| Author | Message | |||
     Electraglider_1997 |
My wife loves the quality and look of the Triumph bobber but the darned thing only has a 2.4 gallon gas tank which is ridiculous. Nobody wants to stop for gas ever but that bike has you stopping twice as often. | |||
| Hughlysses |
In recent thread about EBR, former Buell/EBR engineer Steve Anderson mentioned that the Uly would have had ABS brakes in 2011 and other improvements were in the works. I wonder what a 2018 Uly would have looked like? | |||
| Ratbuell |
Get another Uly. Like Court said - don't monkey with them and they do just fine. My 06 is stock, I ride it like I hate it, and always end with a big grin! So far I've "had" to: Replace 2 belts (both rider error / hard 1-2 shifts) Replace 2 oil coolers (finally got tired of them leaking so I replaced the braided steel lines with plain ol rubber to cut vibes at the cooler - we'll see) Replace the 77 Replace the VR (years after the 77). All the rest has been upgrades by choice - 07 fork springs, 10 rear wheel, ZTL2 front brake - or regular ol' 5000 mile maintenances. Hell...I don't even WASH the damn thing! | |||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Washing them causes electrical problems. Wipe off or let the rain do its thing. | |||
| Tempest766 |
Man, the Koolaid is strong among this group. The blasted Uly isn't made anymore and parts are already hard to find. Sure they're fun, but come on now, be realistic. Uly parts are only getting harder to find and more expensive. I bought a 2015 Yamaha FJR as a replacement since my 2008 Uly XT was not running well, but installed a new IDS ECM in the Uly and it runs well now (except in hot weather). Since no one wants to pay good money for them I'll keep it and continue to ride it until it is no longer serviceable, but the FJR is now my longer distance sport-touring bike of choice. Asbestos coveralls are on...flame away. | |||
| Ratbuell |
What's hard to find? Maintenance-wise, that is - I know body parts, frame parts, and other "wreck" parts will be tough...but I have yet to have trouble sourcing factory parts or a reasonable aftermarket replacement such as my Shindengen VR. It's not kool-aid...it's this thing called "aftermarket". | |||
| Tempest766 |
Even "correct" spark plugs are not a normally stocked harley item. My replacement VR took many months to get in, and that was three years ago. Besides which, your 2006 XB12X is a simpler machine than my 2008 XT. Many of the parts are not interchangeable, and the later model parts cost more if they are even available...at least from what I've seen. Koolaid is a reference to the cultish nature of Buell enthusiasts....and aftermarket is a fantasy in the states. maybe in Europe, but not here. | |||
| Court |
Wow . . I've never had a single problem getting parts for my 2008 Ulysses. I just call or click about about 36 hours later . . . it's here. Amazing that so many folks have so few problems and a couple have TONS of problems. | |||
| Ratbuell |
"Not normally stocked"....so, you either need to call other dealers (such as Lance), or (god forbid) plan ahead and maybe keep a set of plugs - and other common maintenance items - on a shelf in your garage? The horror..... | |||
| Court |
>>>>Even "correct" spark plugs are not a normally stocked harley item. Wow . . . no kidding? You can't find a spark plug for a Buell V-twin? Well . . now I do feel sorry for you. When that . . once every 8 years, rolls around and it comes time to change a spark plug that has to suck. I did the strangest thing . . . I walked into what's called an "auto parts store" . . . NAPA is the one around here and told them I needed a spark plug for a Buell. Correct you are . . . they DID NOT have it in stock and my afternoon of horror began as I waited until 2pm to come back and pick them up. They had to have them brought from another store. Didn't really seem like all that much pain, suffering and heartbreak until you reminded me of it. The horror . . . The next time I simply ordered them on Amazon . . . . clicked on the order at 7:05pm and they arrived the next day around 1:00pm. If I'd had them sent to my place in Manhattan, they deliver within 2 hours. This is why I find it so amazing that someone in the boonies of PA can't even get them. I think we take things, the modern conveniences or life, for granted here in NY. See if this helps . . . Replacement spark plugs for hd 10R12X: Brand & Model Champion 1005 Champion RA4HCX Denso IXU24 Denso VXU24 Denso XU24EPR-U | |||
| Hughlysses |
IMHO parts availability for ALL Buells is about the same as it ever was. Unless you lived close to a really pro-Buell dealer, anything beyond oil filters and a few standard maintenance gaskets almost always had to be ordered. There have been a few instances in the last year or so where there was a long wait for parts: 2008-up voltage regulators and front engine isolators come to mind, but now they're readily available. Ratbuell mentioned body parts, but those are apparently still available. Lance posted up some time ago that they'd gotten in a stock of translucent body parts in several colors. If a part IS on back-order or NLA, odds are very good that someone here will be able to point you to a readily available replacement. | |||
| Ourdee |
Besides which, your 2006 XB12X is a simpler machine than my 2008 XT.  Simpler? In what sense? The XT shares more parts with more bikes than the X. The XT TPS resets without a tool. The IDS replacement being done, you now have what I consider one of the best machines ever built. I prefer grape. I think it goes best with a plain peanut butter on wonder bread. You are blessed with one of the best touring machines ever built and you pick the compromise for long trips. That is a man thinking through a cloud of trepidation further an unwarranted fear. Get your mind right. You want a shed, power tools, riding mower with wagon? Bring the XT on a trailer and we will work out a trade. I'll treat it right. I'd use a file, hand saw, push mower to be back on an XT. | |||
| Griffmeister |
Just over two months ago I finally got around to fixing the bad orings on the rear cyl pushrod cover of my 08 XT. That included the base gasket and everything on up from there. Some stuff I had, the rest I ordered from my dealer. I'm still waiting for my front muffler strap, put the old one on until it comes in. Yeah, I could source it elsewhere, but I already paid for this one. At the time they said it was just a short back order. Short became extended. Oh well. | |||
| Etennuly |
I think it was fair to call the proud ownership of a Uly koolade when the company has them to sell by benefit of our testimonials. And if it helped back then, well good! Now with nothing to be gained by the manufacturer it seems kind of an insult to a true testimonials of Uly owners who finally found that illusive fits like a glove motorcycle, many of us spent many years deep into personal research finding it. When a great glove gets worn a bit, taking a little extra care keeping it around and still being proud of it, remains a worth while endeavor because quite simply nothing else fits as well or is as comfortable right out of the gate still. The World of motorcycle manufacturing has some homework to do to even equal what the Ulysses package brought to us, the fortunate from new owners. My thanks again, eleven years in, to Erik and the Elves! | |||
| Cvc |
I'm still looking for the stars to align and get an XT in the mean time I just ride the SS in my garage and accumulate parts to convert her or have tons of spares. | |||
| Ruans187 |
I typed the cross reference into a Word document, and keep it im my PC and garage. Also wil take with me when traveling.
(Message edited by ruans187 on July 21, 2017) | |||
| Teeps |
With news that H/D is not buying Ducati; the Monster 797 is back on the list. Probably won't act as I just installed new brake pads front and rear with new fluid. Just need to ride and enjoy... | |||
| Surfsofa |
Phelan, WHAT?! I assume you are joking. I have both and they could not be more different. The Uly remains my favourite bike. To anyone considering a Uly. If you live in an area with smooth roads, look for an XT. Better handling.  | |||
| Ourdee |
XT crazy handling. I told Erik it was the best bike I ever rode. | |||
| Ratbuell |
Never had an issue putting a toe down in turns on my X, even with the D616 tires. Went to get maintenance stuff the other day at the local HD store. "Do you have 10R12X in stock?" "Why wouldn't we, how many do you need?" Also had oil filter, drain o-rings, air filter and plug wires. That and a gallon of Syn3, and I'm good for another 5k miles. I keep one or two of everything on the shelf at home but now I'm not depleting my reserves. | |||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I imagine that bikes from the 50's, 60's, all the way to today are kept roadworthy somehow or other. Our Buells will not be the exception. Many of the parts are tractor-like and can be sourced at auto parts and maybe even John-Deere repair shops. The way I look at it, our Uly's will wear out a part at a time and a part at a time will be able to be found somewhere, some how. Some bikes will be parted out because they were wrecked and that will be a means for parts. Ride them till they drop and fix it or somebody else will fix it. | |||
| Electraglider_1997 |
What is the possibility of a Sportster ECM being re-purposed to work on a ULY? I'm sure those ECM's are better quality than a Buells anyway. And the front engine isolators should not be thrown out just in case someone figures out how to rebuild them in the future. Also, anybody who actually would opt to replace the ULY VR with a stock unit needs to think about that for a few more miliseconds. Those things have proven to be crapola over and over. I haven't read one complaint about the Mosfet units that myself and others have installed. | |||
| Court |
>>>I'm sure those ECM's are better quality than a Buells anyway. Dying to know . . .WHY are you sure? Always eager to learn. | |||
| Court |
>>>>I imagine that bikes from the 50's My 1952 is PERFECTLY reliable . . . those were the days when . . if it had spark, compression and fuel it ran. It may run crappy . . . but it'll run. | |||
| Etennuly |
Never really had anyone show me that an XT handles better than an X. | |||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Court, Just an offhand remark, but considering how many Sportsters have been built, I'd say they are probably pretty bulletproof at this time. My wife rides a 2007 Sportster Roadster that we bought new back then. Not one problem other than a twitchy off idle throttle response that the dealer helped cure with a ECM update reflash. Nothing on that bike has failed in the 10 years we've owned it. A few things I don't care for about the Sportster but it has been very dependable and I never worry that it is going to break down on a ride. Harley needs to completely revamp the Sportster line and it is long overdue. New engine, the works. They need to make the Sportster live up to its name. | |||
| Court |
I'd agree, having owned a number of Sportsters, with your statement about reliability. After better than a 1,000,000 made . . . they've proved their mettle. I had 6 at one time, including a 1977 XLCR and a 1983 XR-1000 (bought them both the same day) and have a special affinity for the 883. I have all my old 883 Race Series memorabilia here. I thought you were referring specifically to the ECM and that perhaps HD had a vendor that was better than IDS. I'm not certain who makes the Sportster ECMs. I've just been flat out stone cold lucky . . . I've ridden my Sportster motored S2 in 44 states and been riding my Ulysses since the day a pal gave it to me for a surprise birthday gift and I've never had any of them so much as miss a lick. Some bugs here and there . . but nothing that's ever had me on the side of the road long enough for the sweat to dry. I never seem to loose the bug for the 883 Sportster . . . the current styling doesn't carry me away like the mid-late 80's did . . but the mere fact that it's still around speaks volumes. | |||
| Ratbuell |
...a pal gave it to you for your birthday, eh?  i don't think a sportster ecm will work without a total EFI swap, both hardware and software. DDFI is completely different than the sporty system. I have faith in the aftermarket. We're seeing it already, people are stepping up once a market appears. And, factory parts aren't THAT hard to get as long as you know where to look (no change there from when they were still in production, actually..) | |||
| Dualsportdad |
Is the versus not a good replacement for a Uly? | |||
| Ratbuell |
A versys has...about 70% of the power, 70% of the handling, 70% of the braking, 70% of the load capacity, and in my mind 70% or less of the overall capability...will it work? Sure. Will it be "as good as"? Not in my mind. |
Cross reference XB