Can You Tour On An Electric Bike? One Ultraviolette F77 Rider Firmly Says Yes!

Quick News Highlights 

• A F77 Mach 2 owner has just finished an international trip on his bike

• The Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2 covered 15 cities in the span of 6 days

• The trip really put the F77 Mach 2 to the test

One of the biggest problems motorcycling enthusiasts have with electric bikes is their perceived inability to go long distance or tour, like a petrol-powered motorcycle can. This is largely due to relatively short ranges and super-long charging times – though all these concerns are quite valid and cannot be discredited. However, there’s no denying that electric motorcycles can go the distance if you plan your rides well. 

This has just been proved by Harish Surampade, who rode from Bengaluru to Kathmandu on an Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2. The trip took  him across 15 major cities through India over the span of 6 days. We also had a chance to speak with Harish and here’s everything you need to know about the trip and his experience.

The trip began on December 26, 2024 starting from Bengaluru. Over the next 6 days Harish travelled through many cities including Chennai, Tanjore, Bhubaneswar and all the way up to Kathmandu. He reached Kathmandu on December 31, 2024 right on New Year’s Eve to celebrate this big accomplishment.

When going on long tours, an electric bike wouldn’t be the first choice for most folks, for the reasons mentioned earlier. But Harish wanted to do something different, so he decided to go on an Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2. According to him, “ The F77 MACH 2 was the obvious choice since it is eco-friendly, powerful, robust and it has got many features to explore.”

One of the biggest advantages the Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2 has to offer, as compared to its electric rivals, is the high range. With a full charge, the Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2 offers a claimed range of 211km in Indian riding conditions. For this trip Harish used the F77 Mach 2 Recon variant, which offers a claimed range of 323km. So touring and long distance travel is not a huge issue. 

But even with its commendable range, charging the bike is something that had to be planned beforehand. Harish had done the same. For the trip, he carried Ultraviolette’s 3.0kW Boost (fast) charger with him. This helped quite a bit with fast charging, and all he had to do was find a 15-amp socket. He said “Finding the socket can be a challenge sometimes. When I find one that is operational, I need the vendor to give me access to charge the bike.”

Now, what really stands out about this trip is how well the Ultraviolette F77 performed. The e-bike was able to handle all the challenges of the trip, without showing any signs of performance drop. The bike managed to handle the changes in climatic conditions, terrain and temperature without much trouble. 

Continuous use is one thing that all EV owners worry about given the heat the battery and motor generate, but the Ultraviolette F77 didn’t have much trouble handling prolonged usage. When we asked Harish about maintenance, he said he was able to manage with just basic checkups and servicing.

Overall, the trip was quite interesting and put the Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2 to the ultimate test. It has also shown us that touring on an electric bike is possible, as long as you plan charging stops properly. We had recently tested out the Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2 Recon variant ourselves and we really enjoyed riding the bike. 

Currently the Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2 is offered in 2 variants and here’s a breakdown of the prices: