Revolt RV 400 First Ride Review

The Revolt RV 400 is the first electric motorcycle from Revolt Intellicorp, a Gurugram-headquartered start-up headed by Rahul Sharma, co-founder of Micromax Mobiles. The Revolt RV 400 lays the claim of being India's first electric motorcycle with artificial intelligence. It's positioned as a commuter motorcycle, albeit with an electric powertrain, and will compete with conventional 125 cc commuter motorcycles. So, what exactly is the Revolt RV 400? And does it live up to its claim of being India's first artificial intelligence enabled motorcycle? We spent a few laps around a small Go Kart track to get a sense of India's newest electric motorcycle.

Also Read: Revolt RV400 Launched In India

The Revolt RV 400 is a decent-looking motorcycle with its sharp and muscular design

Design and Features

The Revolt RV 400 looks sleek, sporty and definitely different. The overall design resembles a conventional street naked motorcycle, but it does get some splashes of premium-ness. The face is sharp with a modern LED headlight, with a LED daytime running light, upside down front forks, and it has sculpted and muscular haunches, with a sporty stance. The overall design isn't superlative, but it's quite likeable. And it's not an entirely new design, with quite a bit of resemblance to the Chinese-made Super Soco TS1200R electric bike. Revolt Intellicorp though maintains that almost the entire bodywork of the RV 400 is made in India, and only the battery and electric motor are imported. The starter motor, ECU are all developed in-house, according to Revolt.

Watch the First Ride Video Review Here:

Also Read: 5 Things Which Make The Revolt RV 400 Special

The distinct LED headlight gives the Revolt RV 400 fresh appeal

The instrument panel is full-digital, and the RV 400's claim to fame of being India's first artificial intelligence-enabled motorcycle is backed by a few unique features. An embedded 4G LTE SIM enables all internet and cloud-connected features of the RV 400 and a dedicated Revolt mobile app offers a long list of unique features. Riders can access motorcycle diagnostics, satellite navigation, bike locator, geo-fencing, doorstep battery service, and online payment gateway for swapping out a fully-charged battery, as well as the dedicated battery swapping network and locations, all from the mobile app. And the RV 400 also offers the rider the option of using several synthesised sounds which can be selected from the app. The sound quality isn't that impressive, but the feature certainly is a gimmick worth talking about.

The removable battery is placed where the fuel tank usually is on an internal combustion engine motorcycle

Battery Range & Charging

Revolt Intellicorp says the RV 400 will offer complete peace of mind from range anxiety, and will have an on-board charger which can be used on any conventional 15A power socket to recharge the battery in less than 4 hours. The removable battery can also be easily carried to the rider's workplace or home to be charged. And there will be a dedicated network of battery swap locations where recharged batteries can be swapped out at a nominal cost. And of course, there's also the option of ordering a fully-charged battery through the dedicated Revolt app to be delivered at any location of choice within a preferred time slot, quite like how any conventional e-commerce platform works. And the battery is offered with a warranty of 8 years or 1,50,000 km, whichever is earlier.

The Revolt RV 400 has an ARAI-certified range of 156 km on a single charge, ridden at a constant 65 kmph

The RV 400 offers a choice of three riding modes - 1 (Eco), 2 (City) and 3 (Sport). Revolt says in Eco mode, ridden at a constant speed of 65 kmph, the RV 400 will run on a single charge for 156 km. In City mode, range is expected to drop to 80-90 km, and Sport mode will depend on riding style and terrain. Our brief first ride didn't permit us to test the actual range of the battery; something we'd be looking forward to test once we get to do a real-world test ride of the RV 400.

Also Read: What We Know About The Revolt RV400

The Revolt RV 400 has smooth and linear acceleration and reaches 60-65 kmph fairly briskly

Performance, Ride and Handling

The Revolt RV 400 has comparable performance with its target competition segment - conventional 125 cc motorcycles. The instant torque of the 3kW electric motor gives it a sense of urgency, and although acceleration is linear, it isn't exactly a fast motorcycle. On the move, the motor is silent, but what is likeable is that it's easy to handle, thanks to its low kerb weight of 108 kg. On the short straight section of the small track, we saw a speedo indicated speed of around 69 kmph, before it was time to brake into the left-hand corner. We suspect the Revolt RV 400 will have a top speed of around 80 kmph, but again, we'll reserve our judgement for its true performance once we get it for a real world test ride and review.

With a 108 kg kerb weight, the RV 400 is light and nimble, and handling is quite likeable around corners

Around the corners, the Revolt RV 400 gets some time to get used to, but it's quite easy to handle, although the front end does feel like it could do with some more feedback. Designed for intra-city traffic, the RV 400 will be easy to handle within the city, thanks to its low weight. Braking is decent, with discs on both wheels and the combined braking system works well. The easy road manners are complemented by the taut handling, but ride quality feels little stiff for everyday commuting. It will be interesting to see how the RV 400 feels like on actual public roads, over speedbreakers, potholes and the like.

The Revolt RV 400 is a likeable electric motorcycle, but overall fit and finish, as well as build quality could have been better

Verdict

Revolt Intellicorp is one of the first movers in the electric motorcycle space in India. The Revolt RV 400 is a commendable product, despite its design and technological origins; whether it has been completely developed in India, or based on an existing Chinese platform. Primarily targeted at the lower end commuter segment, the RV 400 is quite a likeable electric motorcycle. And it ticks all the right boxes to be used as an urban, intra-city motorcycle, which is green, and yet boasts of next-generation artificial intelligence.

The Revolt RV 400 is packed with new generation features, like cloud connectivity, synthesised sounds and a dedicated mobile app

The build quality could have been better, and it doesn't exactly have superlative fit and finish. The synthesised sounds are more of a gimmick, than to be of any practical use. But primarily as a commuter electric motorcycle for the masses, it certainly makes a strong statement. And with its revolutionary battery swapping network, and doorstep re-charged battery delivery, Revolt Intellicorp has completely negated the charging infrastructure worries for its customers.

The Revolt RV 400 is offered with only the MyRevoltPlan payment option, starting at Rs. 3,499 per month

The Revolt RV 400 is offered with a monthly plan starting from Rs. 3,499 going up to Rs. 3,999 spread across 37 months and the price covers insurance, registration and even service costs. As things stand today, you can only buy the Revolt RV 400 with the monthly payment plan, and the free service also includes consumables like brake pads. The premium variant of the Revolt RV 400 is even offered with a free set of tyres once in three years. The Revolt RV 400 certainly makes for decent value, and with the features it offers, it will appeal to a niche set of customers looking to make an environment-friendly statement.

(Photography: Rakesh Singh)