| Author | Message | ||
     Conchop |
Did a trip from St.Albans WV to Louisville KY. Most interstate I've ever done on the Uly. I consider most speed limit signs to be merely a suggestion. I found the Uly can hold 85-95-105 steady - for a long time. Smooth running and as long as there was little or no traffic, the wind blast is tolerable. Dirty air from trucks will knock you around some. I was impressed. | ||
| Motorbike |
Have you ever told a cop that you thought the speed limit signs to be "merely a suggestion"? I'm thinking they might look at you funny! Every time I get stopped on a bike it is an automatic ticket. I have a lot more luck when driving my pickup.  | ||
| Slowride |
I have both a Uly and a ST1300.... Sage wisdom here, the ST1300 will do triple digit touring duty loaded like a pack mule on the highway for 80+ miles at a stint like it was nuthin. I flogged that poor machine on my last weekend fun run for 640 miles in a day through the twistiest roads Arkansas had to offer and it just laughed at me. The 09 uly with only 1500 miles on it and I did an IronButt 1000 ride together. I kept it at 80mph GPS indicated for 130 miles at a pop (gas stops) for the first 575 miles. At the turn around point I lost my my entire front cylinder head, header, muffler, muffler strap, clutch wire form, clutch cable, shifting seal.... shall I go on. I will keep the uly for my weekend runs and commuting and random buell events, the rest the ST1300 will crank out in the triple digits. Don't get me wrong, I love my Uly... but use it as it was designed or you will end up paying for it... (Message edited by slowride on September 14, 2010) | ||
| Rwven |
I did an Ironbutt (Saddlesore 1000) on my Uly in June. 75-85 mph the whole way. Not a hiccup. Followed that with a 750 mile day, four 250 mile days, a 900 mile day and an 850 mile day. 3 weeks later I rode it up into Canada and across New England and Upstate New York. In upstate New York I got together with a group of friends, one of who rids an '09 ST1300. He was telling the group how on the last ride he and I took together (West Virginia and Ohio back in May) He tried his darnedest to lose me in the twisties but every time he looked back I was stuck to him like glue. That ST was dragging pegs and I was climbing up on him in every corner. He out pulled me in the straights though...this was over 3 hours of riding on a bunch of twisty roads, not a flash in the pan... | ||
| Todd900ss |
The 09 uly with only 1500 miles on it and I did an IronButt 1000 ride together. I kept it at 80mph GPS indicated for 130 miles at a pop (gas stops) for the first 575 miles. At the turn around point I lost my my entire front cylinder head, header, muffler, muffler strap, clutch wire form, clutch cable, shifting seal.... shall I go on} Please explain. | ||
| Invisible_monster |
The 09 uly with only 1500 miles on it and I did an IronButt 1000 ride together. I kept it at 80mph GPS indicated for 130 miles at a pop (gas stops) for the first 575 miles. At the turn around point I lost my my entire front cylinder head, header, muffler, muffler strap, clutch wire form, clutch cable, shifting seal.... shall I go on. What caused these failures? Please elaborate. | ||
| Whisperstealth |
I say it time and again, the Uly gets better the more miles I put on her. 17K, many out of state runs, loaded to the gills, 800 at a wack as fast as I can get away with. To date not one single major malfunction. Couple fouled plugs, couple TPS resets, all with less than 5K on the clock. Only "stumbles" when cold and not warmed up. I have just as much faith, if not more, in the Uly as I've had with any other vehicle I've never owned. Maybe I just got a "good one". Used to worry at how noisey the engine is a lot, not anymore. | ||
| Etennuly |
I have done several longer trips of over 2000 miles, on my Uly including a couple over a hundred mph runs for more than fifty miles at a time. Most are at 80 - 85 mph though. It seems that I haven't lost those things Slowride has.....yet! 53000+ miles so far. | ||
| Ksc12c |
I've done numerous 2000 mile trips in 90 degree weather running hard and fast. No problems other then the dreaded Skip/Spark curse. I'm pushing 27k now. | ||
| B5aar |
Did 3000 miles md to tx and back in august. 95 to 110deg. Fullbags loaded. 75 to 90 mph mostly. Couple of 100- 120mph 10-20mile blasts. 1 headlamp at autozone and new rear tire at HD dallas. Nice guys. No problems with the ULY. Did gas at 165-185 tripmile. | ||
| Slowride |
What caused these failures? Please elaborate. A very long reply... Ok, to set the stage… back story: I have owned 5 Buell’s (M2, X1, UlyX, S3T & CR) and this one is my 6th. Every single Buell I have owned has had issues one way or another, but all of it taught me how to appreciate the brand and the bikes. The worst of the 4 was my 06 UlyX, which when it was all said and done had 24k miles on it and 11 pages of warranty work associated with it. That Uly had every major issue that these bike typically experience. It had gotten to the point I couldn’t take a trip longer than 500 miles before I hit something major with it. I had lost complete faith in my ride as a touring steed…. So, I purchased a 08 Goldwing and traded the UlyX in. I ran the Goldwing for almost two year and then it happened… Buell was no more. I rushed out during the fire sale and bought a 09 1125cr and 4 months later a 09 Uly XT. Flash forward to July of this year… I sold the Goldwing and the CR but settled in on the UlyXT. When I purchased the XT, I had to pick it up out of state at a dealer in Tulsa, OK. The XT had less than 10 miles on it, so I wanted to do a break in on the ride home. My father lived in a small town near Branson, MO and I figured I could head home to Dallas via Missouri. I managed to get my break in miles done without a hitch. I did a few more weekend runs with it brining my total mileage to around 1500 before my July 3rd Ironbutt 1000 attempt. I and 2 other riders (XT, FJR, and BMW) launched out at 4am into miles and miles of rain soaked highways. Matter of fact, we rode 400 miles in the rain finally breaking out of it around Midland, TX. With repeated gas stops every 130 miles or so for me as I was running 80mph GPS indicated on the XT, I had ample opportunities to check the bike out along the way. I looked it over every chance I got, kicked the tires and checked the tie downs. Anyway, as we broke out of the clouds and were pushing towards El Paso, TX the temps were starting to shoot back up toward the century mark. We ended needing to stop at a little town called Siera Blanca for gas. Up to this point I have had no indications of problems, as I started to come off of the gas at darted towards the exit, I notice that my exhaust sounds louder than normal. I turn off the mp3 player and flip open the visor… I am greeted with a very loud exhaust note that wasn’t normal. As I make my way to the first and only gas station I see, the bike started bucking and surging. I managed to shut it down and coast in; dismounting I look down and see fluid on my left boot. I quickly determine this is coming from my shifter seal area. Distracted by the bigger issue, I let this little niggle go. I make it around to the other side of the bike and find the following: The header had pulled away from the front head and obviously the bolts were stripped from the studs and the studs were stripped The front head was leaking oil at all seams and the base gaskets were leaking at the push rods The header was cracked at the collector an working its way upwards The muffler was cracked almost in a 360 around the inlet below the collector and now a crack started to form and was running down the top of the muffler going beneath the motor The front muffler strap was nowhere to be found and the rear straps were loose The wire form on the clutch was broken and the clutch cable melted It was at this point I just sat down on the ground staring at the destruction in disbelief. I kept asking myself how this could happen in just 100 or so odd miles since the last time I checked the bike at the gas stop. I had to make a decision on whether to try and rig it and get on the road to finish the Ironbutt or just admit defeat and call for the tow. I made the choice to rig it, my two riding buddies took off to El Paso to the HD store to see if they could get the header studs and hardware as well as the strap. (Interesting side note, I called the HD store in El Paso and asked them if they could tow the bike in as it was under warranty. They said no, but if I could get it there they could ORDER me parts and fix it when they came in) In the mean time, I proceeded to try and remove the header studs… nope couldn’t budge em. I started looking for something to wrap the pipe with to seal the crack… enter old crotchety Mexican plumber that didn’t speak a hint of English. I showed him the bike, showed him what I needed to do and …. He handed me some bailin wire and to worm straps, with this I tried to synch up the muffler to the mounts. I wired it and strapped it for a total of 3 secured straps. I then had to wait for my buddies to get back. In the mean time I tried to pay the old Mexican for the gear, but he wouldn’t let me. I then tried to by him a beer or water something and he refused. I thanked him the best I could and then I just waited. They showed up about an hour later or the same time one of the storm showers did and we all ended up waiting the storm out for about another 30 mins. So what did they bring me from the HD store? 4 nuts and some muffler wrap. HD didn’t have anything else. Lucky for me one of them figured I could secure the header back to the studs using a pair of the nuts (Corse or Metric) to cut the threads back into the studs and then use the other nuts to secure the header, it worked. I then began to wrap the header at the collector with muffler wrap and finished up with a nasty @ss glob of wrap and bailin wire. I tied up the clutch cable with a zip tie to my front isolator and checked the fluids on the primary and engine oil. All were within normal limits… so, I fired it up! It came to life and sounded sort of normal. It was at this point I had to make the decision on whether to ride her back home or not. LOL, I flipped a coin and lost so I started back home. It is worth noting that Siera Blanca was 575 miles from our start point and that if I turned around now I could make it home and still get the 1000 miles. The 2 buddies of mine who had went all the way to El Paso and back already had the mileage they needed as well if we all turned around here and headed back. So they decided to ride with me and keep tabs on the repairs. We thought it best to keep it to a GPS indicated speed of around 65 +/- 5mph and see if the bike would hold. I will spare you the story of the long agonizing paranoid ride home that I endured, but I will give you some highlights. 30 miles from the break down going home the 1st worm strap broke. 90 miles from the break down going home the 2nd worm strap broke. 250 miles from the break down going home the bailin wire and muffler wrap flew apart. 500 miles from the break down going home the bailin wire strap on the muffler broke. Once at the house the primary was leaking bad and dripping at the shifter, the base gaskets were leaking bad as well as the front head. The crack on the muffler now went all the way to the back muffler straps and the header was cracked from the collector to the first bend. I ended up trucking the bike into American Eagle HD in Corinth, TX to have them look it over and start the warranty work up. They found these additional items: Tank Decals had detached and were sliding off the tank; the battery strap had snapped under the seat, the front head was done and they had to order a complete head. They had to replace the rear header studs on that head, but assured me the head was fine. So here I sit looking through my 3 pages of warranty work as I used it type up this reply. I am also looking at my Ironbutt pin and license plate as I did manage to finish it with the break down in a total of 21 hours, bitter sweet really and uh oh yeah, now I am remembering why I went out and purchased my 09 Honda ST1300 1 week later after I got home from this adventure. Lessons Learned * I still love my Buells, but won’t risk the enjoyment I get from long distance high speed touring to them ever again. * The Uly still fits me the best out of all of the Buell Models and I likely will never get rid of my XT. * The ST1300 is one fantastic machine fully capable of meeting all of my LD Touring needs. * Whatever you do keep a full extended warranty on your motorcycles whenever you can. * Try to never LD Tour alone unless you have towing service or are prepared to R&R your bike on the side of the road. Final Word The Uly is fixed now and I have been riding it to work regularly. I am enjoying it as much now as I did before all of this. Sorry to hijack your thread OP | ||
| Dynasport |
Sorry to hear about your trouble Slowride. My XT has been great. | ||
| Conchop |
Now I'm Scared! The more I ride mine the better she gets. She's for sale, but I'm riding her as long as I can. PS - To answer the cop question - If I get busted, all hell breaks loose with MAMA! That cop and all his buddies don't hold a candle to the hell fired fury of a wife and a fresh speeding ticket! After that, it gives me another war story. In WV and KY, have fun with the speedo. I've been doing this for years - great sport. I just don't want to come back to this thread with the front cylinder blown off and a speeding ticket to boot! We all take our chances once we walk out our home's front door and swing a leg over a high performance motorcycle. | ||
| Blake |
My 2009 Uly has endured some pretty harsh torture including a stint on the track, climbing dirt bridge embankments, jumping the railroad tracks, hopping curbs, and high speed touring in the heat of Summer without a hint of trouble. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Weird. Kim and I went, 2-up, from East Troy, through Chicago, and home to Maryland...in a day. Overloaded (stock sidecases and a 50L topcase, with tuber tankbag strapped to the top and XB tankbag on the airbox where it belongs). On my '06 UlyX with (at that time) around 13k miles on it. And that was at the end of the trip, which started with a run from Maryland to Toledo to meet up with guys like Vern. We crashed the night somewhere around there, then went up and over Lake Michigan, down the U.P., and into ET for Homecoming. Overloaded the whole time, running...extralegal speeds pretty much the whole time. A year ago, on the way to Buelltoberfest, Smythe County VA decided to congratulate me on my outstanding riding skills, by the side of the interstate. I didn't get any new bracelets...barely. My Uly gets MAD at me if I cruise under 80. My 95 S2 has had rockerbox leaks (so I swapped to XB rockerboxes) and a bad VR. My S1W had a fifth gear bearing lock up because it spent EIGHT years on a sidestand and the bearing dried out (previous owner; I bought it in '06 with 1,100 miles on it). This was the one and only "serious" issue I've ever had with a Buell. I put 24k miles on a 99 M2 in 2 years, and the only problem I had was with speeding tickets. For Slowride...my Internet Autopsy would suggest the front muffler strap had failed, causing the front of the muffler to bounce around. That transmitted vibes into the header pipe...which cracked itself after it bounced the head around for a while, damaging the studs and possibly jolting the head enough to cause leaks. Depending on how much it was moving around, it's not unlikely that it whacked the clutch cable a bunch as well. Now...whether it was an OEM muffler, or a re-used muffler strap, or what...? But it sounds to me like a single failed part that - as they like to do - snowballed. Check your fasteners, boys and girls. Me, I use touchup paint on all my critical fasteners to "line up the dots". If they don't line up on a quick visual pre-ride check, I re-torque. Whole bike, once a week, about 90 seconds while its warming up, and I'm done. I retorque everything at service intervals, and re-do the touchup paint. | ||
| Slowride |
To the OP, the ride on the Uly is fantastic. It is completely love / hate with me though. When she is running right... the World is just right. I live for those days~ To the Badwebbers, Evangelizing and Cheer leading about our bikes is what WE have been doing for years. I have personally brought people to the Buell fold, but it doesn't change the fact that when you experience a failure on the order of the ones I have experienced with my Buells that if you're smart and value your time and money as I do, you will invest in a contingency. The 2 years I owned my Goldwings was literally a Gas and Ride experience, but it wasn't the soulful ride I was used to and longed for. That is why I continued to purchase Buells, specifically the air cooled twin versions. I believe in the right tool for the job as well as the peace of mind that you can complete the job you started. After all of my experiences with motorcycling, For High Speed Touring, for me this looked like a ST1300. | ||
| Prowler |
I would tend to agree with Ratbuell on this one. Probably failed one part which got out of hand causing failures elsewhere. Still unfortunate thing to happen. I would probably feel the same way had something like this happened to me. My '07 Ulysses has run without issues up since I purchased it new (although the engine seems to make more "mechanical" noise as the miles pile up). My last couple Sportster based bikes have had piston slap of varying severity (parts manufacturing tolerances I would guess?) I've fixed a couple of them but going to leave this one go......... | ||
| Slyuly |
Just finished trip from PA to Idaho on my 09 X. Most of the trip was above 75 mgh with long stretches of 80 - 90 mph through the dakotas and montana. Awesome ride, even with three hours of hard rain in ND. 150 miles into the trip lost a screw to the shift linkage, (stole one from one of my home made lowers and was riding again in 10 min.) Left Turn signal stalk vibrated loose half way out there, re-tighened. Out Day 1 229 mi – Left after work. Day 2 460 mi - Visited a friend for a couple of hours. Day 3 634 mi - good day Day 4 507 mi - stopped early after 3 hrs of rain and really cold. Day 5 693 mi - good day arrived at camp. Back Day 1 357 mi - Was racing a thunderstorm and decided to let it win. Day 2 557 mi - good day Day 3 546 mi - good day Day 4 752 mi - best day Day 5 396 mi - home Can't wait for the next trip, it will be longer.  | ||
| Blake |
Micah, It's not evangelizing or cheerleading for others to relate actual experience just as it is not bashing or naysaying for you to relate your actual experience. You had a bad experience. The majority do not. >>> The header had pulled away from the front head and obviously the bolts (I think you meant "nuts"?) were stripped from the studs and the studs were stripped >>> The front head was leaking oil at all seams and the base gaskets were leaking at the push rods You mean at the head gasket and the rockerbox gasket? Not clear what you mean by "seams"; cylinder head has no external seams that I know of, just faying surfaces where it mates to cylinder and rockerbox cover. Likewise the base gaskets do not seal the pushrod covers. The pushrod covers have their own gaskets. I think it would be near impossible to discern where exactly the oil was originating from after stopping from riding at high speed. Oil from a leak on the engine somewhere can migrate and get blown/pushed all over the place seeming to appear from one source, but in truth originating from a different region entirely. Interesting case you experienced. What did the service folks mean by "the front head was done"? What was the issue that necessitated replacement? | ||
| Hooper |
Wow, Slyuly! That was a monster haul! Was it all about making miles and seeing scenery or did you get a chance to stop at any sights? On my long tours I'm so busy getting off to take pictures and see historic sights that I can never seem to make more than 300 miles in a day. And I can never seem to get on the road earlier than 9:30am.  | ||
| Slyuly |
I had every intention of making lots of stops for pictures but once on the bike,  I just cruised, Started at daybreak and rode till dusk or the cold and rain got to me, stopping every 150 or so for gas/leak/eats it was just a fun ride. Once I rounded Toledo going up through Mich the traffic just dissappeared. I spent 6 days out in Idaho. I'm going to make a longer post on the ride and include some pics once I'm settled back in. (Message edited by slyuly on September 21, 2010) | ||
| Slowride |
Blake, I Agree with your definitions. As for the front head, the header studs were stripped, the nuts that secure the header and flange were completely gone when I stopped. The servicing tech made two notes in the paperwork, he mentioned the header studs were sheared off (they were still intact when I took it in). He also noted the valves and springs in the front head were damage and would be R&R. The next item on the list was a new head, valves and springs. I would also agree that the oil leak would be hard to identify based on the amount of oil leaking. I default back to the service paper work, they replaced the rockerbox gaskets, head to jug gaskets and pushrod tube base gaskets, shifter seal and primary gaskets. | ||
| Trevd |
Slyuly, I know what you mean... I used to ride like that when I rode alone. Stop only for gas and leaks. I get into a rhythm where I hate stopping, even to eat. Easy to do lots of miles that way. As I get older though, I tend to be a little less "hardcore" and usually take it a bit easier... | ||
| Johnboy777 |
Hey Slyuly, Cool set up - how do you like your windscreen (what size?) and wings at speed? . | ||
| Midnightrider |
Joe That touch up paint thing is one of the most constructive things I've seen here in a long time. I usually do a quick check before riding but that trick sure makes it simpler. And better. I usually notice loose and or missing hardware when I'm washing it - but since I don't wash it very often it's admittedly not the best way. Now I've got a weekend project. Since I've taken to do most of the periodic maintenance myself I really need to take out the manual and go over the bike from front to back and retorque everything I can find. Especially since last ride (Sunday) I thought I was feeling a weird vibration and couldn't figure out if it was the road or something like wheel or head bearings needing attention Thanks man (Message edited by midnightrider on September 21, 2010) | ||
| Midnightrider |
I also promised myself some time ago no more farkles or mods until I had it paid off. Wife just sent in the last payment so I'm thinking rox risers to start. Then maybe a change in plastic color. My last bike was a 99X1 and I did like the Sunburst Yellow | ||
| Ratbuell |
If you had stripped header studs...they have to remove the head to drill and tap in case they wouldn't come out (or they snapped one off while trying)...while the head is off, might as well reface the valves, new seats, springs, and seals...and when you unbolt the head you unload your base gasket so no sense reusing that. You also unload the pushrod tubes...might as well, while you're in there too. Sorry. Just trouble tree stuff. Don - glad to help out. Best part is, you can grab whatever lighter-colored touchup paint is on sale at the time on the Dollar Table, and use it until it dries out then just pick a new color  | ||
| Slyuly |
Johnboy777, Parabellum: 26" I'm 6' and look out over the top of it. It puts the air flow right at the top half of my helmet. I love it, it catches some side winds and you can definitely notice the wind turbulence if you are behind a semi. I don't like riding behind them anyways. No buffeting at all, the short screen always made me feel like I was a wind sail and had to hold on for dear life when cruising. Trevd, It was not my intention to ride like that, just happened. It was just totally relaxing, I wasn't worried about miles or how many I did, just couldn't wait to get on the bike in the morning and just rode. The GF wants to go on the next ride and something tells me it won't be the same experience.... LOL | ||
| Johnboy777 |
"The GF wants to go on the next ride and something tells me it won't be the same experience.... LOL" You're right, it won't...when i first got the Uly, the wife thought she might want to ride on the back with me (she had never ridden on a bike before). I removed the rear pegs, then took her around the block. I made it a point to really bounce her about, too, with lots of jackrabbit starts. She said; "Oh my god - where do I put my feet?" I said, well, that's up to you, just keep them away from that big belt thingy. She never asked again after that - yeah, I wanted the bike to be MY TIME. Does that make me a bad person (I think not)- hell, we do everything else together. you can steal that one if you like...  . | ||
| Slyuly |
I wish I would have thought of that, I messed up and already took her on some small 1-2 hour rides.. | ||
| Johnboy777 |
"I wish I would have thought of that, I messed up and already took her on some small 1-2 hour rides.." Okay, sounds like you need a plan B. Here you go; "Honey, I would love to take you with me, but I'm getting the bike serviced - you'll just be sitting around for a few hours while the bike gets worked on - that would be pretty boring for you, right?. How if I take you shoe shopping when i get back?" Damn, I'm good! . | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
You guys are messed up. I love taking my baby on the back! We even bought her some souvenir shoes in NH! | ||
| Johnboy777 |
"You guys are messed up. I love taking my baby on the back" That’s a beautiful sentiment – but wait 20 years, and you’ll chew off a limb to have some alone time...  . |
