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The following snippets from the September Cycle World are courtesy BadWeBr "Whosyodaddy" and of course a big double barrelled hurrah and mucho thanks to Cycle World, by far the best general motorcycle publication in America, period. If you don't already subscribe, please do so. It just doesn't get any better than Kevin Cameron, Peter Egan, Don Canet, Steve Anderson, et al for great informative and entertaining commentary for the world of two-wheeled moto enthusiasts, well, aside from here on BadWeB of course.

Thanks again Whosyodaddy and CW!

Thread Last Poster Posts Pages Last Post Archive through July 24, 2005 Daves 30  1  07-24-05  02:18 pm Archive through July 23, 2005 Jima4media 30  1  07-23-05  04:02 pm Archive through July 23, 2005 45_degrees 30  1  07-23-05  02:21 am

Author Message   Steve_a Posted on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 02:19 pm:        There's supposed to be a taller windscreen (4 inches more) from P&A. The stock Ulysses blocks more wind than you might expect. The frame pucks and slightly wider frame rails keep wind off your knees, the handguards shield your hands, and the stock, very low windscreen breaks the wind about halfway up your chest. My helmet, with my 6 foot height, rode in very clean air, no turbulence whatsoever. It all felt pretty good up to about 85-90 mph, when it began to get a little blustery. The windscreen mounts with four plastic prongs that plunge into grommets on the numberplate underneath. You can pop it off in about 5 seconds, something you'll need to do occasionally to clean under the clear plastic; there's an air gap between the numberplate and the windscreen, and if you rode in the rain, I'm sure you'd get some dirt on the back side of the screen. It would be easy for anyone to come up with a larger windscreen that plugs into the stock mounts, but it may be somewhat size limited. Eventually, if you try to go too tall, you'll generate torques that overwhelm the mounting system. Still, I'm sure that someone will offer a windscreen quite a bit larger than stock. On the seat height issue, I'm 6 feet with a 32 inch inseam (long torso, short legs), and I preferred the standard tall seat. I couldn't flatfoot the bike, but I had no problem solidly getting a foot down. With the standard seat, the padding is great and the leg room is truly exceptional. Also, the amount of fore-aft room is great; you can slide forward or back almost six inches on the rider portion of the seat.   Charlieboy6649 Posted on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 02:50 pm:        Hey Al... CAN I RIDE IT!!! lol!   Izzinya Posted on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 03:27 pm:        Steve_a good question, but a guess would be very shortly. pun intended or no??? izzinya   Impulse_101 Posted on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 05:15 pm:        Steve, What about rain protection? The S3T does a pretty good job of keeping me dry in light rain. I don't have the leg fairings on anymore so I suspect that the Ulysses will be as least as good on my legs. I really want to ride this thing. I wasn't interested at all when the rumors hit, but now I'm really interested. JT   Xb12sx Posted on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 05:33 pm:        On the subject of Ulysses ergonomics, I wonder if what seems like 'higher/wider' handlebars are adjustable or fixed in place - haven't seen a clear pic of the dashboard/control area from a pilots point of view. Anyone got one? thx -john   Steve_mackay Posted on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 06:54 pm:        Daves, sorry worked all night, so yesterday kinda blurred in to today. No Hals didn't have bike delivered on Sunday. Oh wait, it WAS Saturday still when i wrote that!! 12:49AM Is EASTERN time when i posted that. So it was 11:49 PM. (Message edited by Steve_mackay on July 24, 2005)   Odinbueller Posted on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 07:50 pm:        Well, the demo ride was a short 5r miles, however, the terrain it covered showed what the 12X can do. First, railroad track are no longer an item you need to slow down for on this machine. With the stock setting, the chassis ate up all bumps with absolutely no problems. Gone are the days of posting on your bike and letting the chassis rock beneath you. I'm 5' 10", 32" inseam, and the ride height, while intimidating at first, is easy to adapt to. At full stops, just shift the rump to one side slightly and hold up on one foot. The machine is incredibly balanced for the height, sticking true to the Buell Trilogy of Tech. I was easy on this ride due to the unfamiliarity of the bike, and all new tires. These are a bit harder in compound that the stock XB Dunlops, but you still felt firmly cemented to the pavement in the corners. A hard rear brake did lock the tire up, but easily corrected. The front braking action does reveal quite a bit of front end movement, but since the front springs are progressive, they compress to a point and stay there until full stop. The height and extended wheelbase do require a bit more rider input for steering, but this is easy to acclimate to. The riding position felt, well, the way it should have, high, in command & comfortable. The seat (yes, it is 2-tone, and it goes ALL the way back to the backrest and spreads out quite a bit for the passenger) has plenty of room for 2 up riding. There is a P&A cover with a gel insert that is pretty damn comfy from just giving it an initial Charmin test. I intentionally rode the bag-accessorized demo, and it was as well balanced as I hoped, and they didn't obscure the rear mirror views. Accessories on the way include a higher windscreen, a lowered seat, heated grips, and GPS (it'll be the same unit as the H-D GPS, branded for Buell. There were complications in production for the mounting system). The new non-service belt (yes, it retrofits!), along with the Ulysses-specific DDFI programming allows for a smooth power transfer to the rear wheel in the lower end or the revs. This was done specifically for the off-road side of the machine, but the torque is still there, so the rear wheel will come loose in the unpaved portions that the rider comes across without appropriate caution. I have video of the unveiling that I'm going to get edited & uploaded as soon as I have time, along with some pics of the bikes.   Dale Posted on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 08:22 pm:        Odinbueller: Since I am only 5'3" tall, can I but the regular forks and shock on the x12x?   Court Posted on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 08:24 pm:        I just got a report from an engineer who spent 10 hours on a ULYSSES two days ago. This is going to be good....VERY GOOD. Court   Elzo Posted on Monday, July 25, 2005 - 12:05 am:        Thanks for the writeup, Odinbueller; My height and inseam are are identical to yours, and one of my concerns on the Ulysses has been whether or not I'd be able to flat-foot the bike. Sounds like I'll be looking for the lowered seat, at least when the bike is doing commuter duty.   Odinbueller Posted on Monday, July 25, 2005 - 01:44 am:        Dale, 5'3" might be a reach with the low seat. Your best bet is to throw a leg over one with the low seat, and see if you are comfortable holding the machine up on one foot. That's what I did, because Minute Bull will be able to flat foot this thing with the stock seat. In short, you'll probably be pointing your tootsies at the pavement whenever you stop if you try to flat foot this with the low seat. The height issue is the only concern I have for the bike. Everything else has raised the bar for BMW. Watch out, it will get interesting from here. BTW, Erik himself has claimed no personal credit for Ulysses, he has given every due to his team at East Troy, and beams with pride when he speaks of them. But what really made me smile was his recognition of the dealer support he had seen at this dealer show for Ulysses. He is proud of the dealers that support Buell & do the right thing to keep all Buells up to top condition and promote them as the very best sport bike on the market. Trust me, I probably hung around way too much at the Buell area, but I spoke with Erik & Jon Flickenger several times, and they are both genuinely excited about the buzz for this bike, both at the show, in the CW article, and from the dealers, who all were at the least impressed with the bike, and at the most, thanked BMC for engineering releasing such a versatile, solid, reliable machine. Everyone commented on the quality of the design, components, and engineering that went into this thing, myself included! I'm buying one in Barricade Orange with the full bag setup, and the S3T will become my solo touring bike. But you do need to sit on one at the very least to see how the rump fits at a standstill, but the best thing to do is to demo one. I believe if you follow the Buell Demo calendar, you can find a dealer that will have one to get out on the road. You really have to ride one to understand the physics in its handling and solid feel under you as you guide it through traffic. And Vanson has a very cool Ulysses riding suit to match the bike. Buell is going all out with this, and if this the proverbial "tip of the iceberg" as Court has hinted, we are all going to benefit from patience, believe me!   Charlieboy6649 Posted on Monday, July 25, 2005 - 04:35 am:        There are no words. OK. I'm excited... Hello. My name is Charlieboy. I'm a Buell addict.   Opto Posted on Monday, July 25, 2005 - 06:50 am:        I never imagined in my wildest dreams that Buell would produce such a bike. They have done so and I am still finding it difficult to believe. I knew my XB12S was good in dirt. I really want one, don't need one, but want, there's heaps more dirt roads than there are paved roads, and the "outback" paved roads would be a lot more comfortable and more quickly travelled with more suspension travel, bigger ergo's, more comfortable butt and more fuel and to keep the stump-pulling motor and better belt and Buell handling it appears to be a simply stunning package that cannot be refused.   Dale Posted on Monday, July 25, 2005 - 07:52 pm:        Hell, I can not get a leg over 35" with out standing on something. So we still do not have and answer to my question. Can I change the struts and shock? And also the pegs.   Two_buells Posted on Monday, July 25, 2005 - 09:25 pm:        I got to sit on a Ulysses today. I was working in the Softail building and a co-worker called me and said they are unloading the new Buell down at the Tour Center for display. I jumped on a golf cart and rode to the Tour Center. This bike is wild! Fit and finish is top notch! Its really tall, I sit flat footed on my S1,S3 and XB9R. I was on my toes sitting on the XB12X. The seat is big! I want one.......than again I just came back from a ride on a friends Suz DRZ 400SM. That bike was too much fun! I can't wait to ride a XB12X....btw I'm 5'11" 32" inseam   Two_buells Posted on Monday, July 25, 2005 - 09:36 pm:        Hello, My Name is TwoBuells. I'm a Buelloholic,Two! 98 S1 99 S3 03 XB9R Schwinn/Buell MTB coming soon...XB12X TriBUELLations...........   Ghostdog Posted on Monday, July 25, 2005 - 10:38 pm:        Hello. New here. Came over from advrider.com and am a Sportster owner. I'm hoping my next bike will be the XB12X. The height issues has me a little worried. 30" inseam, about 5'8". I'm sure I'll have to go with the low seat or have the factory seat scooped more. Something. Can't wait to get to see one of these. Word is there may be demos at the Milwaukee Rally this weekend. Can anyone confirm? Maybe someone will bring the low seat with them. Please! To think a month ago I was trying to decide between the BMW 1200GS or Suzuki V-Strom. I had no idea the Ulysses was in the wings. Rockin!

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