| Author | Message | ||
     Red5 |
Navy Vet here... And I prefer to buy American. So the buell already has that going for it. My 02 DL1000 has about 12 k on it new tires and it runs strong. I've owned over a hundred bikes in my life. I'm now 48. I do lite trail riding on the VSTROM, crossing creeks and such.. See video of me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7ahRbyE3ww I'm wondering how these two bikes will stack up to one another? Is one better in the dirt or street? Guessing they have about the same power. Anything major I need ot look for on the buell? Any help appreciated. Matt | ||
| Tootal |
A good friend has the Suzy and he loves it. I would say it's better off road just because of the Uly's 17" front wheel. On twisties the Uly will corner better for sure. Chassis dynamics and wheel size once again make it quick turning. The Suzy motor is a great copy of a Ducati without the complex valve actuation and is pretty much bullet proof! The lump Harley derivative is surprisingly fun to play with. The radical cams give it high rpm zip like a two stroke yet you can slow down and play with the torque too. Kind of a Jeckyl and Hyde motor. Personally I think you're going to love it. For all practical purposes the Suzy is the better machine on paper but once you experience the fun factor of the Buell you'll understand! I will say, I went from a Cagiva Gran Canyon, which is what Suzuki copied, to the Uly. The sit up and beg sitting position and the fork sticking out there were a lot different than the Uly's high seat, forward leaning and "where's the front end" stature. It takes a while to get used to the fact that when you toss it in the corner you really aren't going to do a face plant!!! It's a hoot!  | ||
| Trevd |
Lite trail riding? I didn't see much riding going on in that video! Lots of mud though!  I'd say for that kind of riding, neither the V-Strom or the Uly is ideal. Perhaps a Jeep? I've had my Uly for 6 years, and compared to the V-Strom it is "visceral". My one ride on a V-Strom was boring... It was fine, but nothing exciting. The Uly gets exciting all the time - tons of character. | ||
| Reepicheep |
The Uly performs better (yes, I have ridden a VStrom) in pretty much every category. Handling, acceleration, braking, cornering clearance, you name it. The VStrom is a more long term reliable bike. It will continue to run well long after you can't stand to look at it or ride it.  Buy a 95 or later KDX-200 or KDX-220 to ride in the dirt, and keep the street bikes on the street. You will thank me, your orthopedic doctor won't. | ||
| Figorvonbuellingham |
Not much chance of getting through axle deep mud by merely inching into it.... | ||
| Charlie_zulu |
"Not much chance of getting through axle deep mud by merely inching into it…." ^^^^^^ | ||
| Jetranger_2000 |
I just ran a set of TKC80 to the bone and really didn't do much off-roading. I planned on doing a lot when I bought them but after a few trail rides I realized that it's really not a great bike for off-roading. The issues I had with the uly were Front tire too small-lots of road rash from rocks and such-- not enough side wall Rear tire too big- to wide and not enough side wall I switched to the xb9 primary and still had to constantly feather the clutch-- can't imagine the xb12 primary Hard to stand up without spending the money on drop pegs and bar extenders(which I do have on mine) Runs hot when going slow Heavy to pick up when u drop it(damhik) ON THE ROAD I LOVE THIS BIKE it's fast Smooth Quick Fun.......... I think about trading it almost every day, but as soon as I get on it I love it and can't do it | ||
| Reepicheep |
Hey Red, I just noticed you are in Louisville. If you get up to the Cincinnati area (I am in Lebanon at the next exit past Kings Island), I have a KDX-200 you can borrow for a day if you want to see how much fun dirt can really be. There is a dirt track with some trails about 30 minutes from me... $30 or something for a day. You can take the Uly for a ride too if you want. It is a pretty area. Leave the VStrom as a deposit while you are on one of the other bikes. | ||
| Ourdee |
Yep, both bikes will sit and spin about the same in that mud. | ||
| Reepicheep |
The KDX, with a gnarly set of knobbies, won't sit and spin. Nothing like a 200 pound 25 HP bike to make you feel like a hero | ||
| Uly_man |
Everything these Guys are saying and in particularly the "off road" aspect. Road tires will never cut it off road in wet conditions. Just try it on wet grass and it will scare you enough to not want to do it in mud etc unless you have a great deal of skill. Both these bikes are in that "adventure" class that has come about from the success of the GS BMWs but in reality they are just good "all round" bikes. I would say that the Uly is more of a naked "muscle/ sports" bike and far superior to the Strom as long as you do not need a 150 mph+ bike. And lets face facts how many times are you going to need that on the open road. I have not had a hundred bikes but have had enough of various types and brands to know a good one. The Uly has a number of minor design issues (and NO I do not consider the wheel bearings as one of them) but these are easy and cheap to fix. I think the main problem has been the quality of some of the electrical components. Yes you are buying an American bike but it would be the same as me saying that I am going to buy a (modern British) Triumph bike for the same patriotic reasons. The facts are that many parts are bought in from outside these country's. All I know is that the Uly is the best bike I have EVER had, bar none, and the reason I had to buy a second one. However DO NOT buy one if all you can do to solve any issues is to take it to a dealer (or other party) to fix it. Saying that though I believe any decent motorcycle technician should be able to fix most things. | ||
| Crempel |
I have actually owned both and put about 35000 miles on each. Still have Uly. I don't offroad bikes of this size. I buy them as comfortable sportbikes. Here's some comparison points. Strom suspension is garbage! Cheapest they could find. For quick paced road riding it offers little control. Especally after you have a few thousand miles on the bike. Uly has quality suspension, fully adjustable and well controlled. I ultimately sold the Strom because it has no ground clearance in the twisters. Several times entered well know corners at what I thought was a comfortably quick pace and started dragging hard parts. After a couple of near crashes I had enough. With the Uly, if you drag something on the street, you are riding WAY too fast. Enter a corner a little hotter than you should have? No problem, just lean over some more. Clearance to spare. Reliability has never been an issue for my Uly. Replaced one fork seal and one belt. Nothing else has ever failed. Uly gets great gas mileage. I always found the Strom produced a lot of turbulence off the windscreen. Much better on Uly and plenty of screens to choose from. Strom is much better in hot weather from a radiant heat standpoint. Uly is a toaster. Uly also feels much smaller and compact which I like. Strom full of gas is very noticeably top heavy. Just some of my experience. Cheers. | ||
| Uly_man |
"I buy them as comfortable sportbikes". This is why I have a Uly and also because it is good if you are a tall rider. Nothing else comes close. "Strom suspension is garbage! Cheapest they could find". I am not at all surprised by this especially with a Suzuki. If you get 30k miles on a Jap bike you are doing VERY well since most start to "go off" by 10k miles and are toast at 20k. In fact, or at least what I found, is that you can actually, if you know the difference, feel it wearing out if you run the bike a lot. What happens is that you set the bike up but after a while it starts to feel a little odd IE A bit like the tires are a touch flat or something. You check this and adjust the settings to no effect and think it is just you. So you keep riding while adjusting for this until one day it is so bad you get the bike checked over and they tell you the shock is toast and you are just riding on the spring. The suspension on the Uly (Showa) is superb quality and well designed/ tuned for road work. | ||
| Glenn |
I have both, a 2007 Uly and a 2012 Adventure 650 Vstrom. I did have to put emulators in the front forks of the Vstrom to get it to my liking. For reference I weigh about 165lbs and am a tad over 6" tall. Both are great bikes but the Uly is the one that really puts a smile on my face and say to my myself, "This is a great bike!" | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Back in '07, I bought my '06 Uly. A good friend was shopping at the same time and decided on a DL 1000. We rode a lot together and decided that the performance, capabilities and fuel mileage were pretty evenly matched. That is where the similarity ends, however. The Strom is a pain to maintain. I helped him install his new racks and Givi bags and it was a pain. Doing ANY work to that bike is a pain! His Strom has been garaged for years because it developed a knock and he won't fix it. He hates to work on the bike. He has never even seen the air cleaner! The Uly is easy to work on so when it's time to fix or maintain it, I jump right on it and knock it out quickly. Then there is the sound. The sound really is something to seriously consider because 100% of the time you are riding, you are hearing the bike. Buells make a wonderful set of sounds. Guttural, throaty roar under power and a hot rod lumpy-lopey idle. I never tire of those sounds. My wife dances to that sound as it warms up before a ride. The Strom whines. If I had one I would have to do something about that stat. What I would do is to remove the gas cap and roll a Buell under it. | ||
| Crempel |
I guess the best way I can put it is this; I would never want the Strom back after having owned the Uly for 7 years.. The Uly isn't perfect, but it's a quality solid piece. I traded bikes with a guy on a Harley Road Glide a while back. When I got back on mine I couldn't believe how small and tight everything felt. | ||
| Billy_bee |
You weren't expecting objectivity here, we're you? Good. Then, I'll contribute my 2 cents: it boils down to character. The Uly has it. The Strom doesn't. Reliability: With a little knowledge of the bike, the Uly is dead reliable. Take care of it and it won't strand you. Ignore it, and it will go away. I consider the weak points a more-than-fair trade-off to the Strom's higher maintenance: valves, chain, sprockets need care and feeding. Ride-ability: the Buell is safer, lighter, better handling, better braking, and more fun. The Strom is vanilla in every imaginable ride-ability category. Not bad, but not noteworthy. Hey, maybe vanilla is what you like. I ride because of a passion I have for the visceral experience of a motorcycle. The Buell offers pleasing feedback to all the senses. The Strom? Meh... So, it boils down to character and the Buell delivers in spades. Do I occasionally find myself wishing I were riding something a little less toasty on warm days? Certainly. But do I care when a corner scratches at my chicken strips? Nope. My Uly and my ATK 605 are the most interesting and fun bikes I've ever owned. And I sold the ATK. HUGE MISTAKE! I won't make the same mistake with the Uly. bb PS: anybody know of a good, affordable ATK for sale anywhere? Looking to dump my milquetoast DR650 and get back on a dual sport that excites my passions... PPS: my Transalp was a very interesting bike, too. Owned a few. Wish I'd kept one in the stable. Guzzi V65TT, BMW R80GS, and BMW R90/sidecar rig too... | ||
| Portero72 |
I'll be the dewmoss who takes exception to the poor opinions of Vstrom here. At least in terms of the 2014 and newer bikes. I test rode a 2014 Vstrom 1000 before I bought my Tiger and was VERY impressed with the suspension, brakes, AND power delivery. The brakes were sportbike strong and the front end showed almost zero dive, even with emergency force on them. The power was impressive. Max torque at 4k rpm, solid till 7500, and signs off after that. Almost sounds like a Uly, no? The reason I bought a Tiger over the Vstrom? First, the Triumph is badass and wicked capable. Second, the Vstrom was almost TOO similar to the Buell in many respects-and I am keeping my Uly! | ||
| Uly_man |
"You weren't expecting objectivity here, we're you?". You will with me. Stone ass cold as I have no "brand" loyalty to anyone. It takes me around six months riding to asses a bike to the full. Something that can not be done by a biking journalist running it around a race track for half an hour. You need to "live" with a bike to find out what it can do in the real world. I am not going to get into why people buy the bikes they do as the reasons are many and complicated. All I do know is that you can not buy a better bike, for the money, than a Uly unless you want to ride around at 150 mph all the time that is. | ||
| Glenn |
Like I said, both are good bikes for me, the Uly the best but I do like the Vstrom too. I don't find the maintenance to be any worse than other bikes, they're by their nature compact and sometimes tough to get at things. With my front fork changes the Vstrom is almost as good as the Uly in the corners but the Uly wins the all around best bike for me. | ||
| Buewulf |
The Uly will perform just as poorly in the dirt as the V-Strom. So I wouldn't worry about that aspect of it. I don't care what anybody says: the Ulysses is not a reliable machine in my opinion, generally speaking of course. Some people have little to no problems with them throughout their ownership, and that is great. Some people have a very different idea of what "reliable" means and consider the bike to be "reliable", and that is fine too. Many of the most common issues can be fixed before they break. Having to "make" a bike reliable isn't the same thing as "reliable" to me either, but at least you can save yourself the frustration of being stranded for known issues. I will say that parts are cheap and the knowledge resources available from this site can make anyone look like a shade tree hero. Most bike models have their issues: the Ulysses just has more than most. I think the bike is a pain to work on, but most bikes are these days. I'd much rather wrench on the Uly than the KTM Adventure it replaced, but it isn't nearly as easy as working on the BMW boxer that preceded the KTM. I have no experience working on a Strom. The stock suspension bits are really good. (You really need to adjust them properly too, or the bike will handle like an overcooked spaghetti noodle on two wheels.) You certainly couldn't call the bike nimble, but it handles very well given how large a bike it is and can give most bikes a run for their money up to about a 7/10ths pace. The brakes are a weak point, in my opinion. They are strong, but I haven't found a pad that gives me really good feel for what the brakes are doing, and they will start to fade quickly if you are really abusing them. The engine is what it is, and I hated it at first. I eventually grew to appreciate it more, but I won't lie and say that I like the engine. It isn't an exciting mill by any stretch of the imagination, but you can have some fun with it once you figure out how to stop bouncing off the redline with every shift. A lot of people say the Uly engine has "character", but I think that really just means it is unrefined, makes lots of strange noises, runs really hot and shakes a lot. I don't like any of those attributes, but hey - to each his own. Now you may be thinking that I am trying to talk you out of buying one, but that isn't the case. I really enjoy riding mine: it is a comfortable sport-touring bike with just enough suspension travel to make off-roading tolerable. Mine has been on the TAT, the local race track and the super slab that got me to both. It is a very versatile machine. The Uly has its quirks, and you are much more likely to have to break out your tools and a multimeter on a far more regular basis than some other bikes out there. So long as that doesn't scare you (or perhaps you even consider that part of the ownership experience!), a Ulysses can be a great buy considering how cheap you can pick one up for. But they are only right for a certain type of buyer. Make sure you are one of them before committing. | ||
| Sagehawk |
Buewulf: have you looked at yours yet? | ||
| Buewulf |
Sagehawk, I haven't looked at it at all. I promised my wife that if the bike were still sitting in the same spot at the beginning of October that she could call the local charity to come pick it up.  I keep telling myself that "this" weekend I'll find the time to tear into it. But whenever "this" weekend comes around, I always decide that I would prefer to be riding a motorcycle than working on one. That is the only negative of having more than one bike: there is no urgency to fix the one that isn't running. | ||
| Sagehawk |
Buewulf, you have a nice wife. First time road king died, I let it set two weeks. Mine told me to get out in garage and get to work on that sob. It was what I needed apparently. This time, bikes been in garage 3 years and finishing that bathroom is so in front of that bike. Oh well. | ||
| Sagehawk |
If you are going to offload that thing, give another bueller a shot at it. There's still tough love out there for these bikes! | ||
| Crempel |
When I made my comments bout the Vstrom I owned, I was by no means saying the bike was a piece of crap. It was good enough for me to own and ride 35,000 miles. In response to the person who talked about the '14, that's a completely different situation. Different suspension, brakes, all kinds of stuff. Same basic engine but that was not the issue. Power does not equal fast on a twisty road. Chassis setup I.e. suspension control is what makes a bike rideable. Ever watch MotoGP. The teams spend all their time chasing the right setup. Rarely mention power. That's where the Vstrom sucked. Suspension was so poor you couldn't safely ride quickly. If I was a rider who sport TOURED not a rider who SPORT tours, I would have liked the bike better. | ||
| Uly_man |
"If I was a rider who sport TOURED not a rider who SPORT tours, I would have liked the bike better". Well said Sir. And, if I may be so bold, is what the Uly does for me. As a rider who likes a good handling bike, because that for me is the fun bit not the top end speed, I have never had better at any price. I would say it flatters ones ability's as a rider in the same way you hear from pilots, of certain aircraft, or musicians with great instruments. All the bikes I have ever had needed to be "ridden". Or to put it another way you need to actively compensate for its limitations/ design. NOT the case with this bike. I also find, unlike other very sporty bikes, it is VERY stress fee to ride in any conditions. | ||
| Jstav2012 |
buewulf, if you want to donate that uly to me, I'll come pick it up in my truck and get it running  I think we live in the same area. | ||
| Billy_bee |
I have been following this thread with some interest in the varying perspectives, particularly on reliability and maintenance. I did a little research and re-read this article from Cycle World. Their impressions are consistent with my feelings about the bike. Worth a read if you are wondering how the Buell was perceived at its initial product launch. http://www.cycleworld.com/assets/download/Buell_CW Reprint.pdf bb | ||
| Crempel |
I have chased the elusive comfy sportbike thing for a long time. Started with a 89 Honda Hawk. Corbin seat, hard bags, gold valves in the forks. Got a little better and was reasonably comfy, but 10% too small for me, and needed more power. Moved over to a Yamaha TDM 850. Remember that. Bigger, about as buzzy as the Hawk, more power, still not enough. Lots of turbulence from the screen. I spent a ton on suspension and got it really good. Sold that for a Strom. Bigger, more power, bigger, same turbulence, bigger, terrible suspension. Comfy on the highway, poor in the twisters. Traded a player piano system for the Uly. Smaller, same power, great suspension, no turbulence, comfy, better chasis. Almost perfect. Hot when hot out. For me if it wasn't such a toaster and the seat was better, it would be hard to improve upon. And yet my eyes stray from time to time. I must be lucky cuz I've done virtually nothing in the repair department. 1 fork seal, 1 belt when it broke (33,000 miles) in the parking lot at work (good timing), and that's it. It's been at least as reliable as any bike I've owned. Not to say it couldn't blow up tomorrow, but anything could. | ||
| Buewulf |
"If you are going to offload that thing, give another bueller a shot at it. There's still tough love out there for these bikes!" Don't worry, Sagehawk. It will get fixed. Eventually. "buewulf, if you want to donate that uly to me" Why, thanks for the kind offer Jstav! In all seriousness, each time the bike breaks down, I promise myself that this is the last time I will put up with it. Then I fix the bike, ride it, enjoy it, and figure that I've really narrowed the list down on what could possibly break. Then I look at the going resale rate and think, "Meh, I should just keep it." It is a vicious cycle. I have kind of decided I want a Zero DS. If I can work a deal with the dealership and get an acceptable trade-in sum on the Uly, then it will be gone. Otherwise, there is a good chance I'll keep it. And a good chance I'll regret keeping it. Again. | ||
| Buewulf |
Red5, I had intended to elaborate on the Uly's off-road ability and just realized I had forgotten to do so after reading my original post. I said that the Uly will perform just as poorly in the dirt as your Strom, but that isn't necessarily true. It will perform just as poorly in that mud pit you posted, but I do find the Buell has great traction in the loose. I don't know if it is the firing order of the the engine, the fact that it is very slow revving, the stretchiness of the belt that perhaps eases the jolt when power is applied or a combination of all of those things. But you will be surprised what you can climb up and out of with the bike. I certainly was. In fact, the first time I took the Uly off-road I goosed the throttle a bit with the intention of breaking the rear loose to help turn the bike, but she hooked right up and nearly launched me into a tree. The gearing is pretty tall for off-road use, but it works fine for all but the tightest stuff. The flywheel mass is on par with the Earth's moon making the bike difficult to stall. Some people have reduced the gearing by switching to the XB9 primary. The '06 - '07 bikes have a very narrow steering sweep. Not an issue with the '08+ models, but it is definitely a liability on my bike (which is an '06). Also on that first off-road outing, the bike threw me to the ground with the force of a catapult when I hit the stops while sliding the rear which triggered a high-side faster than I could utter a profanity which would have no doubt improved the situation. After throwing me, the bike corrected itself and rolled about 75 feet before finally taking an oh so gentle nap in some shrubs. | ||
| Sagehawk |
That visual makes me laugh Buewulf! |
