Ultraviolette X-47 Review: Electric Zip Injected Into Adventure Style

Bangalore: Ultraviolette Automotive is ready to roll out a new motorcycle, based on the proven F77 platform with a clutch of new technologies and adventure form factor. X-47 becomes the first made-in-India motorcycle to debut radar-powered advanced driving assistance technology. It is priced between Rs 2.49 lakh and 3.99 lakh (ex-showroom).

Ultraviolette X-47: Powertrain and charging

The X-47 uses the identical battery packs and motor as the F77. The 7.1 kWh and 10.3 kWh battery packs promise 211 kilometres and 323 kilometres respectively. It is propelled by a permanent magnet synchronous motor which generates 40 hp and 100 Nm of peak torque. The X-47 debuts UV's 1.6 kW on-board charge, which is handy and portable. Other charging options include boost (3 kW) and SuperNova (6 kW) fast chargers.

Ultraviolette X-47: Design and Features

Ultraviolette X-47 is tall, sharp and ergonomically comfortable. While the main frame and swingarm are shared with F77, a new aluminium subframe is manufactured for better modularity. The front fairing is different, which is chopped off midway through, resulting in an exposed battery showcase. Strong character lines run through the tank, merging into the edgy LED headlight cluster. 

The X-47 gets a 5-inch colour TFT display with customisable displays and a whole host of features like Bluetooth pairing, navigation and key vehicle parameters. Dual-channel ABS comes as standard. Four levels of traction control and nine levels of motor regeneration are also offered. 

Ultraviolette X-47: Ergonomics

The Ultraviolette X-47 is tall and wide. At 820 mm seat height, X-47 could possibly be difficult for riders under 5.4 feet in height. It's also on the heavier side with the scales tipping at 208 kilograms for 10.3 kWh variants. The riding triangle is comfortable with upright posture, mildly rear-set footpegs and wide handlebars. The windscreen should also reduce the blast on the highway.

Ultraviolette X-47: Ride and dynamics

Ultraviolette X-47 is easy to manage, comfortable to ride and engaging on the move. In ballistic mode, the X-47 is quite fun to ride. Open the throttle, speeds upwards of 100 kmph zoom in very quickly. Maintaining triple digits is effortless. The top speed is claimed at 145 kmph. 

The X-47's reworked suspension has 170 mm travel. It's supple over uneven roads and assured when ridden with intent. The UV X-47 feels planted around the corners and quite engaging to ride. Wide handlebars, however, impede the ficklability somewhat. While wide and comfy ergonomics translate into superb highway manners, the agility in the tight traffic could be restricted.

The brakes felt sharp on the levers and had a decent bite on application. The rear ABS can be turned off on the fly. The host of a radar-based ADAS suite which unlocks features like overtake alert and rear collision alert essentially creates a greater field of view for the rider. The ADAS intrusion is not loud. The alert pop-ups appear on the rear-view mirrors and the infotainment. While, I enjoyed the efficacy of the ADAS, it requires fine-tuning. The alerts don't really appear in the line of sight of the rider nor do they offer haptic feedback to alert to an impending danger.