| Author | Message | ||
     Chadr81 |
I know few have ridden on the new 12XT yet, but which would you feel would be better for 2-up riding? With what the price is of each one, you could add the hard luggage and taller windscreen to the 12X and still be under what the 12XT would cost... but which one will be better/more comfortable for 2-up riding on longer trips? I'm still waiting for my dealership to get their new '08 12X and 12XT in, so I really don't have anything to really compare except spec sheets... | ||
| Arcticktm |
I would imagine (w/o riding the XT, since MB5 demo was rained out) that the only real difference would be the ride height. The lower XT might be a bit easier to get on/off the the might tall Uly. My wife is 5'-2", and she used the driver pegs to get on the Uly pssgr seat. It works, but can be a bit tricky/awkward, especially when the side bags are on. I do not understand why the XT costs so much more than the Uly. Does not seem like a good deal, especially since you can usually get at least 10% off accessories from most dealers when you buy the bike. | ||
| Uly1080 |
I have all the H-P Bags as well as the tall screen on my 07 and 2-up riding is great. The ONLY advantage that I can see is that the XT is a bit lower, and therefore a bit easier to handle when stopped with a passenger (and only then if you're short). BTW, the dealer threw my bags in for free. In my opinion, the XT is not worth it (within the context of your question). | ||
| Ratbuell |
If you are riding on-road...the XT is worth every penny. The suspension is not only lower, but it is completely reworked and handles AWESOME. It's the first bike outside of the 1125r that gave me good, positive, usable feedback through the handlebars (probably a combination of the suspension and the Stradas). The spring rates are changed, the valving is different, and the setup chart in the owners' manual reflects the differences (and even has a section for "if you are not using the top and side cases" settings!). If you want a sport-tourer...go with the XT. Worth every penny in my book just for the way it handles...and the X is no slouch, the XT is just that much better on pavement (IMO). If you are going to be off-roading at all, get the good ol' X. Handles well enough on road but there are compromises in order to get the dirt-handling qualities. | ||
| Chadr81 |
Yeah, I have no use for it off road - so maybe from what Ratbuell has said, maybe the 12XT is a little more up my alley. Ratbuell - I've read your reviews of what you've thought on other threads and it seems pretty nice. I guess I'll have to wait til the demo trailer comes to Appleton, WI or just wait another month or so til they are supposed to get theirs in. The only down fall there is Andy ordered a red one, and the wife and I are looking for blue... guess he'll have to go fishing for a blue one. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Or you can schmooze him into ordering blue bodywork ;) I redid a Firebolt for a customer a few years ago, I think it came to right around $800 for all the bodywork. Should be significantly less on a Uly - fewer pieces to work with. | ||
| Hughlysses |
The spring rates are changed, the valving is different, and the setup chart in the owners' manual reflects the differences (and even has a section for "if you are not using the top and side cases" settings!). That's pretty impressive. I wish the Uly owner's manual had more guidance for suspension set up depending on load. Obviously you'd have different optimum suspension settings for a 200 lb rider vs. a 150 lb rider plus 50 lbs of luggage. | ||
| Arcticktm |
My '06 Uly owner's manual has the most complete suspension set up guidelines that I have ever seen in a stock manual. They go in about 20 lb increments (IIRC), and give you starting points for every single adjustment you can make to the stock suspension. I was very impressed. Have you looked at this section in your manual? It is far better than anything I have seen on any of my Japanese, KTM or BMW bikes, both on and off-road. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Yea, and it's a great guide, but it only addresses total weight on the bike. Ratbuell is saying the XB12XT manual addresses both overall weight and weight of luggage, with guidelines for each situation. | ||
| Towjam |
If you haven't already read it, check out motorcycle.com's review of the XT. They go into detail regarding the XT's handling on pavement vs. the X. http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/buell/2008- buell-ulysses-xb12xt-review-77130.html | ||
| Ratbuell |
I think the XT has the bag/no bag guidelines because the bags come on the bike...and are removable. The X doesn't ever come with bags from the factory, so they didn't include it in the manual. And to prevent any misunderstanding - it wasn't a whole different table, it was a bit at the bottom that said "if you aren't using the bags, make adjustment X to the settings to compensate" or something. I didn't read it all that close, it was cold in the garage and all I wanted was to get it set for my next ride...and since it had all three bags, I just went by the chart  | ||
| Chadr81 |
Yeah, I read the above review above - made me want to ride it even more. I'm just going to have to wait til I can ride both back to back with the wife, so I can get good input from both. I'm guessing for our needs, the XT will fit much better. It will make a good addition to the garage!  | ||
| Ratbuell |
Well, changed to an X Uly for the ride home yesterday. Wow, what a difference. Cushier suspension, a little more float at the same weight settings (both bikes have 3 bags, both set for 170-200lb). The X is more Durango; the XT is more Viper. The tall windshield on the XT makes a HUGE difference - it really reduces the "push" against your torso at highway speeds, but you do get a bit more wind noise in the tradeoff. An iPod cancels out the wind nicely though ;) I didn't get a chance to compare handling; it was pouring down rain when I rode the X so I didn't want to push it in the turns. The rain did make me miss the heated grips, though...lol. (Message edited by ratbuell on April 01, 2008) | ||
| Towjam |
The tall windshield on the XT makes a HUGE difference - it really reduces the "push" against your torso at highway speeds, but you do get a bit more wind noise in the tradeoff. Ratbuell, Did you notice any helmet buffeting with the XT? And if you don't mind me asking, how tall are you? | ||
| Dynasport |
I test rode the XT at Daytona Bike Week. The Buell guys were giving pretty spirited test rides. Much better than the BMW guys I must say. Anyway, we rode a few miles on the Interstate in the 70-80 mph range and I felt NO helmet buffeting at all on the XT. I am 5'10" with more height in my legs than in my torso, so my torso height is probably more in the 5'8" to 5'9" range. I can't speak to 2 up riding, but I would think the biggest difference would be the ease of getting on. I know I felt much more at ease on the XT. I agree about the cost difference making the XT more expensive than a similarly set up X, as far as bags and windshield go. Changing the suspension bits would cost more I believe, however. To me, I just like the XT better. I can't get one this year anyway though, so I am hoping next year I might be able to find a decent deal on one. And maybe someone will come out with detachable brackets for the bags like SW Motech makes. We'll see. | ||
| Towjam |
I test rode the XT at Daytona Bike Week. The Buell guys were giving pretty spirited test rides. Much better than the BMW guys I must say. Anyway, we rode a few miles on the Interstate in the 70-80 mph range and I felt NO helmet buffeting at all on the XT. I am 5'10"... That's encouraging. At 5'6", I have had some "challenges" with windshields in the past. I refuse to ride a bike where the buffeting is so bad that I get double vision at highway speeds. Fortunately, that hasn't been an issue with the sport tourers I've owned but it's been a HUGE pain point with my baggers (including a Wing and a couple of Harley Road Glides). | ||
| Wbrisett |
I just got back from the March Badness and had my bike ('07 Uly) in for the 1K service while I was there. Mountain Creek Harley/Buell in Dalton had the '08 XT in blue! (the color I wanted)... I didn't ride it, but the seat height is definitely changed from '07. I really wanted the XT, but you know the X with a different wind screen and bags seems to work just fine for me. Wayne | ||
| Ratbuell |
I'm 6'4" (why would I mind? LOL). I didn't notice any buffeting from either windscreen, they both give a clean bubble...but there's definitely more "white noise" in the ears with the taller screen. Same helmet, same riding gear, same roads...damn near as scientific as I could get, LOL. I'm trying to talk the parts dept into letting me "accessorize" the X with a tall screen so I can compare screen to screen on the same bike / seat. | ||
| Sekalilgai |
Joe Sorry for cross posting, just saw you were already asked the same question re windshields here. With the stock shield I'm ok till an indicated 70mph or so but beyond that I get the helmet whacked about a bit. I find that with the shield removed altogether there is more pressure but certainly cleaner helmet air. Orangulius was going to let me try his tall out last weekend but I bailed before we got to do the swap. Come to think of it 70mph down there would've been beyond my skill level. Sorry for the post wandering ...should I start a new thread? | ||
| Chadr81 |
Wayne - Blue is the color I'm looking for too with the new XT. Wish there was someone around here that had one for me, or that Andy in Appleton would get his red one in so I can take it for a ride at least! |
