Well again following on from my previous threads on 1200GS vs 1200GSA (and RT) and 1200GS vs KTM 990 Adv , today had a go on a Buell Ulysses so I thought I’d give people some feedback on my thoughts.
Looks
The Uly is certainly a good looking bike IMHO. Up close it looks as good as the photos. The castings and welding looks neat and the engine looks well packaged. The belt drive system also looks quite a tidy setup. Lights also look quite good, with grills as stock. It has a beak below the lights like a GS, but no close fitting mudguard. I’m not quite sure why its got the yank yellow reflectors on the forks, these would have to go. Front rim mounted brake looks trick.
The only thing that really lets the thing down is the look of the switchgear and dash. All a bit cheap looking and feels cheap to the touch – bit like yank cars. Display looks a bit tacky, but is functional. Analogue speedo is nice.
Weather Protection
I did the test ride on a cold damp day. The screen is all but useless. A blast of air hits you square in the chest and your head is completely unprotected. On a wet day, this would certainly give a few problems on a long ride. There is a touring screen option, not sure how good this is.
My right leg was also nice and warm during the ride and it felt like I had a heated seat. This was lovely on the day that I did the test, but may not be so good on a summers day.
Riding
Setting off on the Buell for the first time, the engine felt lumpy which didn’t help against the tall first gear. I was using the low seat which made the bike just low enough for my 5’11” frame.
The first thing I noticed was the gearbox, which made the BMW’s feel slick. Quick clutchless upshifts were simply not possible. It was just about possible to do clutchless shifts in all gears, but 1st-2nd and 2nd-3rd gave a jumpy shift. Having to use the clutch certainly spoilt the ride for me. When used with the clutch the gearbox gave no real issues. The clutch was one of the lightest of any bike I’ve ridden, certainly a bonus for round town work.
The steering head angle of the Buell felt much steeper than the GS. The bars however felt a bit narrower which I feel left the turn in of the Buell feeling very similar to that of the GS. Where the Buell looses out however is in stability. Accelerate hard over cats eyes or hit some generally dodgy road under hard acceleration and you feel the bike shimmy. Nothing scary mind, but it does make you think twice where on the GS you would just pin the throttle.
Cornering felt rock solid. When the bike was leant in and under power it felt one of the best bikes I’ve tested. I can see why some of the other models win best cornering bike awards.
The suspension was quite stiff. I’m not sure how it was set up on the bike, I assumed default, but it kind of felt half way between a GS and a sportsbike. Unfortunately this sporty suspension seemed to stop at the front forks which seemed to dive quite badly on a swift application of the front brake. There was no bad rebound however, so the suspension is set up well and I’m sure its something you’d ride around given time on the bike.
Performance
This was kind of where I thought the Buell would shine, but I was a bit disappointed. The engine is certainly torquey, of that there is no doubt. I think that the torque figures for the Buell match those of the GS Nm for Nm, however, the GS seems to handle its Nm’s better than the Buell. I think the Buell was probably one of those bikes that is deceptively fast. You could certainly leave it in 2nd and have some fun over quite a wide range of speed. It didn’t however make you feel as though you were being pushed forward on this huge wave of torque as I expected.
The engine did pull nicely from 2000rpm. The bike I rode had a major fuelling glitch at 2500rpm. If you opened the throttle wide from that rpm it would bog down until you cleared 3000rpm. This didn’t happen if you started from 2000rpm. The test bike did however only have 150miles on it. I understand that the Buell engine does require a good 5000 miles to loosen up.
The engine also lacked some top end. I’m not asking for a massive power band but a bit of something would be nice. I’m sure its this lack of a mid to top end boost that left the engine feeling just that little bit flat. 1st gear wheelies were however quite easy off the throttle. I had the front wheel at least a foot in the air and it was quite stable.
Vibrations are also a major characteristic of this bike. At tickover it feels like a tractor then you just get a buzzing at higher rpms. I found a strange phenomenon whereby my head resonated in my helmet when wearing earplugs. The noise would be quite unbearable over distance. On the way back however I took out my earplugs and it was actually quieter due to the reduced resonation. Quite strange. Overall the GS's engine is a lot smoother.
The stock pipe was actually quite nice. It was certainly the nicest sounding stock bike I think I’ve ever ridden. A pipe would certainly be a good addition to the machine.
The front brake was also good considering it is only a single disc. Obviously the theory of the rim mounted disc is fairly sound. The rear brake even made the GS’s rear brake look good. I’m sure you could put most of your body weight on the lever without the rear locking.
Comfort
I used the low seat. As a result the pegs felt quite high. Looking at pictures of the bike they also look a bit higher than those of the GS. The position was not uncomfortable by any means. I was riding the bike for just over 1.5hrs without any discomfort.
The seat was firm, but comfortable. I expect the firmness is down to it being the cut down seat and maybe the normal seat is a bit more plush. Again I can’t mark the bike down on this.
It certainly felt as though you had a bit of a stretch to the bars, again only minor. I don’t know if there was any adjustment possible.
The vibrations I mentioned earlier did not propagate through the bars to any large degree so there was no problems in that area.
Other things:
Not quite sure of the range of the bike. The tank (in the frame) is quite small at only just over 16ltr so the range might be quite poor.
The stock exhaust will peel its paint and rust quite quickly so some work would be required in that area to keep it looking good, or get an aftermarket system.
The steering lock is quite poor. I nearly came a cropper doing a feet up u-turn as the steering hit the stops.
The fan which keeps the rear cylinder cool is really quite annoying. When going at low speeds you can hear the fan going even through your earplugs. The dealer suggested that until the engine is run in (over a few thousand miles) it runs quite a bit hotter and the fan is therefore more active. I’m also understand that fan failure is quite common.
The drive belt is supposedly good for the life of the bike. There have however been some reports of failures at 10k miles. The dealer suggested to me that this was the case with previous versions, but the new belts are stronger with additional protection meaning that premature failure is unlikely.
There is a new model coming out for 2008, which features uprated (fatter) front forks and I think improved bracing. There is also some engine re-work on the oil system which results in more mid-range and an increase in the rev limit. Hot grips will also be standard.
Price
Now hear is the rub. You can buy 2006 stock, as new now for £5999, which is some £2200 of list price. There are second had bikes that are trying to be shifted for more than this. The dealer was selling the test bike I rode for £6250, even though it had one owner and 150miles on the clock (previous owner sold it back to the dealer as it was too high).
There are no discounts on new bikes, so the dealer is asking list price of over £8000. Depreciation must be a big worry. If you’ve just bought a new Uly this year at list price, it can’t be worth much over £5k if you can by new for £5999. Will the same happen with the next version if they come out with a Rotax engined version in ’09???
Optional extras:
Remus exhaust with updated ECU: £800
Panniers & Topbox: £738
Tall Screen: £50
This means a new ’08 model with Remus, luggage and Tall screen is £9500
Overall I guess I was a bit dissapointed with the Buell as it wasn't quite as good as I wanted it to be. My major dissapointment was the engine which didn't deliver the torque as I thought it would.
Looks
The Uly is certainly a good looking bike IMHO. Up close it looks as good as the photos. The castings and welding looks neat and the engine looks well packaged. The belt drive system also looks quite a tidy setup. Lights also look quite good, with grills as stock. It has a beak below the lights like a GS, but no close fitting mudguard. I’m not quite sure why its got the yank yellow reflectors on the forks, these would have to go. Front rim mounted brake looks trick.
The only thing that really lets the thing down is the look of the switchgear and dash. All a bit cheap looking and feels cheap to the touch – bit like yank cars. Display looks a bit tacky, but is functional. Analogue speedo is nice.
Weather Protection
I did the test ride on a cold damp day. The screen is all but useless. A blast of air hits you square in the chest and your head is completely unprotected. On a wet day, this would certainly give a few problems on a long ride. There is a touring screen option, not sure how good this is.
My right leg was also nice and warm during the ride and it felt like I had a heated seat. This was lovely on the day that I did the test, but may not be so good on a summers day.
Riding
Setting off on the Buell for the first time, the engine felt lumpy which didn’t help against the tall first gear. I was using the low seat which made the bike just low enough for my 5’11” frame.
The first thing I noticed was the gearbox, which made the BMW’s feel slick. Quick clutchless upshifts were simply not possible. It was just about possible to do clutchless shifts in all gears, but 1st-2nd and 2nd-3rd gave a jumpy shift. Having to use the clutch certainly spoilt the ride for me. When used with the clutch the gearbox gave no real issues. The clutch was one of the lightest of any bike I’ve ridden, certainly a bonus for round town work.
The steering head angle of the Buell felt much steeper than the GS. The bars however felt a bit narrower which I feel left the turn in of the Buell feeling very similar to that of the GS. Where the Buell looses out however is in stability. Accelerate hard over cats eyes or hit some generally dodgy road under hard acceleration and you feel the bike shimmy. Nothing scary mind, but it does make you think twice where on the GS you would just pin the throttle.
Cornering felt rock solid. When the bike was leant in and under power it felt one of the best bikes I’ve tested. I can see why some of the other models win best cornering bike awards.
The suspension was quite stiff. I’m not sure how it was set up on the bike, I assumed default, but it kind of felt half way between a GS and a sportsbike. Unfortunately this sporty suspension seemed to stop at the front forks which seemed to dive quite badly on a swift application of the front brake. There was no bad rebound however, so the suspension is set up well and I’m sure its something you’d ride around given time on the bike.
Performance
This was kind of where I thought the Buell would shine, but I was a bit disappointed. The engine is certainly torquey, of that there is no doubt. I think that the torque figures for the Buell match those of the GS Nm for Nm, however, the GS seems to handle its Nm’s better than the Buell. I think the Buell was probably one of those bikes that is deceptively fast. You could certainly leave it in 2nd and have some fun over quite a wide range of speed. It didn’t however make you feel as though you were being pushed forward on this huge wave of torque as I expected.
The engine did pull nicely from 2000rpm. The bike I rode had a major fuelling glitch at 2500rpm. If you opened the throttle wide from that rpm it would bog down until you cleared 3000rpm. This didn’t happen if you started from 2000rpm. The test bike did however only have 150miles on it. I understand that the Buell engine does require a good 5000 miles to loosen up.
The engine also lacked some top end. I’m not asking for a massive power band but a bit of something would be nice. I’m sure its this lack of a mid to top end boost that left the engine feeling just that little bit flat. 1st gear wheelies were however quite easy off the throttle. I had the front wheel at least a foot in the air and it was quite stable.
Vibrations are also a major characteristic of this bike. At tickover it feels like a tractor then you just get a buzzing at higher rpms. I found a strange phenomenon whereby my head resonated in my helmet when wearing earplugs. The noise would be quite unbearable over distance. On the way back however I took out my earplugs and it was actually quieter due to the reduced resonation. Quite strange. Overall the GS's engine is a lot smoother.
The stock pipe was actually quite nice. It was certainly the nicest sounding stock bike I think I’ve ever ridden. A pipe would certainly be a good addition to the machine.
The front brake was also good considering it is only a single disc. Obviously the theory of the rim mounted disc is fairly sound. The rear brake even made the GS’s rear brake look good. I’m sure you could put most of your body weight on the lever without the rear locking.
Comfort
I used the low seat. As a result the pegs felt quite high. Looking at pictures of the bike they also look a bit higher than those of the GS. The position was not uncomfortable by any means. I was riding the bike for just over 1.5hrs without any discomfort.
The seat was firm, but comfortable. I expect the firmness is down to it being the cut down seat and maybe the normal seat is a bit more plush. Again I can’t mark the bike down on this.
It certainly felt as though you had a bit of a stretch to the bars, again only minor. I don’t know if there was any adjustment possible.
The vibrations I mentioned earlier did not propagate through the bars to any large degree so there was no problems in that area.
Other things:
Not quite sure of the range of the bike. The tank (in the frame) is quite small at only just over 16ltr so the range might be quite poor.
The stock exhaust will peel its paint and rust quite quickly so some work would be required in that area to keep it looking good, or get an aftermarket system.
The steering lock is quite poor. I nearly came a cropper doing a feet up u-turn as the steering hit the stops.
The fan which keeps the rear cylinder cool is really quite annoying. When going at low speeds you can hear the fan going even through your earplugs. The dealer suggested that until the engine is run in (over a few thousand miles) it runs quite a bit hotter and the fan is therefore more active. I’m also understand that fan failure is quite common.
The drive belt is supposedly good for the life of the bike. There have however been some reports of failures at 10k miles. The dealer suggested to me that this was the case with previous versions, but the new belts are stronger with additional protection meaning that premature failure is unlikely.
There is a new model coming out for 2008, which features uprated (fatter) front forks and I think improved bracing. There is also some engine re-work on the oil system which results in more mid-range and an increase in the rev limit. Hot grips will also be standard.
Price
Now hear is the rub. You can buy 2006 stock, as new now for £5999, which is some £2200 of list price. There are second had bikes that are trying to be shifted for more than this. The dealer was selling the test bike I rode for £6250, even though it had one owner and 150miles on the clock (previous owner sold it back to the dealer as it was too high).
There are no discounts on new bikes, so the dealer is asking list price of over £8000. Depreciation must be a big worry. If you’ve just bought a new Uly this year at list price, it can’t be worth much over £5k if you can by new for £5999. Will the same happen with the next version if they come out with a Rotax engined version in ’09???
Optional extras:
Remus exhaust with updated ECU: £800
Panniers & Topbox: £738
Tall Screen: £50
This means a new ’08 model with Remus, luggage and Tall screen is £9500
Overall I guess I was a bit dissapointed with the Buell as it wasn't quite as good as I wanted it to be. My major dissapointment was the engine which didn't deliver the torque as I thought it would.
especially as there will be a dealership in Cardiff in March 2008 and no sign of a replacement BMW dealer in Wales.
