[intimid8er]

Okay. I did it. I took the plunge.

I went and re-demo'd a Buell Ulysses last Saturday. I couldn't get the damn bike out of my head all week, after a demo ride the previous Saturday. I went down with full intentions to look for reasons to not buy the bike.

I was taken on a demo with a ride captain, and another rider buying that new factory customized Sporty. Being a little more familiar with the Ulysses this time around, I could focus on some other aspects of the ride that I did not focus on previously.

First thing I noticed was this ride captain had something wrong with his right wrist. It was actually able to turn the throttle! He was rapidly becoming a speck in the front of the line. I had been wanting to check high speed stability and windflow. I gave a quick check over the left shoulder, a push on the left grip, and a twist of the right wrist, and BANG! I'm out in the passing lane going from 60 mph to 90 mph in a blink of an eye. Smooth as hell, and relatively quiet at speed. We then took a long off camber at 70 mph with no effort put forth by the Uly.

Long and short. I negotiated a hell of a deal. Got luggage on the way too.
I'll save that process for another thread or post, but to put it bluntly, it wasn't that great of a buying experience. Not the type you'd expect from a Harley dealer. I thought I'd be getting the Neiman Marcus experience, but I got the Dollar Store instead. 'Nuff said about that. Just further validates some of my arguments about the motorcycling industry in general.

The bike has far exceeded my expectations in every way possible. I rode a whole lot yesterday. Which is saying a lot in and of itself. The M was an exercise in pure torture, and one of the questions I asked myself yesterday, is why I put up with pure and utter nonsense for that long. Ultimately, I've wasted two years of my riding time, on a bike that was completely (ergonomically) wrong for me.

The biggest revelation was riding on the highway this morning in rush hour traffic. Sure, being able to look over the top of most vehicles is a bonus, but the real surprise that had a grin on my face was the ride itself. On the slab, the M at the very least was an adventure in and of itself. Every day held a different set of trials and miseries to endure. Some include the bike wandering all over the road due to striations cut into the surface for rain grooves. Throw in some good old fashioned wind gusts, and of course the 80 mph omnipresent headwind, that would force me to fight to stay upright. Which in turn would cause discomfort and fatigue quickly. The Uly however, stays firmly planted, no hint of wiggle or anything like remotely resembling it. Effort to stay on the saddle was non-existent. I can't recall any pressure on me anywhere that I had to struggle against to stay upright or comfortable in the saddle. Again, the thought of "I missed out on this for two years!" came to mind. Roll on power is instantaneous at any highway speed, and a pure pleasure to call upon whether it's needed or not. Another thought, dare I put it out there? May the forum gods strike me down, but I'd almost go as far to say that the Buell lineup is almost.....almost.....newb friendly. Maybe not as extreme as a complete newb being safe on a Buell, but maybe one that has had some experience on some sort of two wheeled conveyance.

One niggling problem I'm having at low speeds. Either it's some mapping issues or driver error (as in gear selection), although I think I should be able to slow down for a corner in second gear, and not have it hitch and stumble. I find it a little dangerous, but it's either me or an ECM issue. Either way. It's an easy fix, so no biggie there.

Another niggling item is the fork lock clearance. It's a short side to side lock, so maneuvering in and out of the garage is a bit more of a chore than the M50. The Uly is lighter, but it was easier to move the M around without power. This again is no big deal, just the quirks of a different bike that I'll have to get used to. Some may ask, if that hinders slow speed parking lot movement. I'd say to them just evaluate your riding skills. I just point the front in a general direction I'd like to go. Let the clutch out. Counterweight the saddle and go. The Uly will move around a dime if you can ride. I've got accustomed to the top heavy nature of the Uly. At first it's weird, but the same motorcycling skills you have learned over time still apply when operating the motorcycle. You just have to trust in your skill sets, and the bike will follow accordingly.