| Author | Message | ||
     Stevem123 |
There must be a better solution than the current mount that you can't get to without dropping the muffler... Scuffed the side bag when it fell too. Popped the heads right off the bolts.... This is the first bike I ever had that broke the kickstand just warming up for a ride...What a pain in the butt..  BC Steve | ||
| Cygnus_x1 |
Sorry to hear that! But, cant say you wernt warned,  or, did you check them since you read about mine? | ||
| Lowflyer |
Wow, this sucks. I put all of my weight on my kickstand every time I get on the bike. I know what you mean about the inaccessibility of the bolts. I'd like to make sure mine are tight so that they don't break, but I don't want to buy new clamps every time. A fargin center stand option would be nice for an adventure touring bike. | ||
| Jim_sb |
I no longer mount / dismount using the kickstand. What's the recommended fix? Remove the bolts and re-install with Loctite? Jim in SB | ||
| Stevem123 |
I totally agree. A centerstand would be a great option but I have no idea where you could mount one. I do love the bike so far but to date I have had rattling horn issue (fixed myself), the seat-pan rubbing the rear rocker cover (fixed myself), the dreaded exhaust servo problem,(fixed now), the weather seals falling out of the bags (still waiting on the factory fix for this one), the tag-light falling off (I had to buy that part myself...), the VERY LIMITED life of the tires, the wobbly no-hands steering on decel between 40-50 MPH, and now this....  I was one of the first to take delivery in CA #33 Black, and I have been pretty loud at touting it's greatness. Now how about some permanent fixes for these little problems! Cmon Buell, I know you read this list! Send me some parts! I hate the hassle of going to the dealer only to have some jughead work on my pride and joy and do a half-assed job. I fix my own bikes for my own safety and secure feeling knowing I have gone the extra mile. This is the SECOND brand new Buell I have bought at MSRP from the MOCO. You don't want to hear me say that my 2001 S3T was/is more reliable than the new Ulysses do you? I've got 50K miles on the S3T and only 5K on the Ulysses. Do the math. I've had fewer problems with the S3T. I know my tag-light is going to fall off again because I haven't seen anything about an improved part for that yet. At least do a recall on the damn kickstand bolts! What if one came off in flight and takes out your buddy behind you???? That's an unsafe condition in my opinion. I have a camping trip planned for next month and a big gathering of biker friends (many with Buells) to attend in May at Yosemite Nat. Park. (right sb.Jim!) I want to ride the Ulysses but I'm starting to doubt whether I will or not. I have two other bikes ready and willing to put up with the punishment of being a pack-mule and then being flogged on some great roads. Sorry but I finally had to vent a little.  BC Steve | ||
| Lowflyer |
If I remove and install mine, they will be drilled and safety wired in addition to the loctite. In fact, I may do that the next time my muffler comes down. I think a center stand could be mounted to a cradle/plate welded to the bottom of the can. (Message edited by lowflyer on March 07, 2006) | ||
| Seanp |
I always thought that it was bad to put any excess weight on a kickstand. My BRC instructor taught us to kick a leg over the bike and lift the bike off the kickstand as we mount it. And I cringe when I see people sitting on bikes that are on their kickstands - it's meant to hold the weight of the bike, not the weight of the bike and a 200+ pound person... Having said that, I do understand that some inseam-challenged people might need to mount the bike while it's on its kickstand. I don't know what to suggest there, other than to try to limit the time you're putting your additional weight on the kickstand. And as far as a centerstand goes, how could the do that with the muffler already taking up quite a bit of room underneath the bike? | ||
| Court |
Steve: E-mail me your contact info, bike data (VIN, etc) and dealer info. Court | ||
| Debueller |
What is the fix for the kickstand bolts? Is it new gr.5 or gr.8 or what? When touring I carry a tail bag on the passenger area of the seat. I'm only 5" 9" with a 28" inseam & cannot swing my leg over the bike. I carefully climb on with the kickstand down. The bike tends to be heavly loaded also. (bags with luggage). I dont want to be embarrased in front of my ridin' buddies when it all comes crashing down. | ||
| Thunderbox |
Fix is make sure the bolts are tight and use Loctite 271 or 272 for the bolts. I am convinced that only the ones that get loose break. If they are tight then I don't think they are a problem. This has been mentioned in other posts before. | ||
| Lowflyer |
Thunder, The trouble is, how can you know if the bolts have backed out before they break? I mean, I wiggle my kick stand occasionally to see if it may be loose in its mount, but that will not be very effective if it breaks after a ride. Besides, you can't check the torque on the bolts without removing the $73-worth of disposable muffler clamps. I think the only galldang stand on an adventure touring bike with a 35-inch seat height should be designed to hold, in addition to the bike weight, more than twice the weight of a 200-pound rider, passenger, full gas, and full factory bags. If it was not designed to such extreme tolerances, they should have put a center stand on the bike. I don't care about the embarrassment thing. I have a built up immunity to embarrassment. I worry about it breaking and falling on one of my kids in my garage or some bystander out in a Wal-Mart parking lot when I am not around. | ||
| Thunderbox |
I would have no problem reusing the "$73" clamp. When I replace my muffler I am going to do just that. No new clamp. I will ensure the kickstand bolts are loctighted and torqued. Also you can still check the bolts to see if they are loose without removing the muffler. You need to jack the bike so there is no tension on the stand and if it is loose take it back to Buell and have them do the repairs. There is some templates on this site somewhere for the muffler jacking points. I made a pair out of wood and they work fine. | ||
| Chadhargis |
This business of replacing the clamps is getting overblown. I have been told by a reliable source that they have put a number of different mufflers on their bike, and ridden it thousands of miles including some track days, and reused the clamps each time. When I put on my race muffler, I reused the clamps. I took them off, inspected them, and found nothing that would indicate a need for replacement. They certinly aren't worth $73. They are made by a company called "5 Star". You can probably get them direct if you want to save some money. The front of the muffler is also held on my the torca clamp at the header, and the rear has TWO clamps. Are they both going to break at the same time?? I'm keeping an eye on them, and they are ship shape. Just be sure not to overtighten them. Over torquing a fastener is more detramental than it not being tight enough (ask anyone who's ever snapped a bolt or screw head off). When I had my muffler off, I checked the stand, and it seemed to be fine. Not loose. I didn't bother it, but I check it often. I will put my bike up on my rear stand and take a look around it from time to time. Checking for oil leaks, loose bolts, etc. So far, the only thing I've found is a slight bit of oil weeping from where the clutch cable enters the primary housing. Not a leak, just an oily film. I wiped it off...no big deal. | ||
| Lowflyer |
"You need to jack the bike so there is no tension on the stand and if it is loose..." I would hope this is obvious to everyone.  The wiggle test may not be effective against anything but very loose bolts. Slightly loose bolts can become very loose bolts in one short trip. Very loose bolts can snap between wiggle tests. You can surely not replace the muffler clamps, and I have had my can off once already without replacing them, but I think twice re-installed would be pushing my luck. If you follow what the Service Manual says, you will replace them every time. I have to pull the can off to remove the rust and repaint it anyway, but this sidestand thing is really going to bug me until I Loctite and safety wire those bolts. | ||
| Lowflyer |
I don't know who is overblowing the muffler clamp issue. I just mention it because it's annoying to me to have to remove the muffler to check the torque on the sidestand bolts. I never said anyone has to change the $73 disposable clamps when you do that. I will likely change them because I have already reused mine. | ||
| Rkc00 |
Just picked up 2 new bolts from my dealer. Ouch!!!! $8.00. I am getting my rusty muffler replaced next week under warranty so I will have new bolts ready if mine are a problem. Mike Long Island, NY 06 XB12X Black of course | ||
| Stevem123 |
Court, I sent you an email. BC Steve | ||
| Windrider |
Coming from a Kawasaki KLR60, which has a 34" saddle height, I was used to mounting the bike thusly: stand on left of bike, grasp left bar with left hand, lean to the left, pull up right leg and bring right foot clear back to arse, then kick right foot straight out forcefully and slide over the saddle. Karate style. I am 5' 11" with a 32 inch inseam and I can not touch the ground flat footed on the Ulysses but this hasn't bothered me since I only put my feet down when stopping. Again, coming from the KLR helped in this regard. The first time I put the sidestand down I pictured the Buell engineers who, after years of testing and perfecting the bike suddenly realized that the Uly would tip over when the riders where not riding them! They rushed about the plant and bolted the first long cylindrical kickstand looking object thingy that they encountered onto the bottom of the bike and shipped it out in the final hour before production started. Maybe that is not the case but the rest of the bike seems so solid and well thought out that the sidestand seems like a complete after thought. I would definitely NOT trust it to hold my weight during mounting and dismounting. | ||
| Lowflyer |
I don't trust it anymore. | ||
| Eor |
Because of my short inseam I HAVE to mount the bike by stepping on and placing most of my weight on the left footpeg while swinging my right leg over the seat....everytime. I don't worry about it....and I worry about everything. | ||
| Alatriste |
Hi all, first of all thanks for your inputs, you were of a great help for buying the Ulysses and no the GS. I am the proud Spanish owner of the only Uly in my hometown.  Normally I seldom write in this forum I prefer to read the different opinions, more knowledgeable than mine, but lately I have detected a kind of all support for the Uly; It seems that all the problems detected are minor issues but any time that I read the post another concern grows (although I am very happy with the bike and so far I have been lucky, no problems, what is amazing to say of a 13.800 eur bike) . Sorry for the fuss, but I would like to hear from Buell in a more officially way for issues like the kickstand,broken wires, rusty muffler, and other topics pointed in this forum. I know they are replaced under warranty, but I want to know why is happening and the improvements ready in the pipeline. For me things like the broken kickstand, plate lights is ....BUUFFFFFF, we are not talking of a cheap bike. Sorry again It is possibly a tough posting but I just finish my 30 minutes daily bike checking. (I am getting paranoid) Saludos Alatriste | ||
| Dragon_slayer |
Manuel, first off, these things happen in one form or another to all brands of products.(I am currently facing a recall on the front springs on my Acura, in the past, front wheel bearings on a Honda. Both warned me if not fixed, I could be killed!) Today with the Internet you are just more aware of what's happening. And last, these problems are not showing up on the ORANGE ULYS. Future buyers beware: buy ORANGE! | ||
| Alatriste |
Ja ja Thanks Dragon, The main reason I bought the black Uly is that I catch any orange without further warning. it is also a matter of fact that the blacks use a far more advance technology  Saludos Alatriste | ||
| Chadhargis |
Black? Orange? Can't we all just get along?  | ||
| Lowflyer |
Black is simply far superior to brokeback orange. | ||
| Jim_sb |
Black? That "original" color used by millions of motorcyclists everywhere? How quaint... The color used to signify mourning? Evil? The dark side of the Force? The color used by fat people to appear slimmer? Superior?  Orange OTOH signifies the sun. Energy. Light. Brilliance. Everyone knows black absorbs light. Therefore black is heavier. And slower. But hey, some folks only see darkness.... Orange rules!  | ||
| Chadhargis |
I'm not a racist. I don't judge by the color of the bike. |
