BLAZING A TRAIL

The Revolt RV BlazeX is based on the RV1 platform and shares most aspects with it other than the battery and the motor. We rode the EV and here's what we think of it

- Pavit Chhabra

THE NEWLY LAUNCHED Revolt RV BlazeX can be bought for Rs 1.15 lakh (ex-showroom), which is Rs 15,000 more than what its very similar sibling, the RV1, costs.

It resembles the RV1 in almost every aspect, except the motor, battery, and a couple other things. The EV has an all-LED set-up, giving it a modern touch and staying in tune with other EVs. The headlight has a circular LED ring with an LED line cutting through it horizontally, giving it a retro-esque vibe. The rest of the bike looks like and also competes with a standard 100to 125-cc commuter ICE motorcycle except that it’s electric and gets both the pros and cons as circumstance. The bike has a long, single-unit, almost flat seat which resembles the RV1 and RV1+. It has a grab-rail that extends out into a short rack for luggage. We were informed that the bike has a payload capacity of 250 kilograms.

Before riding the Revolt RV BlazeX, we were first informed about the specification and features of the bike. This electric bike is powered by a 3.24-kWh removable battery and a mid-mounted 2.8-kW (3.8-hp) motor that can produce 45 Nm of peak torque. The power is sent to the rear wheel through a chain final drive, which is rather uncommon in EVs. The bike has three riding modes in addition to a reverse mode. What I found odd was the placement of the mode selector and the markings on it. The mode selector slider-switch sits on the right side, near the throttle. The markings are oddly placed and from left to right they are “R” for reverse, “3”, “2”, and “1” representing sports, city, and eco riding modes respectively. The bike has an IDC claimed range of 150 kilometres and a claimed top speed of 85 km/h with five km/h being the limit for the reverse riding mode.