Ulysses verses V Strom

[Rickster]

I test rode one of the Buell Ulysses yesterday, and I couldn't help but do a few mental comparisons between it, and my V Strom.

I was surprised to find that the two bikes are a lot more different, than they are the same. Both are listed as adventure touring bikes, but I found the Buell to be a closer relative to a sport bike, than anything I'd care to do any long distance touring on. I rode one of the XB12S Lighting's last week, and the Uly seemed to me like a tall Lightning.

Compared to my Strom, the pros & cons (IMHO) are.
1. The Uly is taller. With a 30 inch inseam, I was on my tip toes at stops, I flat foot my 2 inch lowered Strom.
2. The Uly seat is rock hard, I actually liked the seat on the XB12S better.
3. The Uly has a more aggressive riding position than the Strom, and stiffer suspension.
4. The Uly has a better front brake, but the Strom has a better rear brake.
5. For some reason, the specimen I rode had a severe wind buffeting problem between 70, and 110 mph. It was like riding behind a semi, the whole bike would shake. Above 110 it went away, but I was more tucked in.
6. The motor on the Uly is un bleeping believable, it has power everywhere. It was almost impossible to lug it, even a very low RPM's it pulled smooth, and hard. I would love to have that motor in my Strom.
6. The Uly is easy to get comfortable on in the twisties, the tires stick like glue, and the suspension is set up perfectly for aggressive riding.
7. Even though the Strom, and the Uly are about the same weight, the Uly felt a lot lighter, and was easy to flick from side to side in fast "S" turns.

Bottom line is, if I wanted a bike for aggressive riding, or track days, I would pick the Buell, but the Strom is a more rounded bike, and defiantly more comfortable on the freeway.

Put some better tires on the Strom, and a Power Commander to smooth out the motor, and it will run head to head with the Uly in the twisties, and still be more comfortable on the freeways. All for thousands of dollars less.

[intimid8er]

Rickster.

Some great observations you made. It looks like they allowed you to take the Uly on an extended ride other than a perfect square five minute preview ride.

Was the bike you rode on '07? More on that in a minute.

Just an observation. The wiggle you had at 70 mph+. Mine did when I first took delivery. The bike would oscillate, but still felt planted. It was a weird sensation. However, I had asked my salesman to set the SAG to my weight before I took delivery of my bike. He told me no problem. Apparently all he did was crank the pre-load to the stops. When I went back and checked his work a week later, because of a comment he made when he turned the bike over to me, I found that nothing had been done. I reset the suspension to my specs, and the oscillation at speed by and large went away.

When I say by and large, what is left over is what others are telling me is the crappy tires the '06's had. The Dunlop 616's are apparently a pretty crappy tire, and once I switch over to a Pirelli Scorpion Synch' I'm told what's left of the wiggle will go away. I'm not sure if what I just described to you in the last two paragraphs is what you experienced, but it seems like my first impressions also.

That being said, if you rode on '07 it should have had the Pirelli's on it, so the shake may come down to the suspension being properly set.

I've found the Buell is very very touchy when it comes to suspension settings.

Another of your observations that caught my eye and made me be interested to find out if you rode on '07, was the comment of smooth down low in the rpm band.

Mine is awful, if not downright unsafe, in low rpms in first or second gear. Setting up for a slow corner has not been an easy transition. Granted, I adapted quickly, my left hand becomes it's own de facto slipper clutch, but I really shouldn't have to IMHO. I have to get real creative on my approaches to slow corners.

Thanks for the honest opinion of the Uly. By and large indirectly, you influenced my decision on this purchase with your endorsement of Harley service last year. Don't get my comments above wrong. These niggling problems should be an easy fix. To be fair, I called the dealership looking for an '07 for a reason. The salesman assured me the bike they had was on '07. I called him out on it after the demo ride. However, I worked a deal on the '06 for 8K plus taxes. I got a set of Hard bags for under cost also so I was under 9K otd. I weighed that against the $7995 I could've got the V-Strom 1000 across the street for, and went for the Uly.

[techgesture]

Good read. Thanks guys.

[Rickster]

I'm not sure if the bike I rode is a 06, or 07, I think it's a 06, but I'll check with the dealer and find out.

The coment about the suspension settings makes scense, the one I rode was very stiff, so it was very likely set on it's firmest position, and could be the reason for the wind buffeting i felt.

The low rpm response from both the Lighting, and the Uly I rode was excelant, parking lot riding was all done with out any clutch slipping, and when I ran it down to 35 mph in 5th gear, it still pulled with out any bogging, or coughing. If you are needing to slip your clutch in turns, there may be something out of wack in your ECU. As I said before, I would love to have that motor in my Strom.

[intimid8er]

I'd almost be willing to bet if you went back to the dealer, and grabbed the Preload dial and twisted it to the right it would either be at the stops or very few clicks from the stops.

The suspension on my bike was rock hard. Thanks in part to my salesman. I'm learning that they all just crank the preload up/down or if anything at all.

Once rebound, compression, and preload were set properly for my weight, I've found it to be very plush and compliant. Matter of fact, I've had to adopt a different riding style based on the proper settings versus the learning curve I adopted on the wonked up settings. The whole feel has changed drastically. It should be noted the first Uly I rode, handled completely different from the second. Which would be a function of the suspension settings. I'm going to experiment a little with different settings to get a feel that I like out of the bike. I'll tell you what though, it's tough to go slow in the corners with that bike. It won't let you. It makes a better rider out of the rider.

I've heard the ECM on the '07 bikes is smooth as glass. Paired up with the '07 airbox, it should eliminate any low speed bucking/roughness issues. I'm wondering if that is more of a function of more air getting in through the revised air box, the programming itself, or a combo of both?

My dealer hasn't heard of that mod. But they are willing to explore it with me. I should get the reflash for free (warranty), and I'll purchase the airbox. (It should be only like $40.) To those of you used to the Suzuki 32 bit ECM that Suzuki brags about incessantly. Part of their "GSX-R" DNA of the new bikes. You won't realize how great that little gem is until you try another bike out. Not saying the Delphi ECM on the Uly sucks, it just ain't that Suzuki ECM. That Suzuki ECM is fast as hell in recognizing and learning changes in the atmosphere etc, and adapting to it quickly. I got a tour of the service department the day I bought my bike. I nosily went over to every Uly/Buell I saw in the bays, and inspected their work orders. A couple of them listed the low speed bucking as issues. So hopefully if my mod works out, I'll help the dealer provide better service to everyone.