| Author | Message | ||
     Snow_jw |
Got a FZ6 as my first streetbike about a year ago while I love the bike for short trips around town and even a fun long distance bike but I feel kind of left out when we go on poker rides with all the HD V-twin. I love the V-Rod but I can't see myself going along a sweet dirt road and passing it up because I don't want to get the bike a little dirty. Also the HD bikes just don't fit my ride style but I still want the V-Twin HD sound and TQ but still be able to hop and it and do everything the FZ6 did. So I was hoping there was a few on here that may have had FZ Yamaha bikes and can tell me the pros and cons to the Ulysses. One Question I do have the FZ6 does have a little hum and vibe at 75-80mph but it seems at home in this speed range with a 13k redline it has room to speed up and down to pass cars at this speed as well it and can set this speed for hrs on end without any issues and also gets some good MPG's as well can the Ulysses do this as well how are the vibes at say 75-80mph?? Is the Ulysses more conferrable that the FZ models?? Any imput is great!! Thanks | ||
| Froggy |
Let me start by saying I have no FZ6 experience, so I can't do a perfect comparison.
Don't buy a bike to fit in. That is wrong on so many levels, plus you still won't fit in with a Buell.
60-80 is the sweetspot in 5th gear for the Ulysses. Not much vibration there, bar end weights can take care of the remainder. Your 6 does 13k at those speeds, the Uly will be at about 3750-4000RPM for 75-80mph.
Cruising at this speed you have plenty of torque available for passing with minimal effort. You can drone on all day if you like, I've done 600 mile days on it without issue.
I typically get 60-65mpg, with my best tank being 75mpg.
Comfort will vary from person to person due to everyone having different physical attributes. I find the Ulysses to be less comfortable than my Buell 1125R sportbike. | ||
| Bcmike |
Just another point about comfort. I have owned two first gen Yamaha FZ-1's. The Uly XT is far more comfortable for me. Pegs are farther forward with more legroom... Seat is flat and wide versus the FZ1 ski slope into the tank nut crusher. Bars are higher and closer much like a dualsport. The FZ aggravated an old back problem while the Uly cured it. | ||
| Whisperstealth |
I ride with Harleys all day long. Yes the Buell is different, still won't completely "fit in". But The harley guys have come around to my uly a lot. Some talking about getting one. - With the "It's a shame they don't mak'em anymore". Helps when your going right by thier twin cams, on an american made v-twin, with a smile on your face  Very Comfy bike, with mods to make it more comfy. Go buy one! | ||
| Zane_t |
I went from a generation 2 '07 FZ1 to the Ulysses. Night and day, two different motorcycles. The Uly is much more comfy and far nicer ride. The Uly is mechanically quieter, better gas mileage and far better throttle response. Even though I missed the performance the FZ1 had, it really turned on at 8k rpms, for street riding the Uly is a far better all around motorcycle. If you can find a Uly with low miles, get it!!! | ||
| Reepicheep |
The Uly will get erily smooth at highway speeds, especially if you are used to an I-4. And the vibes at lower speeds are just... less annoying... than an inline four. Not numbing and painful. Froggy gets great mpg... us old less disciplined fat guys pull closer to 45 mpg if you are running with the hard bags all the time. (I oughta run a tank without the bags... I was trailering the Uly with the Saab (which has a real time fuel economy meter that is very accurate) and I could see a 2-3 mpg drop with just one bag on there. An anecdotal but significant data point. The thing you aren't mentioning that you probably should is street drivability. The Uly has wonderful grunt at all RPM's... it will be real day to day improvement over a 600cc inline four. It'll take a bit to adjust perhaps, the redline will feel really low. No valve adjustments on the Uly either! | ||
| Xb771 |
I have two 2007 FZ6's and a 2010 XB12XT the seat is way better on the buell and its better for touring.the fz is better in town. | ||
| Froggy |
If you do ride a Uly, one thing you need to remember is how different the engine is vs the FZ6. The Uly is more like a diesel truck, it can't rev to 13k RPM, but it doesn't need to. It will take some getting used to adjusting to the different shifting needs. A nice thing about the Uly torque curve, it is difficult to stall when pulling away from a stop. Even facing up a hill you can slowly let out the clutch and it will pull forward and chug away. | ||
| Tiltcylinder |
Just did a little over 2,300 miles with the '09 xt. Froggy must be drafting someone on a goldwing or tractor trailer? With 7,500 miles on the bike, I'm averaging 47.5 mpg. | ||
| Snow_jw |
Thanks for the post guys!! |
