| Author | Message | ||
     Santa |
You got to consider the fun factor of the the Ulysses first. After test riding one several years ago, I knew I had to have one. I don't have enough miles on mine yet but to say how reliable it is, but my Beamer has to be on a trickle charger now as my first choice when I leave the house is the Buell. My K-LT is ten years old now and it has been extremely reliable but that doesn't make me ride it more. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Oops. Late night math is hard. | ||
| Andymnelson |
Don't do that, uncessary and will only serve to wear out the bearing races. DO check them for smoothness on a regular basis and replace when they get notchy/rough. | ||
| Schwara |
If 1.5% is a reflection of everything else out there (for '07s) that is terrible. 1 in 1000 for that kind of failure in so few years would not be a great ratio, but 1 in 66 ... that is just plain negligent that HD is not doing something about it. Obviously things happen outside of the plan, and if this were in fact 1 in 1000 it would be difficult to put it back on the manufacturer, but 1 in 66 ... I'm disgusted that HD would stay on the sidelines even for no better reason than trying to do damage control on publicity. For the time being a Buell is a Harley and Harley is not doing the job they were paid to do. Let me know what petition to sign or when the anti HD ride to the motherland is happening and I'll do my best to participate in any way that I can. I love my bike, but my dislike for the manufacturer seems to grow a little more every day. I'm glad Erik is out from under their umbrella now. | ||
| Dirt |
"i don't see how people are breaking their Uly's." Well first thing I would suggest would be to try putting some serious miles on one. Mine has over 100k and i can honestly say it has been the most unreliable vehicle (car or bike) I have ever owned. I will also add that it has been a very practical and fun bike when it is working properly. OP, have a look at my profile because I think it speaks for itself. | ||
| Crusty |
The Truth- Is the Uly reliable? Yes. | ||
| Johnboy777 |
"If 1.5% is a reflection of everything else out there (for '07s) that is terrible. 1 in 1000 for that kind of failure in so few years would not be a great ratio, but 1 in 66 ... that is just plain negligent that HD is not doing something about it [etc.]." Remember, as these bikes start coming of age—heading towards that magical 25,000 to 30,000 mile marker—we could see percentages triple that number. My bike only has 13,000 miles on it at present. I think we could end up well over 5% or 1-in-20. But time will tell that tale. It can only get worse from here out, as time goes on. ... | ||
| Rwcfrank |
I agree with most of the info in the previous posts. My 08 only has 9k, but that is some pretty harsh thrashing during a short commute usually. I went through a rear tire and I feel that the rear bearing issues are caused by over tightening the rear axle. Mine were in perfect condition but nonetheless I pulled the seal covers and shot some grease in there, most of which came back out indicating I over filled them. I began reading about the ecm issues a long time back and I could see that my seat was hitting the ecm more than it should so I moved as a pre-emptive maintenance step. The exhaust actuator was replaced under warranty mostly because I wanted the upgraded steel gear model so I encouraged it's early demise by forcing the gears by hand (sue me). I keep my eye on my belt which I abuse every day since I really keep my front wheel in the air way more than is sensible. I do second gear clutch up wheelies and sometimes even third which must put a hell of a stress on things but it makes me smile so I spoil myself. I do all my own maintenance, probably more than I need to but the Uly doesnt need the stuff my other bikes did. Things like seats and premium chains and braided brake lines etc etc . It came with all of that stuff already on it. I just modded my can for about $40 based on advice I found on line and I could not be happier with the results. Anyway, my two cents, gotta go for a ride now. One more thing, I have needed to take my truck to work for a month now to pick up some heavy items. I still can't seem to take it due to the amount fun I have when I take the Uly. | ||
| Buewulf |
My unscientific opinion is that the XB is not as reliable or durable a machine as some other choices out there. That said, these guys on this forum are among the most resourceful and helpful I have ever come across. And with their experience and help, you can "pre-fix" your Uly to a pretty high standard. As long as you don't mind some of the quirks (aka character), then it is a pretty solid bike. I am not a Buell enthusiast, and frankly I have never really bonded with the Uly like I have some bikes. But I won't hesitate to say this: If taking a BMW on a 4K mile trip doesn't worry you, then taking a Uly shouldn't worry you either. It will never be a Honda, but of course that's the point of a bike like this anyway. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Thank god that a Buell will never be a Honda. I've had many hondas and not a one of them lasted over 33,000 miles. Maybe it was the oil or short runs but my Buell at 34,000 miles is still as tight as the day I bought it new in Dec 05'. My late Honda CB900 Custom's transmission was so sloppy at 30,000 miles and was also burning oil. Try getting reasonably priced parts for any old Honda,Suzuki,Kaw and you'd think that it was antique gold or something. I'll never buy another japanese bike. I don't believe there is such a thing as a Harley salvage yard but there are lots and lots of jap bike salvage yards. Jap bikes, use them up and throw them away. True that Goldwings run forever, but that's a car with two wheels and only gets about 25mpg to prove it. Buells will never be Hondas, thank the Lord. | ||
| Ratbuell |
When are you going to start carrying spare Dunlops? Soon as I find a reason to. although maybe I might not have worn through that one last year if I (and my fully loaded Uly) hadn't run around you and your 1125 on the Dragon, froggy....  | ||
| Buewulf |
I've had many hondas and not a one of them lasted over 33,000 miles. I have had Suzukis, Yamahas a BMW and a KTM, but I have no direct experience with Hondas. I just used them as the proverbial "Timex" here because that is how the brand is talked up. I have never kept any bike long enough to know if it would live past 40K miles or not, and don't intend to. All four Japanese bikes ran flawlessly and never needed any unscheduled repair the entire time I owned them. The BMW and KTM not so much. I would not hesitate to buy another Japanese bike. I would not hesitate to buy another KTM, BMW or Buell either if that is what I really wanted. | ||
| Rwven |
34000 miles on my '08 now. I've had all the typical Uly nagging issues like wheel bearings, rocker box leaks, grounding issues, cooling fan failure, Idle Air Servo, cracked ECM....but it's never left me stranded. I've never ridden a more interesting, comfortable and just plain fun motorcycle. Did 700 miles in under 13 hours in the pouring rain yesterday without a hiccup... | ||
| Jlnance |
My personal experience with 2 Ulys has been they are quite reliable until you get to about 40,000 miles. After that things start to go. | ||
| Rays |
 OK, so first off, that is Kilometers not miles so no world record but personally I have never had a motorcycle that made 100,000km without having to dig into the engine for something. It did leave me stranded once - I was one of the early '77 connector victims. I have had a lot of the other things crop up (fuel pump wires wearing through, wheel bearings etc etc) but none of those was a big $ item and none were out of the realm of the home mechanic. All of them were addressed before they actually bit me because of the combined resources of this Forum. I have maintained the heck out of this thing (and developed a very great affection for the lump in doing so) and it has returned the favour in spades. My wife and I have covered many miles on the '06 Uly and in 30 years of two-up riding it is our hands-down favourite. If you aren't prepared to do your own maintenance then I wouldn't recommend these bikes. The air-cooled V twin environment is characterised by heat and higher levels of vibration than a nice liquid-cooled multi so wires, cables and oil lines do wear where they contact things and clearly need a little more attention. If you are prepared to give that attention you will be rewarded with one of motorcycles absolute pleasures. If you want to take it to your dealer once or twice a year and only ride it then in my humble opinion this is not your motorcycle. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I'd say just about any bike is going to start having a lot of issues at 40k. And most bikes will need significant engine work at that point. Heck, on an XR650, you are probably on your second motor rebuild at that point. | ||
| Johnboy777 |
""I'd say just about any bike is going to start having a lot of issues at 40k. And most bikes will need significant engine work at that point. Heck, on an XR650, you are probably on your second motor rebuild at that point"" You can't compare the V-Twin Uly to an XR650. A BMW-1200, Harley sporty, and bigger, a Honda ST1100 and ST1300, Victory, etc., etc. We should expect 75,000 miles from our engines, min. ... | ||
| Bike_pilot |
in my experience most bikes (modern-ish Japanese and Ducatis), don't suffer engine problems related to mileage. I've seen bikes, even fast v-twins (SP2) with 200k+ miles and no issues. I'm sure wear would eventually happen, it it just doesn't happen at mileages that people see. I have yet to observe one actually wearing out. Unless you are talking closed-course competition bikes, the notion that most any bike will need significant engine work by 40k miles is just plain wrong. I can't say whether its true or not of Harley/Buell engines, but I sure hope its not true there either! If the Japanese and Italians can make 2x+ the HP for less weight and less displacement and show no measurable wear after a couple hundred thousand miles I'd be sorely disappointed of the laid back, low-power, low-rpm Buell couldn't make a quarter of that. An XR650R is an off road competition bike, not really comparable to a street bike at all. 40k would be a lot for an XR or any closed-course off road bike. Of course off road race miles are a whole different ballgame in terms of wear and tear too. FWIW I raced a 10-year old, never-been-opened-up XR650R in vegas to reno last year and got 5th overall, then rode down baja, then rode all over colorado, it hasn't blow up yet  No odo so no idea on miles on the bike, but that trip was around 2k fast off road miles. | ||
| Dr_greg |
My first '06 Uly: no major issues till deer strike at 55K miles. My second '06 Uly: no major issues so far at 34K miles. Minor issues, yes, but nothing big. Pretty good reliability, IMHO. Of course there was that series of FOUR consecutive breakdowns where Mrs. Greg got pretty d*mn tired of rescuing me! --Doc | ||
| Rsh |
That 100000km above is deceiving, it's really only 62,137 miles in the USA. I have a XB9R with 75,242 miles on it, only been into the engine once for a stator replacement (I fell into that mobil 1 gear oil trap) The basic package is reliable, its the little niggling things like the #77 connector or voltage regulator and the wire harness that gives problems that may not easily be found that can leave you stranded on the road, not to say it doesn't happen with other bikes, but I am not riding other bikes. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Rays, I noticed from your profile that you are an old fart. | ||
| Buewulf |
I have to say that I have come accross many riders in my time that have 100K+ miles on their mounts that they proudly proclaim required no engine work or transmission work. At least half were the type that like to wear their mileage like a badge of honor: Boxer twin riders & Goldwingers. But I've come across many makes and models with over 100K: quite a few VFRs, various sport touring bikes, sport bikes (mostly Kawasaki for some reason), Hinckley-era Triumphs, even several BMW F650 singles (which surprised me being a single and all.) The most I've ever seen was a KZ1000 police bike belonging to a retired cop. He claimed the machine had 220K and had never needed anything but a carb rebuild. Anyway, I guess my point is that I have to agree with Bike_Pilot that modern bike engines are perfectly capable of delivering some serious mileage. Granted this observation is far from scientific, but I've seen enough to incline me to believe such. I would hate to think the XB's on the whole couldn't do the same. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I have no idea if my ULY will hit 100K but one thing that I've noticed is that the engine and tranny is still very tight, nothing feels loose. I'll take that as a very good indicator that it still has many more miles ahead of it. I've never ridden a bike more than 44,000 miles (my Harley) but I think my Buell will probably pass that next year. The Harley is still in great shape also. | ||
| Bike_pilot |
The rotax single in the BMW F650 holds up really well. I met a fellow with 238k miles, IIRC, on his. He'd been to TdF, arctic circle etc on it. He'd never done any engine work and said it was running as good as ever. My TL1000S has 60k miles and no problems at all and it is not a bike known for its reliability. A friend tore down his TLS at 60k to make it faster. He's a hardcore drag racer and had done something like 5,000 passes on that motor. The inside bits still looked essentially like new. It still got 14:1 pistons, etc. and then it really scooted. | ||
| Crusty |
My first Buell ('98 S3-T) had 60,000 miles on it. The engine/transmission never gave me a bit of trouble. My second Buell ('00 M2) had a lifter go bad. It took me a couple of hours to go to the shop, pick up a new lifter and replace the bad one. That was the only engine/trans. problem. My '06 Ulysses was totally trouble free for over 34,000 miles, when I traded it in towards my '08 XB12XT. It has 31,000 miles on it. I had a clutch hub bearing replaced under warranty, then replaced another a year later. I found and corrected the source of the problem, and it's been trouble free since. My wife has an '08 XB12Ss that just broke 50,000 miles. She had a bad voltage regulator, but her engine has been trouble free, and it still runs like new. I believe that the durability of the engine is right up there with anything being manufactured today. | ||
| Bike_pilot |
What was the source of the clutch hub bearing trouble? | ||
| Crusty |
Water was getting into the clutch cable through the adjuster whenever I rode in the rain. It would follow the inner cable into the primary. I now pack grease around the adjuster, and I use a zip tie to seal the top of the boot against the outer cable. I haven't detected water in the primary since I started doing this. | ||
| Bike_pilot |
Thanks! I ride every day no matter the weather (and with how things are going lately I think I may need to invest in a snorkel) so I will follow your lead on this one else I suspect I'll suffer the same bearing troubles. Appreciate your R&D on this  | ||
| Reepicheep |
A bit of a tangent, but:
Why not? XR650: An single cylinder displacing 650cc's, air cooled, overhead cam, making about 45 HP on a good day. An XB12: Two attached single cylinders (45 degree twin) each displacing 600cc's, air cooled, pushrod, making about 45 HP each on a good day. The main limitations of both motors is air cooling and high displacement per cylinder. Both motors put out about the same power per CC. The Honda motor is probably lighter per CC, but the Buell motor has another whole motor mounted right behind the airflow of the first motor. And the Buell crank and tranny must support 2x the HP of the XR. Seem like a "fair fight" and a fair comparison. If anything, I would think the Buell application is far more demanding. Yet the Buell motor will easily outlast 2 XR motor rebuilds. The two XR's I helped to personally rebuild spent most of their time on the road. The third XR I knew was knock knock knocking at about 11k miles, less than 1000 of those off road. All were meticulously maintained. I don't expect my mortorcycle motors to explode at exactly 40k miles. On the other hand, if I bought a motorcycle with 40k miles then had some sort of melt down because something significant with the motor went wrong shortly there after, I wouldn't be particularly surprised. ESPECIALLY if it were an air cooled bike. | ||
| Rays |
The 100,000km wasn't intended to be deceiving - my apologies if it was taken to be so. I grew up with miles and have learned to live with kilometres and probably make too many assumptions about everyone else being aware of the conversion. I did mention that it wasn't miles but didn't go the extra step and show the difference. Granted that is only 62,000 miles or so in the imperial world and there will be a host of people who have XB's with more miles (which is probably good news for the chap who posed the original question about whether or not the Uly was reliable). EG - yes, I'm definitely in the 'old fart' category. |
