| Author | Message | ||
     Mark_weiss |
20K Report 2008 XB12X@22 Months. Avg MPG is about 47. Learned how to foul plugs right away, missed a ride the first weekend that I had the Uly. None fouled since. Had the normal rough cold idle and surging at low-speed, part-throttle. Cured that with ECM update. OE Rear Scorpion Sync was flatted at 6.5K. It looked like it had a few K left. I mounted a Strada because a Sync was not available locally. The Strada is not too good off pavement, fine on the road though and well matched with the Sync. I’ll probably switch back to a Sync when it’s time for a new tire, I have an upaved road & trail (with a rocky hill) to ride everyday between house and highway. The front Sync was still OK nearing 12k when I replaced it. Went with another Sync. Mileage dropped inexplicably by 5 mph at about 10k. Some thought that it was due to oxygenated fuel, but we have that year ‘round out here. Could not find anything, but at around 12k I noticed an oil leak. Tracing the trail pointed to the rear rocker box cover. During the warranty repair of the rocker cover gasket, the Tech noticed that the oxygen sensor was pretty heavily contaminated with oil. The O2 sensor was replaced and mileage returned to normal. All of the usual heat issues. Coated the header, good looks but not a good heat reducer for the money spent. Heat blankets: good investment. Weather strip the seat/airbox interface: very good result. Weather strip the subframe air ducts (front edge) also good. Thermotec’d the inside of the frame/tank: no difference to me. Maybe the fuel’s cooler. Installed the Comfort Kit this summer: best result of all! Changed fork oil at about 12k. Just maintenance. No noticeable change in ride, the old oil was pretty contaminated though. Been using Buell triple-platinum spark plugs. They seem fine but do not fit the plug socket that’s included in the Buell toolkit. The pin for the fork lock rattles annoyingly at times. Wriggling on a sleeve of Romex wire insulation helps, until the insulation disappears. Zero Gravity touring shield. Precision Engineering –2” footpegs fit well with my 36” inseam. Stock ’08 seat. Lyndall Gold front brake pads. OE battery replaced at 19 months. The new battery is SO much better that I wonder if the original was not weak from the start. It was clearly having problems for a few months before I decided to make the replacement. I was annoyed to find that the battery did not have the same 24 month warranty as the rest of the bike. My new location has me dealing with low 30 degree starts every day (probably low 20s before Winter’s over). I usually have to start twice. First time all is OK, but when the idle drops, it continues below normal until the bike stalls. Second start is fine. I still get a bit nervous when I hit the hill in the morning. I’m not certain that I could successfully stop on an uphill run. Rust on the muffler is very minimal. Probably a benefit of living in the desert. I remember the BMW R65LS. Also had painted steel mufflers. Same problems, high heat paint did not adequately protect the mufflers and they required periodic sanding and repainting. Annoying. I'm on my third set of bag lid halters (once for the right, twice for the left). Not really a Buell issue. I'm kind of surprised at Hepco & Becker though. I've been using their products for over 20 years. Never a flawed design like this before. When I ordered the Uly, I added the Buell Quest GPS receiver. It's been a good addition. Most of the time it has just provided information for curiousity. A few times though, it has been very useful. One time was a "where's the nearest gas station" instance. The Quest confirmed that I'd have two opportunities for fuel before I ran dry. No need to turn back. The other time was a "now which trail was it?" situation. Trackback is a very nice feature. No difficulties all with wheel bearings or the drive belt. I keep an eye on them though. Overall, the Ulysses has been a great bike. It's not perfect, I'd like less vibration and a few more mpg, but those are minor complaints. Performance, comfort, handling, versatility, are outstanding. Looks are a bit odd, but I really don't mind at all. While I'm crushed that Buell is shut down, I had no plans at all to dispose of my Ulysses. Of course, at only 20K miles, it has a long, long, way to go before it catches up with the use that I've gotten out of its predecessors. Mark SE AZ | ||
| Buellerxt |
Thanks Mark. Much appreciated. A diligent owner, no doubt! A couple questions: 1. What are your 'ways to avoid' plug fouling? 2. How in the heck do you get 47 mpg? Mine has been in the 39-41 mpg range for the first 1300 miles and usually right at 40-41. I can't imagine it will increase to the 47 area without riding it very tenderly. Any thoughts on why you haven't had bearing or belt failures? Ths. Mike | ||
| Eulysses |
Thanks Mark. Encouraging report for those of us just entering our Uly lives (new to me 09 in August). Glad to see where those -2" pegs come from...been thinking about those for wife (forward and down) and my elongated inseam. Trying high seat now...then low pegs if needed. Wish I lived where you do. Will be down there from this incessant rain in Jan/Feb/Mar this year...exploring your state (oh, and working online of course!). | ||
| Mark_weiss |
1. Don't open the throttle when cold starting. Just let the DDFI do its thing. Even if it means a second start. 2. Here's my mileage progression: http://www.njdot.us/buell/ulygan2.php?selected_use r=Mark_Weiss Just give it time. I recall be a bit disappointed, initially. 3. Belt failures seem to be rare. Most report that tension is lost before the belt breaks. I periodically check to see if I can force the idler pulley to turn. If it ever does, I'll replace the belt. Bearing failure seems to be hit & miss. Most report failure after a short mileage total, or ride in wet climates. I've made it past 'short mileage' and have little exposure to wet. Mark SE AZ | ||
| Skifastbadly |
Doing better than I. I hit 20K this spring, and have 23K now. Here's my maintenance/repair list. Stuff that was handled under warranty Blown fork seals Warped front brake rotor Stuff that happened this year not under warranty Voltage regulator went out Rocker gaskets replaced Fan went out Header detached from head (two month ordeal, but the factory fixed it no charge) Belt broke at 23K ECM failed (waiting for replacement now) Rear bearings out, 21K Exhaust actuator, 22K So for the first 20K, I had minimal issues. This year has been a nightmare though. | ||
| Cpilot |
I'll add my 2 cents: 22K miles in two years on 08 Uly X. Lifetime mpg average: 43.9 mpg Maintenance issues: -- Fouled plugs - Only once -- Kickstand replaced -- Rear wheel bearing failure took out swing arm and wheel. Replaced with 2010 wheel and bearing -- Replaced exhaust header -- Replaced aft rocker box gasket -- Replaced rear brake rotor -- Replaced front & rear brake pads (now Lyndalls) -- 4 rear tires -- 3 front tires Other additions: -- California Scientific windshield -- Comfort kit -- Vista throttle lock -- HID aux lights A lot of two-up touring in the Rockies has brought us a lot of enjoyment. I have looked for something to replace it, and I haven't found anything that comes close to the dollar-per-grin-per-mile that the Uly provides. | ||
| Lastcyclone |
Where does a person buy these? "bag lid halters" Mine broke too, and the picture wire seems to stetch or snap even more easily. Decklehalters is what HB calls them. | ||
| Wesman |
What brand of battery did you utilize as a replacement? | ||
| Mark_weiss |
Add a blown right side fork seal. 20200 miles. Thought something looked odd about the front tire. Then noticed the oil on the floor. Then noticed that the wheel, disc, caliper, & side of the bike was coated with oil. Mark SE AZ | ||
| Mark_weiss |
Replaced the OE battery with another HD battery. The price was comparable to most of the online possibilities. Not a lot of local options where I was when the old battery was giving up. Mark SE AZ | ||
| Dfishman |
Lastcyclone.........I made my lid halters out of 400lb fishing line & the appropriate crimps.Easy,cheap & long lasting! | ||
| Idaho_buelly |
09X and the fuel eco.was pretty low at the beginning,but I have 8500 now and I'm getting 45 in town and 55 open road 65-70mph.. | ||
| Buellerxt |
Mark, Any of the front brake surging/grabbing that we read about on this site? If not, what do you contribute that to? I notice you switched from OEM pads. Why? I've read that some like them, some don't. I ordered a spare set so I'm committed! lol Also, do you put any grease in your bearings or just torque and install them BY THE BOOK? Ths. | ||
| Eulysses |
Idaho...with or without the ECM flash update for comfort kit? | ||
| Mark_weiss |
The front brake did begin to pulse a bit at about the time that I had the valve cover gasket leak. It was very minor and I was not totally certain that anything was really wrong. When I picked up the bike the dealer had changed the halo and put in new brake pads. I switched to Lyndall's at that time and have had no issues since. Nothing special with the bearings. Just a close external inspection, evaluate rotation & movement, then reinstall the wheel as spec'd. I'll be changing the rear tire in the next month or so, we'll see how the bearings are doing. Anything less than perfect and I'll replace them. Mark SE AZ |
