| Author | Message | ||
     Drhacknstine |
The wife and I have talked about buying an 08 XT. I'm guessing around 18,000 mi on the ticker. Looks "showroom new" with the normal boot scuffs on the cases. My questions are: 1 Are the uly's better sprung "for two up" than our S3?(S3 not really sprung for up riding, shock preload is at max and still a smidge weak on sag settings). 2 Is the wheel bearings problem still and issue on ulys? (bike shows a combination of orange and black seals) 3 Whats fair market value on a Uly right now? (With the HD Fire sale going on... new is cheap.) | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
The uly comes with a knob under the seat on the left side. You can adjust the preload while you drive! It is awesome for two-up. My wheel bearings went bad (orange seals) at about 20,000. water got in. New is cheap! try to get new with warranty! | ||
| Froggy |
1, Depends on how hefty you and your passenger are, but you probably will be fine. 2, Yes on the older models. The 2010's are the only ones that are pretty much problem free as they use a different rear wheel than the 03-09 Buells. They switched from Orange to black seals part way through the 09 production, so if that bike is half and half it sounds like it had bearings replaced once already. 3, Hard to say, prices are all over, with new bikes going for less than what the owner of that 08 is asking. | ||
| Drhacknstine |
Between the two of us were pushing 360lbs with gear. And most importantly I'm just not a "NEW" kind of guy. Always have done the math and found I can make a LOT of repairs for the price of a PAYMENT and full coverage insurance... That and I like the RED ones. They are at one of the worst stealerships in my area. They have a matched pair of 08 red anniversary XT's, trade ins I assume. One had the Buell nav system and the comfort kit. (Does the nav system need a contract for service?) I may yet nix this purchase, just don't have warm fuzzy feelings about the economy.(Getting me to do a loan on anything besides a house is a feat.) I'm much happier with a cash purchase. Had a primary swap in mind between the S3 and the XT. The S3 is our long distance(highway) machine and the XT would be our DIRT machine... which would probably put it with a nasty set of KNOBS for back road and goat trail. And with the weather were having maybe some drift busting... It would also become my daily commuter to work(3 miles of blacktop and 1.3 of gravel.) | ||
| Ratbuell |
If you want dirt, get an X and put bags on it. The XT has less suspension travel, different damping and spring rates, and non-reinforced rims like the rest of the XB family. It's a little taller than an XT, but not unmanageable. If you're doing mainly gravel roads and nothing really gnarly (I do some singletrack and quite a few streams)...and you're concerned about bearings...get a '10 X wheel kit for the back with the three bearing setup, buy a front wheel to match, and roll. Just be aware of the reduced travel. For what its worth, I've been fine on my '06 with a p-m upgrade a couple tire-changes ago to the black bearings in the back. The Garmin does not require any subscription, unlees (like me) you want to subscribe to LifeMaps or whatever they call it - free map upgrades for life for the unit. But for day to day use...just turn it on and it works. Being as unbiased as possible...I have an '06 UlyX, and a '95 S2 (with Works triple-adjust rear shock). Love them both. But, for two-up...Uly. It's not just suspension, it's overall passenger room and comfort - less agressive position, tripletail...much more neutral ride. You'll be fine with preload adjust. The ONLY thing I change when I add Kim to the back is preload - I don't touch comp/reb settings at all. And as mentioned above, it's a knob under your left cheek as you sit on the bike. Dirt simple adjustment. | ||
| Towpro |
It's this simple. Before the Wife jumps on the back, I turn the rear preload 2 turns (4 clicks I think) tighter. The owners manual comes with a great chart showing Suspension settings for weight. Everyone here will recommend going over the settings before your first ride. I sat on one at a dealership that had the rear shock preload turned up so high it had no sag even with my 235 lbs. It left me thinking that the Uly's were going to be to tall for me. When I got my 07, I thought the adjustment was broken. Someone had cranked the adjuster to the lightest setting and turned it so hard the adjuster seamed stuck (they were trying to lower seat height). PS: Also watch how fast you twist that RS grip with a rider on the back  | ||
| Drhacknstine |
I like Ratbuell's take, buy an X, add the T and go. I can have the xtras I want and a more abuse ready machine. Never felt I needed or wanted gps or a tall screen on a dirt machine. Seat height in never an issue. Two up, vertical acceleration on the S3T always gives me the evil perma grin.  And from the sounds of it "yes" the uly is actually made for two up, unlike the S3T. Thanks for the input guys, I just have to force myself to make the $$ lay out with the economy the way it is. Happy holidays | ||
| Dennis_c |
The uly is a do it all bike. Better than the S3T on long distance rides. Sell the S3 and get uly x with bags. Check tire size for tires you would like to use for off road may not fit the uly. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Don't sell the tuber if you can help it. Even as swiss-army as the Uly is...I still love getting on the ol' S2 whenever I can. That bike never fails to bring a smile! Uly (or any XB, for that matter) - EXTREMELY capable bike, very well sorted. Tuber - has SOUL. Still incredibly capable, especially considering it's (mine, anyway) 15 years old...but they're just so...cool. Also, despite what you might read here, I've always had great luck (and great handling) out of my Dunlop D616 tires. On road, on the Dragon (down and back from Maryland as well as 3 days there), off road, gravel, streams, muddy singletrack...love those tires. | ||
| Dennis_c |
ratbuell i want to see you on muddy singletrack with D616 i need a good  i don't want to see you or uly get hurt so fall easy ok. Try the uly on wet grass then tell me how you like it? | ||
| Froggy |
Funny you say that about the tires Rat. I was looking at your newspaper photo yesterday, and I thought to myself "Didn't they outlaw those nasty tires yet?" | ||
| Ratbuell |
Um...had the 616s on wet grass a LOT. No issues with that. Or with stream crossings. Or with muddy potholes on gravel roads (if I'm on gravel, I'm getting it DIRTY lol). It's no dirt bike, and I don't ride it like one...but it gets along just fine. Found out the other day they do pretty good in snow, too. Not exactly a "vehicle of choice" for snow - that's why my wife and I own 2 Jeeps - but it got me from A to B without going over. And Froggy...those "nasty" tires are what I was on at Buelltoberfest, just an older set (10k on the front, 5k on the rear down in Suches).   |
