Revolt RV BlazeX First Ride Review: A Decent Commuter e-Motorcycle

In the Indian electric two-wheeler space, e-scooters have been far more successful than e-motorcycles. Tork’s torque fizzled out, Ultraviolette’s only offering so far is super expensive, the Matter Aera is not easily available in all parts of the country yet and the less said about the Ola Roadster, the better. Only, Revolt Motors has made some form of an impact. And its new offering, the RV BlazeX, aims to build on its commuter platform by offering buyers a slightly snazzier look. Who is it for and is it any good?

A Bit More Upmarket

Revolt’s RV1 commuter e-motorcycle platform was introduced late last year with two e-motorcycles, the RV1 and RV1+. The RV BlazeX is the latest and top-spec version from this platform, priced at ₹1.15 lakh (ex-showroom India). Hence, while the underpinnings as well as the electric powertrain remain the same, the design of the bike is a little more funky than the bare bones RV1. The body panels have a more upmarket feel with the BlazeX arriving in two colour options: Red/Black or Silver/Black. Having said that, the finishing on the bike, especially the welds around the head stock area or the wiring around the switches, needs to be better.

Even in terms of features, the RV BlazeX is decently specced. A full digital dash gets a SIM-card based connectivity suite that will provide you all of the ride and battery health related data on your smartphone via the MyRevolt App. There’s also geofencing and remote locking but what it still lacks is turn by turn navigation.

On the test bike, there were two accessories on showcase. The small windshield is merely there to cover up the otherwise empty area and as for the leg guard, it is a big no from us. The way it has been designed is that it will not deform in the event of a crash. Rather, it has the potential to rip apart the chassis upon impact and possibly even hurt your leg.

Comfy Commuter Stance

Hopping on to the RV BlazeX, you instantly get that easy commuter vibes with a low (790 mm seat height) and flat seat that is pretty spacious. The handlebar is neatly positioned for a very upright upper body stance. The footpegs are neutrally positioned with the option to swap out the footpeg mounts from one side to the other for a sportier stance, which might not be too necessary considering its commuter intentions. It is pretty light to easily move it around in the parking and this pays its dividend when you start riding the bike.

City Slicker With A Hiccup

Now, the performance was never supposed to be scintillating or thrilling. The Revolt RV Blaze X does a fairly decent job of keeping the rider moving. When you are in the City or Sport mode, it feels very adequate and fairly responsive. You can ride up to speeds of 45-50 kmph quite effortlessly in City mode whereas in the Eco Mode, the top speed is capped off to 45 kmph. It doesn't alter the throttle response in either of the modes, it sort of acts like a governor or a restrictor of sorts. Claimed range in Eco mode is 150 km (IDC), so real world expect 120 km in Eco mode and that should drop down to say around 85-90 km in City mode.

I still find an issue with the throttle calibration because it isn't precise. It feels jerky during on/off throttle transitions. Even when you want to set off or get on the gas to overtake slow traffic, it doesn’t roll away smoothly, leading to a shuddering sensation. Hence, this particular area needs addressing for a calmer commuting experience.

Like other Revolt motorcycles, this too gets a removable battery pack, the one here having a capacity of 3.24 kWh and weighing 20 kilos. So removing the battery pack is going to be a big task. There is an external charging socket too, in case you don’t want to make use of the convenience. 0-80 percent charging times via the standard 840W charger is 3 hours and 30 mins that can be dropped down to 1 hour and 20 mins via the fast charger.

Understanding a commuter motorcycle’s ride quality on a go kart track? That’s almost laughable. Hence, we shall reserve it for the road test. However, the handling of the RV Blaze X is very neutral and predictable. Given the tight and tricky layout of the track, it gave us a very good idea of how it would behave in tight traffic scenarios and to that extent, it holds its own fairly well. The tyres have good grip on offer and the brakes work decently too.

Good e-Motorcycle But…

Should you get the RV BlazeX, considering it costs ₹1.15 lakh (ex-showroom India). If you are looking at an electric motorcycle only which will do the daily grind and especially for last mile delivery services, it does prove to be a very good city runabout. It is light, easy to ride and can commute at 45-50 kmph nicely, and can make your way through city traffic effortlessly. All in all, it does come across as a very nice electric motorcycle.

But if you are going to be spending ₹1.15 lakh, you should evaluate if you really need an electric motorcycle. As not only the BlazeX, but other e-motorcycles don’t offer you the convenience that you get from an electric scooter. And at the asking price of the RV BlazeX, you can get a lot of good ICE motorcycles like the TVS Raider 125 or the Hero Xtreme 125R. Hence, as an electric motorcycle, it does its duties well and that is the sole reason you should consider getting one.