider in a committed riding posture, kind of like you will always be in ‘attack mode’. Having said that, the bike offers relaxed ergonomics even for taller riders, adding brownie points to its comfort category. As mentioned above, the bike comes with tank grips as standard, and these tank grips assist you in grabbing the tank with your legs. The bike rolls on tyres from MRF, specially designed for this bike and they performed quite well. 

The suspension setup on the F77 Mach 2 is on the firmer side, which means you will feel uneven patches or bumps on the road while riding. The braking department does well and feels sharp. There were ABS malfunctions while previously riding the first gen, but that wasn’t the case here. However, that will be fully tested once we get the bike for a road test.

Features 

The highlight of the F77 Mach 2 is its feature upgrade package. The bike gets 10 levels of regen braking and 4 levels of traction control that work well. If you are riding hard in Ballistic mode, Level 9 regen braking offers the most stopping power but it might feel jerky at low speeds and will also gulp a lot of juice from the battery. Level 5 or 6 offers a good balance while riding the bike every day. 

We recommend riding the bike with traction control set to 2, or 3 while getting used to the bike. Setting it to 1 is quite fun as it allows the rear wheel to slide a little without completely letting it go out of control.

Considering the heavy weight of the bike, Ultraviolette offers a handy feature called the Hill Hold. What it basically does is, that when you’re on an incline you have to engage the brake (either front or rear) once and leave it and the bike will display an ‘H’ sign on the dash, which means the hill hold has been engaged. This worked quite well, but you’ll take some time to trust that it will engage and you won’t roll down.

The bike also offers features like a charge limit, Find My F77 and more. It has a TFT console that looks premium. Reading basic information on the dash can be a problem since it isn’t tilted towards the rider and you will have to lean forward to read it.

Verdict

Despite the price reduction, the F77 Mach 2 still has a premium price tag, which can take some effort to convince consumers considering that it is an EV and with that comes range anxiety. Ultraviolette has done a good job with the F77 Mach 2 with the addition of features, colours & price reduction. This makes for a strong case for the Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2. With that, it comes with a stiff suspension which is designed for better handling but it can get uncomfortable on bad roads.

Ultraviolette told us that the software updates will be given to the customers of the first generation F77 for free. Considering all things, the bike is a hoot to ride with agile handling and has a premium finish, so it is a good purchase.