| Author | Message | ||
     Cyclone8u |
Well, I picked up the Ulysses Thursday night with 16 miles on it. I've now racked it up to 478, somewhat of a let-down... I was hoping to break 1k.. But, given all the s--t I've had to contend with (not related to riding or the bike) over the weekend, not a bad number. I've managed to log miles on everything to fast back-road twisties to gnarly abandoned railroad track trails. All I can say is this bike is effing amazing. The best part is, I could easily put up another 400 miles tomorrow no problem if it wasn't for that four letter word - work. No aches, pains or sore ass. It's just not right...or is it? The first real ride was on Saturday to the Whitehorse Gear (www.whitehorsegear.com) semi-annual open house in Conway, NH with my brother, Jeromy his wife Chrissy and his buddy Dave. Knowing my brothers riding style and the conditions of the roads, I set up the suspension somewhere between responsive, and plush. Having been unexpectedly sucked into corners following him on his V-Star, him happily wearing down the corners of his boots and me pushing harder on the handlebars forcing it into a corner - I knew it wouldn't be a relaxed one-hand on the throttle ride. We headed out with him in the lead on his VFR, then me, his wife on a SV-650, and his buddy Dave on his VFR. Needless to say the ride did not disappoint. Jeromy kept the wick turned up to a pretty good pace. I kept checking my mirrors to make sure Chrissy and Dave was still with us, then I finally said "screw it" it's his wife and friend, if he's not worried why should I be. The fun ended unfortunately on Rt. 153 where we got stuck behind a line of slugs with nowhere to pass. Oh-well, the day turned out nice and it was a scenic ride. We got to Whitehorse and it was already filling up, luckily we got there early enough to get decent parking....20 minutes later they were parked out to the street. Here's the lineup, my bike to the left, some dude's Ducati (did I mention this was a adventure/touring crowd? Not your typical skull cap wearing bike week get-together.) , Jeromy's VFR, Chrissy's SV, and Dave's VFR.  Not all the bikes were "adventure/tourer" types. While myself, Chrissy and Dave were ATGATT, Jeromy dressed light. Yet everyone was standing around waiting for him to stow his s--t.... We eventually checked out the deals, and had a kick-but free meal at the barbecue. The BMW GS crowd certainly seemed to be dominant here, in fact I had the only Ulysses as near as I could tell. There was a "Touring" Buell Blast though... And there's nothing like the simplicity of the Triumph Thruxton...well, except maybe for a Norton Manx! Didn't see any of them  After the day was done, I went home and picked up my wife Delynn and headed back out for some 2-up riding. It only takes a couple of minutes to set up the suspension for different loads which is a real nice touch. After our ride back, she even noticed the improved handling in the corners over the M2. Here's a day's worth of black fly kill: As I predicted, Jeromy's pace allowed me to scuff the new Pirelli's out to the edge... It kept up with sportbike class riding, but with a much greater level of comfort, and the ability to take it in the dirt if necessary. (Although I know Jeromy's VFR isn't afraid of the dirt!) And yes, it even got a little dirty over the weekend! I'll have to work a little harder at that I guess. One thing I noticed today, is that the 17 inch front wheel while less than optimal in the dirt, responds nicely to the old adage - when in doubt gas it. Keeping the weight of the front really improves the handling in the dirt, you just need to be prepared to be aggressive with it. One trail I found myself on was rutted up by 4-wheelers, full of whoops, and covered with various golf ball sized stones. I just had to commit to the trail, stay on the gas and hang on! A lower first gear would be nice!! Erik Buell's holy trilogy of mass centralization, low center of gravity and low unsprung weight combine to make heavy bike feel much lighter than it is. But after a few hundred feet of this crappy trail, my arms were seriously pumped! A dirt bike the Uly is not, but it's nice to know that it can be pressed into the roll if need be. On graded gravel roads, 3rd gear at around 50 mph seemed to be the sweet spot. With a few days under my belt I am now more confident in sliding this beast around and steering with the throttle...as evidenced by my torn up back yard....F--k it! I always got yelled at as a kid for tearing up the lawn, so now I can tear up my own lawn to my hearts content...I hate mowing grass anyway. It's going to be a fun summer............................................ |
