| Author | Message | ||
     Stevem123 |
Well after reading several reviews I guess it's time for a local SF Bay Area riders point of view so here it goes. I was informed by a friend posthumously that the new model Buell that everyone had been waiting to see was up on the Buell website. I quickly went to the site and began reading. Within a few minutes I was hooked! To my amazement, my wife agreed to let me get one! A call was made to my local dealer Santa Cruz HD/Buell and I made my deposit for a black Ulysses XB12X. They hadn't even seen one outside the dealer show yet but my salesman was eager to get it to me. I picked it up on Sunday August 7th with several friends drooling and oogling. The hard bags weren't in yet but no matter. I hopped on the bike and off I went quickly forgetting that another Bueller wanted to ride along. I jumped on Hwy 1 and realizing I left them behind, I made a loop back for the dealer. The first thing I noticed was how smooth the suspension was yet the bike felt well planted to the pavement. I thought this is gonna be a real nice ride! I hooked up with my friends again and two of us decided to make a run up Hwy 1 to Alices for lunch. We got almost out of town when I noticed the engine light come on. The bike was running fine so I figured it was just some minor thing but we stopped anyway and went back to the dealer. The dealer had no techs on duty being a Sunday but their other shop "Green Valley HD" a few miles away had techs working. My friend figured I'd be a while so we parted ways and I headed for the other shop. The problem turned out to be a stuck interactive exhaust valve servo code which cleared when reset so I was good to go. They also have one of the best Buell techs in the south bay area so it's a great place to go for service if you need it. With my wife and son waiting to meet me at Alices for lunch I had some ground to make up so off I went again. I was really tempted to pick up the pace but I wanted to do a proper break-in so I kept it below 2500 RPM for the first 50 miles. Even at that, this bike screams performance in a quiet sort of way. I could tell it was going to be a real stump puller once I got to open it up some. I took the windy way up Bonny Doon road and Empire Grade to Hwy 9 so I could vary the revs and keep the speed down. The Uly simply eats corners and bumps like no tomorrow! I still couldn't believe how positive and smooth the feel of this bike has. I started to look for dips and bumps to hit just to reassure myself that I wasn't dreaming! By Tuesday after riding to work and taking the long way home, I had completed the 500 mile break-in and now I had a chance to see what this sleeper would really do. Wednesday I took some of my favorite roads after work to give it a real workout and I finally got home thinking to myself that I have really found a great bike! The Uly is just plain awesome! It takes everything I can give it and makes it feel totally natural. I even dragged a toe on a tight corner and never felt the least bit out of control. The whole experience is effortless in the twisties and the powerband is so wide that even a missed downshift doesn't seem to bother it because it still had plenty of exit torque out of the corners. Thinking about all this, I then realized that to drag a toe on this bike with it's ground clearence, I was way over and much farther leaned over than I ever remember doing on my S3T! This bike handles like no other bike I have ever ridden. The next weekend I decided to see how it would do two-up so I geared up the wife, adjusted the preload on the rear shock and the two of us took off for some fun. Together the two of us exceed the GVWR by at least 50 pounds but the bike handles it well and never once bottomed. There's plenty of room and the bike still handles as good as it does with just me on it. Now I'm thinking maybe I don't need my Road Glide any more! LOL! Well, dinner is calling so I'll post more later. BC Steve | ||
| Broodwich |
Thanks for the review. It sounds like you're having fun and that's a good thing. | ||
| Jim_sb |
Congrats on the new Uly, Steve. If I sell the S2 I'll be getting a Uly too.  Jim in Santa Barbara | ||
| Prior |
Jim, I want that bike so bad, but can't foot the bill right now. She'll go to a good owner and you'll be on a Uly! | ||
| Stevem123 |
Week 2+: I rode the Uly to work every day and since I get off work at 2:00 in the afternoon I've had plenty of time to put more miles on the bike. I looked for more roads to take and found a few I hadn't been on before. One road in particular out by Butano State Park was quite isolated and suprisingly fun. One turn gave me the pucker factor because it was a tight left-hand switchback that started uphill then at the apex changed to a pretty steep downhill. I grabbed the front brake and feathered the rear brake to scrub off some speed. The bike just laughed at the obstacle and handled it like it knew it was there! Thank god I didn't panic and lock the front wheel. The front brake lever is adjustable and I have it adjusted as close to the grip as it will go just for those fast reflexes when needed. It only takes a couple fingers to get all the braking power you need and it's not grabby at all unless you grab a handfull. It definitely makes it real easy to scrub off speed in a hurry without fearing a washout in the process. The front brake when leaned over will tend to try to stand the bike up but it isn't so bad that it's hard to control. It's just the less agressive rake and trail that does that, and as long you're paying attention, it's a no-brainer. Just react with a little more counter steer pressure on the bars and it stays where you tell it to stay. So far I have personally been able to ride much faster and more agressivly than I ever did on my S3T. The bike feels so good that you don't even realize how fast you're going until you check the speedo. I'm going to have to force myself to be aware of my speed or the LEO's are going to have a field-day with me if they ever catch me. LOL! For those of you that are inseam challenged, I can say that even with my 30" inseam, the tallness of the bike is not really a problem unless you're trying to back up. I find it easier to just push the bike back where I need it then get on. The grab rail for the passenger makes this simple. I do look forward to a lower seat but it's really not a problem for me. Hard Bags: They came in on Friday of week 2 and I was able to pick them up Saturday morning. It only took about 30 minutes to install them and I am very impressed with both the mounting system and their size. A single latch holds them in place and itself is lockable. Its a very positive and beefy latch that I can't see as being any problem in the future unlike the S3t bags. Even though the side bags are quite large, I have had no problem lane-sharing because they are no wider than the bars. They're very sturdy and don't rattle or effect the handling in any way that I have found. They have built-in handles for carrying them and the handles also work good for the passenger to have something to hold on to other than the rear grab rails. That very comforting to my wife. The hard two-up run: Sunday, the 14th day I had the bike, was spent riding with Curt Relick and some other Buellers on a memorial run for Gordon Buhle. My wife and I met them at Alices, and I was mobbed by a bunch of BMW GS riders. They kept me talking and answering questions about the bike until we all saddled up and left. We headed down 84 at speeds I have never done two-up before. I was yet impressed again with how the bike handled and I was able to keep up with no problem. Curt and the other guys are racers and I think they were also impressed with the two-up capabilities of the Uly. My poor wife was frazzled by the time we got to the bottom of 84 and Stage road so I had to back off some for her comfort. She's only been riding for a few short months and all of that has been on our Road Glide doing the slow ride for enjoyment. I scared her pretty good on that run and had to promise to never pilot her in that fashion again. No problem. I personally felt that pace was a little fast for two-up riding anyway but it was fun none the less and the bike was remarkably stable despite the load. Well another week has almost gone by and I now have 2K on the bike. The rear tire is about half gone and I have really been enjoying the bike. The twisties are my backyard and I've been hitting them with almost reckless abandon. The bike is a wonderfully designed work of art. I honestly can't find a thing I would change other than maybe some different mirrors because they suck. The fit and finish of this bike is in my opinion better than any other bike I have seen and the details were well thought out. The new transmission and clutch are flawless as are the other improvments. The competition has some serious work ahead of them to beat the Ulysses at ITS game! In closing, all I can say is ride the bike and you'll see. Can I buy some Buell stock???? BC Steve | ||
| Stevem123 |
Hi Jim, I can see it now at CAMs next year. A whole pack of Uly's terrorizing the tourists around Yosemite! LOL! BC Steve | ||
| Uselyssxb12x |
Thanks for the reviews! Keep em coming.  | ||
| Sleez |
steve, can you let me know what you and your wife's total weight is? i and mine are on the large size, and the load handling is a concern. | ||
| Jim_sb |
Hi Steve, keep the Uly reports coming. Especially tire life! Enquiring minds want to know... CAMS VI? On a Uly? That would be perfect for me. I'm a Uly guy anyway. V-twin power (character!), excellent luggage, dirt & gravel fire roads no problem, GPS on the dash (I've already got the GPS, just needed a power outlet). Terrorizing? Nah... Just a few lads out having a little fun. We'll see what the future brings. I know the Uly isn't for everyone, but it sure looks like it's for me. Regards, Jim in Santa Barbara | ||
| Stevem123 |
Sleez, Our combined weight is 510 lbs give or take. I just jacked up the preload on the rear shock to max and added 1 turn of dampening on both compression and rebound. I left the front alone. Seemed about right snd handled quite well considering the load. Hope that helps! BC Steve | ||
| Blake |
Thanks for the great review Steve.  |
