| Author | Message | ||
     Handyhiker |
I am interested in a new Ulysses but wonder how well they really do off road. I have read all the tests I can find but wonder in the real world, how well they do. I know that they are not a dirt bike, but what about dirt road with a few mud holes? Loose dirt/gravel? Thanks for any input, Ken | ||
| Ulywife |
Handy - you might want to post your question in the Big, Bad & Dirty section of BadWeb. That's where the Uly owners "hang out". I can tell you that my husband rides his Uly down dirt roads, hunting paths, fire roads, etc. I think he stays away from deep sand. I think the guys riding Ulys have also made mention of different off road capabilities depending on what tires you're running. (Message edited by Ulywife on October 19, 2006) | ||
| Whodom |
Here's a relevant thread at advrider: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=173618 | ||
| Blake |
The Uly excels on dirt roads; I can personally attest to that. | ||
| Daves |
I rode some fire roads and Jeep trails back in May and I thought it did fine. I am not a dirt rider so I may not know what I am talking about. I did dump it in a big mud puddle but that was from a rut hidden by the water. Lots of rider have done lots of dirt roads with theirs. | ||
| Jlnance |
The advrider thread has great info if you want details. The Uly will do very well in the setting you describe. That is precisely the environment it was designed to operate in. | ||
| Handyhiker |
Thanks for all the info, and yes, that is a great thread in advrider. I guess this made up my mind that I will get a Uly. Any body want to buy a DR350s? Ken | ||
| Reepicheep |
Do I want a DR350? Is it street legal? Yes! Can I afford it? No  But I'll be happy to keep it running for you after you get the Uly  | ||
| Panhead_dan |
It has a belt final drive. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
I didn't mean for my previous post to kill this thread. Quite the contrary. I thought that it would cause some interesting posts. Maybe I was wrong. I really like belts but- are they right for that environment? | ||
| Jlnance |
panhead - I think the advrider thread killed this one. It's got so much info there isn't much left to say. As to belts, someone mentioned on advrider that you could change a uly belt in the field, by laying the bike over on its side and sliding the rear axel part of the way out. It did not require removal of the tire. I'd like more info on this. Has anyone actually done it? | ||
| Reepicheep |
Just went out to look at the 9sx in the garage, and much to my amazement, it looks like you probaby could! Those advrider folks don't miss a trick. Turning the rear axle out loosens the tension on the whole assembly, you don't have to remove the axle or the wheel to get slack. The frame brace has four allen bolts to remove a section, thatd be easy. All the other places there look like you could work it in there. Neat trick, you probably saved me a tow at least once in my 9sx ownership experience! Thanks! | ||
| Handyhiker |
The DR350s is street legal and has some great extras with it. Corbin seat, Clark tank, Pingel fuel valve and so on. It really is for sale at $1700.00. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
I've changed the belt on a XB9S and it was a piece of cake. It could be done on the side of the road in about a half an hour easy. Uly looks to be the same design. | ||
| Mikemax |
My experience with a belt driven 4WD RC car was that every little pebble that got in between the belt and pulley causing constant problems. Even on asphalt that wasn't swept, forget a high school track. I expect that the Uly has enough torque to power through with the tensioner but I wonder about pulley life under consistent dirt use. Possibly the height of the pulley from the ground is enough on the Uly to prevent the same scenario though. | ||
| 2_spuds |
I took a uly to Alaska in June and did hundreds of miles of dirt,mud and gravel roads. The bike had no problems handling any of them. On the long washboard gravel sections I aired down the tires a bit and backed off on the suspention settings and let her roll. I did have a belt break on the way home,I don't think it was related to running in the gravel as there were no holes or nicks anywhere, just a clean break between the teeth with just a couple of threads protruding. I had a new one with me along with other spare parts and it took less than 30 minutes to change.I just layed the bike on it's left saddle bag, pinched off the fuel overflow hose, removed the swing arm brace and some belt guards and the axle and presto. Common sense engineering at its best! I had some other problems on the way home but thats another story, I will try to do a ride report this winter with pics.   | ||
| Jlnance |
2_spuds - I'm very interested in that belt changing procedure. If you have time, would you describe what you did in detail, and list the tools required? This would be a great thing to have in the knowledge vault. |
