| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
I'm curious. How many people use their Ulysses for Sport Touring only? I've fitted Avon Azaros on my wheels, and love to eat miles. I know that there are a lot of others who feel the same as I do; but I also know that there are folks who use the bike for its intended purpose. How do you use your Uly? | ||
| Loveall13 |
Sport touring and long distance riding with the occasional gravel road thrown in when it gets in the way. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Whatever comes along. Probably won't trail ride with it unless I have to. | ||
| Buelltoys |
Mine's an everyday rider. Use it as main vehicle for work, shopping, or just joy riding. Will start doing some touring but only on road. Have a gravel road to the house but that is about all it sees for off road. | ||
| Bienhoabob |
Long distant riding. | ||
| Xbimmer |
IMHO: Sport Tourers are street bikes with slick framemounts. They can handle well and haul some stuff. Adventure Bikes are BMW's and KTM's and maybe some others along that line. They can haul lots of stuff on no-roads and can really perform on pavement. Uly's are neither. They're Bad Road Sportbikes. Exactly why I bought it over anything else. I daily ride it, tour with it, and negotiate some of CA's crappiest but terrific 1.5-laners. Although I don't plan to ever explore its touchdown limits I smile when I read of others' exploits. Whenever I feel a little rambunctious the Uly responds like my daughter's dog and a frisbee... "Yeah! Let's go!" These are great machines. | ||
| Stevem123 |
Well mine is a daily commuter and hooligan bike. Since I put the race kit on the thing is like a racehorse on speed. It just begs to be ridden hard! I give it what it wants quite often. It always amazes me to look down and see 100+ on the speedo. Damn I love this bike! BC Steve | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Sport bike that I don't look like a monkey humping a football. I'll hit the occasional hard pack dirt road, but that's it. Occasional rider finds much more comfort. I just can't see inflicting less of a contact for my passenger than for the rear tire! | ||
| Sound_uly |
My idea of "Adventure Bike" is probably a little more broad than some but.... I think the bike is a perfect Adventure Bike. Some days I use it for an adventure around town, some days the adventure is a long tour, and soon, the adventure will be exploring a bunch of gravel/dirt roads in BC. Yep... this bike is an "Adventure Bike" for me. Ride safe, Ron Ulysses in Seattle | ||
| Jmhinkle |
Daily commuter for me which means about a total of 4 miles of soft sand or muddy road and 16 miles of street ranging from 15 miles per hour to 55mph a day. The Uly doesn't mind the soft sand too much, but lately it's been a mud pit with all the rain we have been getting in the desert. The Uly hates mud. The stock tires suck in mud. I could probably win the dirtiest bike award lately. | ||
| M2nc |
It's my daily commuter. It gets upper forties mpg doing so. It has gotten as good as 62.5 mpg, riding in the mountains. It's taken me to NC, SC, GA, FL, TN, KY, VA, WV, OH, IN. Up to 720 miles in one day and as long as four hours in the saddle without dismounting. I've ridden the Dragon and National Forest Service road 4 over a mountain pass on the same day. The wife loves the pillion accomodations. I've gone camping with my Daughter on it, 400+ miles. Call the bike what you like, but after almost 13,000 miles in 11 months, I just call it FUN! | ||
| Coolice |
Long distance touring, day trips, and very comfortable on the poor roads we have anymore. Some offroad riding at a local offroad park, short trips for parts,etc. And gas hauler/pit bike in Daytona this year. A 5 gallon can straps on the rear trunk rack, and the side cases hold a case of water. Great bike overall! | ||
| Dragon_slayer |
Hey, it's just a bike that I enjoy in comfort. Like an old friend!  | ||
| Warbaby |
Sport touring and twisties...especially twisties.  | ||
| Dave |
Daily transportation, work trips, weekend rides, longer trips, etc. Time off pavement has been limited to a couple gravel roads and the grass at Barbers. Recently went with Pirelli Stradas front and rear replacing a Dunlop up front and a Scorpion Sync on the rear. The new tires feel great. DAve | ||
| 2_spuds |
It started as an adventure bike...  but sadly it ended up as baggage on one truck or another...  | ||
| Michael1 |
Mine is used as a daily commuter mostly. Then it's a two up long weekend tourer traveling down any road in my path. Whether it's paved, dirt, stoned or not existant. We just head out and ride. So to me...that's an Adventure Bike. | ||
| Smpl5 |
I have been lurking on this list for a while ... since the topic of commuting has come up, I have a few questions since most of my riding is commuting. I am debating between a Uly and a 'Strom for my next bike. Perhaps those of you who commute can help me out. * Since a good part of my commute is stop-and-go, I am concerned about the tall first gear that I read about. How much of an issue is that for those of you who have to rubberneck some of the time? * I remain concerned about heat management in the summer (or lack thereof) and lack of protection on colder days. I am not sure that the 'Strom is any better on the latter, though I understand it is better on the former. * Propensity to wheelie ... I don't think this is safe, especially in traffic. Can you accelerate sharply when necessary and keep both wheels on the pavement? | ||
| Michael1 |
The taller first gear is something that I had to work on getting adjusted to. I was used to my other bike, that had a first gear that was about perfect. Is it an issue? For me... no. It is workable in stop and go. Lack of protection... well.. it is a naked bike. I have always owned naked bikes and learn to deal with it. I have quality riding gear that makes the wind/cold/rain disappear. Teh Strom isn't any better. The Strom was tops on my list, until I experienced a Uly. The heat issue. For me it wasn't unbearable. It was hot and noticable, more so in jeans than my riding gear. But only in 90+ heat and stop and go traffic. If I was moving in the heat, I didn't notice it. I have also noticed that the heat has dimished a bit with more miles on the bike. The ability to wheelie at any point in the lower gears... Well, I've had to be careful. My last bike was a 650 twin and it is a bit soft down low. The Uly is not. So a different riding style is needed. Nothing I haven't adjusted to, but there are times I forget. It is nothing that has caused me any trouble so far though. I had the same concerns as you, until I spent some time on one. Then they all disappeared. The Uly is a perfect commuter for me (15 miles of 50/50 mixed highway and side streets). It is comfy, gets great mileage, tons of storage space with the bags and I sit high. Hope this helps a bit. | ||
| Teeps |
Crusty Posted on Saturday, August 26, 2006 How do you use your Uly? Can't afford a Hot-Rod or Boyd-ster, the Ulysses the next best thing, for me. | ||
| Jim_sb |
I use mine as a sport bike, a touring bike and an adventure bike. It really depends on who I'm with. By myself or with a GS or V-Strom riding buddy I'll go exploring gravel roads, fire roads, dirt roads and some mellow 2 track in the mountains. But with my sport-touring friends (FJR1300, ST1300, RT1150, etc.) it's asphalt only (they don't want to get a rock chip on their fairings). And some of the guys have Interceptors and whatnot, bikes I consider to be of the sport bike variety. The good news is I only need this one bike and can ride with all of them. When we did our Death Valley trip earlier this year we had to take some extensive gravel road sections due to construction. The sport-touring crowd was not happy. The GS1200 and the Ulysses were.  Jim in Santa Barbara | ||
| Debueller |
I use mine like Jim. I can ride with almost any group of bikes. Sport rides, touring, mellow dirt rides, I even am somewhat accepted among the Harley cruiser crowd. It has been known to commit hooligan antics in the city as well. (it's the bike that made me do it, officer) Solo rides are great also because on a whim I can be as spontanious as I please. I call it my "upright sportbike" due to the riding position. The only thing I don't use it for is commuting. I have a beater 250 Ninja for that. It saves the Uly for only pleasure. (Message edited by debueller on August 28, 2006) | ||
| Alershka |
I had no intentions of ever taking my Ulysses off road as I planed to just use it like I used my S3. However, the wife asked to take a ride down to the new mall they are building near us to see what stores are going to be there. Rather than park on the road and walk down, I opted to go into the construction area which was a mixture of dirt, loose gravel and pre-paved road. The Uly handled everything with no problems. I was surprised how the front fork just ate up huge transition. The only dicey time I had was backing up in gravel with the extra weight on the back. So I guess I like the possibility of taking it off of pavement. Dual use tires stay on. Jeff | ||
| Jmhinkle |
My bike is definitely becoming more and more adventure every day. Here is my daily commute. Why would I ride thru a river bed everyday? That isn't a riverbed, it's my street! Paved street were standing water as high as the curbs would allow. Uly didn't seem to mind one bit.    | ||
| Retired_cop |
I also have Azaro's on the Uly and ride it where and whenever I can. Two up touring, hauling a photo journalist around the mountains following the Tour D'Toona bicycle stage race, 5 mile commute to work, 50+ mile after work ride around the block, and the list goes on. Paved, gravel or old fire roads are no problem. I don't have rivers or streams to cross like Jmhinkle but I would not hesitate trying. This bike is capable of all kinds of things, most of which are really a lot of fun. | ||
| Xbimmer |
Uh, Jmhinkle... there are curbs in there? | ||
| Jmhinkle |
The curbs I was referring to is over in the developement that I cut thru to get back and forth to work. Brand new neighborhood with 3500 Sq ft houses on .15 acre deal with real streets and curbs. I live out in the rural area of town, mostly dirt roads with all custom built homes on .5 acre or more. Pictures are standing in my street just east of my property. The desert just can't handle when it rains. Flash floods are no joke! I never believe it until I moved here 9 years ago. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I've ridden my 97' Electraglide for miles on Black Hills logging roads with no problems. And even in the forests for a ways to camp. I'm sure the ULY would make mince meat out of the dirt and gravel and forest trails the glide was on. Especially at 300 lbs less weight. | ||
| Lorazepam |
I agree Eglide. I have taken my motorcycles where I want for the most part since I have been riding. It is the rider who limits himself to a degree. I would take a standard motorcycle on back roads and fire roads regularly, and the Uly is just another in the line of bikes I will do that with. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Back when I was 16, I used to trail ride a CL350 Honda. Beat the hell out of it. Anybody remember the Hodaka bikes. Had one of those and sold it to a guy who played chicken with a train on it and was dragged for a mile. Dead of course. Favorite bike up to the ULY was the E-glide. Now it's the ULY. It's just so much fun and it's the fastest bike I've ever owned. Fast enough for me. | ||
| Vermouth |
Hey, Long time listener... first time caller. I'm seriously considering purchasing ULY and am interested in what modifications are available to make it more "adventure friendly". Lets say 60% street 40% dirt. More aggressive tires? Larger wheels? Skid protection? Anyone out there seriously beat on their bike? I realize there are other stock bikes out there that dig the dirt more than a stock ULY but there is something about this bike that has caught my attention! I would like to toughen one up and put it through it paces up here in Northern B.C. Thoughts.... Advice? Cheers, V | ||
| Lorazepam |
The scorpion synchs are about the most aggressive tires available right now. The bike has a built in skid plate, the muffler. For What the bike is designed to do, it is set up pretty well. | ||
| Jmhinkle |
Check out the Touratech site. They have lots of need items for the Uly, but I own none of them so cannot speak on their quality or price. Joel | ||
| Rhinowerx |
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