| Author | Message | ||
     Rocketman |
With all the negative comments surrounding the looks \ styling of the new TT, how can we best judge it, or any Buell come to it, for real world performance? In particular if the Uly and now the TT are somewhat capable off road, how would these two models fair if someone were bold enough to ride one around the world? I for one would put a good few bikes in front of these Buells for going around the world on. Maybe Buell could do with someone putting them on the map. Could the Uly or the TT provide the platform? Who here thinks either of these Buells are up to the task of 'around the world' - and based on what relevant information? Rocket | ||
| Bake |
Interesting, a friend and myself were talking about such a tour (he traded in his 1150gs for a new 1200gs)I hinted I would entertain a Uly if were able to go. The publicity would do them good but you better hope you dont need parts in Mongolia. | ||
| Diablobrian |
Isn't there a team traveling from north to south America right now? | ||
| Eboos |
"Isn't there a team traveling from north to south America right now?" Yes there is. I just saw something about that in a magazine (Fuell maybe?). | ||
| Rocketman |
"Isn't there a team traveling from north to south America right now?" That would be nice to see. Any info online? Rocket | ||
| Kdan |
Yep, they have a cool website and it's in Spanish and it's in Fuell. They got a tour of the Buell factory and swag and everything. | ||
| Spiderman |
I'd circumnavigate the globe on a Uly. Who wants to sponsor... | ||
| Newfie_buell |
I'll chase you on a TT, Hell, I'd chase ya on the old Dnepr put the tools, equipment and spare bits in the sidecar. Sponsor required? Seriously though, I think a Uly would make it based on its current configuration. | ||
| Spiderman |
Sponsor, cause I am broke LOL AND I talked about this with another Bueller who has made cross country trips in regards to spending cash vs missing income when you are not working for X amount of days... I would do the whole thing on a stock Uly! | ||
| Blake |
Sean, Try to keep up old man... http://enlazandoamerica.com.ar/ing/mapa.html http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/327 77/231232.html http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/681 7/227661.html http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/238343.html http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/221644.html?1156226616#POST724467 http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/show .cgi?tpc=4062&post=768560#POST768560 and of course... http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/681 7/148672.html?1149478501 | ||
| Rocketman |
Well I must have missed the doamerica part of the title. Bloody Spaniards. They speak so fast it seems they write the bloody same.  And you expect me to read all that? Think I'll wait for the book to come out, lol. Rocket | ||
| Cyclonedon |
"Yep, they have a cool website and it's in Spanish and it's in Fuell. They got a tour of the Buell factory and swag and everything." click on the English flag at the bottom of the screen and it has the English version on their web site. I have e-mailed them and received a couple of e-mails back. They had some problems in Caracas Venezuela with their belongings stolen at their hotel while out eating, but they are back on their route now. Write them, they would enjoy hearing from you! http://enlazandoamerica.com.ar/ing/home.html | ||
| Newfie_buell |
Well there goes that idea for summer vacation!!!!! Hey Rocket, Come over this way and I'll set you off across the old railway bed on the DR650?!? Should take you a few days across the interior of the island. I'll meet you in Corner Brook on the other side and we'll have a big drink of Screech. | ||
| Rocketman |
Hey fellas I'm still reading (catching up on) Dave from VA amazing Uly thread. Don't tell anyone but I feel somewhat smitten by a black Ugly. Don't get me started. I'm still feeling the pain from eating my socks last week. Maybe Screech will dissolve them Newf  Rocket | ||
| Rasmonis |
What a great story, I hope they make it home safe and sound. At best, I plan on making a loop across the US. I miss riding on Rt 66 in MO. and hope to do so again soon. | ||
| Bison |
It's interesting that this topic of Buell's doing long distance and round the World type rides comes up. I recently completed a little ride that I REALLY wanted to do on my Ulysses. I approached Buell with the idea and they in their wisdom didn't see fit to give me any backing. So I did the ride on my old 1150 gs. Prudhoe Bay Alaska to Ushuaia Argentia in 21 days 2 hours and 8 minutes. Subject to certification this is a new record that I believe would have been really good for Buell. regards ref | ||
| Lowflyer |
Did BMW fess up some "backing?" If they didn't then, I wonder why you would not have gone ahead with the Uly if that is what you REALLY wanted to do, and you were going out of pocket anyway. | ||
| Bison |
Lowflyer and List I guess I should know better than to post on this list. It seems to me that no matter what you post somebody wants to take what appears to me to be a confrontational attitude. Although I really don't I need to justify my decisions to anyone I will comment since I opened the subject. I rode the gs because I have a long history with this motorcycle and the way it is prepared. The biggest thing from Buell was not money directly but dealer and parts support if needed since I have very limited experience with the Buell compared with the gs. No bmw did not give support. I did not ask for any since I have a real problem with bmw corporate, hence my change to the Ulysses. ref | ||
| Bison |
I would also like to add that in no way was I trying to put down Buell. I was just stating an instance that I thought they might have used to counter some of the bullshit that goes on about the reliability of Buell's. I also would like to say that my favorite ride at present is my Ulysses and my treatment by all things Buell has been great. ref | ||
| Rocketman |
ref, I understood your point and I too would be reluctant to ride a Buell from Alaska to Argentina without knowing somewhere along the line there would be help available if need be. The GS reliability does speak for itself. I'd have to agree. Buell missed an opportunity to promote their new Ulysses in a very positive way. Especially so if my understanding is correct that your route is popular amongst American adventure riders. For the home market what more could Buell ask for their Uly given what Ewan McGreggor and Charlie Borman have done for GS sales. After all, KTM's lack of Adventure sales prove KTM's mistake. 'The Long Way Round' book / DVD surely killed 'em whilst heaving BMW into stratospheric popularity. Maybe your problem was not starring in 'Star Wars'. Maybe if you were famous Buell would have given you two Ugly's Rocket | ||
| Ocbueller |
Rocket, You may have hit the nail on the head. If say a Brad Pitt walked in and asked for a sponsorship for his trans continental ride he probably would get it. SteveH | ||
| Daves |
Congrats on the new record Dick That is really cool. I wish you would've done it on the Uly too. | ||
| Lowflyer |
Geez, it was an honest question. I usually do whatever it is that I REALLY want to do. Brad Pitt might actually be worth sponsoring. BP carries a lot of potential exposure just being BP. News follows him around. You can get a lot more mileage from that sort of publicity than if some unknown guy does the same ride. Companies sponsor activities like this for a certain amount of exposure; not for shits and giggles or just because it's a good deal for the guy trying to get the sponsorship. The amount of publicity generated has to exceed the cost of the sponsorship by a wide enough margin to make it worth their while. Unless you offered to wear a chicken suit or something else that might actually draw some real attention, Buell did the right thing, and didn't miss out on shit IMO. I don't expect anybody to understand this; it's just the way it is. Congrats on the trip just the same. I wasn't really trying to piss you off. I reckon I am just good at it. | ||
| Rocketman |
You can get a lot more mileage from that sort of publicity than if some unknown guy does the same ride. It's worthy of note that the McGreggor / Borman effort was not supported by KTM nor even BMW. One manufacturer declined to GIVE motorcycles. The other didn't. Only when the exposure from the book, then the DVD came, did the manufacturer benefit. If the trip had failed for whatever reason, the publicity might not have been anywhere near as phenomenal or even wanted. The point is the people in this case put their story into a book, and a DVD, out of their own pocket. Armed with that carrott they approached several motorcycle manufacturers with a program of their intent and using their fame as a leverage to get motorcycles GIVEN in return for publicity. KTM saw the negative aspect. KTM have a large percentage of their business in the off road motorcycle sector. Failure for the trip could have damaged their business somewhat I'm sure. The KTM Adventure isn't that popular a motorcycle amongst the more seasoned adventure / touring rider either, so I doubt sales would have benefited as much with success as what the BMW sales did. BMW on the other hand had a very appealing and popular motorcycle to the more seasoned adventuring tourer type biker, sales being very good all round. BMW having no real exposure in the off road competition market saw an opportunity to prove their product. Really they had nothing to lose. They could in the event of a failed effort say their bike wasn't really suitable given its quirky design and heavyweight status. Or in the event of success they could sell a thousand more or ten thousand more motorcycles. That's why I believe Buell could have capitalised on a top to bottom American continental expedition. It doesn't have to be about the famous pilot. It could well have been ALL about the motorcycle. Rocket | ||
| Lowflyer |
It's worthy of note that the McGreggor / Borman effort was not supported by KTM nor even BMW. One manufacturer declined to GIVE motorcycles. The other didn't. Ewen and Charlie did get support from BMW in bikes and GPS units (see link below). They also received a lot of backing from a lot of manufacturers besides bike OEMs. They had a number of "carrots" in addition to their extraordinary route when they went to ask for sponsorships. If they had just asked for sponsorships based on the route alone, I bet it would have been a different story. Linky: http://www.longwayround.com/lwr.php The window in the right margin of the page above explains the level of support received from each sponsor. Point is that it's all about bang for the buck. That is all I was really talking about. (Message edited by lowflyer on November 25, 2006) | ||
| Rocketman |
You missed my point. BMW were invited after most everything else was already in place. They saw and seized an opportunity for great publicity, which is what Buell could have done with the American Continent effort. Like I said, once armed with several carrots McGregor / Borman approached several motorcycle manufacturers with a program of their intent and using their fame as a leverage to get motorcycles GIVEN in return for publicity. What they didn't get once they left London was any BMW support on the way around the world. The effort was always intended to be self sufficient. Your comments make it sound like BMW gave their all. They didn't. They gave three sat nav equipped motorcycles, a few days off road riding in Wales and some clothes. Rocket (Message edited by rocketman on November 26, 2006) | ||
| Lowflyer |
I'm with you, mostly. I thought you were saying they got nothing from BMW. My bad. I think we are saying the same thing. You have to go to the OEM with a shitload of carrots; not just an awesome trip. It also helps if you are rich and famous. Buell on the other hand gave squat for the guy riding the full length of the America's, which is probably why he chose to go on a BMW instead. My earlier question came up because the story was made to sound as if Buell was only considered for the trip if they coughed up a sponsorship. BMW was not held to that same standard which conflicted with the "REALLY wanted to take the Buell" statement. Semantics, I reckon. I was just curious because the title of this thread is not "BMWs around the world" or "Buells almost around the world." (Message edited by lowflyer on November 25, 2006) | ||
| Rocketman |
"REALLY wanted to take the Buell" Charlie Borman was adamant they were going on KTM's. Nothing was going to change his mind, until KTM themselves did. I believe it was the 'Road of Bones' that KTM's advisor, some ex Dakar jock, refused to sanction as part of the chosen route. The reason I put up this thread was to see if the Uly had been put through its paces under gruelling conditions. Dave from VA's trip through Utah and Colorado and the rest was truly wonderful. It's changed completely my view of the Uly. Believe it or not I think it's a great bike for doing exactly what he did. And didn't it look the part all loaded up and everywhere to go. What information I was hoping to garner was who has pulled an Uly through a river? Who has ridden one through 300 miles of stoney creek? Could an Uly have done 'The Long Way Round'? I see some reservations. The belt? The F.I (electronics)? The overall design of the platform? Is it up to the constant pounding and would the frame be strong enough and practical enough? These are the answers I was looking for. You think an Uly would do well in the Atlas mountains? Maybe a toe into the Sahara? Rocket | ||
| Lowflyer |
Charlie Borman was adamant they were going on KTM's. Nothing was going to change his mind, until KTM themselves did. I believe it was the 'Road of Bones' that KTM's advisor, some ex Dakar jock, refused to sanction as part of the chosen route. I own the DVD. The fact that they were looking for a bike sponsor was pretty clear. They were going with whichever OEM would provide the bikes. This apparently was not the case with Bison's trip. Buell was only considered as a sponsor. BMW was the bike of choice for the ride as evidenced by their not having to provide the bike for free. I think a Buell is capable of whatever the rider is prepared to deal with. I think you could ride one around the world, but you better bring a few spare parts (more or less the same as with any bike). Check out this dude who went Toronto to AK and back on a 50cc moped that broke almost every day: http://www.wmuma.com/moped78/index.html | ||
| Bison |
To any one who cares. The ride that I was referring to is known as the "Trans Americas". The previous record was held by an English couple at 35 days. See the details at globebusters.com. This type of ride is known in the IBA as an extreme long distance ride. I have some experience with this type of riding. In my experience to do this ride in a record time requires a number a things to be successful. While there are many things, the major ones for the motorcycle are lights and the electrical capacity to power them along with heated clothing,fuel capacity, wheel size to allow tire choice, and of course reliability. In my opinion there is no motorcycle that can fulfill the requirements with out modification.I think the Ulysses is capable of doing this ride but has some things that are compromises.The gs is also not perfect but when all things(of which there are to many to state here)were considered at the time I chose to ride the gs. This was not because Buell would not "provide a bike for free" (which was never asked for or considered).For the reasons stated previously I did not feel as confident on the Ulysses because of my lack of time with it and asked for parts and dealer support.My request to Buell was considered at the highest levels and for a number of reasons ( none of which have been discussed here)was turned down. I have no problem with that. I was treated with the utmost respect. I don't know of any other CEO of a motorcycle manufacturer that would deal directly with a customer such as myself.I hope this clarifies some of this discussion. Lowflyer As you have stated you are good at pissing people off. I would really like to know why you state your opinions as facts as well as making wild assumptions and again stating them as facts.How would you know that "Buell was only considered as a sponsor" or "BMW was the bike of choice for the ride as evidenced by their not having to provide the bike for free". Where was anything said that remotely allows your assumptions which you state as facts rather than just your opinions(and I am being really nice here). Since you seem to have a propensity for this type of bullshit on this list, here's a little challenge for you. Ride the Trans Americas ride on any motorcycle you wish beating my time according to the IBA standards and have it certified and I will donate $10000.00 US dollars to the charity of your choice. This is no bullshit and I will make out the cheque to be held by Mike Kneebone of the IBA when ever you say. I will give you two years since that is the time I put into the ride.By the way my true name in full is in my profile. ref |
