| Author | Message | ||
     Vikingdave |
It's just wrong! I know all the great work Erik and his associates have done on the XB platform, and I am no engineer, but I have a problem with the Uly and TT. A proper adventure/enduro bike has a larger front than rear wheel. I love my Uly and really am impressed with the TT, but it's just wrong. They need 19" fronts to those 17" or less rears. Maybe geometrically it's not possible based on such a short wheel base, but who knows??? Would anyone complain bout another 3/4 gallon of fuel in the frame? And more room for the short stroke 1340cc motor? Say 120 RWHP, 8500 rpm, 5.5 gallons....  | ||
| Discodino |
As far as I understand, and this is the exact reason I am buying the Uly, is that it is NOT a Enduro bike...its a road bike that has the clearance can load capacity to tour "un-paved" roads... "Adventure"...well, most adventures today are urban  | ||
| Vikingdave |
Disco, your gonna love the Uly!!! It's a great bike. I'm just pointing out a personal character defect of wanting it all. Looks and performance. I love the looks of hardtail bobbers, but I can't find or make one that will look right, carry me, stuff and a passenger comfortably while not getting a face full of rain off the unfendered front tire too!  | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
If you are doing really nasty stuff, I don't think the Uly is your ride. Sure there are several guys here who thrash it up, but it isn't the BEST bike for that work. That said, get a mule for the nasty stuff and leave the Uly to the rest. | ||
| Roadrailer |
You could slap a more dirt-worthy wheelset on the Uly, and it would still make a lackluster dirt/enduro/etc bike. It's a road bike, pure and simple. I wouldn't take it anywhere I wouldn't take a Multi, or the new Tiger. Or most other street bikes, for that matter. It's just not designed for anything more than well groomed gravel roads. And even then it falls short of more dirt-specific bikes. You can use a shoe to hammer in a nail, but that doesn't make it the right tool. | ||
| Windrider |
VikingDave, I think that the main reason the Uly has a 17" front is due to the investment that Buell has made in the ZTL front brake. This integrated brake/light wheel design is part of what makes the bike handle so nicely and the design would not scale out nicely to a 19" front: it would add weight and make a manufacturing difficulty to try and make another size of rotor. As it is all Buell models share the same rotor and basic wheel design. I imagine that if Buell is successful in the dirt bike market we will we see a more dirt oriented dual sport in the future.... | ||
| Jim_sb |
I dunno boys, a friend of a friend is building this one and it sure looks like fun. Jim in Santa Barbara  | ||
| Lowflyer |
It's not the size of the tires on the bike that make the Uly an adventure tourer; it's the loose nut behind the bars. Wheel size has never caused me any problems at all off road. | ||
| Ulendo |
ok - a couple of folks on here know this already, but I've started work for a guy whos other business is the local BMW dealership. Frankly, after a good, 1st hand look and ride of the Multi, its not even built to go where I take the cityX, let alone a Uly - anyone else noted that it has absolutely no protection on the front cylinder, or lower cases, and happens to come with 17" rims, and exact same scorpion sync's as the Uly/CityX, too. Also trying to get the boss to ride some of the local tracks with me - guess what, he doesnt want a 1200 anything from the BMW line: HP2 has no range for this area, and the GS/GSA are just too damn heavy. 650GS, or F650XCountry are his weapons of choice...and unlike most folks, I do mean choice: the shop carries a full line of Ducati, BMW, and Benelli. so much for the theory of 'tires and suspension', or 'budget' being limiting factors. I'm eyeballing the Xmoto as a companion for the CityX, but will most likely wait till next year as BMW are also supposedly bringing out a 450 off road machine... | ||
| Cityxslicker |
My CityX is a good general purpose hammer for doing alot of jobs well. It is not a pure sport bike (no 180mph), it is not a true dirt bike (no clearance over 4 inches), it is not a bagger (not without some out of the box thinking and fabbing) But it is the hammer I choose for all the riding that I want to do. Working on better fuel capacity and tall g clearance. But it is THE SINGLE most FUN bike I have ever owned. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG76ftSFOcg | ||
| Teeps |
Vikingdave, sounds like you need one of these:  | ||
| Vikingdave |
Hey Teeps, No doubt an awesome bike. But I just couldn't. I love my Uly, when I'm riding it! I just prefer a more traditional looking wheel combination with a taller front than rear. To me it just looks right. The BMW is tempting though isn't it! | ||
| Teeps |
Yea, 2 problems with HP2 I can't touch the ground with both feet, and those two lumps sticking out in the wind. Not so good for single track riding. I have no intention of dirtbiking my Ulysses, so the 17" front wheel is fine by me. | ||
| Windrider |
The HP2 is a BIT overpriced! You could buy 2 Ulys for the price one of those goofy looking beasts... or if you want a dirtier bike than the Uly you could buy two KTMs. I can't see dropping $20K for a dirt bike. | ||
| Reepicheep |
The HP2 is the bike for me! (If I am spending somebody else's money...) | ||
| Paochow |
The 17" wheel works fine, just make sure the rear one is provided a steady stream of throttle to keep the front end light and airborne in the tight stuff.  | ||
| Adrian_8 |
The proper size for an "enduro" bike is a 21" wheel...like on my 450 KTM. The ULY for what it is has the perfect size tires...simply put is is not a dirt bike.. gravel and dry dirt are ok..the the ULY is 95% setup for pavement..I see pictures of guys on wwwAdvrider.com with 1000/1200cc bikes sunk in swamps..I always think "what were you thinking dude?" It is like taking an Escalade mud boggin". Ride the ULY just as it is and it really shines on rough beat up two lane roads. Very few people can handle a bike that weighs 500 lbs off road..they are just too heavy unless you can ride the Paris-Dakar rally. | ||
| Captain_nartman |
19 or More on the Front and It'd Not be as Much FUN on the Road... in fact It'd be Crap. N x | ||
| Ulyssesguy |
The Uly is the ultimate back road 2 lane twisty terrorizer! It has the suspension and the tires wheels and brakes to handle the less than perfect paved roads with ease, that unexpected pothole is no problem it just gets soaked up... That being said i have taken my Uly on some gnarly single track to see if it could be done, and it can but its too heavy to do it for any length of time because it is very tiring to push around a 450lb street bike with dirt tires on some of that stuff. I think im going to keep my Uly for what it does best rough pavement and fire roads. But im saving my lunch money for the new Buell dirt bike... or a KTM... We'll see... | ||
| Windrider |
Adrian8, Well said! However, I have found that the Uly can also be great fun on gravel roads of almost any consistency. I think of it as an "all road" bike, not an "off road" bike and in this part of the world there are some great destinations on the far side of 20 miles of gravel. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
CitySlicker, Watched your video. Looked like mucho funero. |
