| Author | Message | ||
     Danger_dave |
>>two cant be compared off road.<< I don't think anybody is saying that they can be compared, just that it's do-able. Nor is it a smart thing to do, mess up a show bike, but when someone throws me the keys and says 'see what it will do' - I do see what it can or can't do. Most of them deal nicely with slip-sliding up a dirt road. Lighting up the back wheel on that goldwing was a hoot. If you are talking 'serious' off road - both choices are poor. Limited by the available tyres. Again not to say that it can't be done. | ||
| Danger_dave |
Easy pickins in the dry - wouldn't like to do this in the rain without knobbys.  (Message edited by danger_dave on August 13, 2010) | ||
| Danger_dave |
I like this 'wing photo that I found again looking for those dirt road pics.  That is SH22 - on my day ride for the past 10 years. The Uly is the best bike for me here. No doubt at all. Fabuloso. I've spent most of those 10 years working for a bike mag part time and have ridden 'everything'. Given the choice I'd still buy another Uly if it was my only bike (and they still made them of course - gutted they ain't). This is not far from where I lived for the 10 years prior.  It's like that for another 50 miles before it meets the superslab that runs up and down the coast. A Road King would work best for me, if I ever go back I think. A lounge chair for two is the best solution. | ||
| Danger_dave |
Nice looking at these old pics. Very early digitals from a Kodak. Last time I went back I hired a Sprint ST. At that time I was an ardent Triumph-only guy.  3 days in a part-racing crouch with hardly a corner. It was about then the 'right tool for the job' penny dropped for me. (Message edited by danger_dave on August 13, 2010) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
What is it with you and Jerry arguing indefinitely for H-D's over Buells in such situations when you know it isn't true? What is it with your blinding hatred whenever someone throws a Harley-Davidson motorcycle a bone? Here's the original post: Need some input for a friend who's looking to buy bike. So, who has or has had both a Uly and a H-D bagger of some sorts? Take a moment and look thru the responses. Some of them are from folks who have extended seat time on both motorcycles in question, and have taken the time to give thoughtful replies. Several of the responses, however, have painted an incorrect picture of what a bagger can or cannot do. Typically, input like this comes from people who've NEVER ridden one, or if they have, it was a ten-minute demo parade. This has about the same validity at someone stating what a Buell can or cannot do without the seat time to back up their assertions. At no point have I said a bagger is the equal of a Uly in the dirt. As I stated earlier, it CAN'T be. But it CAN be used in the dirt, it CAN be used in the twisties, and it actually does a lot better job in these venues than the Internet "experts" would have the sheeple believe. My Harley has been a good motorcycle, and I ought to be able to take the opportunity now and then here on BadWeB and say so. I didn't kill Buell, nor did my motorcycle, nor did the people who founded the company, or who managed and worked for the company for the first century-plus of its existence. If you're bitter about the closure of Buell, I understand. Maybe I don't understand to the level and depth that you do, but I understand. My intent is not to "crow" about Harley-Davidson motorcycles. But the fact remains that I own one, I ride the snot out of it, I've ridden the damn things for a good portion of my adult life, and I've also ridden a ton of miles on a ton of different Buells. I don't claim to be an expert on ANYTHING, but I do know a bagger is a lot more capable than many people think. Damn, this is such a frikking waste of my time. DD, post away, dude - you can have this one. FB | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
PS: And I haven't ridden with Ferris, (never met him but would love to)... Dynasport, thank you. If you ever find yourself pointed toward the Appalachians, please give a shout.  Regards, FB | ||
| Danger_dave |
I think you've covered it. Except the expert part. I have very good credentials. I know everything. | ||
| Nevrenuf |
hey dynasport, when you and your buddies head up to N.C., you really need to track Jerry down and play follow the leader. i'm sure you'll have a puckered moment more than once. | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Neil, I'll be the one having the pucker moments... Looking forward to our next ride. Take care, FB | ||
| Blake |
The Uly is one of the most adept all around road bikes ever made. A Road King is not. On a Uly you can go enjoy a track day and not get lapped before your 2nd lap is complete. On a Uly you can hop curbs without a second thought, or casually catch some air jumping the railroad crossing. On a Uly you can climb a dirt bridge/overpass embankment as a matter of course. On a Uly you can best the most gnarly of twisty, hilly, bumpy, patched-up, pot-holed roads with near abandon and shear pleasure. When it comes to versatility, I don't know any road bike that would embarrass a Uly. All that said, anyone who is trying to decide between an adventure sport bike like the Buell Ulysses and a heavyweight bagger like a Road King I suggest needs to decide what kind of bike he prefers, what kind of riding he will typically be doing. A Uly is not infinitely removed from being Dakar-capable. A Road King is. The only practical advantages the RK offers that I can see are floor-boards, highway pegs, and a much lower seat. The Ulysses offers 300 pounds less weight, greater ground clearance, lots more suspension travel, more power, better braking, better fuel economy, greater available lean angle, all for near half the price. Practically speaking, it's a no contest. And of course there's all us here at BadWeB too. | ||
| Bartimus |
"sheeple " I love that one Ferris!  | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Blake, you and me need to go riding some time, you on your Ulysses (God's own gift to the motorcycling world, it would seem), me on my lowly old Road King (spit), a bike which by nearly all accounts sucks so hard on so many levels it prolly oughtta be sent straight to the crusher. Then you can show me first-hand what a fine and capable steed the Uly truly is. What say you, amigo? FB PS: Who's posting Anon on this thread? I'd like to know who's taking cheap shots at me. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on August 13, 2010) | ||
| Hotrats |
FB your photo taken in Eden? you go there often? if so, give a shout. there are good burgers on the other side of town. andyh | ||
| Jb2 |
Okay the coals are still glowing so it's time for this old Hoosierbilly to throw a little gas on the fire. Let me preface by saying that I have absolutely no seat time on a Uly and minimal on a Rodent King. I'm not much of a rider, more a cruiser and wannabe than anything. The Road King scared the shit out of me having jumped off an S3 onto my buddy's new '96 RK. So it wasn't a fair test run because I made it up the road 2 miles and demanded my Buell back. The only time I ever sat on a Uly I nearly knocked it over trying to get in the saddle and refused to ride it because of the height. Having proved I am not worthy to evaluate either bike I can share a story by a close friend. He owns a Road Glide and a Uly. Since he bought the Uly the RG has sat idle collecting dust. That's a decision maker in my mind... if I had never rode with Ferris. There's not many places anyone here on a Uly can go that he wouldn't be hot on your tracks. Or, even better, you might be forever trying to pass him cause you just can't get it done on the Uly. In the end it is personal preference. Anyone can learn to ride any bike well if they set their mind to it. I've seen it too many times. For all the facts and stats someone can post up to promote their favorite ride there is someone who can ride a worse choice of bike, better. I've maintained that I'm at best an average rider. When I was a pup on my first real motorcycle(Honda S90) we had a neighbor that raced MX. He had a new Honda 350 4-stroke that wowed me. Man it was fast and responsive. We had a 1/2 mile dirt track behind the house that I ran laps every evening after school. Larry showed up one evening on his new 350 to run some break-in laps. I ended up lapping him several times before he threw his helmet in disgust. It wasn't that the S90 was faster or that I was a better rider. It was simply because I knew my bike better than he knew his. I'll bet there are people who could ride an RK just about any place a trials bike could go. By the same token I'll bet there are very few Uly riders who could successfully ride an RK well anywhere except for a straight strip of asphalt. Ride Well, no matter what you ride, JB2 (Message edited by jb2 on August 13, 2010) | ||
| Rainman |
I ain't no Danger Dave or Ferris Bueller. I'm just a lowly commuter who rides to and from meetings and interviews on his bike. I did ride a lowered, souped, torque-ladeb 1200 Sportster on a Blue Ridge Mountain "driveway" one day, a driveway that turned out to be 3-mile rocky cowpath up and down a mountain ridge. Very exciting. Two hours later, rode it back down the path. The Sportster worked, but I was a hell of a lot more tired at the end of it than I would have been on an STT or Uly or TW200 for that matter. My riding is mostly on city streets. I get a few weekend trips to the mountains and occasional freeway jaunts. My Blast works well for that. If the guy to whom this post was originally written spends a lot of highway time, the bagger would be better. If he's going to corner a lot or go pig-pathing, the Uly. To misquote Rumsfeld: You don't go touring (backroading) on the bike you want, you go on the bike you got." | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
FB your photo taken in Eden? you go there often? if so, give a shout. there are good burgers on the other side of town. andyh Yes, my photo. Not often, typically with Carlost when we're runnin' on Mexican Time. Will try to give a holler next time we're headed that way. Ride Well, no matter what you ride As always, sage advice from a real rider - thx, bro. FB | ||
| Greg_e |
Victory? Never ridden one but it might not leave such a bad after taste for people here. | ||
| Jb2 |
Greg_e Currently riding a Vegas. Didn't think I'd like it but I have adapted well and really enjoy the bike. Well enough in fact that I have a new one in my gun sights. JB2 | ||
| Spiderman |
Screw youse alls! This is how it's done!  | ||
| Jb2 |
Hey there's a raccoon running around the campground with Spiderman stuck up his ass! | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Bravo! Bravo!  | ||
| Xl1200r |
It seems people are really hung up on the off-road capabilities of the bikes. I think we all need to get a little real here. Despite its higher ride height, the Uly is still running a 17" front wheel and tires that are *just* barely on 'that' of street tires. And when you bottom the Road King out on a log, you aren't going to smash the muffler into oblivion. I think the point has been made over and over... You can take a friggin' school bus to a test and tune night at your local dragway. You're not going to win any races, but it'll go down the track just fine. The point is not that a Road King is better in any situation than a Uly, but merely that a Road King isn't as limited as many would think. A dirt road won't stop it. I'm still, after two washings and some miles, scraping caked on dirt, mud and gravel from the underside of my S3T. Just because a Uly could do it better doesn't mean anything else can't do it at all. | ||
| Greg_e |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDzd5CKx_dk | ||
| Madduck |
FB, Your FBRAT ride actually was one of the important "doings" to successfully launch the new Uly. The runup to the ride got people talking about and going into dealers just to see this bike. Maybe responsible for selling the first few hundred. You've done your part and a lot of us are grateful. I've heard from a number of dealer friends that the Uly was the first Buell that had customers waiting in line before they had seen one and it meant a lot to them, some of them miss Buell even more than we do. Buell riders bring an excitement and a passion for motorcycles that any dealer would kill to have in his customers. Take care | ||
| Needs_o2 |
Hey guys, The real point of my thread was to give my friend some different opinions, not to solve the great debate of "THE BEST BIKE EVER MADE"!  So' I'm sure all your opinions will resonate with him in his decision. Keep in mind two wheels is two wheels!  And besides, they are both made in  (for now!) LOL Jeff | ||
| Forerunner |
FB, Clearly the RK can do all the things you've mentioned, since you've done them. But how easily can it do those things compared to a Uly? How much of those capabilities come from rider skill? You're very experienced and I don't doubt that you could take any bike offroad and make it work. A teammate of Eddie Merckx once said "Eddie can beat me on my bike, but I can't beat him on his." Nels | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
MadDuck, good to hear from you, and hope you're well. The FBRAT ride was pretty intense. Never shoulda happened, but once the snowball started rolling I had to run with it. I was glad to be "back" to the world of Buells again, and based on what I'd read and heard about the new Uly, knew for a fact I'd have one of my own when I finished the ride. For me, it was not meant to be. My '98 VFR was a literal eye-opener as to how competent and capable and buttery-refined a motorcycle could be, even with 60k on the clock when I sold it. Alas, the ergos were just a teeny bit too tight for my battered right knee, and it went away for a V-Strom 1000. Lovely motorcycle, the V-Strom. No, not in the looks department, but in nearly every other respect. Probably the most comfortable motorcycle I've ever ridden for hammering out back-to-back high-mile days. Butt ugly, tho (IMO), and that, combined with the tall seat height (not a "fault" of the bike, but an important consideration with the stumps I call legs) made it go away for an '05 FJR. Sheesh, what a rocket! Imagine being bored cruising along at 150 mph. Happened in central Oregon one time, and nearly cost me my license. A ballistic motorcycle, to be sure, but somehow boring as well, and that, combined with the ability to torch a brand-new back tire right down to the cords over the course of a three-day weekend, along with MASSIVE radiated engine heat (if I wore jeans when I rode, I'd get blisters on my legs) made it go away. When I was sniffing around the FJR I REALLY wanted a Road King. I remember the very first one I ever saw, just after they were introduced. I made up my mind I'd have one someday. Took awhile - front-row seats always go for a premium - but thru some good timing and dumb luck (and HDFSI's willingness to carry someone as risky as me), I finally got the bike of my dreams in April of 2006. I've ridden Harleys since 1984, but I've owned and ridden a lot of other bikes, too. I like 'em all. But... ...the Road King is the bike I've always wanted. If it was a POS, I'd have offed it already and looked for something better. I'm hard on my motors - ask anyone who's ever ridden with me. The RK has taken it all in stride. Knocks down 50 mpg if I'm riding like the Grampa I'll soon be, gets 45 mpg riding with Los Only Boyz, and has gone places a machine like this was never meant to go. It rolled over 47k last weekend, and I wouldn't hesitate for a second to hop on it right now and ride around the world, over and over and over. Nope, it won't keep up with a well-ridden Uly, or a well-ridden 1125R, or prolly a well-ridden ANYTHING. But it sure works for me, and I reckon that's all that counts. Good to hear from you, amigo. FB | ||
| Reepicheep |
This isn't meant as any kind of slam, it just occured to me on the ride home thinking about this thread... Take a Uly, and "cap" it's RPM and power output to what is consistent with the performance envelope of a Road King (find 0 to 90 times, and put on a throttle stop and back down the Uly redline until its HP is low enough that both bikes hit 90 mph neck and neck). Say that was a 5300 RPM redline. I wonder what kind of fuel economoy, and long term life, you would get out of the motor. I think it would be pretty insanely good. It's consistent with an idea I was thinking about for a while, which is to ask Erik Buell Racing for a "super reliability" custom ECM. (Message edited by reepicheep on August 13, 2010) | ||
| Sifo |
Is this thread about the desires of a specific potential buyer anymore? I don't see any responses tailored to what the potential buyer is looking for, but I can't say that I've kept up with every post. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Here's one; As I stated on page one, I have both. I just had to put the battery charger on the Ultra again because it seems to sit in the garage most of the time. |
