| Author | Message | ||
     Tginnh |
I exceeded the limits of traction on my Uly recently taking a 90 degree turn at about 5-8 mph. My rear tire washed out and I did a low side. From the sounds that a 450+ lb bike makes when the hard parts connect with asphalt, I’d have thought the bike was mangled. Not so. The bar end and front/rear foot pegs absorbed the brunt of it. The bike ended up spinning 180 degrees. Not much damage to the bike and none to me. I was coming home from an errand where the bike had sat outside for 2 hours in temps that were in the teens. So, the lesson here is sub-freezing temps makes for cold pavement and cold tires = piss poor traction. Also, my rear tire has limited mileage remaining on it which only added to the minimal grip I was getting. I think the rear tire was so cold and hard that it's composition more closely resembled plastic instead of rubber. I have the original Dunlops with about 6k miles. The rear is pretty worn - I'm not impressed with the limited amount of mileage I have got out of it. The front is in good shape. Questions: Are the Pirelli's an improvement over the Dunlops? If so, is it ok to match a Pirelli rear to a Dunlop front? Did I read/hear somewhere that Buell switched to the Pirelli because of traction issues? Anyone else have a similar misfortunate accident? Thanks all. This is my first post to BadWeb. Looking forward to many more posts. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Welcome to Badweb. Plastic hell, I'd think your tires were more like metal at that temp! Glad you & your Uly came through relatively unscathed. Most here agree that the Pirelli Scorpion Syncs are an improvement over the Dunlops. A lot of 06 Uly buyers complained of a "weave" at highway speeds which has been attributed to the front tire tread design of the Dunlop. As far as traction, from what I've read, the Dunlops may be slightly better in the dirt, but the Pirellis are much better on pavement. I think the tire contours are close enough that you can mix the tires without a problem. | ||
| Etennuly |
Yeah there have been several posts on this subject. I ran that combination for quite a while until I finally wore out the front D616. What is likely to have happened, other than the cold not only making the rubber compound hard and the form stiff, the wear on your tire will have lead to the center being warn and the edges not so much. Therefore you ride up onto the edge where you likely had about one half the rubber on the road. A slippery combination for sure. I got 6000 out of the Dunlop and the same out of each Sync. I like the grip of the Sync's much better. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Last time I got 6,000 out of a tire, it took me two to do it. Kwit jer bitchin'! | ||
| Bigdaddy |
"Last time I got 6,000 out of a tire, it took me two to do it. " I did get 10K out of one set FtB (they were riding around in the back on my truck and I forgot about them.) | ||
| Murraebueller |
The Scorpions work very well on pavement and dirt. They've even done well on the track on my TT. The front weave with the Dunlops went away on my wifes Uly when I put the '07 springs in the fork. You will like the Scorps if you ride on different surfaces. If you're going to do some serious dirt, the Pirelli MT60 Corsas work well, but the rear wears very quickly. | ||
| Tginnh |
Thanks Hughlysses and Etennuly for your posts. Etennuly, you described exactly the condition of my rear tire. I have been feeling it "roll" onto the edge for about 1.5 months now - not a good feeling. I'll be trying the Pirelli in the spring. As for the other blokes that responded - disappointing to see there are folks that have nothing better to do than dump on others with meaningless fodder meant to somehow puff up their own egos. | ||
| Kvdog |
"I think the tire contours are close enough that you can mix the tires without a problem." I've done this (Dunlop up front) and am very pleased with the handling in dry sand and gravel situations, plus had no problem at all on Black Hills twisties. | ||
| Hughlysses |
As for the other blokes that responded - disappointing to see there are folks that have nothing better to do than dump on others with meaningless fodder meant to somehow puff up their own egos. Troy- chill dude, they're just funnin' ya. FB and Big Daddy are fine, upstanding Badwebbers, who both happen to have a penchant for punishing Uly tires. | ||
| Chadhargis |
Welcome to the pitiful world of Dunlop D616 tires. I had my stockers on for 2000 miles before the rear was cooked and the front was cupped. I've been running Pirelli ever since except for the "deal" I got on a set of Dunlop 208s. They were $150 at Cycle Gear, so I bought them. I wish I hadn't. They make the Ulysses handle like a hay wagon. You hit the nail on the head about the temps though. If the pavement is cold, and the tires are cold, then you won't have much grip. In fact, on a 40 degree night just after I got my Ulysses (still had the stock tires), I went out to get a haircut about 2 miles down the road. On my way home, I was turning on my street, maybe doing 15-20mph and BAM! I was on my ass. I've run Pirelli Diablo Stradas, as well as standard Diablos and they grip extremely well. Here's a example of how well the standard old Diablos grip. These are not "track" tires. No dual compound trickery. Just basic old Diablos.    I wouldn't trust the D616s to do this.  | ||
| Bobbuell1961 |
i've aways believed in replacing both tires at the same time on any sporty bikes i've owned. to save a few $ on a front tire and not to get your money's worth from your rear by not having a balanced bike. to do it on a harley(or other cruiser) is a different story but my uly will always get matching sets. Bob | ||
| Bigdaddy |
Troy, No ego puffing going on here. FB and I do seem to consume tires at an alarming rate. If were guilty of anything it would be jealousy. I recommend the Scorp Syncs to all my Uly riding friends. They don't last any longer, but they do perform very well. Thanks Hugh. G2 | ||
| Etennuly |
Troy, Welcome here to this BadWeb! We all have fun with each other, usually at the expense of each other, on this forum. As far as being sheit spreaders with the fodder flying, I am as guilty as anybody. If we have something good and helpful to add we will. If someone posted about a subject that has had many miles laid on previous posts harassment will ensue. Hang around for a while, read some historical posts, feel free to engage in any topic you like. You will find that this is a good, fun place to be. And when chance allows, you get to meet and ride with these fine folks, you will find you can never meet a better group of people. Anywhere. Check into March Badness V, and Homecoming '08 for the chance to meet those here. | ||
| Hdbobwithabuell |
Had the exact same scenario on my '05 12R with the stock Dunlops. Next set of tires were Scorp. Syncs and have since taken that same turn in colder, wetter conditions at much higher speed with no problems. That particular Dunlop has got to be the worst tire I've ever ridden. | ||
| Tootal |
Tginnh, I'll give you an example of the humor on this board: Hey Chad, how many more times do I have to watch you take that same turn!! By the way dude, your exhaust is melting you belt!!  | ||
| Karlsbad |
Chad I noticed while replacing my rear tire today my rear shock is weeping some, and i couldn't help but notice in your BIO one of the added farkle pieces to your bike was a new rear shock. Question is what do you think of it and how has it been? Karlsbad | ||
| Jammin_joules |
6,000 miles - you sound like the guy who ate a loaf of bread of sandwiches and then said he didn't really care for the lunch meat. I got 6,633 miles out of my Pirelli Synch tires, including a fair amount of off-road and a dozen trips down Bandimere Dragway one hot August night. For off-road I just put on Avon Distanzias and love them for their more aggressive grip without really missing a beat so far on the street. Of course with gravel and sand about from snows, I have not pushed the street cornering like in July & August. You can see some photos of the two tire types and my try-out run today starting about half way down this thread http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/321676.html?1196925564 | ||
| Tginnh |
Thanks to all for the feedback. The activity on this site is impressive and helpful. Chad, thanks for the photos. I don't feel like such a dumb*ss now (well, I still do somewhat) for dumping my bike if you did the same on stock Dunlops. Where can I get the best price for a sync rear? | ||
| Hughlysses |
I bought my last Sync from http://www.ronayers.com . It's worth spending a while searching the net for the best price (including shipping) though. If you have a Cycle Gear store near you, I'm told they can get Syncs at close to internet prices and they'll be glad to mount it for you. | ||
| Etennuly |
Troy, Please don't forget it is winter and people take out their lack of riding time on their keyboard. Chad, that picture is becoming old hat. Didn't you get some others from the more recent track days?! | ||
| Jlnance |
I wouldn't trust the D616s to do this. They would probably do it. I don't remember anyone complaining about the grip on those tires, it seemed to be their one redeeming feature. | ||
| Jlnance |
i've aways believed in replacing both tires at the same time on any sporty bikes i've owned. I got back and forth. I certainly left the 616 on the front of my Uly for far too long. I didn't realize at the time that front tires cup and thus wear out before they get down to the wear bars. The last 2 tire changes I have done have been both front and rear. But I've got a set of tires on there now with almost 9000 miles. The rear is done, but the front looks almost new. You can still read the logo stamped into the rubber. I think I'm just gonna do the rear this time. | ||
| Bearly |
Sorry to hear about your little dump Tignnh. Glad you are ok. I guess I'm like the others I don't get really great millage out of Dunlops or the Sync's. Probably about 34 - 3500 miles out of a back tire. I do like the P Sync's better. I think it has better feedback front and back. When leaned over fairly far I felt like the Dunlops would drift just a bit. | ||
| Etennuly |
I had the 616's rear slide out on me a couple of times in damp conditions when they were new, where the Syncs never had. The Syncs are the best rain tire I've had on too. I ran the original front for 15,000. It is possible that was 3000 too long. They wore flat across the center section and it felt as if it had a berm built up where it didn't wear on the sides. It got to where I could feel it ride up onto that edge and if I was pushing it I could make it slide out. You really have to keep the condition of your tires in mind for how you are riding as you reach their wear limits. | ||
| Dentguy |
I know a lot of people don't like the 616's, but they never let me down. Maybe the Syncs have a better feel. I have not had them so I don't know. I can tell you that the 616's have plenty of grip wet or dry. I dragged the pegs on the Uly plenty of times (every trip to the mountains) and never had them break loose. Maybe I had a good set. | ||
| Hooliken |
Being a year round rider myself maybe I can give you a little tip that has helped me in the past. Doing any riding at lower temps generally means I start lowering tire pressure. Just as on the track when riding in really cold temps you want as much heat in your tires and contact patch on the road as you can possibly get. I have gone down as low as 25lbs front and rear when running at low temps. If you keep your speed down you can go even lower than that. None of this is based on anything other than my personal experience and it has worked well for me in the past. | ||
| Etennuly |
I totally agree on lowering the tire pressure for cold tire slippery conditions. That doesn't work so well in our area(Tennessee) because the morning might start at 30F and the afternoon might get to 70F. So I leave my pressures at the norm and curb my riding to the conditions. Who would ever suggest just riding slower?  | ||
| Chadhargis |
I put on a Wilbers shock and I've been really pleased with it. In my opinion, a properly setup suspension set up for your weight (not just added preload, but an actual spring that is the right weight) is the best investment you can make in a motorcycle. Forget the race ECM and go fast crap. If you have a good suspension, you can run circles around "faster" bikes. As for the pictures, well, I've only done two track days with the Uly. It's now retired from track duty, so those pictures are all I have for now. The new track tool is this:  So..now you have a new picture to enjoy. But...how could you ever get tired of looking at a properly ridden Ulysses. Knee down on the track. That's the way this bike was intended to be ridden. It's a big 'ole sportbike in desperate need of a sportbike quality motor. Come on Ulysses 1125!!! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!! Do it Buell. I am saving my money in hopes it comes out soon. | ||
| Tootal |
Chad, Were you getting tired of getting passed in the straight a ways? Nice looking Suzy, should be a lot of fun on the track. As much as I like going fast I don't think I want an 1125 Uly. I like simplicity and decent mileage on a dual sport. The 1125, being an over square engine probably doesn't get very good mileage, something to consider when out in the boondocks! Speaking of mileage, we were talking tires here weren't we? I like my synchs a lot but 5000 miles is too short. I'm going to look at some Metzeler sport touring tires for my street use. I commute daily so tire life and fuel mileage make sense for me. | ||
| Etennuly |
So Chad, Is the 1125r just not your cup 'o tea? I know you were one of the first to see and sit on one. Did you get to sample one at one of the test track days? Is it that you don't fit too good being eight feet tall and all? And when are we gonna hook up to ride again? I really enjoyed chasing you last year when I met you guys in N-ville. |
