| Author | Message | ||
     Sanchez |
So I bought a Gixxer yesterday. It's so different from my Ulysses that it's kind of stupid to even compare them, but maybe someone will find this interesting. I write this from the perspective of a daily commuter who's ridden 13k miles on his Uly and 20 miles on his Gixxer.  The Engine Let's start with the obvious, the reason you buy a gixxer, the engine. The GSX-R 750 sports a 749cc inline four making 130'ish horsepower and 55'ish ft-lbs at the rear wheel. It redlines at 15k rpms. This motor feels nice. It doesn't have that stump-pulling, shoulder-dislocating torque the Uly has, but it also doesn't stop pulling at 6800 rpm when things are just starting to get good. It's so smooth at idle that you can't tell it's running just by looking at it. It has none of the low speed surging that plagues my Ulysses, and it doesn't shake the crap out of me, which makes it fantastic for stop and go traffic. The engine has very little rotating mass. When you throttle down, the revs drop almost instantly like a switch. You can shift all day without using the clutch, and it won't jerk you around like the Uly would. Now with all that said, the extra power really is useless in traffic, and I do miss those 20 or so ft-lbs of torque. If the 1125R is a good compromise between low speed smoothness and v-twin torque, we can only pray Buell makes a Helicon-powered Ulysses. Ergonomics I have to break this down into two parts: hard cornering and everything else. The Uly handles great for what it is, but trying to hang your weight off the bike is an awkward affair. It's like trying to have sex with a midget, only you're the midget. The seat is too wide and grippy, the pegs are too low, and the bars are too tall. The GSX-R, by comparison, molds you to its curves. You slide easily from one side to the other, and it matches your body perfectly. Off the track, however, the riding position really isn't comfortable compared to the Ulysses. It isn't horrible, but you still get much more weight on your hands. The forward lean and stubby clipons make the bike much harder to steer. You get a real workout holding yourself up and shifting your weight around to compensate for the lack of leverage on the bars. The Transmission This may surprise many of you, but the Ulysses transmission really feels better than the Gixxer six speed for street riding. While the Gixxer tranny feels much more positive than my old M2's, it seems a tad sloppy compared to the Uly. The Gixxer transmission will definitely perform better than the Uly's on the track because it shifts much more easily without the clutch, but for commuting, the Uly wins. The Clutch The Gixxer's slipper clutch rocks. There's no need to match revs on a down shift unless you're dropping multiple gears. Pop the clutch as hard as you want, and it won't break the back tire loose. The lever effort is somewhat harder than the Uly's, but I have a clutch effort reduction kit on my Ulysses, so it probably isn't a fair comparison. Brakes This one's too close to call. Both bikes stop on a dime. The gixxer's front brakes might require a bit less lever pressure? It isn't significant. Suspension I haven't adjusted the Gixxer's suspension, and I don't know how heavy the previous owner was, so there's a lot of room for error here. That said, the Gixxer really doesn't like bumps. The Ulysses, of course, rides over anything in its path without slowing down. That's important on the street. Luggage This is a no brainer, but it's important for commuting. The Gixxer has no luggage space at all. My Uly has both hard bags and the top case, and I use them constantly. Conclusions Getting back on my Ulysses after hunching over on the Gixxer feels like climbing onto a big hooligan dirtbike. Yeah, the Ulysses isn't as fast, but it's far more comfortable, and it puts a big grin on my face every time I ride it. The Gixxer will be fun on the track, but it will never replace my Ulysses as a daily rider. If I could only keep one bike, I'd stick with the Ulysses hands down. | ||
| Etennuly |
Cool, good job on the comparo. I had IL4's many years ago and based on memory of them that is equal to my thoughts about the two. You haven't ridden the Gixxer far enough yet to see if your lower extremities go numb though. Mine ran smooth and rode fairly smooth, but the high frequency vibes killed my butt and legs for hours after a 100 mile ride. | ||
| Blake |
Nice objective comparo. Thanks! | ||
| Chadhargis |
I have a Gixxer 600 sitting next to my Ulysses. The 600 is my track tool. It's one of the most difficult bikes to ride fast that I've ever had. You have to wring it's neck to get any power out of it, and if you enter a turn in the wrong gear, it falls flat on it's face. I swear, I think I can lap faster on a twisty track using the Ulysses than I can on the Gixxer. Now, if the track goes straight, and I can rev that little 600 up to about 12,000 RPM....get the hell out of my way! It's like being shot out of a cannon. WHEEEEE! Here's my Uly stable mate resting between sessions at Jennings last weekend:  Here's a funny sign they have at pit out at Jennings:  |
