Author |
Message |
Rarebird
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 03:11 pm: |
|
I'm about to drop $$$ on a new 06 Uly. Can someone give me a heads-up on the potential issues with the 06, particularly those that I should have addressed before leaving the dealer? I believe there's an ECM reflash on that list, but I've been on a trouble-free 04 12R and haven't paid too much attention to the Ulysses 'til now... Thanks! -Mike |
Hughlysses
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 03:22 pm: |
|
Make sure they've done the sidestand and BAS recalls (which theoretically they HAVE to do before they can sell the bike). Seems like the 06's had a rash of failed cooling fans; not much you can do about that but listen out for it and get it replaced if it fails. Some of the very early bikes had problems with the actuator for the valve in the muffler but I haven't read of one of those in a long time. Welcome to Uly ownership! |
Ulywife
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 03:43 pm: |
|
Mike - between you and Hugh, I think you've got it covered. We have 20,000 +/- miles on our '06. Our BAS and sidestand were replaced, but not because of failures. Guess we were one of the lucky ones! The fan is also still working (hope this doesn't change that!). Welcome to Big, Bad and Dirty! Kristi |
Maximum
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 04:04 pm: |
|
A lot of folks upgraded to the '07 inner airbox cover, and some (including me) had their ecm flashed with the '07 map. These changes seemed worth it to me. I had the '07 front fork springs installed, but I don't think that made a very noticeable difference. So I advise not doing that unless you do the work yourself, and even then it may not be worth the time. I had the dealer swap out the '06 Dunlops for the '07 Scorpion Sync's. They did this for me free of charge, just a straight up trade. I really like the Pirelli tires, but many people still love the Dunlops, so that is a personal choice. I also ordered the '07 seat for my Uly at the time of my bike purchase (they gave me a good deal on all accessories) for about $100. At 5' 9", the '07 seat is perfect for me. A little bit later, the aftermarket farkeling began! Enjoy!!! |
Court
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 04:20 pm: |
|
>>>Can someone give me a heads-up on the potential issues with the 06, Get ready to be very happy . . . fiddle with some of the above stuff if you like, get yourself as comfy as ya'll want. . . and then just go ride the motorcycle and have fun. |
Ejc
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 04:55 pm: |
|
I have a Sept.'05 example. Aside from the above mentioned, I had the voltage regulator and license plate light cover fail. Both were repaired under warranty. That having been said, I'm very happy with this bike. My only regret... The 2 mile commute to work is too short. Enjoy! |
Crusty
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 08:26 pm: |
|
I also have an '06 Uly that was built in Sept., '05. It's been pretty much trouble free. (the wire form that holds the clutch cable broke, and I had a bad connector that caused my right turn signal to become intermittent) Buy it and ride the piss out of it. you're going to love it! |
Packdog
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 09:01 pm: |
|
There have been a few reports of rear wheel bearing problems. Someone posted a good picture of one failing, so I'd suggest looking that up and keeping an eye out for it on your bike. All I can really say about my bike is that the more it gets ridden, the better it seems to get. Mine is totally stock except for the handgrips and I did the aluminum foil mod to vent the hot air away from my leg. Happy riding! |
Rarebird
| Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 02:17 am: |
|
Thanks to everyone for your insight. If all goes well, I'll be on a Uly in the next week! -Mike |
Electraglider_1997
| Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 09:34 am: |
|
Have them check the timing to make sure that it is spot on. They'll give you the run around about doing it but insist that before they get you to sign on the dotted line that you want to watch them verify the timing. |
Kvdog
| Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 10:00 pm: |
|
I am curious about the ECM reflash mentioned in this thread. I have an '06, and was wondering if many Uly owners have done this upgrade, what it might cost, and if any dealer would be able to do it if they have the diagnostic equipment for XBs. Is this something that can be done by an owner with the purchase of software/cable, like the TPS reset? Thanks! (Message edited by kvdog on July 19, 2007) |
Jmhinkle
| Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 10:17 pm: |
|
ECM reflash goes with swapping to '07 airbox lid. Some of us have done it and some not. Getting a dealer to do it is tricky as it involves using an '07 VIN or converting your VIN to '07 to fool the system the dealers use to flash the ECM. It can only be done by dealers. |
Bertotti
| Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 10:17 pm: |
|
I have been following all I could of the reflashed ecm. I would imagine it is cheaper and easier to let someone reflash it with predetermined info. You could do it yourself but I think you would need a dyno and some extensive knowledge of what you are doing. I also want to reflash mine to run a bit better at low rpms. I need to work some kinks out first like timing and tps, and hopefully a exhaust when special ops get settled back in. |
Maximum
| Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 10:21 pm: |
|
Any dealer can do it, but only some will. Send it to Andy in Appleton. It cost about $30 and seemed to make things smoother at the low rpm range when combined with the '07 inner airbox cover. |
Kvdog
| Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 10:28 pm: |
|
Thanks for the quick responses. I'm about four hours north of Appleton, so this may be an option. What does the airbox mod cost? |
Maximum
| Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 11:25 pm: |
|
That was 30'ish too. |
Horridus
| Posted on Friday, July 20, 2007 - 12:29 pm: |
|
I got the 07 box and was very pleased at the new ability to go slow in traffic. Living in a tourist town is hard at times when no one has any idea where they are going or how to drive. I was not able to get my ECM flashed the first time I went to a dealership, they did not know how. I figured I would see how it goes with the 06 map.... I lost about 7mpg. I plan to call some other dealerships that are a few hours away and get it fixed or just send it to Appleton and drive the old truck a little. I also have a Pingger, it sings to me. It has the jingle pings and then the hard pings. I use 93 octane but it seems to not help much. I hope the 07 ECM map and the timing looked at will help. Other then that the bike has been great. I love it! I would make sure that the idle is set right when you leave the dealership. Mine was down around 900 when I picked it up. If you get the timing looked at set the idle to 1000-1050. It will start a lot better. Enjoy. Horr |
Kvdog
| Posted on Friday, July 20, 2007 - 02:52 pm: |
|
Thanks. Odd thing about your pinging problem, mine only does it rarely when I really load it in too-high a gear. My mileage has never been quite what I'd hoped--mid 40s usually. I would be interested to see if a different map would help that or not. Regarding the idle RPM, I set my own at 1100, which seems to help a bit with cold engine lean running cantankerousness. P.S: I've always thought C. horridus should be Wisconsin's official state reptile! (Message edited by kvdog on July 20, 2007) |
Dr_greg
| Posted on Friday, July 20, 2007 - 03:12 pm: |
|
My '06 with 31K miles has been almost completely trouble-free, and an utter joy to own and ride. |
Florida_lime
| Posted on Friday, July 20, 2007 - 06:19 pm: |
|
I was doing my 5000 mile service today. I went to adjust the clutch cable per the service manual, and found that my clutch cable adjustment area, along with the rubber sheath, was up against the header. Melted the cable sheath and rubber bellows cover pretty good when the wire form that holds it in place broke on one side. I hope I don't have to drop off the bike and wait to replace the cable and rubber sheath with something this obvious. At least this explains the wiff of burning rubber in traffic the other day! |