Buell Demo Rides

[EvilBetty]

I got a flier a couple of weeks ago, that our local HD dealer was going to have a Buell Demo Days event coming up.  Apparently the Buell dealerships are trying to get rid of their remaining stock.  There is a lot of haggle room on them since the HD is giving the dealerships $5000 rebate on each bike (assuming the Blast is excluded).  Seeing as the first bike that I sat on and liked was a Buell Ulysses I thought it would be a perfect excuse to go ride someone else's bike.

The only bikes I have ever ridden are the two I've owned.  Patty's Buell Blast, and my 2005 Tiger.  I've sat on tons of bikes, but most dealerships want to draw blood before they'll let you turn the key on one of their bikes, and private sellers justifiably want cash in hand first.

So I show up at Gails HD, not really sure what to expect.  We head over to the free hot dogs to get some lunch and scope this circus out (Gail's is like a mini Sturgis every weekend with bands and free food).

They have some cones setup at the far end of the lot and about 8 Buell bikes setup in two rows.  A group of people will head over, then an HD employee leads the group and one chases.  About 20 minutes later they're back and the process repeats with some new riders and some repeat riders.  Cool.

I head over expecting to have to give DNA.  I have to read and sign a "It's my fault if I get hurt or crash the bike" form, and write down my DL number.  They check my license for a M endorsement and hand me a yellow wrist band.  "Have fun!"

Ok... apparently now I have free reign until 4:00 PM to ride any of these bikes.   First thing is first... the Ulysses.

Ulysses XB12X:
To sum it up... what a POS.  I couldn't believe I had actually considered this bike over my Tiger.  It vibrated like a thumper, it cackled like a Harley, and turned like a bicycle (fork rake).  The RPM range was tight and I always felt like I was in the wrong gear.  The grips were thin and skinny, they could have come off my first mountain bike.  The pegs were too high and too far back.  It had a very narrow power band somewhere in the mid range.  The low and high end were pretty weak.

It did have pluses though.  The air off the front of the bike was so clean.  My tiger has never allowed such a clean stream of air over it's fairing.  I attribute this to the very low fly shield.  The stock seat was very firm and supportive.  It may have also helped me to diagnose a clutch cable problem on my Tiger :)

Next, a sports bike...

Firebolt XB12R:
I had never even really sat on a sports bike before, and I was a little excited and a little nervous about it... at first.  When we first started I was a little startled at how high I had to raise my feet to find the pegs, and how far I had to lower them to find the ground.  I quickly got used to it though.  My next concern was steering.  It took me a second to figure out your body mechanics are a little different on a sports bike then they are on a standard.  I almost went into the curb on the first real turn until I finally found the feel and leaned into it properly.  Again I think the fork rake had me hesitant to turn the bars much.  Again I notice how bad this thing vibrates at lower RPM's.  It just feels cheap.  We get out of the 25's and 30's and can finally accelerate... I'm expecting this thing to tear my head off.  Granted we couldn't fly through the gears but they were letting us rubber band them a bit, and it was disappointing.  I felt balled up on this thing, and laying on the tank put the bars at an awkward angle, so my hands and shoulders were sore after a short distance.  Airflow was not as nice on this bike as it was on the others.

Onto the Lightning Super TT...

XB12STT:
This bike was actually enjoyable to ride.  I think because the engine and ergonomics actually worked for the type of bike it was trying to be... a dual sport.  Again, nice airflow, comfortable seat, same fork rake.  Really other than the those problems this bike would be a great buy at around $4k.


Overall I was unimpressed.  I could not wait to get home and ride my Tiger.  Feeling bad for everything I ever said about it's few quarks.

All the bitching aside, I kinda get what someone who owns one of these gets from it.  It's like riding an angry bob cat.  It's not the fastest or most powerful cat in the woods, but it's nimble, rough, and growls a lot like a small wild cat, hehe.

Not so surprised this project was canceled last year.  RIP Buell.

[Sin_Tiger]

Overall I was unimpressed.  I could not wait to get home and ride my Tiger.  Feeling bad for everything I ever said about it's few quarks.

Your Girlies got quarks, does that come with the FI  

Seriously good write up Sir, never having ridden any Buell but being a bit Bikurious you pinned down what I suspected and laid my mind at ease  

[Nick Calne]

Nice write up-EB you should get a 'road tester' job at a magazine!

You mention you have not tried a sportsbike before...  If I was being cheeky I'd say you still haven't!  Have a go on a proper one and it will all become so much clearer why they are a good thing.

 8)

[EvilBetty]

No I agree... I still haven't!  Patty's wanting a Ninja 650r, but I want to get her on a Street Triple first (me too!) :)

I've been looking up other Demo Days all evening.  Looks like my local dealer is going to have a demo day on May first, and the jap bikes later in the summer in AR.  Always need an excuse to ride to AR. :)

[redbirds]

It would have been interesting to see what Buell might have become in time if the liquid cooled V-twin had been used in all models. That agricultural lump that Hardley supplied was a handicap from the start.

  Buell had a new sport bike ready for launch that showed real promise, now we'll never know.

[EvilBetty]

What was that thing... a ROHR, Rotax, V-Rod?  So many names were flying around for it.

[aeronca]

hey, pretty good write up EB. but i got to say, if the dealer would have let you have it at speed in some really twisty conditions, you would have seen her shine. those bike's are canyon carvin torque monsters, but i will agree - they are a POS. long live the speed tripple. 8)

[EvilBetty]

I wondered about that.  One guy commented that the Ulysses kept pulling the front wheel on him.  But he also said he owned one and his never did that...   :roll:

Maybe my expectations were too high, but I blame that on my Tiger.  When you get used to a bike not shaking like a dirt bike, you really don't want to go back to it!

[aeronca]

i hear ya bro. i like the buel for what it is - a different kind of harley. i think if they had sunk a little more money into it the, bike would have progressed farther, that rotax was the way to go(maybe harley felt threatened). the majority of the people i know that have them are older(40+  :lol: ), and own some kind of geezer glide harley already. this is the bike they buy because they want a sport bike or "adventure bike", "but they aint buyin no jap bike dammit!!". i would'nt kick one out of my garage, but i wont be buy'in one either. long live the steamer. 8)

[EvilBetty]

Speaking of which, Gail's HD is having Demo Days for the 2010 Harley's in May... I've never ridden one... so I'll go and ride their bikes... expect another uneducated review to come :)

[aeronca]

sounds great, cant wait to read it. remember, you dont really ride a harley, you kind of just guide it along :lol:

[cascadetiger]

My "other" bike is a 98 Buell S3.  It is the most fun I have had on 2 wheels.  The motor just grunts out of turns and it handles beautifully.  Its loud and sounds good (does not sound like a Harley!) But I do get tired of the noise and vibration.  I couldn't live with this bike as my only ride.  It's sooo peaceful when I climb on the Tiger.

[EvilBetty]

I love the look of the earlier Buells, including the S3.  Passed up a chance to ride one shortly after I began riding... (afraid of dropping someone else's bike).

He had a V&H can on it I think and it sounded really good.  Does your's have a stock exhaust?  Does it sound the same as the current model's stockers?

[Sin_Tiger]

... expect another uneducated review to come :)

If that's an uneducated report I'll have more of that thank you.

I read somewhere they were developing a Rotax based unit.

[oxnsox]

Sin... the 1125 was a Rotax unit... no???

Nice read EB, but you know you want to ride the Roadie back from San Diego (being the right colour an all), so stop with the buell