Ultraviolette X-47: First Ride Review

The Visuals

Let’s begin that assessment by soaking in the view, shall we? The Ultraviolette X-47 straddles the middle path between a street naked and an adventure motorcycle. That’s pretty evident in the little beak that juts out from below the LED headlight and the small windscreen that crowns it.

The top-heavy “tank” with the sharp and long extensions, as well as the raised tail section, contribute to the stance of the UV X-47 being a road-biased ADV. I have to admit that I see traces of the Ducati Multistrada/ Hypermotard in this bike’s design inspiration, but I’m not complaining at all. Because this is a good-looking motorcycle.

In fact, bits like the cohesive side panels and the hollow aluminium subframe show the level of attention to detail that Ultraviolette has lavished on this motorcycle. All said, what I also appreciate is the way the battery is left exposed, yet appears integral to the design of the bike. Personally, I think the X-47’s looks are going to be one of its big draws, especially because it looks futuristic without being outlandish.

The quality of parts and materials is good and far better than some of the other electric motorcycles we’ve seen in the market. From the neatness with which the cables and wires are tucked, to the crispness of the colour TFT and the tactile switchgear, the X-47 is properly made.

The Package

The X-47 has a 30kW/40bhp Permanent Magnet AC electric motor and is available in two battery sizes: 7.1kWh and 10.3kWh. The battery sits where you’d usually find an engine in a petrol-powered bike, while the motor sits right behind it.

The 10.3kWh battery pack offers a range of 323km as per the IDC or Indian Driving Cycle. Opt for the 7.1kWh battery pack, and the range stands at 211km. As for the changing times, it takes 2 hours 40 minutes to charge the 7.1kwh battery from 20-80 per cent using the optional onboard charger. That time climbs to 4 hours in the case of the 10.3kWh battery pack.

In case you opt for the portable standard charger, the time taken to charge the battery from 20-80 per cent is 3 hours in the case of the 7.1kWh battery and 5 hours for the 10.3kWh battery.

Ultraviolette has thrown in a laundry list of features on the bike. There’s a nifty rear-facing radar that comes as standard. It helps with Blind Spot detection and alerts the rider via a warning light integrated into the mirrors. There’s overtaking alert and rear-collision warning as well.

However, I think, instead of radar, Ultraviolette should have offered the dashcam with front and rear cameras as standard instead of it being an option. Also, there should be a provision for the dashcam’s screen to display a map for navigation, as that sits in the rider’s field of vision while looking at the road ahead.

Besides these features, the TFT instrument cluster is informative and packs a ton of information, including lean angle, tyre pressure, and more.

The Ride

The moment you hop onto the bike, you are greeted with a wide and spacious seat. Once on it, you notice that reaching the handlebar doesn’t require you to stretch, helping you keep your back upright. However, the footpegs are rear-set, resulting in a sporty bend in the knee. Overall, the riding position is comfortable enough for commutes as well as the odd weekend trip.

Once I got rolling, I immediately noticed that the throttle response felt natural. The bike gets three ride modes: Glide, Combat, and Ballistic. The throttle response and turn of speed increase significantly as you move from Glide to Ballistic, and the latter mode is where all the fun lies.

The X-47 gets past 60kmph and 80kmph rapidly and that should allow you to keep most of the city traffic behind you. 100kmph also comes up quickly and I could comfortably cruise at 120kmph. The bike has the legs to cater to the demands of highway touring as well, and on the whole, the powertrain has more than enough performance to keep you entertained on your commutes or road trips.

Personally, the Combat and Ballistic modes suited my riding style and I’d only reserve the pared-back performance of the Glide mode when I want to eke out maximum efficiency. Helping the bike in that regard is the 9-level regen system. Keeping it at level four or five gives you the ability to coast to stops more naturally. At max regen, you could practically slow down to a stop with barely any need to use brakes. Although, the caveat here is your ability to judge stopping distances.

The performance and rideability of the X-47 was quite impressive, but what came as a surprise was the bike’s handling prowess. Firstly, as you roll off the line, the weight distribution of the bike feels spot on. At low speeds, say while crawling in the city, the bike doesn’t feel unwieldy.

Get to high speeds, and you notice that the bike feels stable and confident. However, what surprised me the most was the bike’s ability to go around corners. Despite the block-pattern MRF tyres, the grip levels were good, and once tipped into a corner, the X-47 feels planted and predictable. Even quick direction changes are dealt with easily, and steering effort required is not as pronounced as one would expect, given the heavy battery located aft of the front wheel.

But, and there’s always a but, Ultraviolette needs to rework the ABS calibration of the brakes. While I’ve no complaints about the bite and progression, the ABS is unnecessarily sensitive. It gets to the point where there were instances when I was on the brakes before a turn, and the moment the bike hit a few bumps in the braking area, ABS would kick in.

Immediately, the brake lever would go dead for a second or so. That was nerve-wracking, to say the least, as I tried to slow down the bike for the corner. This happened with a few other journo friends as well, so it certainly isn’t an isolated case. I hope Ultraviolette works on this, considering the speeds this bike gets up to and the generally bumpy nature of our roads.

As for the ride quality, it is the best-riding Ultraviolette to date. With 170mm suspension travel, there’s enough give in the suspension to soak up the usual set of bumps and potholes that Indian roads can throw at you. That said, the suspension is firm, so at low speeds, undulations will be felt to some extent.

Verdict

With prices starting at Rs. 2.74 lakh for the 7.1kWh battery pack equipped X-47, the bike presents itself as a good alternative to bikes positioned at a similar price.

It’s got the design, performance, and practicality baked in, not to mention the plethora of features and tech, as well as the comparatively lower cost of running an electric bike. If you are looking for a usable electric motorcycle for everyday use, there's nothing quite like the X-47 in the market.

Photography by Kapil Angane