Ultraviolette F77 review, road test

The ergonomics are a mixed bag for me because, at 5ft 11in, I have no complaint with the legroom on offer, but my upper body is positioned in line with a committed sportsbike. While this is great for when you want to turn up the pace, using the bike in any other scenario is uncomfortable. More forgiving ergonomics would help in improving the rider’s comfort quite a bit. The seat also split opinions and while I found it fine, others thought it was too firm.

Suspension strikes a good balance between comfort and sportiness.

For such a committed machine, the preload adjustable suspension units at both ends are surprisingly well-damped without robbing you of feel or poise when you turn up the pace. The new MRF Steel Brace rubber (a Metzeler M5 lookalike) is grippy and suits the bike very well.

New MRF Steel Brace tyres give you loads of confidence to push.

At 207kg, this top-spec F77 Recon weighs more than every 1,000cc superbike and there’s no hiding from that in low-speed scenarios.

Happily though, soon as the pace rises, the weight no longer becomes a concern. What will dissuade you from speeding up, especially on our poor roads, are the brakes. Bite is adequate, but on quite a few occasions, the front brake lever would go stiff with the ABS kicking in when I would clamp down hard. 

Braking performance is adequate, but the ABS is a little intrusive.