Buell Ulysses

[Uesque]

I thought I was going to like this one, I started out on a dual sport, and figured this would be a great ride. I was very disappointed. It felt cheap, especially the controls, and the extended touring windscreen caused more buffeting than it helped, over 60 it would blow my face shield open.

The good points were the engine which was smooth and deceptively fast, and the brakes which were incredible.

It was also very tall, I have a 33" inseam, and still had to tippy toe it. I'd rate it "not recommended".

[Kfengler]

Click for the rest of the story: BMW R1200GS vs. Buell XB12X Ulysses vs. Ducati Multistrada 1000 DS



While the Buell's windscreen offers the least protection of this trio, it also causes less buffeting, which means we like it best. We also like the comfy and spacious saddle; we can only hope the optional low seat is as good. The ample seat-to-peg distance affords plenty of leg room, but the footpegs' knurled-metal finish and odd angle make standing up off-road a slippery proposition.

What we have here are three different approaches to diversified motorcycling. The irony is that there are now niches developing within this supposedly nicheless category. Which bike is best depends on your intended use: The BMW is a more capable adventure-tourer, the Ducati a sportier sportbike, while the Buell specializes in not specializing, and therefore offers the broadest appeal. It's a jack of all trails, master of some.

[Uesque]

Originally Posted by Kfengler

While the Buell's windscreen offers the least protection of this trio, it also causes less buffeting, which means we like it best.

Originally Posted by Uesque

the extended touring windscreen caused more buffeting than it helped, over 60 it would blow my face shield open.

[darrell]

The Ulysses is definetly not a bike for everyone. It is, however, the bike for me.

I got my '06 leftover back in March, and have been loving it ever since. So much so that I sold my Electra-Glide last month. The Buell is now my only bike (working) and my main form of transportation.

I took a ride this weekend up to North Jersey with many different road variations. We blasted up Rt.55 to 42 to the NJ Turnpike, then to 287. All these roads see speeds in excess of 75mph, and I was more than comfortable with that on the Ulysses.

There is minimal wind protection, and like stated earlier, the tall windshield can create buffeting issues. I have the stock shield with the regular '06 seat, and wind hits squarely in the chest, with my helmet in clean air. I'm going to order the tall windshield just to try it out, as everybody's take on it's efficiency is different.

After getting to our location in North Jersey, I chatted with a guy testing out the fit on an '07 Ulysses model at Kosco H-D, then sat on a Fat-Bob myself and was toatlly in love. But enough of that, we're talkin Uly here, not Fat-Bobs.

Dinger, his wife, and I ran a short poker run on some nice roads, then left soon after finishing to find the nice twisties we know North Jersey has. We were soon twisting and turning our way back home (after a short stint in New York), and that's where the Buell shines. This bike leans into a turn like nobody's business. It's solid throughout the turn, even when pushed hard. I've pushed the rear end out down here in South Jersey on some twisty roads I know well, and even when breaking the rear tire loose in a turn, the bike still feels well planted.

Anyway, I left at 6:55 am and didn't get home till well after 7:30 pm, over 450 miles that day, and I was comfortable the whole time. At no point was I wishing I was back on the E-G.

I have a set of Caribou Cases on order so I have somewhere to store stuff for the winter rides. And I just ordered a Olympia Motosport AST jacket for winter riding, as the leather FXRG jacket I have tends to baloon up with the ammount of wind I get on the Ulysses.

6500 miles on the bike now, and looking forward to many more.

Sorry to hear the bike wasn't for you, Uesque.

[Berserker]

someday when I get extra money, and a camp, will think about a dual sport. Thanks for all the inputs.

[darrell]

Originally Posted by BigMike

Do you know of any differences in the '07 or '08's? Just wondering because the used market has some great deals.

Wish they would have tested the KTM 950/990 Adventure and the Triumph Tiger.

The '08 come with heated grips, heat deflectors (the Ulysses puts out some serious right side heat before the fan kicks on), and greater steering lock, which should help the dirt worthiness of this machine greatly. The forks are a little beefier, and there's some changes in the oil system, mainly with a pump that flowes better, and a larger oil cooler. These were some of the changes for the '08's.

The KTM shouldn't even be put into the same league as the Ulysses and the Tiger. The KTM will run laps around both bikes off the beaten path, but is not nearly as comfortable for the long haul. The KTM was definetly designed for the dirt side of dual sporting.

The Tiger and Ulysses are more of a closer match, with the Tiger being slightly more street oriented. Rider Magazine gave the Motorcycle Of The Year award to the Triumph Tiger, and it looks to have earned it. I've never ridden a Tiger, but sitting on one, it is a slight bit lower than the Ulysses, looks to offer a bit more wind protection, and has much the same positioning. I'd really be interested to take one for a spin, but it's tough finding a dealer around here, much less one that'll let me take one out.

If you ever get a chance to test the Tiger, jump at it, as I do believe this would be one fine machine to putt around on.

But the familarity of the Ulysses engine, ease of maintenance, availability of dealers and parts, and super low cost of ownership (along with the steal of a deal I got) all steered me in the direction of the Buell.

[darrell]

Here's the bike a few months ago, I'll take some pics once I get the bags in and on.

[darrell]

Alright, one more thing about the Ulysses, then I'll stop tooting my horn.

Here we go:

I hate trailering bikes. They're meant to ride. No matter what, no matter where, no matter when, I'll ride a bike before I even think about trailering it. Today happened to be a rare exception, and the first and last time I will ever trailer my Ulysses.

I had some warranty work that had to be done to the Uly. A couple of seals were weeping, and I wanted to get them replaced before it got any worse. Nothing major, just the shifter shaft, clutch cable o-ring, and starter seal. They weren't leaking, but you could see wetness around all of them, so my dealership replaced them all before it became any worse.

I rode the bike to the dealership this morning, arrived at 9, and left the bike there for the work to be completed. My buddy Alex picked me up and took me home, where I got my truck and a trailer to help him move some things out of storage. We both returned to his house, me in the truck with trailer, and him in his car. We then made a couple of runs to the storage place, then back to his house. At 2 o'clock the dealership called and told me the bike was done. Alex convinced me to run and get the bike, and leave it at his house wile I took his car to a doctor's appointment I had, and he'd keep using my turck to clean out his storage.

Anyway, come 7 o'clock, and I'm back at his place, with a truck, trailer, and bike that all need to go to the same place. So what do I do? I load the bike on the trailer, complaining the whole time that I really don't like to trailer. He was treatening to take pictures and call friends to witness me actually trailering my bike. That didn't happen.

So I strap it all down and head home, where I promptly unstrapped the bike and begin to unload it.

Well, beginning and finishing unloading it took about 1/3rd of a second, as the bike decided it wanted to take a quick dive off the side of the trailer to get off. CRASH!!! SMASH!!! CRRRRAAAAACK!!!!

SH!T!

I jump off the trailer, and look at what just happened. The bike's wheels are still on the trailer, and everything else is either in the air or on the ground.

I'm pissed.

I yank the bike the rest of the way off the trailer, hearing crunching sounds as I do.

I pick the bike up and notice the trailer light has been smashed to smitherines.

I roll the bike into the garage and have a look see.

SH!T!!!

This is gonna be the third blinker I have to replace on this bike. At a hefty cost of $12.

So, a 2 foot dive off of a trailer cost a total of $12. Not a scratch, not a ding, not a nothing else was wrong with the bike.

Cheap replacement parts. Yet another bonus to owning a Ulysses.

[Uesque]

Originally Posted by darrell

Sorry to hear the bike wasn't for you, Uesque.

I really was disappointed because I love the look of the bike, and prior to the FXR I'd always ridden dual-sports or standards. I can't even put a finger on exactly what I didn't like, it just didn't seem right for me. Kind of sad, actually.

And you're right about the heat from that back jug, my leg was toasted. Temps were high 70's that day.

I would still give it another try in the future. After all, Erik Buell is a Pittsburgher.