| Author | Message | ||
     Supertoon |
Hmartin  (couldn't have said it better) I test drove a 990 and a 08 gs, I also tryed a 08 Varadero and my buddy's strom. Last year me and some buds did about 2000 miles on rented GS's. The only bike that was close to being as visceral as the Uly was the KTM. The Honda and the Bimmer where perhaps logical, but 'bout as exciting as hemorroids. The more I think about it the, more I would probably do a strom, add some pipes, upgrade the suspension and still have 10 grand left over the Bimmer..... Just a though. | ||
| Crusty |
Doc; If you want to get a GS, then do so. I can understand your feelings of betrayal and abandonment, I think we're all feeling them. But selling your Uly would be playing right into the Mothership's hands. First off, you won't get squat for the Uly, since H-D is dumping their remaining inventory at prices somewhere around 1/2 MSRP. How much do you think you'll get for a four year old high mileage Uly when brand new 2010s are selling for six or seven grand? Also, if you keep it, you will get to enjoy it's unique virtues when the GS starts to get stale. The Uly is a very good motorcycle; Riding a GS will remind you how good it really is. Riding the Uly will also highlight the GS's virtues, so it becomes a win/win scenario. I was going to sell my XT next spring to help pay for the Norge I'm buying, but for what it will fetch, it's worth keeping from a purely economic sense. Plus, I like the idea of having enough bikes that I can choose which bike suits my mood today. Also, I just want to keep a working example of a great handling American motorcycle. I doubt we'll see one coming out of Milwaukee. | ||
| Kmartin |
Doc, I also have enjoyed reading your exploits, and expect the good stuff will continue to appear on ADV. I've been lurking here all summer, planning on getting a Uly this fall. I finally test rode one, and really wanted to like it for a number of reasons. Then I rode a Moto Guzzi Stelvio. That's the first bike I felt at home on immediately. I found a good ebay deal, and purchased a few days before "the announcement". I felt bad, mostly because I'd been reading BadWeb posts all summer and felt like this would be a fun group. As I said, I really wanted to like the Uly, and mostly did. But not like the Guzzi. If there's a dealer anywhere near Albuquerque, I strongly suggest you give one a try. | ||
| Dr_greg |
All right, all right, I'm not going to look around. But the ONLY reason is $$$. Darnit. I'm beginning to hate my job (engineering students now are not what they used to be...) and I really, REALLY, REALLY want to retire. Thought I'd stay at UNM till I was 70. But no way. And I've got three kids still living at home (two on the rebound). Plus the deadbeat Mrs. Greg. So economically it's absolutely out of the question. So I'm not gonna waste my (or any salesman's) time. To the folks who were gonna follow my search: I apologize. Thanks---I guess---for all the support. Hughlysses is absolutely right: I don't wanna replace the #$%^&* fan. I have a mind to just remove the blasted thing once and for all. I guess I'll have the privilege of doing this again when the next spark plug blows out...  | ||
| Dentguy |
Dr_greg What gives? Looking at GS's last year (I think) and looking again this year. You must have an itch for one, but both times you bailed. Are you sure it's not peer pressure? You'll definitely get plenty of that on here. | ||
| Technomad |
The grass is always greener on the other side. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
Plus the deadbeat Mrs. Greg. Doc, I would say you need to love her till death because she puts up with your love for motorcycling and that's a good thing!  Always enjoy your posts here on Badweb, keep them coming! | ||
| Luftkoph |
greener or just more manure | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
The only way for you to rid yourself of this Bavarian obsession is to buy one. either it sucks and you hate it and don't want another one or it kicks ass and you don't want another one! I wouldn't get rid of your 2006 collection just yet though  | ||
| Ourdee |
Doc, I almost have my second bike up and running. It is an 88 TW 200. Little, Bad, & Dirty. New line of students.....I must be getting old too....."what are they thinking?" The next generation can drive you nuts. And as far as Mrs. Greg, I know better. My wife and I's song is Paradise By The Dashboard Lights. I went to the 10-26 last ride yesterday and when all the XBs pulled in I could hear the howling fans....put a smile on my face. I was going to say hang in there ya ole grump, things will get better. But maybe they won't.  | ||
| Dynasport |
I understand the money thing. It kept me from buying a Buell for three years, even though I wanted one. I also test rode a GS, but I'll admit that it was a fairly short test ride. On that test ride my impression was that it was a nice bike, but not particularly exciting. I enjoyed my test ride on the XT better. I found the GS seat pushing me forward into to the tank. I don't read about others feeling the same, so maybe that is just me. The Uly definitely felt sportier to me, as well. But even if I had really liked the GS better, I still would have had a hard time buying one. The new ones were about 20 grand and the supply of used ones around here is pretty small and they seem to still fetch a premium price. The funny thing to me is that no matter what bike you are looking at, if you visit their boards very much you will find issues for every bike. Some more common and serious than others, but every board I have looked at has posts about problems with the bikes. The Beemers have the bad rap about the final drive failures. Multistradas have their own complaints. The Ulys have been far from perfect as well. I don't think there is a bike made that hasn't suffered from at least one issue. I really hope my Uly turns out to be reliable. I am NOT a mechanic and don't really want to be. I know in some people's minds that makes me less of a biker. Oh well, I still really enjoy RIDING motorcycles, I'm just not that mechanically inclined so working on them is not my cup of tea. And when it does break, as all things mechanical eventually do, I hope there is still a dealer around who works on them. For now I am willing to take that risk. Best of luck to you. Finally, my advice, which is worth what you paid for it, is to buy a GS if you can afford one, and keep the Uly too. You won't get jack for it if you sell it anyway. Ride them both. If you find you like the Uly better, you can probably sell the GS for what you paid for it, or close anyway. And you'll finally get the GS out of your system. If you can't afford a GS now, stay off the GS boards, you'll only frustrate yourself. I know I did that to myself here for three years. | ||
| Jphish |
Hey Doc - now that you've made the decision you can move on. It's the indecision that causes most our grief. So enjoy your 'yelo Uly' it's a fine machine & you know all it's quirks and can do all work...you don't need no stinkin dealer support. (just parts & ya got the extra Uly, complete with deer hair, as a parts bin) You're in the catbird seat Pal. j | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
You gotta wonder if in the small amount of cases where a plug blows out of the bike if: The original plug was partially cross threaded into the engine by the manufacturer and then repaired with a thread chaser. Now you have a weaker set of threads and eventually they fail and out flies the plug. Manufacturer is never going to say a thing about it because they have forgotten it ever happened. Just a theory. | ||
| Atoms |
if: The original plug was partially cross threaded into the engine by the manufacturer and then repaired with a thread chaser. This past weekend I destroyed the ashtabula crank on my Schwinn by removing a *Right* pedal from the left crank! There were two right pedals on the bike, so of course the threads on the left would be totally stripped or reversed even if could get whats left of the pedal bolt out of the crank. They were stock pedals so I have to assume that the pedals came that way from the factory. But there our stories diverge. Now I have an excuse to upgrade the whole Weighs a Ton crankset to something light and modern (and black!), but poor Doc gets nothing but work and grief from his blown plug. | ||
| Strokizator |
Before I replaced my crashed Uly with another on, I looked at my options. I went to the BMW dealer to look at the 800 & 1200 and after just one look at those weird beasts, I turned around without even talking to anyone. I ended up buying an '07 KTM 990 for close to what the insurance company gave me for my '06 Uly. Went on a 650 mile trip this past weekend via Bishop, Bodie and Yosemite. The verdict is that the Uly was more comfortable, got better fuel mileage and I enjoyed the characteristics of the engine more. The KTM is a much more capable offroad machine and handles surprisingly well in the twisties. Maintenance is more intense on the KTM. | ||
| Svh |
Plus the deadbeat Mrs. Greg.  That is one of the funniest things i have read this week. Good luck with the Uly's Dr_Greg. Always like your posts even the ones where you threaten to leave. | ||
| Gbaz |
Strange thing is he looks exactly like a professor I had when I was in college at UNO.  Got out with a BS in mechanical engineering in 2001.  | ||
| Dr_greg |
If you mean University of New Orleans, I actually interviewed there in March 1976 while finishing my Ph.D. at Stanford. Decided to come to UNM instead. Good to hear from another M.E. --Doc | ||
| Hughlysses |
We seem to have a bunch of ME's here; Blake and I are two others I know of. | ||
| Gbaz |
We could start our own ASME chapter... You made a good choice in going to UNM. I liked UNO, but New Orleans is a real shit hole. Nice place to visit, but sucks to live here. Im looking for a 2010 Xb12x, finally found one 7 hours away... Was going to go BMW, but with Buell shutting down i really want another one. | ||
| Jphish |
Hey Doc - That picture... "Nice pair a jugs" look like 1200's | ||
| Road_kill |
+1 another ME here I don't need another bike (a few too many "projects" in the garage already) and don't really want to spend the money, but recent events have me looking for a 2010 XB12X. | ||
| Dr_greg |
I plan to look, talk, and ride a GS Thursday (yeah, I know I said...) It's raining today, and forecast is for snow tonight and tomorrow. Are the weather gods trying to tell me something? --Doc | ||
| Jphish |
Make sure that test ride GS has those Scandinavian ice racing tires. Of course the gods are sending you a message... | ||
| Rubberdown |
The GS Adventure is the bike to ride. It's a wonderful machine. | ||
| Pirnie |
I found the best place to be ignored is my local BMW dealership. Unless you have a certain "look" you can be invisible there. I have to find a salesperson to get any help. On time I had to apologize for breaking up a group of salesmen who were engaged in a heated football discussion, ignoring all the customers on the floor. | ||
| Glenn |
+1 on another ME too! | ||
| Hmartin |
I wonder what they'd say the Uly's worth in trade. For a good laugh, tell him you want what's in the NADA book. I further wonder if the insurance companies have adjusted Buells' FMV already. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Trade in the deer hunter! | ||
| Dentguy |
I found the best place to be ignored is my local BMW dealership. A Buell dealer was the best place for me to be ignored. (Message edited by dentguy on October 28, 2009) |
