| Author | Message | ||
     Buellshyter |
Some observations of my day at the annual HD York Open House. As an owner of a 12S I wanted to check out some of the other offerings from Buell. Fortunately, the lines weren't long and I was able to ride several bikes in succession. First up was the Lightning long. The "feel" was identical to my S, although it did appear it was slightly less responsive in the turns. Leg room appeared to be equal but plenty of room in the rear for a lady friend. Next up was a 12R. It took about a minute of drive time to acclimate myself to the riding position but after that it was so sweet. Although the S is no slacker in the turns, you can carve out the turns like butter with the R. Lastly, is the much vaunted Uly. I'm 6'-1" with a 34 inch inseem. The first thing I noticed was I required a six foot step ladder to mount the damn thing. I'm kidding but I did drag my foot over the back of the bike trying to sling my leg over. I wasn't able to get both feet on the ground, either. The seat was comfortable and the ride was like a Cadillac. It handled well but not as precise in the turns as an S or R. Not a big deal, as it's a different kind of bike from those two. One thing all the bikes had in common was a much improved transmission and clutch. I asked one of the techs about the clutch and he said it would work on previous XB's. I believe he said it was the ball, ramp and spring. In any case, I do recall it was three parts. The transmission is not backwards compatible. There was a comments form in the demo booth and I noticed someone had commented the transmission was clunky. If that person thought the 06's were clunky I can't imagine what they would think of the previous years transmissions. I counted five Buells at the fairgrounds. Three were busy at Battletrax. One dude on a CityX was there when I arrived and still there when I left. I think he was addicted  I was disappointed Buell didn't have any booth or display models. It seemed half-••• to me. Demo rides were offered but there was no follow-up. The people handling the demo rides were vaguely familiar with the bikes. I had to track down a tech to get my questions answered.A demo rider asked one of the guides a tech question and he said he built Harleys at the York factory and didn't know much about the Buells. After we returned from a ride, I told one of the Buell reps that the Uly had no rear brake and he just shrugged his shoulders and said that's the way they are. When I told him the OTHER bikes had a functioning rear brake he said he hadn't used his rear brake all day. I guess the rear brake on the Uly is just for show. | ||
| Pa_xb9sx |
Are you the guy that asked if I had a Drummer on my CityX? If so, the "dude on a CityX" is me, and I am addicted. That was my second Battletrax, and I have a lot of fun with it even though I am certainly not the fastest on the track. It was nice talking with you yesterday. By the way, I am 6'3" (with a 34" inseam) and I noticed the same thing about mounting the Ulysses. Once on it, I am able to flat foot it on both sides, however. So maybe I wear flooders and I should upgrade to a 36" inseam. | ||
| Buellshyter |
Yes, that was me. I'm no expert but I thought you had great time runs, especially in relationship to the others. I wanted to check out your tail section , as I am probably going to modify mine over the winter. Your bike has a nice look to it. I also noticed you have bar end mirrors. What parts are necessary to fit the mirrors? |
