| Author | Message | ||
     Dirtgrlll |
Hey y'all, I'm brand new to the board, and to motos in general (which should pretty much having you ROFL right now) and boy do I have the bug baaaaaaaad. Background: aggressive mountain biker and part-time roadie, just took (and yes, passed!) my MSF a week and a half ago. Have a 2007 Kawi KLX 250s that I've been getting to know quite well and love dearly. That being said, I want to feed the road worthy side of the addiction. Zero interest in a sport bike or a cruiser. I'm all about adventure, want to be in a neutral position on the bike and while the XB12X won't be seeing any singletrack (on purpose anyway!!), I want something at least capable of conquering the gravel and fireroads that I might encounter. I never intended to consider such a rapid second purchase. But fate conspired to have me see the '08 Uly, fall in love with it, and then get a fantastic quote from the dealer. Tomorrow, I fully expect to be signing on the dotted line. Caveat: as a new rider, I will do nothing but stare longingly at the Uly and bribe (hey, how hard could THAT be???) experienced riders into taking her for a spin - only catch is that I better be on the back!!! Given that we are approaching riding season in the NE and the fact that the dealer has only one in stock, I'm not inclined to wait given the price point. So, fire away. Tell me the pros and cons of what I'm about to do. Just don't flame me if I ignore all the negatives and pull the trigger anyway...I'm in love, but at least I'll be making an informed decision!!! Much thanks, Jen | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
No cons except to take it easy until you get comfortable with the ULY, that is, after you get one. Lot more bike than what you are coming off of. Good choice. | ||
| Rwcfrank |
Electraglider is right, take you time and ease into the new purchase. You are going to love this bike. I just hit the 450miles mark and bounced mine off the limiter once or twice  | ||
| Johnboy777 |
Hi Jen, Welcome! I came off a KLR as well, and really found the Uly to be the perfect 'next bike' . | ||
| Dirtgrlll |
Excellent...three replies and all positive. At this rate, I'll be good to go by the time I hit the dealer tomorrow evening!!!  | ||
| Bosh |
Agree with all of the above. Just take it way EASY until you are well used to it. Probably has more torque on a magnitude of 10X of what you are used to. Easy to make the back end jump out from under you if you punch it mid turn. Also make sure to take a test ride if you can to make sure the bike fits. And then ENJOY the new ride, You'll LOVE it! | ||
| Dirtgrlll |
Thanks, Bosh. My adopted moto "big brother" (he rides an '07 GS Adventure) has restricted me to riding pillion (and dang it, I'm sticking with that label  )until he's confident I've mastered the KLX. Then I get to graduate to parking lot drills. I don't want to test ride beyond the above mentioned position because they don't have a demo. But sitting on the bike, fit feels great. I've got long enough legs to be able to put my feet down and I feel very comfortable on the bike. | ||
| Teeps |
The Ulysses is a lot of bike, both in power and weight. At close to 500lbs. ready to go, and over 100HP, it aint no KLR. I've been riding motorcycles (road and dirt) for close to 40 years and because of the Uly's seat height and weight, I feel like a novice goof at times. Especially during slow speed maneuvers. Just respect the power and weight, take it slow, plan ahead during those parking lot maneuvers, and you should be fine. The best part, no more pedaling into the wind, I hate that. | ||
| Prowler |
Jen, After a little time in the saddle, you will love this bike. It will feel a bit heavy initially, but gets easier to deal with as you spend more time with it. I've been riding for some 37 years and this is one of the best bikes I've ever owned. My 18 year old son has heard me talk (on and on) about this bike for the past year and last week bought what I would call the "short person" version of the Uly ('07 XB12STT). Can't wait to see the look on his face when he first rolls the throttle open on his new bike. Should be amusing to see the grin on his face. (no, I would not let him ride my Uly as I knew I'd never get him off the thing...) Anyway, have fun. | ||
| Chrisgrant |
Love mine. Glad your looking at the black one, its much faster than the other colors. Good luck and welcome to the dark side, young Skywalker.  | ||
| Tsorl76 |
Jen, you will be delighted at the capability of the Uly in slow speed maneuvers as well as its horsepower. I can throw the bike around quite easily around tight turns while working the friction zone. The lean angle is awesome getting used to it might take a little time because it feels a little funny at first but after a few hundred miles it will be your best friend. | ||
| Msparks |
You stated you were not interested in a "sport bike". Well I would say the Uly is more Sport than Adventure. Yes you can take it on some dirt/gravel roads, but where it performs the best is in the twisties where is can rail with the best of them. | ||
| Dirtgrlll |
Hi Msparks...what I meant by "sport bike" is the laying over the tank geometry - I want the neutral position of a bike like the Uly. I'm definitely digging the potential for railing the twisties once the rider capability can start to engage the Uly's! And of course the capacity to tackle some dirt and gravel is an added advantage. Thanks everyone for chiming in. All the positive feedback is helping with the pre-purchase jitters!! Jen | ||
| Uly1080 |
I dare you to get it today!  | ||
| Dirtgrlll |
Stay tuned Uly1080...I'll be at the dealer 4:30 PM EST and will report back to you when I get home.  | ||
| Atoms |
There are no cons. Just be careful, as everyone has already suggested. I spend more hours on my bicycles than on my Uly. You are by no means alone in the "two wheels good" club. The upright position of the Uly seems like the only sensible way to ride. I dunno if that opinion has anything to do with bicycling or what, but the Uly does seem like the perfect big bike for a bicyclist. At least this bicyclist. Go for it and ride safe! | ||
| Gsilvernale |
I hate to be the wet towel here, but its too much bike for someone with your experience level. I would go through at least one other mid sized bike before I purchased a ULY. Ride the KLX till the wheels fall off. Then move up to a 650 single for a summer and then buy a ULY. (but keep either the KLX or 650 single). The most fun I ever had on motorcycles was riding the smaller bikes. | ||
| Skyclad |
Overall, I would tend to agree with Gsilvernale on this one. The Ulysses, or any Buell except the Blast, really is not a beginners bike. The abundance of torque down low, the short wheelbase and quick handling (almost to the point of unstable) can make for a handful for the inexperienced rider. That being said, it looks like you are set on getting the Uly. Please, understand what you are getting. It is a great bike. Respect what it is capable of doing,don't try to tap into it's full potential for a while and you should be fine. I would hate to see you go down, or smack that throttle a bit too zealously and scare yourself right off the bike. | ||
| Seanp |
I agree with the last two posts. I rode the heck out of a Suzuki GS500F before I got my Uly, and I'm glad I did. I still, after a little over 7000 miles on the Uly, am surprised by how much potential the bike has that I can't tap yet. If you're going to get it anyway, (which it seems you might be doing tonight?) then have at it. Just realize that it's a lot of bike, a lot bigger than a KLX250. And it's a heck of a lot more powerful... (But that can be a good thing!) | ||
| Bigkuri |
Nah - she said she comes from aggressive mountain biking, and roadie stuff too. She'll most likely out handle you boys. From MTBing she'll know what to do when the front wheel lofts, and handling wise the Uly is one hell of a lot easier to tame than most pure sports bikes or even wee commuters. Go for it - its a blast, and you will grow into the bike (I mean rather than just get sick of it like lots of other potentials). Make sure that you get a decent seat for your height. The Uly is VERY easy to putter around on, and a lot of the folks that own them do nothing but (no offence meant). It's also something that can easily keep up with R1, GSXR etc in the twisties. | ||
| Dirtgrlll |
In regards to the seat height comments, I did a quick spec check. My KLX (which I can touch the ground on) comes in with a seat height of 34.8" where the Uly is 31.8". I appreciate everyone's responses and am respectful of your critiques. Wanted to fish for input, as some have noted I have basically made up my mind, and I don't really have interest in buying an "in-between" bike that isn't what I want. And beyond providing additional information requested from me, I have no intention of a back and forth defending whatever decision I make. I threw this out there so I could hear the spectrum of opinions! Bottom line keep the pros AND cons coming, I want all the feedback I can get, and rest assured that if I do buy the Uly I will be very mindful of its abilities and mine! Thanks everyone! | ||
| Dirtgrlll |
For BigKuri: I've got a few skillz on the mtb        | ||
| M_singer |
Pro's: Great handling on both paved and unpaved roads. Low maintenance. No valve adjustments, chain maintenance cooling system maintenance. Muffler as a jacking point works very well. Lots of innovative engineering: ZTL brakes, fuel in fame, under slung exhaust. The trip tail is awesome. I'd say it is about as comfortable as a sport touring bike gets. I just did an 830 mile day last Saturday and I felt great at the end of the trip. I'm 45 years old. Fun and cool factors are very high IMO. Cons: IMO the reliability is undeniably NOT up to Japanese standards. Admittedly ALL bikes have known issues. The Uly just has more then its share. Known issues: Wheel bearing failures stator failures voltage regulator failures These are things that will leave you stranded! minor issues: lean surging while going say 20 mph or so in heavy traffic. Not much of an issue for me as i normally ride in the mountains but it is annoying now while I am in S Fla visiting family. In about 500 miles my clutch cable's wire holder broke. It was replaced with an upgraded part that should be a permanent fix. Most 08 models on dealer floors will have the old part that will likely fail. At less the 1500 mile my check engine light came on. Turned to be a wire harness problem. Fixed under warrant but the way these things shake it very well may happen again. I love Buells and I love my Uly! It is so much fun to ride. I do not think that i would enjoy a V Strom as much so, I'm taking my chances with my Uly. So far I'm still smiling. | ||
| M_singer |
Oh and judging from ur mnt bike picks I'd say you will be handling the Uly no prob ;o) | ||
| Jflaig |
Take your time and learn how the Uly acts. You will learn to appreciate it's differences from others. It is still teaching me how to handle it after 20 months. You should learn something new every day, and the Uly is nothing but a learning tool. Enjoy it and take your time getting to know your new toy.  | ||
| Rotorhead |
The only Con that I have run into is tires. I can't seem to keep a pair on it. With over 30,000 miles on it now (thanks to MBV) I have had to change tires over and over again. As soon as I mount a set I'm saving for the next set. This will happen to you if your not careful !! The KLR will sit parked and you'll burn tires and miles off the ULY. I tend to have the same issue with GAS and OIL!!!! The ULY is my first "street" bike and I had to respect the power and learn to drive it coming from dirt only bikes. | ||
| Dirtgrlll |
Well gang, it's a done deal (anybody surprised? anybody want to at least pretend to be surprised????). Thanks again for all the input. Jen | ||
| Chrisgrant |
I'm shocked Jen. I can't believe that you went out and bought such a bike. Even if its the faster black one. You should be ashamed of yourself wanting a permagrin on your face. I just can't believe it. | ||
| Hoon |
Nice one Jen,congrats. Welcome to Ulyworld. I think you're the third 'Lady of Uly' I know of now (there's a couple over on ADVrider (check it out if you've not already www.advrider.com you'll be addicted for sure)). Be sure to post some pics of you and your new baby asap. As a couple of the others said,you'll be fine on your Uly-you know yourself that the throttle has positions between closed and fully open,sounds like you've got a friend to learn from too which is good-enjoy. Edit: Guess you know about ADVrider already,just found your post over there. (Message edited by hoon on April 01, 2008) | ||
| Dirtgrlll |
Oh Chris, you are so right. The shame of it all. The wonderful, glorious, exuberant shame.  |
