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Author Message   M2nc Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2007 - 09:59 pm:        Stick a fork in him, he's done.   Jlnance Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2007 - 10:02 pm:        The choice is yours Unless he puts his wife on it. I had fun on the Firebolt. Don't you need a track bike?   Sportymark Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 06:50 am:        I might be up for IMS again this year, but not for riding in a cramped Mazda 3 again maybe head up stay the night in a motel and get a more leisurely ride back.. yeah the ULY is great, for about everything...but I am working on the sporty to do the same...here is a link to the progress http://www.turbotimelounge.us/albums/Vics-Album/as y.jpg http://www.turbotimelounge.us/albums/Vics-Album/as k.jpg   Jlnance Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 07:13 am:        That is an awesome looking bike Mark. Do you have a picture of what it looked like stock? You were talking about the fender the other day. I really like the no fender look, but I guess thats not good in the rain How about a Uly/BMW style beak off the crossbrace? (Message edited by jlnance on November 07, 2007)   Spike Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 08:17 am:        Jim- You may recall that I did some light adventure riding with my Firebolt earlier this year while it was wearing bald Metzeler M1s, so I have a little bit of experience with taking street tires where they don't belong: Mark- Your Sporty is starting to look really good. Have you looked into using an X1 fender on the front end? It's not styled to go along with the bike, but it may be small enough not to be an interruption in the appearance and it's wide enough to fill the gap between the forks. By the way, was Laura at the marathon in Raleigh this weekend? Sarah thought she saw her there.   Sportymark Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 06:06 pm:        I have the stock S3 front fender but, the thing is not nearly the right radius for the 21 incher so it ends up looking like a hat, and still needs like 2 inch extensions on the mounts. I have a cut down stock fender than I need to make some mounts for. I am shooting for a sportster that can go anywhere. Laura was there supporting her mom and dad...she is not quite to marathon distances as she has some hip problems over long distances, she is working more for triathlon stuff I think.   M2nc Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 07:58 pm:        Mark - I love the look of the Sporty. The tires make it look like a Dual Sport. Great the next time we are riding we can go on trails.   Webethumpin Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 11:23 pm:        IMS count me in.   Webethumpin Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 11:23 pm:        IMS count me in.   Jlnance Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 07:22 am:        The GoldWing continues to impress.   Ram Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 02:27 pm:        The big question: are they autobots or decepticons?   Twig Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 09:10 pm:        Rubberdown...I might take 22 into Southern Pines next Sat. It's been many years since I've gone that route, usually towards Oak Island. If it gets me close to downtown, I should be fine. Otherwise, you may want to send me some directions. Thanks...   Flynuly Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 09:50 pm:        Wasn't getting much accomplished at work today so I went for a little drive. Nubble Light House; erected 1879 Cape Neddick Light Station Sohier Park, Maine photo from Kittery,Maine side Portsmouth Harbor Light; erected 1878 photo from Fort Constitution, it's the only mainland lighthouse on New Hampshire's 18 mile seacoast Not sure what this has to do with riding MC other than it would make a great destination for a getaway. The roads are great but the speed limits are extremely slow. Seafood is the best I've ever had, but I'm just a meat and potatoes farm boy out seeing the world.   Rubberdown Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 07:17 am:        Nice Flynuly. I love coastal rides. Great pic.   Flynuly Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 07:53 am:        Thanks Thinking I'm going to have to add Nova Scotia to the must ride before I die list. This area would be a great off season ride...not sure I would want to deal with the summer traffic. Going to scout around Mt. Washington and the White Mountains this weekend. Tim   Jlnance Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 08:15 am:        Nice pictures Tim. How long are you up there for? I assume you don't have your bike?   Flynuly Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 11:59 am:        Thanks Jim no bike Will be here until Nov 21st then off to spend Thanksgiving weekend with family at Mom's house.   Spike Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 04:56 pm:        Another Ulysses update: No real reason for this picture other than not wanting to post a Ulysses update without a shot of the bike. I'm really becoming quite enamored with this bike, and that surprises me. Not because I didn't think the Ulysses was a great motorcycle, I just thought it was mostly great at things I didn't want to do. I remember sitting at AydenXB9's house crowded around the computer with some other C3 members ~2 years ago when I saw the Ulysses for the first time. I distinctly remember how uninterested I was in the bike at that time. An adventure XB sounded neat, but I had no interest in adventure riding. Plus, it looked funny. I was honestly more interested in the '06 transmission upgrade than I was in the XB12X. When I got the idea to do a "long-term" demo on a Ulysses it wasn't to find out if hard bags were useful or if the seat was comfortable, I knew that stuff already. I wanted to know if the bike could scratch my sporting itch. The thing is that I really love my Firebolt, I just wish it had hard bags and better ergos for long trips. The Ulysses is the closest I can get to a Firebolt with bags, so it has my attention. I expected the big thing would be getting used to the excessive brake dive and lack of feedback from the front end. What I didn't expect was that I'd totally dig riding a ~500lb "dirt-bike" on the street. The truth is that the Ulysses isn't really much of a dirt bike, but with this much suspension travel and these ergonomics you can pretend that it is and do all sorts of stupid stuff that you wouldn't do on another street bike. Yesterday when I was leaving work I decided to take a short cut out of the parking lot and ride across the grass, through a drainage ditch and back out the other side up onto the road. No good reason, I just thought it would be fun and I knew the Ulysses was up for it. This morning my wife's car was still in the driveway when I left for work (she usually leaves before I do) so there wasn't enough room to turn all the way around in the driveway. No problem, just ride across the yard and hop off the curb. There's an area of new construction on my way to work. They haven't started building anything yet, they've just cleared out the trees and started leveling for roads. I'm tempted to take the Ulysses back there on my way home from work and see how much I can get away with. So far nothing that I've done with the bike would even be a challenge for my KTM, but I think that's what I like about it. Finding a challenging and entertaining dirt ride on the Ulysses doesn't require trailering the bike an hour away, just turn off at the first unpaved road you see. The long travel suspension isn't only good for playing in the dirt though. It's excellent at dealing with bad roads, broken pavement, potholes, etc. The Ulysses eats them up. This bike just doesn't care what's under the tires. On my way to my parent's house on Tuesday I had to go up I85 into VA. The NC section of I85 there is absolutely terrible, it has expansion joints all the way to the state line. In a normal vehicle it's not bad, but in either of my Miatas or on the Firebolt that section really beats you up. On the Ulysses I didn't even think about that section. It wasn't until I got to the smooth section near the state line that I even realized I had been on the bumpy section. The bike is just that good, it soaks up everything. The bags are absolutely massive. I already posted a list of what I took to work Monday, but as I said then, they weren't even full at that point. It's not just that you can carry a few things, between the bags and the triple-tail you can carry nearly anything. Sarah and I even went to the grocery store with the Ulysses the other day, and not just for one or two items. That much capacity means I can ride when I otherwise would have had to take the car. Another thing I dig is the fuel range. The fuel light came at 186.x miles the other day. I know the reserve will cover at least 30 miles, so I rode another 24.x miles before getting gas. Total for the tank was 210.9 miles. I haven't had that sort of range since I sold my Cyclone. For comparison, the Firebolt usually needs gas in the 150 mile range, and that includes riding around on reserve for a while. The farthest I've ever gone on a single tank with the Firebolt is 174 miles. The bottom line is that the Ulysses has opened the door to a whole bunch of riding that I was missing out on previously. I sorta knew that it would ahead of time, I just didn't think I'd enjoy all these other aspects of the bike as much as I actually am. I knew the bike was versatile, but I'm genuinely surprised at how much fun it is just to get on this bike and ride. I thought it would a be a big trade-off in the handling department, but the truth is I'm not giving up much at all over the Firebolt. Sure, the Firebolt has loads more front end feel and is the better handling bike, but what I didn't realize was how much I'm leaving on the table when I'm riding the Firebolt. In the past ~500 miles on the Ulysses I've yet to feel like the bike is holding me up anywhere. As Webe said earlier, the Ulysses transitions slower than the Firebolt so you have to think ahead a little more and be smoother, but you can still flick it around plenty quick. I'm certain I'll be slower on the Ulysses at track days, but I don't really do track days often enough to worry about lap times anyway. On the street, only on a very twisty road with nice pavement on a sunny day would I ever really get to go faster on the Firebolt than I could on the Ulysses. I think with a little more seat time and set up I could go every bit as fast on the Ulysses as I could on my Firebolt for 95% of my riding. So, what does that mean for my future motorcycle ownership? Well, nothing yet. I still want to see how I feel once I get back on my Firebolt. That's the best part about longer test rides like this, you get to reacquaint yourself with your own bike again and find out what you truly like about it and what you were just used to. I may suddenly be reminded of why I purchased one of the world's best handling street bikes in the first place and decide the clip-ons are worth it. Aside from that, I'm still not in a position to take on new bike payments. Even if I sold my Firebolt for top dollar that still leaves me short of the average sale price for a well-used Ulysses. Sarah is not yet convinced that we need to spend additional money on another motorcycle. With Christmas coming up I think my shoe-bribing leverage has been reduced. What that means is that'll likely be waiting and saving for at least a little while.   Mikethebike72 Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 06:08 pm:        Great write-up Luddy. I still want a XB12RT or an 1125RT. Uly is just to tall for me.   Jlnance Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 06:37 pm:        Thats a great write up Mike. Mind if I cross post it on ADV?   Rubberdown Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 07:08 pm:        Thanks for the very nice write-up Spike.   Pabst Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 07:24 pm:        RAM Glad to know somebody knows about TRANSFORMERS, ah, maybe they're decepticons   Pabst Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 07:39 pm:        For anyone considering a trip to Maine after flynuly's adventure, I highly recommend Linda Greenlaw's book called The Hungry Ocean. She's a sword fish boat captain called Moby Dickless by her mates. Entertaining and educational reading. Makes me want to go to Maine myself. I know a lot more about books than I do about motorcycles...but I'm having fun learning.   Spike Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 07:54 pm:        Jim- Feel free to cross post away.   Pabst Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 07:56 pm:        RAM ,no, they're storm troopers. Are you a star wars fan?   Spike Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 08:34 pm:        I keep thinking about this, and the Ulysses has sort of lead me to an epiphany. For the past few years I've been focused on sport riding, and continuing to get more focused on it. I went from buying the Cyclone as a fun naked bike to dragging the pegs on the Cyclone and wishing for rear-sets. That lead to buying the Firebolt, then track days, then wearing leathers on the street, etc. With sport riding things just sorta seemed to naturally progress that way. I had a lot of fun with the progression, but it also lead to some increasing frustration. The roads I used to think were fun started seeming less and less twisty. It seemed like I either had to ride an hour West or seek out deserted exit ramps to really have fun on the bike. Then after some track time it just seemed scary and irresponsible to try to push it on any public roads. That lead to toning it down everywhere, but when riding a sport bike that translates to less fun. The thing about sport bikes is that for the most part they're uncomfortable and high-strung. I need to give credit to the Firebolt here, the ergonomics (rider and passenger) are much better than most and the motor is just as happy to short shift and chug around as it is to wind up and bang against the rev limiter. However, it's still pretty far from being an ideal tourer. It can still be used for commuting and touring, but the bike is much happier when you're tearing up some back road. That means commuting and touring are a bit of a let down. This leads to just having less fun overall during general riding. This seems to affect a large number of sport riders once they get to a certain point. I've met a lot of guys who decided to give up riding on the street completely once they started doing track days. The fun of just getting on the bike and riding was whittled away until they weren't enjoying themselves unless they were pushing the bike too hard for the street. The thing is that most bikes are most fun when you're exploiting them for their intended purpose. These days most bikes are focus into specific roles such as sport riding, cruising, touring, etc. The bikes are great when you get to use them for that intended purpose, but are a compromise when you use them for other purposes. This is where the Ulysses comes in. It really is great at nearly everything. Sure, there are other bikes that are well-rounded, but they always tend to just sorta be bland at everything and kinda soggy feeling. The Ulysses seems to never feel bland. It shakes and makes all the right noises to let you know it's alive. The motor is happy to lope along in high gear on the interstate and when combined with the great ergos it makes an awesome tourer. When you get to the twisties and toss it around you find that it's really flickable and agile feeling. The chassis geometry makes it very responsive. The suspension is plush enough to eat up broken pavement, but feels taut and playful. The dirt is the only place where I feel like the bike is starting to make some compromises. Even then, it's still capable enough to keep you exploring. I'm sure this will sound funny coming from a guy who's been riding for most of his life, but it's as if I've rediscovered the fun of motorcycling. Not that I haven't had fun in my previous riding, it's just that recently the fun has been in specific areas. With the Ulysses the fun is just getting on the bike and riding.   Rubberdown Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 09:13 pm:        Riding to Charlotte via the Uwharrie's early in the a.m. if anybody over that way wants to hook up for lunch.   M2nc Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 09:53 pm:        Spike - Great write up. I was looking for a good sport tourer when the Ulysses came out. I have never regretted buying the bike, it has been my favorite of the four road going two-wheelers I have owned. But I have seen write ups from people with many years of riding and many different motorcycles say the Ulysses is the best bike they have ever owned. Since I was an early owner, I always knew the bike had a big grin factor, but your last commentary may have summed up what so many have been trying to say. The Uly is a good all around bike that keeps it fun.   Sportymark Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2007 - 10:29 am:        We gotta get you writing for magazines Spike, your writeups are better than most of the articles I have read..   Pa47 Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2007 - 09:22 pm:        Spike, I'm enjoying the write-ups! Speaking as one who has not had the pleasure of trying a Uly, you definitely have my attention.