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My colleague Karan was mighty impressed with the Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2 when he first rode it last year. He told me that this performance EV is well-built, offers a good real-world range, performs consistently, and can also put a big smile on your face if you ride it enthusiastically. However, it lacked a good regenerative braking system. Now, Ultraviolette has rolled out a few updates on the F77 Mach 2, which claim to address that factor. The bike also gets increased range, a few more features, and a major price reduction, with prices starting at ₹2.99 lakh. I got a chance to swing a leg over the updated Mach 2, but before I tell you what it's like to ride now, here’s a quick overview of the bike first.
The F77 Mach 2, like its predecessor, is available in two iterations — the original and a higher ‘Recon’ variant. The original sports a 7.1kWh battery, which promises a 211km IDC-claimed range, while the Recon is powered by a 10.3kWh unit, the biggest on any electric two-wheeler in India, which promises 323km on a single charge. The bike is propelled by a Permanent Magnet AC Motor, which generates 36bhp and 90Nm in the original variant and 40bhp and 100Nm in the Recon model, which is marginally higher than before in both. It gets three ride modes — Glide, Combat, and Ballistic, and I have to say it feels incredibly different in all three. Glide is good for strolling around town, Combat feels eager, and the Ballistic mode feels properly quick. Off the line, it takes time to pick up speed, but after 20kmph is when the bike feels fast all the way up to triple-digit speeds. What's commendable is the fact that the performance of the F77 doesn't take a toll even when you're riding two up.
The F77 Mach 2 is underpinned by a steel trellis frame, which is 30 per cent stiffer than its predecessor, to cope with the extra weight it has gained courtesy of its bigger battery. At 207kg, this is a heavy motorcycle, and you feel its heft while manoeuvring it at slow speeds, but on the go, the bike hides its mass rather well.
On the ergonomics front, the F77 offers a good balance between sporty and comfortable. Its rider's triangle is a little aggressive, but it isn't uncomfortable by any means. It's set closer to a supersport than a naked, so comfort is relative. You sit with your legs fairly rearset and high, while your arms reach out to a nice wide clip-on handlebar. The wide clip-on handlebar gives you good leverage to control the F77, especially in the twisties.
It's shod with grippy MRF Steel Brace tyres and rides on 17-inch wheels both at the front and rear. That, combined with a beautifully set ride-by-wire throttle, makes the F77 a real hoot to ride in the twisties. The bike gets a USD fork at the front and a monoshock at the rear, both adjustable for preload. In stock form, the setup feels a little stiff but gives the bike good composure in corners. Braking is handled by a 320mm disc upfront and a 230mm disc at the rear supported by a Bosch ABS dual-channel ABS. The system offers good bite and slows this bike incredibly well; it does start to fade after a little hooning around, but there's no need to worry now because it's backed by the amazing regen now.
Speaking of the regen, the biggest addition to the F77 Mach 2 is the improved, 10-level, regenerative braking system, something that the gen-1 bike sorely lacked. I'll be honest, it seemed overkill to me at first, but after riding the bike in different scenarios and toggling through the different regen levels, I have to say that it doesn't feel “excess” at all and works exactly as advertised.
Level 0 to 5 is best suited for cruising down the highways if you want to coast or are looking for minimum intrusion from the system, but after 6 is when you really start to feel the system doing its thing. Level 9 is the strongest and allows you to ride without using the brakes in the city. Just to give you an idea on how strong it is, Ultraviolette says that the strongest regen produces more power than any other electric two-wheeler on sale in India today.
Ultraviolette has done a very good job on the calibration of the system, and the fact that it feels linear and doesn't feel jerky even in the strongest setting makes the F77 more engaging to ride than before. The best part though? You can increase or decrease it on the go, even when you're on the throttle. Strong regen is something that the F77 always lacked, and Ultraviolette has finally given it to it now. It's so good that it almost feels like a traditional, petrol-powered engine braking system on a bike. Yes.
An area where the F77 didn't need any change was its design. A nearly 5-year-old motorcycle now, it still grabs eyeballs wherever it goes. The sharp headlight, front fork covers, that big single-piece side panel, the sculpted tank, errrmm, battery housing and the aero-optimised crash guard are all built with high-quality materials. In fact, its crash guard is something which I can personally say ‘works well’, because I got a chance to try it out. While trying out its hill-hold function, I accidentally dropped the F77 on its right side. The crash guard took the impact, and the bike didn't sustain any scratches on its body panels. So not only does it look good, but it also serves its purpose rather well. The Mach F77 is the world's only motorcycle without any visible screws on its body panels and that just adds to its beauty.
Accessing the barrage of tech that it offers is a 5-inch instrument cluster, which is one the best I've experienced on a bike. Although it's not a touchscreen, it's very easy to use courtesy of the well-laid-out controls on the switch cubes and is also clearly legible even in bright sunlight.
The Mach 2 also debuts Ultraviolette’s Violette A.I, an optional extra that includes ‘delta watch’, a feature that makes use of an IMU and alerts the rider if someone is trying to move the bike. In addition to that, it also gets fall and towing alerts and ride analytics on an app. More optional kit includes a boost charger (₹26,750), which almost halves the charging time and panniers (₹27,650), which can also be used to carry the fast charger and some bits and bobs. The F77 Mach 2 now also gets four traction control levels, along with dynamic stability control, which is very nicely calibrated. Finally, it also supports DC fast charging capability now. It can be charged via Ultraviolette's Supernova Plus charger from 20-80% in 45 mins or 60 mins, depending on the variant. Moreover, Ultraviolette is also offering a staggering up to 8-year / 8 lakh kilometre warranty on the F77, which shows you the faith this brand has in its product.
Prices for the F77 Mach 2 start at ₹2.99 lakh for the original and ₹3.99 lakh for the Recon variant, both ex-showroom. That's ₹50,000 and ₹80,000 more affordable than before, but bear in mind those prices are limited only for the first 1000 customers. Prices post the first 1000 customers haven’t been announced yet, but we hope that the increase isn’t too drastic. And Ultraviolette is also expanding its dealer network, the brand told us that its ready to open new dealerships in eight cities in the next month or so and looking to expand to 27 cities very soon.
The Ultraviolette Mach 2 expands on what already was an incredible motorcycle. This update not only brings with it a big price cut but also gains some much-needed features, including the fantastic 10-level regeneration system that makes the F77 more engaging and fun to ride. It looks the part and has a good real-world range too. Although still a bit on the expensive side, the Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2 is certainly more attractive and a better buy than before.
