| Author | Message | ||
     Scottorious |
I am looking into buying a Uly and I want to know what these things can handle. Anyone have any good stories or videos of extreme uly riding. From my best judgement it seems like the uly is maybe split up to be about 80/20 80 percent road 20 percent offroad? is that way off? | ||
| Debueller |
I've had mine in the mud and it didn't do very well:  After a crash that because the front wheel stopped turning due to the mud build up on the front wheel, I removed the front fender, turned around, and rode the other way with my tail between my legs.  My XR650L would have worked much better and more fun off road, but the Uly is great on the pavement or gravel. 80% road and 20% off road is about right........ (Message edited by debueller on December 22, 2011) | ||
| Buewulf |
Depends on your definition of off-road. If gravel roads or even fire roads are your idea of off road, the Uly could be a 100% off road bike if you wanted it to be (as could most motorcycles). The Uly is really just a tall street bike with above average suspension travel and a crappy looking muffler that can take a beating. As long as you don't tire of picking heavy bikes up off the ground, it does OK off road. Here is what I have learned about Uly off roading: 1) Tires. We don't got 'em. I use the D616 and it is OK off-pavement. Some people have tried to get creative with non-OE tire sizes, but even then you choices are very limited. It is the bike's greatest limiting factor compared to other big adventure bikes. 2) Mud and deep sand (deep = anything deeper than .000000000001 inch) may as well be stone walls. You are not getting through. OK, I actually regularly pass through stretches of very fine, silty sand about two inches deep. Gotta keep the speed up and front end light. Also can't be uncomfortable with the front wheel dancing. With mud, I have the same problem as Debueller. I just don't even try anymore. 3) The stock gearing is too high for the type of off roading I like, and I find myself increasing the ratio with the clutch which gets too hot after a while. Some Uly riders have installed the primary from the XB9 and love the change. If I keep the bike, I'll be doing the same. 4) Don't forget that you are riding a 500lb bike with a 17" front wheel and limited suspension travel. In the event that you do forget, you will have plenty of time to reflect on that fact as you lie in the impact crater you just made after trying to pump off that favorite rock/stump/etc. that your KTM just shoots off of. 5) The front brake bites hard. Good for the street, scary in the loose stuff. Practice with it. The rear brake is ineffective for either. In the dirt, there is nothing and then it just locks up. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Debueller, I've called Buell Protective Services and they'll be coming to take that ULY from you and try to place it with a better home that will love and cherish it. ULY abuse for sure. | ||
| Froggy |
Did you get any pictures of it before picking it back up?  | ||
| Andrejs2112 |
+10 on what Beulwulf said. I've tried to do the off road thing with mine. It's fine for gravel roads and some fire roads, but as soon as it gets sandy or muddy, it's all over. It's just not a dirt bike. IMHO | ||
| Brucespoint |
It's an All Road bike... Cept deep sand or long muddy roads with tacky mud, Or muddy rutted water crossings... If virginal mud, you Might make it... if rutted&deep, Yer goin Down! Same for sand. Ride with Friends!!! If the right terrain, You would be amazed where you can get it. Single track is courting disaster though. All depends on your skill level/experience on dirt. A Uly is NOT the bike to learn dirt riding on! Went on a trail ride at the Northern Ontario Rally. Blew some folks away with how well the Uly handled the trails we went on. Can read about it here: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480168&page=42  Stayed right behind the lead rider the whole time, had to stop regularly to wait for the others to catch up. till we got to the rocky downhills... and one rocky climbout, that was a bit acrobatic! But made it after hopping round a bit. All other bikes where KLR's or DR's, the KTM guys were too Hung Over! But kept up with them the next day on dirt roads. and smoked them in my favorite lil chipseal road! That said, Tips. 1. Use a low seat if you have one! Nothing like dabbing a foot down, and not touching till too late, Nap time. Done that a few times... No damage. 2. XB9 primary... Transforms the whole experience, puts the gearing Right where it needs to be. 3. Best tires you can find, I was amazed how well the Uly will hook up on dirt with Scorpion Trails. Want to try the MT60 front, TKC 80 combo that Estresco has on his uly, on the WABDR thread. 4. Pick your terrain carefully, try for well drained areas, Perfect up here! Bedrock close, trails tend to have a good base. Not a lot of clay, Just enough, unless you get into lowlands. Read the terrain, learn what follows what. 5. The stock saddlebags give you a 1/3rd boost when the bike naps... MUCH easier to get it back upright, but if you fall at any speed, likely to tear them up... but they Will handle naps at slow speed well. Least they have for me. So far. 6. Learn trail braking, where you drag a brake, while feeding throttle GENTLY. Keeps the ends of the bike in the right order. 7. Do NOT go too far out on the limb while riding Alone! Would Hate to try getting the Uly Off of Me by myself! Might be found the next riding season... Never would have attempted the knarlyer jeep/snowmobile trails we hit later in the ride without company. Be Bear Bait otherwise! Ride safe. b.  | ||
| Froggy |
I have the Scorp Trails on my 1125R. Awesome tire, haven't really tried it off road as my R is too nice to risk ruining. The tire feels solid on everything I've tried, I do plan on putting them on one of my other bikes and seeing what they really can do.
I agree 100%! I had a situation where I was on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, crossing a rut that was just big enough that my bike got stuck with the front wheel off the ground bottomed out on the muffler. As I was digging to try and fill in the rut so I can cross it, I got lucky and some older gentleman was waking his dog (no clue where he came from!), he helped me push the bike across. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
I bought my Uly thinking it was an 80/20 bike as well. It's not. It could be, under these conditions: 1) Your an excellent/experienced off-road rider or 2) You're willing to sacrifice on-road performance by installing incorrect sized off-road tires I've put 25k miles on Scorpion Trail tires. I love them, they last a long time and work well on wet/dry/hot/cold pavement... but off-road they are no better than any other street tire. On dry hard-packed dirt or gravel the bike works just fine, and is a blast! But on anything other than dry hard-pack, you're fighting it the entire time. | ||
| Uly_man |
Great advise and insight on the Uly for "off road" work from those that clearly know this machine. I would go as far as saying that its little better than any other road bike with road tyres myself. Enjoy the bike for what it does best, which is sport/touring and in that class its very hard to beat. | ||
| Brucespoint |
I'd say its Better than ANY large or small "Street" bike with "street tires" I've ever ridden on dirt roads. And is trail able with care. And simple fall downs are a non-event, hardly ever break anything, unless you Nappybye in the wrong rocky spot. Especially FUN if there is nice tacky just drying or steaming off clay. XR750's Work on dirt track well for a reason, the motor puts out the perfect power for it! It Hooks up! If I could put 19's on it, or a least the front, I'd be in Hog Heaven! One Tip I forgot, cause it kinda goes without saying... ARMOR! Wear it! Good boot's, knee pads, elbow pads, shoulder pads, gloves with protection on the Back of the hands, to protect from branches or other insults You Will knock into trying to keep it on line. Cause Sooner or Later, no matter the skill level, you WiLL drop it Off Road. Now, if it could lose 100lbs... BiG Grins anyway! b. | ||
| Tootal |
Once again it depends on your riding experience. I come from a dirt bike background and I love my Uly on hard pack jeep trails. I no likey mud and deep sand but dry dirt and gravel are fine. It surprised me how well it does off road.   | ||
| Whisperstealth |
I live on a dirt an gravel road with a hill I go up and down on. Over all the uly does well. It get's muddy and slippery semi-regulary, and I make sure to go real light on the front brake, but haven't gone down yet. I would say 80-20 is about right. Would not take it places my KLR goes, but is the perfect bike for road adventures, with some maintained trail riding thrown in. | ||
| 1313 |
Extreme uly use: a slightly different take on the subject... Nothing about off-road riding, purely UtiLitY! Original Black XT wheels to UPS:  Suitcase to UPS:  Note: Couldn't see out of the mirrors due to the way the suitcase was strapped, so... Taking most of the stock Uly stuff to UPS to help another Uly live again:  I now return you to your 'normal' train of thought for "extreme uly use", 1313 | ||
| Hoover_uly |
I've owned my Uly for about a month now and today, for the first time, took it off pavement. The road was very rough and a mix of hard pack dirt and gravel. I was pleasantly surprised. While I was being careful, I never felt any indication that the front was going to wash out on me. Playing with the throttle a little, I was amazed by the amount of traction at the rear. Never got over 30/35 mph since the road was quite rutted. As many have said, the 17 inch front wheel and limited suspension travel does limit the capabilities of the bike. I agree that the bike could perform better off road with a few known modifications and I may fiddle with the gearing and suspension settings but won't go beyond that. I've been down portions of the same road on my DR650 with modified suspension at over 60 with a smoother ride. Am I disappointed? Not at all. A motorcycle is like any other form of transportation, a compromise. The last street bike I tried to take down a dirt road was a ZRX 1200 and I couldn't go slow enough. Went a few hundred feet and turned around. Kept that bike about 6 months. Don't want a bike I can't take down a dirt road. My perception is that the Uly is a great street bike that will take you on an adventure depending on your interpretation of the word. If you want to push it, you can take it beyond a dirt road but you won't have as much fun as someone on a more dirt oriented bike. As much as I like my DR, it has limitations too. It's ok on the highway, a hoot on the street and fire trail/dirt roads but too big and heavy for single track in the woods. At least for me at my age. There are lots of bikes I have not ridden but doubt there is one that will do it all. At least one I can afford. I'd still like something in the 250/350 range for the woods.... | ||
| Tootal |
Bottom line to me is that the Uly is the Swiss army knife of motorcycles. It's comfortable enough when forced to ride the superslab, sporty enough to produce large amounts of perma-grin in the twisties and when a jeep trail starts calling your name, it's not out of the question! I spent two weeks in Colorado doing all of the above and had a ball! | ||
| Uly_dude |
Merry Christmas Guys(n gals). There is a way to get a 19 or 21 inch wheel on the Uly. Find a set of forks that'll fit in our clamps(not difficult). A set of forks that had a 19" wheel already in them, with normal disc brakes(not these ZTL or whatever they're called). There's no speedo cable to mess with, only a different brake line length. That's it. Maybe have to get rid of the lower fender. Anyone see any problem with this logic? I don't think I'd go with a 21 inch wheel, but the 19" would get us some better tread patterns I bet. I would think a modification like this would be easy for some of you masterminds. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
The tire would hit the muffler. Even with only a 17" wheel the clearances are so close a good knobby doesn't always fit. Perhaps with a drastic change of rake ( triple trees ) or muffler/header pipe. But at that point... | ||
| Wbrisett |
My experiences pretty much mirror what others have already said here, but I'll toss my experience in as well. I took my Uly on some unintended dirt roads when I road solo out in AZ and UT in August. As the dirt turned into sand, it was a real pain in the butt. I was basically 'swimming' with the bike, and was about to give up when a local informed me it was only about 1000 yards up the way around the bend when things changed (it turned back into tarmac... that was good after 3 miles of sand and 4 miles of packed stuff). In UT, I road a park road just outside Bryce which was fine until it merged into an ATV trail, those four wheeled buggers turn the corners into nothing but sheer sand. The Uly decided it had received enough abuse and took a short dirt nap. I was running Scorpion syncs, and now have trails on it, but really for more than packed dirt, it's not the right bike. In typical fire road use, it's a fine bike, but when pushed into harder off-road use, it's really not the right bike. It can be done, but it's not nearly as fun as a bike with the right equipment. Wayne | ||
| Bking |
Deep sand  Loose rock  Slimey mud  You would think I would learn! ---Bob | ||
| Mikef5000 |
Here you go 1313:  And for the rest of you:  Getting Here:  | ||
| Reepicheep |
Great pictures Bob and Mike! | ||
| Tootal |
Thanks Mike, that's on my bucket list!!  | ||
| Fordhotline |
MikeF5000, Where did you get that fender for your uly. Looks great! | ||
| Mikef5000 |
It's the universal Acerbis Supermoto fender! |
