| Author | Message | ||
     Big_island_rider |
Wanted to introduce myself since I have been lurking on the board for about a month. I have been riding motorcycles for about 30 years and have always wanted a Ulysses. Started with mopeds, then various Japanese cruisers and finally settled into Harleys. I love to ride and have tried more than just cruisers but have never been comfortable on sportbikes due to the rider position. I am 6’, 165lbs and have a 36” inseam. Since the Ulysses is a more upright position “sportbike”, I am looking forward to and hoping that I will fit this bike well. I say hoping as I have not sat on or ridden a Ulysses yet. I love the thought, design and engineering of Buells and think they are well built despite their issues. Of course I can say the same thing about women, but that is for another post. I have been looking for a while and finally found a bike nearby and pulled the trigger. It is a 2007 XB12X with just under 18,000 miles and for the most part stock, no bags or farkles. Agreed on a price and I will get it in a few weeks. I know I am taking a bit of a chance not riding it first but the gentleman has been very accommodating with pictures, a video and a Skype call so I could see “proof of life”. One reason I have not ridden the bike is that I live in Hawai’i, on the Big Island, and the bike is on Maui. Another is that about a month ago I had knee surgery. An ACL reconstruction and medial meniscus repair. This is why I have been lurking about on the site as I am not cleared to work yet and bored out on my damned mind. So researching the Ulysses on the internet has helped keep me occupied. Even if I had the bike, I am not cleared to ride yet and will most likely be another 3-4 weeks before I can ride. So through all of the great information on BadWeb I plan on doing the following as soon as I get the bike: Headlight high beam both on mod – More light is better since I love to ride at night ECM relocation Check 77 connector and ground connections Airbox mod – No messy oil deposits for me Remove charcoal canister – Will save just in case Check/replace wheel bearings Check fork tube suspension height Set up suspension for me – I can tuna fish but can I tune a Buell? Keys – Only has one Then there are things I will most likely do after owning the bike for a while and get to know it: Volt meter – Good information given the stator/volt reg issues Grip puppies – I got big hands Auxiliary lights – More light is better since I love to ride at night Horn – Louder is definitely better Air flow covers kit – Cheap mod and I like how it looks Rider comfort kit – This one only after some testing I have figured out that the best way to start a fight on BadWeb is to start a discussion about tires, oil or the right side heat/airflow issues. Having said that, I plan on doing some testing on the right side heat/airflow. I am no stranger to the issue as I get baked on the left side by the exhaust on one of my other bikes when in traffic or doing the slow crawl in parades. One benefit of living in Hawai’i is very consistent temperatures. Any given week the high temp will only vary by 1-2 degrees. So my plan is to figure out a riding circuit that will give me the best conditions for temp observation, wait for the air temp to be within parameters and go for a test ride. Come back and log observations about heat and measure specific spots on the bike for heat and log it all. Then make a small change and lather, rinse, repeat. Hopefully I can make some mockups of right side scoops and heat shields to get some good data before having to buy the comfort kit. Something I do not plan to get is a bigger windshield. Given that I live on an island that only takes 7 hours to go around I am not in the need of a touring bike and besides I have one already. I will have to say I do understand why some people want/need a larger shield as they do go touring on this bike and wind can be a factor. Trust me when I say, I get it. I have ridden to Sturgis many times through Wyoming and spent many miles damn near getting blown off the road by wind. Nothing will increase your “pucker factor” like passing a big rig in a high crosswind. Along with the not getting a bigger windshield, I am not planning on getting any saddlebags for the Ulysses. I do have some luggage I think will fit on the Triple Tail in the upright position. The same luggage fits on my other bikes but we shall see. I cannot find the dimensions for the Triple tail anywhere, so if someone would like to measure the height and width, at the widest point, I would appreciate it. I will have to say that if I do get some bags they will be the soft type and I will try to do what CORIDER did to his. Nice look and can probably set it up to go on and off pretty quick. Besides, if I want to grab some groceries on a bike I have other options. So in closing (I know finally) I want to say a big Mahalo (thank you) for helping me to keep my sanity over this last month of sitting around healing and recuperating. Doing the research and reading all the posts on how you all love/hate this bike in particular and Buell in general has been funny, entertaining, informative, frustrating and therapeutic. | ||
| General_ulysses |
Hey welcome aboard to the Uly family. Not trying to worry you, but there's quite a bit of discussion on this board about '07's having defective cranks that prematurely fail. Although I've also seen people here with high mileage '07's with no crank issues. In fact, the highest mileage Uly rider here has an '07 I believe (swapped motor out at ~120K). But you should at least be aware of the crank thing. Otherwise the Uly is a great ride. I think with your build it'll be a good fit. The power, torque, plush ride and awesome handling are addictive! | ||
| Mhevezi |
Welcome BIR! I came very close to buying a 2007, but the previous owner wouldn't budge on the price to make the deal, so I wound up with a 2008. I think you will really like the bike, and it seems like you have already done your homework on these bikes. That is the best thing you can do to ensure a positive experience in owning a Buell. As for soft bags, take a look at the Ventura Rack system- the Soft Bag that fits that rack system fits the Buell triple-tail perfectly and even securely snaps to the passenger, grab-rails. I highly recommend that bag for the Ulysses and use mine, when I need additional storage. Best | ||
| Big_island_rider |
General Ulysses - Thanks for the advice, I know about the crank issue. I can list all the known issues for my other bikes as well. At some point you just have to "pays your money and takes your chances." Mhevezi - Had not seen the Ventura brand, I will look into it. Thanks. | ||
| Uly_man |
A great post Big_island_rider and good to see someone who has looked into the bike. "Since the Ulysses is a more upright position “sportbike”, I am looking forward to and hoping that I will fit this bike well". Trust me Guy once the bike is set up you will find that this is the best bike you have ever ridden. The main thing is to make sure it runs as it should and do a CLOSE inspection of the bike to ensure all is as it should be and of course a FULL service including all fluids. This is a great bike but it has a few "niggles" that need to be addressed. Most are very simple things like a cable tie at the top of the clutch boot to stop water entering the tranny box or the Earth point for the ECM on the 06/07 bikes sub frame. Simple and easy things but they can have a BIG effect on how well the bike performs and lasts. It is, for many reasons, a very weird bike. Just something like the mix of metric and UNC fixings is something of a pain in the ass. As is that "iron" grade locking fluid they used to build the bike. But you will find all of these things to come. | ||
| Big_island_rider |
Could someone please measure the height and width, at the widest point, of the Triple tail? I would appreciate it. |
