| Author | Message | ||
     Hoosierhomegrown |
Heck of a way to start a "New Ulysses owner post" but here it is. After having my 2006 Uly for only 2 months I had my first ever motorcycle crash (only been riding on the street for 1 year). While taking a turn on a narrow oil and chip country rd. I had to move farther to the right to avoid an oncoming minivan driving right down the middle of the road. This cause me to hit the edge of a white rock driveway. Lost traction in the rear tried to save it but grabbed a little front brake and dumped it. Damage appears mainly cosmetic, broken left turn signal, hand guard and mirror. What has me worried is that the front end seems misaligned with the handlebars. Not sure if the handlebars are bent or could be a more serious issue. Also I had a rough time starting it back up, was able to ride it home but rode a little rough. I was hoping I could get some advice on what my next step should be as far as getting the bike road worthy again. Should I take it to a shop and get it assessed? What about insurance? I am new to motorcycles and would like to do my own wrenching eventually but have not managed to get beyond oil changes. Sorry for the long first post. P.S. Everyday other than today has been amazing on the Uly | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Spencer welcome to the bad web. Sounds like a mistake anyone could make and hope you are okay. I have fortunately never crashed either of our ulys but have seen plenty of crashed training bikes so know that slow speed crash fixes are not usually a big deal. Buells as a whole are crashworthy but I am no insurance guru, mechanic or m.d. but hydrating and taking ibuprofen or whatever helps you deal with your bodys discomfort from crashing and relaxing plus staying tuned to more informed badwebbers who chime in here may be an option to consider. Good luck. | ||
| Sagehawk |
When you go over like that, the bank angle sensor activates killing ignition. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to reorient the sensor. Generally, a few minutes back up on kickstand is all it should take. Did the minivan folks come back to check on you? Welcome to the board and hope all is well with you! | ||
| Devo1959 |
Good luck with things, the handle bars bend rather easily you may be able to just bend them back by hand, I was able to do that after a minor off road crash with slightly bent bars. I would not do that with any kind of a severe bend. Jeff | ||
| Arry |
Too bad about your mishap, but at least you avoided a collision (it could have been much worse). Hopefully it's just some small parts. The handle bars are fairly susceptible to a low speed tip over. Try to assess the bars in relation to the upper triple clamp (where the bars are attached). You might want to replace the hand guards with Barkbusters, that have an aluminum frame and plastic wind deflector (they provide better hand protection and a little tip over protection). Maybe the running issue will straighten out after riding a few miles | ||
| Griffmeister |
Man I hate chip seal, especially if it's fresh. Sounds like you hit the ground at a fairly slow speed. The front end, if all the clamps are properly torqued, is pretty durable. I think you're on the right track so take a close look at the bars. If the hand guard broke then be sure to inspect the clutch lever as well as anything else on that side of the bike for hidden damage. If you do have it inspected, at least you will be able to describe as much as you know right from the beginning. Learning how to fix and service your own bike is a big plus and can save you some bucks on the simpler repairs. If you decide to do more of your own work, be sure to get the service manual if you don't already have one. The info within is well worth it. Hope you're back on the road soon. | ||
| General_ulysses |
Sorry to hear of your crash, glad you seemed to have come out of it mostly unscathed. I bought my '06 Uly this past spring from a guy that was an experienced motocross rider who had been riding for over 25 years. But he too laid down his Uly by grabbing a bit too much front brake while riding on a dirt road that had wet leaves on it. Despite his extensive riding experience, down he went. Fortunately he wasn't hurt and the bike experienced only very superficial damage. Since I've owned the bike, I've noticed the front brake is a bit grabby. You've got to use it with caution and get acclimated to it before deploying it in strength. As a relatively new rider, while cornering always use the front brake with caution. Even with a non-grabby brake any gravel or unforeseen traction threats can easily bring you down. | ||
| Arcticktm |
As mentioned, check the handlebars carefully 1st, as they are most likely to be bent. If they are not, or you replace them and still have an issue, check this out. It is common for the forks to get "tweeked" within the triple clamps during a crash. Happens a lot of dirt bikes that tend to get crashed a lot more. Put bike on stand to raise front wheel. Remove front wheel (left hand thread remember). Back off the triple clamp bolts (be careful to hold or stop forks from trying to slide out) 1 fork leg at a time. Both upper and lower bolts must be loosened of course. Loosen them a LOT. Remove fork leg and then carefully re-inert it, while slowly rotating it. You are checking to make sure the fork upper tube is not bent. If bent, it will not go smoothly into the top triple clamp, and will bind as you rotate it slowly. If it will not go into top clamp, but rotating the fork leg does not show any area binding, the fork leg may be straight, but the triple clamps are no longer properly aligned. You may then need to loosen the top clamp steering head pinch bolt to move them into alignment. Do the same with the other fork leg. Do one at a time, so that there is always 1 fork in both clamps to keep them aligned. If this shows no problems, put it back together, use proper torques and sequence, and check it out again. Hopefully that will bring it back. Sometimes the crash will cause the forks to get a bit out of alignment by moving the triple clamps into a binding position. If you find a leg bent, or still cannot locate the problem, then you need someone who has done this before, like a trusted independent shop or dealer (any brand, since this is not a Buell specific issue). STRONGLY recommend the factory Service Manual to help you. It is a very good one as long as you ignore the oil drain bolts torques that are way too high. SM will save you much in mechanic fees and mistakes avoided. Good luck. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Everything Arctictm said. It's easy for the handlebars to spin in the clamps as well, so that could also be the factor. It's easier on dirt bikes, once the forks get misaligned, just accelerate into a log somewhere and knock 'em back into the right position. Or wait until you crash on the other side, it never takes me long. | ||
| Ramman4x4 |
When I bought my DR650, the previous owner had recently flipped it in a poor wheelie attempt. The handlebars were badly bent so I replaced them...but something was still off. I later found that the mounting bolt for the handlebar bottom clamp was bent. Replacing that bolt fixed the problem. I don't know what type of lower clamp mounting setup the Uly has, but it's just something to keep in mind if you still have problems after the bars are addressed. | ||
| Buewulf |
Sorry to hear this. Sounds like you are OK, fortunately. I agree with what has already been said. I doubt the front end is tweaked. But that is an easy check. If it keeps running roughly, you may want to make sure the plug wires and grounds are still secure. | ||
| Froggy |
Rough running is likely placebo, you may be paying more attention and noticing something that has been there all along, or you *think* you are noticing something different.
This is not true, all you have to do is pick the bike back up, turn the ignition off and back on, then you are good to go. The ECM will keep the fuel injection disabled after you pick it up, but when you toggle the key it resets it. If you are talented enough (or have a failing sensor), you can reset it without even leaving the seat. | ||
| Griffmeister |
Okay Frank, I'd like to see you pick up the bike while still in the seat. Sorry, my bad, couldn't resist. You should have seen how fast I got my Uly picked up off the middle of an exit ramp curve, facing the wrong way, with cars coming. | ||
| Froggy |
I've done it on my Blast  | ||
| Hoosierhomegrown |
I appreciate all the advice and well wishes. Yeah fortunately my injuries weren't too bad (nothing a day off from work couldn't cure). When I get some time I plan on giving the bike a thorough exam taking all the advice to heart. The previous owner was considerate enough to leave his service manual in the tail luggage so that's one less expense. |
