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Radegast
| Posted on Thursday, May 03, 2007 - 12:34 am: |
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This past weekend I completed my first 1000 miles on my new '07 Ulysses, unfortunately I didn't get my hard bags until today but that's another story. Drove from Houston to San Antonio Friday afternoon. Rode the "Three Sisters" and various other roads Saturday. Returned to SA Saturday evening only to be greeted by an hour and a half of stop and go traffic for the Fiesta parade. Observations: The bike handles super-slab and back roads equally well. I averaged mid to high 40's for fuel mileage with a low of 42 mpg and a high of 57 mpg. (the high was 2-3 gear behind some cruisers for 60 miles) The front end didn't want to hold a line on rr 336 when the pace picked up, but I think an adjustment would fix it. It held well on other routes but wandered a bit when pushed hard. Seat is great and wind protection is excellent. Got back to SA only to spend 1.5 hrs trying to get back to the hotel. It was hot and humid. I would not choose an air cooled twin for parade duty, but it did just fine. The fan ran constantly and the lifters clattered for an hour, but it never missed a beat and never went to skip-spark mode. I was really expecting less when I got this bike, but this thing is amazing. I didn't buy this bike for "character" or to be in some group. I didn't get because it's American made. I got my Ulysses for function only and I have yet to be disappointed. When we got home, I did my 1000 mile service. (all except the TPS reset) The oil looked real good, tranny oil looked very clean, no leaks etc. Adjusted the primary and clutch. It all took about an hour and I'm good for another 5000 miles. This thing is the best kept secret out there. Tonight I put my new bags on, all three. That took about an hour as well. They look and fit great. I think if I'm careful my latches will hold up for awhile, but I'll keep the bungees and tape handy. I asked alot of questions here before I bought one, thanks for the help guys. |
Mike_dinger
| Posted on Friday, May 04, 2007 - 10:05 am: |
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Nice review, Radegast. I too am at about the 1000 mile mark on my '07. It has been a blast to ride so far, and I'm sure will be for as long as I own it. I am not so experienced or qualified to do my own service, so i will probably take mine to the dealer for the service. I can handle changing the oils, but don't feel comfy getting into the primary and clutch adjustments. I'm not scared to try, but i would like to have somebody to walk me through this process initially. Maybe down the road I will find a wrenchin' buddy to help out. Enjoy the ride, I know I do. |
Alchemy
| Posted on Friday, May 04, 2007 - 03:17 pm: |
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Radegast, Thanks for the report. You mention some difficulty holding a line. What adjustment are you considering to correct that? I just turned over 3400 mi and my Uly fan has been running less starting about 2800 miles. Hard to be precise as the temp has been colder in the winter months. It helped a little when I switched to synthetic oil at 1000 mi but the bigger change came with miles. I am very tempted to get the headers jet hotted as that seems to be an all around good improvement except for the removal and replacement procedure. I added the tall windshield which has worked for me although this seems quite subject to personal taste. I did the 07 air box and reflash and I am thinking of the 07 progressive front spring upgrade. I did not get the bags but I am actively looking at my options in that area. I am going to Americade in June so I hope to see a few bag options there. I may be ready to switch to the Sync tires about that time as well. I still feel there is a little more fine tuning for me to do regarding idle speed and some ergonomic adjustments but I am getting very happy with the Uly. I just have to get some longer rides under my belt feel like I fully understand the beast. |
Buelltoys
| Posted on Saturday, May 05, 2007 - 09:00 pm: |
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Just completed 983 mile trip on my 06. Loved almost every minute. My last 80 miles had me worried. I was running around 80mph (4000rpm) and the bike lost power. Sent me down to around 60 and 3000rpm. Down shifted to 4th and was able to run 65 but engine light came on. This went on for around 40 miles or so. Then the power came back and light went off but back on about 2 min later. My last 3 miles of the trip my gas light went on. Right before all this happened I filled up with gas. Had 84 miles on the trip meter. When I shut the bike off and back on the engine light did not come back but the gas light did. When I took the bike to get gas I filled it with 3.7 gals. I hope this was just some bad gas. The dealer here by my parents said they looked but could find nothing. Anyone have any clues to what it could have been other then bad gas? Could this be an overheat situation? I have 20K on the bike now with not problems to date with it except normal maintenance. I will check on the way back on Monday to see if the same thing happens. I will make sure that I don't fill up at the same station. |
Firstbatch
| Posted on Saturday, May 05, 2007 - 10:07 pm: |
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Buelltoys, there have been some threads on that symptom...here is some info http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/206887.html |
Etennuly
| Posted on Sunday, May 06, 2007 - 10:55 am: |
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Make sure you check your oil level. If the oil light comes on and stays on it will get stupid in save mode. Filling up with gas from another station and having the problem solve itself is a good indication that you did indeed get bad gas. I have had a similar occurrence with bad gas. If it were the BAS it would have shut off all together. |
Buelltoys
| Posted on Sunday, May 06, 2007 - 05:58 pm: |
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Well I rode it around by my parents and seems to run ok. I did notice the fan is not coming on. I think after 20K it has decided to die on me. Will it be ok for my ride back to alabama tomorrow? I hope so. There are only two buell dealers on the way back so I hope it will make it. Have about 300 miles to the first one so I will find out. |
Radegast
| Posted on Sunday, May 06, 2007 - 11:44 pm: |
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Alchemy, I looked in the Owners manual at the adjustments. I figured the Rebound Damping and spring preload were the most sensitive to weight, so I tweaked both on both ends. (I can't fool the bike on my weight) Right now it seems better, but I haven't really wrung it out yet. Mike, wrenching on a Harley product is pretty straight forward. If you get the book, you shouldn't have too much trouble. If you can work on your lawn mower, you can adjust a primary and adjust the clutch. Alchemy, also check http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/index.lasso for more bag options. |
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