| Author | Message | ||
     Joojoo |
Hey guys, Im thinking about grabbing a touring rig to go alongside my XB12cg....which I love! Im short though, 5"5...With the low seat, would I be able to ride the Uly comfortably or am I looking at the wrong bike?? | ||
| Birdmanrh |
Ride is not the issue....stopping and getting on might be? What is your inseam? Have you ever ridden tall dirtbikes? | ||
| Joojoo |
My inseam is around 29 inches with a tall pair or shoes on  I have never been on a tall dirtbike...but Ive been riding for 10 years... Thanks, Jack | ||
| Fubar |
Try pimping out a CityX instead. You'll get pretty close to a Uly and be a lot closer to the ground. | ||
| Joojoo |
But I want those amazing bags and the wife would love the seat with the backrest....it would be the perfect tourer for us....I guess Ill have to head over to the dealer this weekend to have a look...problem is they only have 1 06 in stock with the stock seat... | ||
| Motomickey |
don't give up until you try a low seat or the 07. FYI, you can have the suspension lowered-if you are not planning on riding it off road, you could probably lower it 2 -2.5 inches that way. It might cost you 2-4 hundred to get that done. You'll still have trouble touching with both feel. I'm 5'8 and buy pants with a 29-30 inch inseam. I have an 06 uly with the low seat. I can just touch toes on both feet, or one foot down flat-not a problem for me because I used to race MX and offroad, but if you are not used to it, that is a challenge. JMHO | ||
| Teeps |
Joojoo, I don't know you or your skills/comfort level, so my advice is: Take a test ride, it's the only way you'll know for sure. | ||
| Xbimmer |
Buell would make a killing with a XB12XLow... '07 seat and a 2" suspension drop. Wait, don't call it the Low, call it the XB12X/TS, for "tour sport". Big seat, wide bar, big bags, lots of grunt. They'd clean house. | ||
| Dale |
Try a R1200GS with the low seat. Works for me. 5'3" | ||
| Ka5ysy |
Actually the XB12Ss Lightning Long is a "short" Uly in the very fast Red!  | ||
| Xbimmer |
Ka5ysy... onto something. XB12Ss with the Uly seat/tail section... Gotta have the Uly footpeg brackets though to keep the tour cases. Very important for the Tour Sport Buell. | ||
| Joojoo |
hey motomickey, To have the suspension lowered, would I buy a factory lowering suspension kit or do they modify the existing setup? Would lowering it a little totally eliminate its ability to head off to some of the dirt roads? Cheers, Jack | ||
| Birdmanrh |
I hate to be a naysayer, but do not buy this bike if you plan on riding two-up UNTIL you both get on the bike at the very least! 29-inch inseam is going to leave you very little control on the ground. | ||
| Birdmanrh |
And, I am not aware of a factory lowering kit....?? | ||
| Motomickey |
I don't know of a factory lowering kit, but good suspension shops like RACETECH can perform the mod. I agree with the advice to try the bike first...since you are going to be going two up, make sure you can handle it at stops. I don't think lowering it would affect it on dirt roads, but trails would definitely be affected. Keep in mind if you do get one and get it lowered, it might not work out for you. If you have a good shop do the mod, it is reversable if you decide it doesn't work for you. | ||
| Ulendo |
Birdmarh hit it right on. a short rider can manage the Uly, but the weight of a passenger up high on the back makes stoplights etc darn near impossible. Dont forget, ALL of the scenarios mentioned here are on flat ground: if you happen to stop in a pothole, or off-camber, you're done for. I'm 5'4", and wanted the Uly - I have MX experience, and yup, a short rider can ride one solo, but for 2 up, it just isnt SAFELY possible. as added food for though - how many guys on ANY brand of dualsport, or adventure bike do you see running technical stuff with a passenger? I'm working on aluminum cases, and some other toys for the CityX. if you go that route, look for future posts from me. | ||
| Imonabuss |
Put on an '07 Ulysses lower seat and XB12Ss suspension would be my suggestion. That oughta drop the seat over 3 inches, and the the bike nearly 2 inches which would help the high feel. That would be a really cool bike for you then, and unique. Bet you'd start a trend! | ||
| Joojoo |
will the xb12ss suspension bolt right on? | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
A few years back folks that wanted a lowered oilhead GS found it was easier to buy a standard (R11xxR) and add dual sport tires and such than it was to buy and lower a GS. Unfortunately HDI has yet to respond to the frequent requests for a lower Uly or at least bag mounts on the Lightning Long. Fortunately BMW has bag mounts available for the standard oilhead. The soon to appear R1200R looks very tempting, and their should be some good deals on the discontinued R1150R model it replaces too. There are other possibilities out there as well- My local BMW/Guzzi dealer still has a demo Guzzi Quota she could be persuaded to part with for a very reasonable price. | ||
| Lorazepam |
If you want to deal with BMW's non existant customer service, and trust your life to the canbus, and the servo brakes, by all means go get a BMW. I think you should trade in your Buell for one of those beemers Buellgrrl | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
I'm not a fan of CANBUS- I've experienced it in a few trucks I've driven and I'm not impressed- like when you're unloading and it shuts off your PTO every 5 minutes. Fortunately the R1150x oilheads are still available and use traditional wiring. As for customer service, BMW isn't perfect but they're nowhere near as hopeless as Buell. | ||
| Ulendo |
hate to tell you, but at 5'4", most of the BMW's are 'not applicable' also. in line with THIS thread, however, its worth doing some math. the Uly is 2" higher than a cityx, and 3" ( at least) higher than an Ss, so dropping the Uly puts it the same height range as the other models. it DOES get you the ability to mount hard bags, and more shock travel....unless you lower it by using Ss suspension, in which case, you've got a premium price for an SS with uly windscreen, and hard bags....most likley cheaper to order an Ss, and convert to a Uly seat+tail, and CeeBailey screen. as for ability - I use my CityX as a kind of uly lite. doen runs with BMW's, KTM's, V-stroms, and all of their assorted 'smaller' variants'. the CityX, on scorpion syncx doeas as well as anything else on similar rubber. I Use it hard enough that I've dented the muffler on a hidden rock ( in a waterhole), and can say that the LACK of height, and weight allowed me to recover that without dunking the bike...dont think I could have done it on a taller, or heavier bike... $0.02, YMMV | ||
| Stevem123 |
Just a note of thought here. Depending on how much weight you put on the Uly and your suspension pre-load settings I find that when my wife gets on the bike squats enough that I can place both feet flat on the ground an I only have a 30" inseam. Remember that this depends on your combined weight so it may not be so bad for you. BC Steve | ||
| Joojoo |
thats what Im thinking as well Steve....6.4 inches of travel is alot....and the new seat is supposed to be narrower...I sat on a Street Rod yesterday, and its 31 inches.....I was fin dropping 1 foot....tip toes on both. Im thinking that the Uly will be alot softer in the suspension than the Street rod, and will sag a bit more with my weight....alot more with me and the wife (280lbs combined).... | ||
| Royintulsa |
In my not so humble opinion go for a Ducati Multistrada. Buell is too tall to be safe for you. I love my Buell, and I feel like it was built just for me, but I am 6 feet tall and rode on cramped bikes for years. Get what fits, I know the Duc would not be nearly as cool as Buell, but safer for you. | ||
| Riderbob |
I'm 5'6" 29 inseam. I ride with my wife on back everywhere. I practice lots of low speed manuvers. I think my black Uly handles better than the pumkin ones. There have been time I had use my brains because of terrain, but hey that ok. Anyway my Uly gives me giggles everyday. Besides the only problem is stopin - right. Just keep ridin! | ||
| M2nc |
I'm 5'7" with a 29" inseam and have almost 11,000 miles on my Uly. My wife and daughter ride with me. I have the low seat on the bike and can put both feet down to the balls of my feet. With the wife on back the bike sits a little lower and I have my heels pretty close to the ground to balance the bike just in case. The height of the bike is no problem once you get use to it but I would follow the advice above to take your wife along for the test ride, I did and it sold it for me, but you may feel different. | ||
| Crusty |
Hey, Imonabuss; that's a great idea! However, I thought that there were clearance issues with the rear wheel hitting the underside of the seat. If not, then this could be the Buell that my wife has been hoping for. I'd love to see her on another Buell (though she does look damn good on her Guzzi). I wonder who would know if the suspension swap would work? I really wish that Buell would build another Sport-Tourer. Something in the vein of the Moto Guzzi Norge. In the meantime, the Ulysses is close enough to keep me going. If this suspension swap works out, then it might be close enough to get my wife to switch. Dammit, I still want an S4-T! | ||
| Joojoo |
I bought the Uly! Picking it up next week....with the low seat, I can manage the bike quite well  Having said that, en extra inch or 2 lower would be PERFECT. Does anyone here know if the XB12SS long suspension will bolt right in without mods? If it will, would this affect the excellent balance of the bike in a negative way? I dont plan to use this bike off road, except for a dirt road here and there...nothing too heavy... Thanks,. Jack | ||
| Stevem123 |
Congrats Jack! You'll love the bike more each time you ride it. Not sure about the other suspension but it sounds like it would work. If you could find a way to move the handle bars to the rear with some kind of adapter you could easily slip the forks up in the triple trees to lower the front. Or you could lose the stock bars and go for some that clamp to the upper part of the forks I.E. "clip-ons". Then all you would need is a shorter rear shock. Good luck and enjoy the bike! BC Steve | ||
| M2nc |
JooJoo - Congrats. The SS rear suspension will not just bolt in place of the Uly. The problem is clearance with the Uly tail section. I have yet to here anyone that has successfully lowered a Uly. But you will get use to the Uly like it is and if you are like me will like the view up there. Congrats again. | ||
| Joojoo |
Thanks guys! Im looking forward to some great rides around the world Ive ordered the 3 hard bags, and the high windshield. Now all I need are some great destinations. If any of you hear about reliable and proven lowering options that wont compromise the excellent balance of the bike, please let me know. Looks like a tall pair of riding boots, and some rain gear will be up next of the list of "to buys" Cheers guys, Jack | ||
| Blake |
M2nc, Are you sure? XB12SS suspension has significantly less travel than that of the Uly, so it sems like it may work okay on the Uly, in effect dropping the ride height by the difference in suspension travel between the SS and Uly, but maintaining the same fully-compressed (at the hard stop) geometry. I could be wrong. | ||
| Blake |
Alternatively, install an appropriately shorter stiffer spring in the Uly shock and increase damping settings accordingly? | ||
| Ka5ysy |
This may be a dumb question if I am missing something, but why put a Ss suspension on a Uly frame? Why not start out with the Ss in the first place as it is the same basic frame? Is the engine what is being sought? | ||
| Madduck |
The ULY is the only Buell with a hard bag option at the moment. If the bags would fit on the Ss I think a lot of people would have gone that way. Most of the Uly owners would like to take about two inches out of suspension, add a gallon of gas and remove the fan. I just travel on my BMW, compromise is the key to a happy life. | ||
| Brat |
I'm 5'11" and the issue for me isn't riding solo, it's stopping on a sideways slope or uneven/slippery surface with a passenger, get's very interesting, very quickly! |
