It might not be the fastest thing on the street, but the Ultraviolet F77 definitely looks the part.
I recently came back from India and it was quite an education in motorbikes as a form of transport rather than a hobby as towns and villages were teeming with little 110-125cc Hondas, heroes, scooters and more large Royal Enfield Bullets and larger with one to five people on board (three was most common) and also a day’s worth of freight. Quite the scene on the roads.
But India is also a booming tech hub these days, and electric motorcycle startup Ultraviolet is looking to the future of motorcycles with two electric models, one for racing and one for riding. Both motorcycles are designed as sci-fi movie props, with the civilian F77 looking rather racy and unlike most other electric motorcycles on the market.
The Ultraviolette F99 race bike produces about the same power as a 250cc club racer. But more quietly.
The other machine, the F99 (above), is a racing model for India’s growing electric motorcycle racing league. The teams involved so far? Only one, it seems: Ultraviolet. Have to start somewhere.
Although the bikes look exotic (kudos to the styling team), they are priced and designed for India—until now. That means the angular F77 produces “only” 40 horsepower (and 74 pound-feet of torque), with a top speed of just over 90 mph. Not so fast, you say? That’s almost the speed of sound in India, where most highways travel at 50mph – or less. A 10.3 kWh battery should give it around 190 miles of range, according to Ultraviolette. The price is around $6,800 – a princely sum in India, but comparable to today’s high-end Royal Enfield 650 twins, which produce about the same power but run on gasoline and look like “regular” motorcycles .
The Ultraviolet webpage shows the F77 in a variety of cool colors. Unfortunately, it’s sold out. For the moment. … [+]
Ultraviolet says that only 77 of the F77 street-legal machines will see production, and as of publication, all F77 units have been reserved. No wonder, considering the price. There was no word on how many F99 race machines will see track time.
The Ultraviolette F99 race bike packs a little spicier curry, with 65bhp and a top speed of over 120mph/200kph. Not exactly MotoGP numbers and not quite in the ballpark for the 150 horsepower MotoE bikes due from Ducati this year, but not too bad either. Running to 60 mph takes about 4.5 seconds according to Ultraviolet.
Full-coverage fairings help the bikes cut through the wind, and they even feature racy winglets (although they appear to be mounted… backward on the F99?) Just like high-end sport bikes on the track and showrooms elsewhere. All in all, the motorcycles look like they’re from a future sci-fi movie, ready to take on cyborg racers on a shiny race track. Be sure to check out the homepage of the Ultraviolet website for a vision of that future.
Those chunky fairing fins won’t do much on the F77, but it does up the cool factor by a few points.
If Ultraviolet can somehow ramp up production and get anywhere near that $6,800 price point for exported machines, it looks like they could find a ready market in many international cities, where electric motorcycles from other established brands sell for thousands more, or even double. For 99% of the ride, 94 mph is plenty quick, and with that quick 0-60, the F77 could tick a lot of boxes for urban riders. Plus, they look pretty future-perfect techno. For now, the bikes will hopefully see additional production in India, which sells over 15 million units per year nationally – second only to China. Here’s hoping Ultraviolette looks beyond their borders in the near future.