Ultraviolette F77 Gen 3 First Ride Review; Updated With A New Ride Mode

The Ultraviolette F77 is the best electric motorcycle that you can buy in the country at the moment. The F77 and its superstreet sibling look really good, offer great range and performance and are loaded with a laundry list of features and tech. But not the one to rest on their laurels, the Bengaluru-based company decided to make a small upgrade to its electric motorcycle by way of an updated firmware and a new ride mode. But before I tell what that is and how it affects the performance, let me set some context. 

Also Read: Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2 & F77 SuperStreet Launched In Europe

Ultraviolette F77 Gen 3: Setting The Context

Ultraviolette recently launched its motorcycles in 10 countries across the European Union. But, Ultraviolette F77 was undergoing tests in Europe for the last year, year and a half, with the European testers and distributors sending some good feedback. One of the feedback items received was that the motorcycle needed some improvements so that it could hold triple digit speeds for a long duration. A use case scenario being the motorcycle ridden on high-speed road network such as the Autobahn, which do not have a speed limit. 

Also Read: Ultraviolette F77 Superstreet Review 

Now, this wasn't really a requirement in a country like India, but it did make sense for developed countries. Riding any motorcycle at high speeds for a long duration puts a crazy amount of stress on the engine and in case of an EV, it puts massive stress on the motor and the battery. But being the tech-savvy company that Ultraviolette is, it developed new firmware to cope with such riding scenarios.

Ultraviolette F77 Gen 3: The Solution 

So, working on the feedback received from its European testers and distributors, Ultraviolette received over 70,000 GB of data, with over 80 lakh km ridden on the motorcycles. Using various data points, the company first endeavoured to optimise the battery temperature gradient. This means that all the individual cells in a battery were first made to distribute heat evenly and then again cooled in an even manner, so that cell degradation is minimal. Optimised cell degradation means longevity. 

The second step was to improve thermal efficiency by noting the difference between the battery discharge cycles during highway rides in India and Europe, the autobahns particularly. Then, the battery and motor were optimised for performance and high-speed riding for a sustained period of time and the result was the new 'Ballistic Plus' riding mode.

Ultraviolette F77 Gen 3: Ballistic Plus 

The reason we were invited to Bengaluru was to ride the Gen 3 motorcycles with the new Ballistic Plus riding mode. First, we put in a few laps around the karting track on Gen 2 motorcycles and then hopped on to the gen 3 motorcycles and again put in a few laps. The difference between the two is not staggering, if that's what you were expecting. But there is a subtle difference which makes your riding experience better. The throttle response is measured and better calibrated now. And the power delivery becomes smoother too. This means that you will become less fatigued during a high speed run and the battery and motor are optimised to offer you consistent performance too. 

While we couldn't ride the motorcycle at high speeds for a sustained period of time, Ultraviolette has promised to lend us the Gen 3 motorcycle at our home base soon, so that we can put it through a longer test on familiar roads. Otherwise, there are no changes to the specifications and design of the F77 Mach 2 and the F77 Superstreet. Both motorcycles make 30 kW of peak power, have an IDC claimed range of 323 km, peak torque on the motor is 100 Nm and the top speed is 155 kmph.

Ultraviolette F77 Gen 3: Final Say 

Yes, one might think that simply updating the firmware and optimising the battery and motor results in a new-generation model. But that's how it works in the EV ecosystem. A new-gen model doesn't always mean a platform change or a completely reworked design. In case of EVs, new-gen often means a significant update to the OS/software/firmware and not the actual two-wheeler itself. 

In this case, UV claims that it has found a way where its motorcycles can be ridden at triple digit speeds for long durations, with minimal wear & tear and better thermal efficiency. While it may not seem huge, but it is a significant update in terms of technology. And yes, the update will be rolled out to existing customers of the F77 Mach 2 and F77 Superstreet. Prices for both motorcycles continue to start at Rs. 2.99 lakh (ex-showroom).