| Author | Message | ||
     Whitecloud |
Hi, I'm new here, I am looking at buying an '08 Ulysses XB12X. I test drove an '07 a couple of months ago an really liked the bike, but it did have a couple of things I did not like, first the throttle was really touchy at low speeds, and second I did not like the all metal footpegs to much. The ads for the '08 say that they made improvements to the throttle system, did they fix that low speed touchyness and are there aftermarket footpegs available that have a rubber coating? Another thing, I am 6'5" tall, when I test drove the bike it felt comfortable.......now don't laugh, but I was wondering as tall as I am if I looked like Herman Munster on a bicycle, are any of you guys as tall and has anyone made comments like you are to big for that bike? Thanks for your help | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
WELCOME TO BADWEB, THE SINGULAR COLLECTION OF THE BEST PEOPLE ON EARTH! I know Buell has the traction pegs that are rubber coated (see Buell.com), but it says they won't fit the 12X. I don't know why they wouldn't fit, but it says they don't fit. I have heard that the 08 fuel delivery is supposed to be smoother at low speeds. Buells don't like to creep around and are happiest at 3,000 and above. That said, if you expect to do much stop and go in traffic or off road, you might plan to swap out the primary gearing from the 12 to the 9. It will give you an 11% lower across the board reduction in gearing and help raise the RPMS at slower speeds. It cost about $150 for the kit. If you want to look funnier, ride an SCG. ChadHargis is a wookie, but he looks normal on the Uly. You'll be fine. Welcome, and come back often! | ||
| Whitecloud |
Cool, thanks for the input. right now I am riding a 1982 Honda CB900F, I test drove the Buell to get the free messenger bag, but ended up really liking the bike, right now I am saving my pennies to get me an '08 although I talked to a dealership today and they had an '06 and they appear to want to deal, so maybe I might want to reconsider....any advice between the choice of an '06 vs an '08 | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I would go with the 08. Better oiling system (high flow pump, larger oil cooler, etc.) Better fuel system Better steering lock Better Stator Higher thermal fan setting (fan runs less) Higher redline Improved ignition system (reduces potential for pinging) Better tires (assuming 06 still has stock tires D616's) Better seat (if you're short) Worse seat (if you're tall) Two years of previous construction experience. For the deal that they are probably going to cut on the 06, I would hold out for the 08. Plus, you could get a blue one. | ||
| Us_uly |
Welcome Whitecloud, I'm 6'4" and no one has told me I'm too big for this bike. It fits me great. I have an '07 and have ridden an '08. They changed the throttle on the '08 so that it is a little smoother delivery at low rpm. '06 vs '08? They are both great bikes. Depends on how much you want to spend. | ||
| Coolice |
Welcome! And don't be afraid to ask lots of questions here  I have a 06 Uly and can't say enough good things about it. Buy one and ride, its a great bike. Are you getting the bags? Again welcome! | ||
| Sanchez |
If you buy the 06, don't let the dealer bone you. They're going used on eBay now in the low $7k range w/out luggage. | ||
| Blake |
Welcome to BadWeB. I would hold out for the 2008 myself. The upgrades and improvements are way too significant to pass up. | ||
| Crusty |
I have a 2006 with a bit over 31K on it. It's the most reliable bike I've owned in 38 years of riding; on bikes from Asia, Europe and North America. That said, I'd say get an '08 if you can afford it. The '08s are even better, IMO. I test rode an '08 at Liberty's Open House in September (A Ride To Remember!), and found the throttle to be a little "softer" at low speeds than my '06. I also like the other improvements, especially to the engine. My wife just got an '08 Ss. We could have saved a big chunk of money by buying a left over '07, but we felt the improvements were worth the extra money. You won't go wrong with either one, but the '08 is an improvement. | ||
| Etennuly |
Whitecloud, Welcome, and I gotta know, what you think of your current ride. How many miles do you have on it? Did you buy it new? I ask because back in the day I bought a '79 CB750F new. I loved the style and look of those bikes and the way I could turn the throttle to 7500 and dump the clutch. Smokin' burnouts for sure. Even though I was quite a bit younger and somewhat healthier, I could not ride that bike more than 125 miles in a day. The high frequency buzz would numb my butt and legs for hours after being off from the bike. I have had many bikes in between and I can tell you the Uly is the best all around bike I've ever been on. I know what you are looking for with the rubber pegs, but there is no need for it on the Uly like on the CB's. At first glance I thought the same thing. I had that 750F four years and only amassed 10,000 miles. It was fun for short tripping. The Ulysses on the other hand, has 23,000 miles in a year and a half and many weekend trips of 1,400 miles or more. All with those metal pegs and very little issue from vibration. This bike is SMOOTH. | ||
| Teeps |
At 6'5", just about anything you throw a leg over is going to look small to others... who cares what they think anyway? If the bike fits you, that's all that matters. The low (vehicle) speed smoothness seems to vary greatly, depending on who your discussing it with. I have a '06 Uly with the '07 map. All I can say is; it's not happy at engine speeds below 2500rpm. I don't expect the '08 to be much different. Either bike, '07 or '08 you can't go wrong; if it was my choice, I'd go with the '08. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
You could wait for the fuel cell powered 2015 but that would be quite a wait. Go for the 08' and I'll be jealous. | ||
| Karlsbad |
Whitecloud "I test drove the Buell to get the free messenger bag" Whats up with that ? I bought an 08 and didn't get a messenger bag, all I got was the best handling,grin producing, sport bike ass kicking American made two wheeled motorcycle I have ever owned. Get the 08, Ft bstrd is correct on his assessment of the earlier bikes compared to the 08 Much improved, and the Orange is quicker!!! Welcome. Karlsbad | ||
| Dentguy |
Looks like dangling a free messenger bag in front of people to get them on a test ride with the hope of a great experience is working. Save your pennies for a 2008 instead and you'll be happy. | ||
| Boixb12 |
Teeps is right about the '08 not being much better @ low rpms. I have an '08 which I purchased about a month ago and it "coughs" (actually it's more of a "fart") very badly when rolling the throttle on from idle. It's very pronounced if I "blip" the throttle. It seems to be worse when cold, than when warmed up, but it still does it at operating temperature. It's not a huge problem, just an irritant for a $11,000+ bike. Other than that, it's an outstanding bike. | ||
| Whitecloud |
Man, I did not expect this amount of responses! You guys are great! Ya, I have been leaning on the '08.....looks like I will have to save some more money, the way it looks I will have to wait until spring though. Luckily winter is right around the corner and even if I bought it now I would'nt be able to ride it anyway. I was asked what I thought about my Honda CB900F, I love it, its an old bike for an old man like me (I'm 54). I got the bike a couple of years ago and it was an abused child, it took me awhile to get it to run reliably, but the bike screams! Way more performance than I need, but I like the way standard sport bikes handle, thats why I am looking to buy a Ulysses, "V" twin power and sound with a sport bike personality. | ||
| Bearly |
Welcome Whitecloud! Enjoy your Uly. Take long trip trips and check out the Rider Assistance Network on here. Where ever you go there will be some of us to help you. | ||
| Mattwhite |
I think the really flat torque curve of the engine gives it that touchy feeling at low rpms. You can move along in a traffic jam just over idle - It will actually pull away from just over 1000rpm. The real-world affect of this depends what you compare it to. If you want a dirt bike, it's geared tall. Compared to another street bike it can be used to your advantage. A friend of mine was following me through the southwest part of the Grand Tetons on a BMW K1200GT. It's a bad dirt road that's graded once a year. It was also before dawn and there's a lot of suicidal wildlife out there, so we kept it pretty slow. I rode most of the way through in the rpm range where the surging occurs. The guy on the BMW was slipping the clutch most of the way. When I need more control I can just slip the clutch like everybody else. (Message edited by mattwhite on November 20, 2007) | ||
| Mattwhite |
There was no sign at the Grand Tetons, but we saw several of these and a few "Motorcycles use extreme caution". When Wyoming decides to work on a road they tear it down to mud before repaving.  | ||
| Ulynut |
I love this website. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Rode past this sign while at Leavenworth, Washington not long ago.  I had to shrink it so much for it to post I can't even read it. It wouldn't take till I resized it 50% twice. Maybe there is a trick I don't know about? I've seen really huge pics on here. What's the trick? | ||
| Thunderbox |
Back to the original topic. If you have an 06 that is set up correctly when it is warm you will get no surging. The upgrades are nice but you have to decide if you think the extra money is worth it. Is it worth 2500.00 I don't think so but it's your money and your call. The only thing I would change on my 06 is the steering lock. Is it worth the extra to go to an 08, in a word and an opinion, no. You can buy a lot of fuel for 2500.00 | ||
| Conchop |
I just bought an 08 Uly. This is an excellent place to get the real scoop on valuable info. I was between new and used too. In my opinion, there was enough advancements on the 08 to justify the extra cost, especially since I plan on keeping this bike for a really long time. Besides, I negotiated a good price for the bike. I'm a big guy too and I tell people I look like donkey kong going for a spin. However, the bike comes close to fitting me, which is important to ME. With just a few alterations and a few performance tricks, it should fit perfectly. The damn thing runs like a scalded dog. Way more powerful than I thought it would be. To hell with what I might look like. So far, so good. Time will tell if it was money well spent, but for now, all I want to do is ride. | ||
| Tootal |
Don't believe everything you read!  Enjoy your Uly, it will take you almost anywhere! | ||
| Froggy |
Use something like photobucket or imageshack, they allow larger file sizes. I have my own website, so i run the photos off of them.  } | ||
| Ulynut |
Great pic Froggy! | ||
| Ulyrider2006 |
now seriously folks....Black is Beautiful. Am I the only person who couldn't imagine a big orange thing stuck in the middle of a landscape like that?  (sorry guys) welcome to the forum.....I'm a proud owner of and '06 uly and absolutely love it. I haven't had the chance to ride an '08 but a technician at my local dealer just bought one and said its a great ride as compared to the '06 and '07. I agree with an earlier post that setup correctly the '06 will not give hardly any problems. Regular maintenance and adjustments and the '06 is a great bike. you may just need some time on both to decide. Feel free to ask any questions, there are plenty of answers here. | ||
| Crusty |
Am I the only person who couldn't imagine a big orange thing stuck in the middle of a landscape like that? I don't know. I can quite easily imagine my sexy ORANGE Uly in the middle of that landscape. I can also imagine it on the shores of Lake Superior, taking a lap of Road America, or riding through blowing snow on the way to Daytona Bike Week. I can also imagine it going up the Dalton Highway to the Arctic Circle in 2009. She's a colorful girl with a personality to match her appearance | ||
| Mattwhite |
No need to imagine. Here's one in front of Lake Superior:  Mount Brockway:  It snowed when we rode Needles Highway. It didn't build up, though.  |
