| Author | Message | ||
     Whodom |
Well, I was out for a ride on my S3 today doing some Christmas shopping, and thought I'd swing by the local HD/Buell dealer to see if they had moved into their new building (they hadn't) but they did have a new black XB12X sitting outside with the 3 or 4 other Buells they usually have. Talked to one of the salesmen for a few minutes; turns out it's the 3rd Uly they've gotten in. After a couple of minutes of chit chat, he offers to let me take it for a test ride. I was pretty surprised. I've only got a 30" inseam so I was pretty leary of the height of the thing. I could get it completely upright on level pavement but I was standing on my absolute tip-toes on both sides. I have size 11 feet so that probably helps make up for my short legs. Hardest thing for me was getting the kickstand up and down. I found out I could hold up the bike easily with one foot, but even with that I couldn't easily flat foot that one foot. I took it out for about 30 minutes and made a few loops of a suggested ride circuit they have through a business park near the dealership. The ergos were extremely comfortable for me and the ride with noticeably more plush than my S3. The engine and transmission felt somewhat tight, but the bike only had 18 miles on it when I got on it. The clutch action is much lighter than my S3 but the actuation is definitely not as linear, most of the engagement taking place near the end of the movement. That took a little adjustment on my part. I can't add much to the other reviews that have been posted; I really loved the bike. I can't see the steering lock ever being an issue in street riding; I did some slow speed parking lot maneuvering and never once hit full lock. As far as the seat height, I didn't have any trouble handling it but I was very cautious pulling up to stops and I think I'd have had a little trouble if I'd had a passenger on back. I think either the Corbin or Buell low seat would do the trick for me. Now, if Santa will just come through for me.... | ||
| Waorgany |
Whodom...I must say I wish my local Buell/Harley Dealer here had one I could test ride... But then again I wish there was a Buell/Harley Dealer here in Baghdad, Iraq...so I could even sit on one to see about the height issue...I think I will be ok..5'11" 32" in seam...just no where near a dealerr now to find out, maybe some day soon. I can't wait. | ||
| Dave |
The low seat will do it for ya Hugh! Or until Buell comes out with the XB9X version that will have a bit less suspension travel but still offer an Adventure bike to folks under 5'10". DAve | ||
| Whodom |
Hey Dave, After my ride, I can understand why you opted to stick with the tall seat. It was very different from other motorcycle seats I've tried, but it felt like you could do an Iron Butt 1000 without much trouble. Aside from the actual height, I think the thing that makes it short-people-unfriendly is that the top is completely flat and squared off. Scooting forward on the seat doesn't help your reach to the ground and I had to get BOTH cheeks off the seat on one side to be able to flat-foot with one foot. The Corbin seat looks a lot better in that regard. Coming right off of my S3 (with a full tank of gas), it was surprising to me how it felt less top heavy than my S3, despite being ~3" taller. That's the main thing that made it easy for me to handle at stops despite it being at the limit of my leg's reach. Low speed steering is also MUCH lighter than my S3. I'd ridden several XB's before yesterday, but the Uly really impressed me with what an advance it is over the tube-framed Buells. | ||
| Dave |
I agree with your assessment 100%. I think if someone rounded shaped front of the Uly stock seat a bit more like the '00-'02 S3 seat. DAve | ||
| Whodom |
BTW, in case anyone's looking for a Uly NOW or would just like to test ride one, this was at Low Country HD/Buell in Charleston, SC. They were nice enough to let me ride it so I thought I should mention that. The salesman mentioned their first Uly had been sold to a BMW rider and the second one to a Buell S3T rider. I don't think this one will be around too long. | ||
| Jlnance |
this was at Low Country HD/Buell in Charleston, SC. You never know how much the HD motorclothes sales people actually know about riding. Sometimes it's next to nothing. I stopped by Low Country the last time I was in Charleston to see if I could find some riding glasses. Not only was the sales woman familiar with the helmet laws in my state, she could articulate how those laws would affect the features of the glasses I would find useful. I was impressesed. I know this is a bit offtopic, but there is so much here about bad dealer experiences. I wanted to post a good one. | ||
| Whodom |
Hey Jim, Glad to hear that. They aren't the most Buell-friendly dealership (no clothing or parts stocked that I know of) but I have never once heard a salesman badmouth Buell or try to steer me towards a Harley. They've always gotten parts that I've ordered quickly with no screw-ups, and installed the recall shock on my used S3 with no hassle. BTW, I was in Ray Price's shop in Raleigh about a month ago; that's a pretty impressive place. They had an orange Uly on the floor; I talked to at least a couple of Buell-riding employees while I was there. | ||
| Jlnance |
I was in Ray Price's shop in Raleigh about a month ago; that's a pretty impressive place. They have recently let several of their employees who have an interest in Buells try and make the dealership more Buell friendly. So in the last couple of months the Buells have been moved from the back of the store to up by the front door. They stock Buell clothing now, and they are starting a BRAG chapter in Jan. I hope it works out for them, it would sure be nice to have a very Buell friendly dealer that close. | ||
| Whodom |
Whodom...I must say I wish my local Buell/Harley Dealer here had one I could test ride... But then again I wish there was a Buell/Harley Dealer here in Baghdad, Iraq...so I could even sit on one to see about the height issue...I think I will be ok..5'11" 32" in seam...just no where near a dealer now to find out, maybe some day soon. I can't wait. Paul, Dang, I wish you could try one out too. Hopefully you will be home soon and riding your own Uly. Hang in there- I appreciate your service. | ||
| Thunderbox |
The dealer here in Saskatoon is great at ordering parts. Very quick but they don't stock any other Buell stuff except they have a backrest pad and a tank bag. So whenever I am at a dealer that has some clothing I always buy some and make sure I wear it when I go to my dealership to let them know we do buy this kind of stuff. I know it irks them something awfull to see an other dealers name on the back of the t shirts. | ||
| Paul56 |
I got to ride one at Long Beach on the 12th. I really liked it, though the seat height will require a real adjustment on my part (5'10"-30" inseam). The factory low seat seemed too hard and detracted form the seat-to-peg relationship of the oem seat. After the show My wife and I drove over to Calif. H-D/Buell and I put my name on the next one they're scheduled to get, an orange one in late Jan. Can't wait! Then I can put my poor, tired (95k mi) but still faithful Suzuki VX800 to rest! | ||
| Whodom |
Paul, So you got to sit on one with the low seat installed? Interesting to read your comments. The standard seat is definitely very comfortable once you're underway. Good deal on your new Uly. Let us know when you get it. |
