Buell Ulysess

FU Chad.

My bike is in Appleton. DaveS is in 'vegas. I'm in Chicago. It was 50F yesterday. It will be snowing tonight.

I've ridden mine to work everyday since I got it. There were a few mornings that the temps dipped below 30F, wore my electric vest on those days.

Cheers
Brett

Wow Steven, I guess that will make you the #2 Uly owner in Chicago.

-Sean
Chicago Uly Rider #1 (and don't you forget it.)

It actually snowed here last weekend. It's in the 60's today and tomorrow, then just in time for the weekend....high of 37 and flurries forcasted for Sunday.

Hmmmmmm.... looks like we almost have enough members for a Ulysses club of Chicagoland

So if Steven does not have his Uly yet, that makes me number #2????

Mike
Chicago, Illinois

Mike wins the coveted #2 spot. Steven is in danger of falling off the podium.

Mike, have you been out to any of the Windy City BRAG meetings? I keep meaning to get out there, but getting to Berwyn just seems like a PITA.

And to think Steven has helped me with my BMW charger issues, sorry about that Steven you never know when you help someone and the go and stab you in the back!

I've been in the shop to have my (since sold) Harley serviced, but did not know they have BRAG meetings there. I'll try and find out when they are and attend one and let you know what they do...

Mike

Well, hmm. I know i'm not the first in Lake county. Bob's got me on that. Maybe the first in Grayslake?

Ah fudgeaboutit, I just wanna go for a ride.

At this rate, Top-10 is in question.... :eek1

Well technically I *own* the bike...I just don't have it. Mike's in the same boat, but at least he's ridden his bike. Hmm...

Wow. I guess I'm another rider that is blinded by love of the bike. I seemingly remember most reviews really liked the Buell. I've read some posts on varying boards where riders were luke-warm to the Buell but that's about it.

Odd thread opener indeed. Not typical of the Ulysses (Ulyssi?)

I wouldn't call it a piece of crap, it does have its strengths and weaknesses. I went to the local dealer and got about a 40 minute test ride. I was disappointed. In all fairness though, I went with very high expectations intending to swap-out my Ducati Multistrada if it passed the "sniff test". No way. Though Buell has done a good job with this, they have a long way to go. I've always had a soft spot for 'ol Erik and will continue to do so, but he doesn't have a bike that will pry my Duc away from me yet. He's close though. Below is my list of strengths and weaknesses.
Another note, a friend went with me on this test ride and the dealer gave both of us a Ulysses to ride! How can you compare this with other marque's dealers! My friend's bike seemed much better sorted-out. Mine sputtered, backfired, and died several times before it finally "woke-up", his did not have this problem; mine had the "thrilling" head shake, his didn't (though it could be artificially induced); mine had grabby brakes, his didn't. When we were about halfway, we swapped and both of noticed these differences.

Strengths:

1. Suspension - top shelf Sachs work great.​
2. Brakes - grabby but powerful and responsive. Some experimentation with pad material would fix this.​
3. Seat - comfortable, not "loaf-of-bread" like the Aprilia or the newer Ducati and Triumph STs, but very livable.​
4. Footpegs - top shelf.​
5. Handlebars - though I would probably change them out for the Renthal style, the stockers were adequate.​
6. Sound - very cool indeed.​
7. Body - unique, tasteful, understated, I love it.​
8. Windscreen - perfect protection for me. Easily modified, very easy. How can something so small work so good?

Weaknesses:

1. Switchgear - even my old Laverda had better switchgear than this! Why in the ##$@ didn't they use the switchgear from the Vrod (it's like the BMW only less quirky)?
2. Kickstand - sorry but I just can't get over that whohhhh-nelly feeling as it rocks on the sidestand.
3. Clutch lever - seems like they went ultra-budget on this, no simple adjustments.
4. Gauges - OK it did have a speedo, tach, and trip meters (2), but what about fuel gage (it is, after all, fuel injected), temp (oil and/or ambient), clock?
5. Heavy flywheel - lurches at every shift - unless you drive granny style.
6. Skimpy steering lock - I can't get around the lousy steering range. This WOULD be a show stopper for me. I have come to depend on good steering range for everyday riding, I can't imagine how one would fare off-road. I almost tipped the thing doing a low speed maneuver!
7. Head shake - I don't think a steering damper would solve this problem, though it may help. The bike just seems unstable. I tried the 'ol wiggling of the front bars at speed and was immediately rewarded by a thrilling oscillation. 'tried that with the 'ol Duc and it immediately corrected itself.
8. Shifter :huh - Yes it is backwards, but the actuation doesn't follow the natural movement of the HUMAN foot.
9. Throttle response - with enough time performing some serious tweaks, this might be helped but probably not fixed. I want instant engine response to my throttle input, the Ulysses doesn't do this.
10. Tires - obviously something that could be changed, but they didn't inspire the streetability of the Scorpion Syncs they equip the XB9CityX with.
11. STUPID key location - Nuff said.
12. Suspension - see Strengths above, but… if this is an Adventure bike, it ought to have more than 6+ inches of travel - more like 8-9. For street, great, for off-road, skimpy.

But I still like the bike though I won't get one yet.

Randy

:huh why did this thread get moved?


Randy

As an owner, let me add a few things to kek's review:

Strengths:

1) The suspension is made by Showa. It's very good for a stock bike. Many reviews have said it's as good as the stock Ohlins on the Multistrada S. Having never ridden an S model, I can't compare them.

2) My brakes have never been grabby. On the contrary...they are very linear. I wouldn't mind some more initial bite.


Weaknesses:

1) What's wrong with the switchgear? Mine's never failed me.

2) Sidestand...what can I say. It is wierd. It doesn't "lock" in place when it's deployed. You have to push it forward with your foot before you lean the bike over on it.

3) Clutch - Mine works fine, lever feels fine. Pull is easy and engagement is smooth.

4) Guages - True..there is no fuel guage. I don't like that, but I reset one of my trip meters and use it as a fuel guage. There IS a clock, just have to push the button on the dash to cycle to it. Sadly, you can't display the clock and the other functions at the same time. The bike needs a second LDC display, or a two line unit.

5) Flywheel - Mine doesn't lurch unless I'm trying to do 10-15mph without the clutch. Then I can feel that big flywheel. Thank god this isn't my style of riding.

6) Steering lock - While it can be noticed turning around at a gas pump or something like that, I've never even remotely approached hitting the steering stops in normal riding. I can turn inside the MSF "U-Turn" box, so how bad can it be? I can only imagine it would result in a severe lowside if you hit the stops running, say, 70mph. OUCH! :eek1

7) Head shake - Never felt it. Don't know what to say. Mine is solid as a rock.

8) Shifter - Lift up to shift up, press down to shift down. Works as expected. Feels a bit short for my size 13, but I've gotton used to it.

9) Throttle response - The bike you tested must have been running on one cylinder or something. I've had unintended wheelies in 2nd gear when I whacked the throttle open. Sure, it's not going to rev like a Ducati (I have a Monster too), but it's pretty darn quick for what it is.

10) Tires - YES...they suck. Can't wait to get some Pirelli Diablo Stradas on 'er.

11) Key - I know why they put it there, and it makes sense to me. I don't worry about it. Yeah, it's sort of hard to get to, but it's not anything that takes away from the bike.

12) Suspension - I don't really need anymore travel. Other than the occasional speed bump or pot hole...the travel it has is more than adequate. Even on REALLY bumpy roads, it smooths things out nicely. No complaints here.

Keep chanting to yourself:

"This is NOT an off-road bike. This is NOT an off-road bike"

It's similar to the Multistrada (which I'd have owned if my local Ducati shop would have made me a deal on the S model they had...I love my Monster!). It doesn't have the performance of the Multistrada, but it requires less maintenance and is WAY more comfortable (for my 6'5" frame).

Moral of the story....Be sure to test ride your Ulysses and if it exhibits any bad traits, go test ride another one. They are really quite good, and the reports I hear about them being unstable, or having bad FI, just puzzle me. Mine has been nothing but perfect.

Oh...mine starts. Just makes about three revolutions and quits. I have the same 39mm flatslides. Great carbs. Transformed the bike.

D'ooooh! I meant Showa. My Multi has the same setup, and I actually prefered it to the Ohlins on the S model - I tried both.

About the flywheel - you can't crank it up to redline and get a fast upshift without the front end jumping - no we're not talking too much power, just funky flywheel.

About the throttle response - it isn't as instant as my Multi nor as the half dozen other bikes I've ridden lately.

Once again, I really like a lot about this bike, just not enough to move me over...


Randy

8,000km on my XB12X.

The indicator switch has failed.
The clutch started slipping badly and was rectified by my dealer.
The front end wanders a bit at speed.

Love the std tyres. really like the brakes. really like the motor and it's torque.
Rest of it is just fine. Love the comfort for 2 people.

dc

The clutch started slipping badly and was rectified by my dealer.

Any idea of root-cause? I know some say the lube used makes a big difference. Curious if that was it.

It depends on what you read. European Ulysses reviews seem to be quite negative on the whole. One has to make mental adjustments when reading reviews, but when it comes to mags I tend to trust Brits the most. If they don't like something they say it. US reviews of Ulysses I have read tend to be positive, but you can't help the feeling that they are trying very hard. Sort of like talking about a puppy that just can't be house trained in "sure it craps on the carpet, but just look at how cute it is" kind of way.
I actually finally sat on one yesterday at a bike show. Seems very comfortable, suspension felt very soft even for a dual sport (but that’s adjustable). Clutch pull was very hard (a bit of a concern for a commuter such as myself).
But my goodness this steering lock is laughable. What were they thinking? They might just as well have welded it straight and saved on a couple of bearings. I know everybody mentions this so I had some expectations, but I just could not believe it. I didn’t think it was possible, but it’s worse than my R6.
Still when I start looking for a new bike later this year I will probably take it for a test ride (with ktm 990 and GS). The price difference is difficult to ignore.