Hey guys... haven't checked in lately...
I'm sure you guys heard about Harley pulling the plug on Buell and putting their stake in MV Agusta up for sale.
To move out the Buell inventory HD was knocking 5 grand off of several models including the 1125R, 1125CR, and the Ulysses. And if you shopped for the good deals some dealers were themselves knocking down the price even further. I found for example a dealer near Phila Pa who was willing to sell 09 1125CR's for $4999 plus tax and tags... no setup, no dealer prep, no freight... a good price on a bike that listed for 11.5K.
So I had this dealer lined up for a visit... but I had also found a dealer on the same route who had the XT version of the Ulysses... they were quoting 8 grand out the door... which was more than I wanted to spend... but I thought I would stop in and just see the bike for ****s and kicks.
Long story short... they had an XB9 city model that I test rode and kind of liked.... was almost ready to commit... the XB9 has pretty good handling (actually quite good) and was strong off the bottom...
I had rode my Daytona 955i to the dealership... when I came back from my test ride on the XB9 the salesman was curious how it compared to the Daytona....
engine wise... raw, brutal, visceral horsepower wasn't even close... the XB9 though it pulled like a tractor down low was a lazy engiine that just didn't have warp speed capabilities.... it was no Daytona 955i... it did not have the instantaneous turbine smooth rev's of the 955i.... nor the 955i's affinity for the high rpm ranges where it just powers on and on and on... and which seemingly breathes easier the harder you twist it... none of these qualities.
but none-the-less I found something about the American made V twin attractive. Out of curiosity I wanted to see how much stronger and\or quicker the 1200cc engine was compared to the 1 litre version.... I really did not expect much of a difference between the smaller and larger engine... I was guessing only subtleties would be the end result.
The dealer only had one bike in his inventory with the 1200cc V twin and it was housed in the Ulysses XT... this model is billed as
Buell's "adventure sport touring" bike.... so off on a test ride I went.... I remember thinking that I only wanted to "feel" the difference between the engines and the platform wasn't going to be that important nor what I was focused on at this point.
Off I go.... down the expressway and then across the two lane roads through the Valley Forge State Park and YELLZEE...what a difference just 200 cc's and 10 ponies can make... I did note that the Ulysses' ergos were a bit better... I had felt a bit cramped on the XB9.... but the most notable difference was that the 1203cc engine had much better throttle response than it's smaller brother. It seemed to want to spin quicker and with more "eagerness". A definite improvement. It exhibited more of the "sporting" attributes that the factory ascribed to it's "model type designation".
But still no Daytona here folks in terms of "twist the throttle and hold your breath".... none of the huge roll on acceleration of the Daytona in the sixty mph up to the magical ton and above... all while in the same gear. Nope. Even 1203cc of Eric's finest work wouldn't match the British built triple in this respect.
But I liked something about this particular bike.... the Uly has an upright seating position... with hardshell bags and trunk... and an engine that while it really shakes around at and just above idle.... smooths out considerably above 3000 r's. It pulls off the bottom with a sense of "command". All the while I was inhibited during my test ride of the new Buell to keeping the rpm's to around 5000 r's... the bike only had 50 miles on it... and redline comes in at about 7000 rpm's. I didn't want to abuse anyone else's equipment...
So I kept my own jets relatively cool... but quickly recognized that it would not ever have the Daytona's acceleration profile or capabilities... when I got back from my test ride the dealer again asked me what my impressions were of this model... which, once again, I told him that this guy was no Daytona.... it did not have the subjective "thrill" factor of my Daytona. But that it was definitely a stronger more responsive engine than the 1000cc version. And that overall I liked this bike.
So... even though I did not expect to when I took the Uly XT out for a simple spin... I did, in fact, garner a genuine interest in it ... I think in large part because I have been thinking of and wanting to do a cross country trip to visit some friends in NM. And I did not have a "touring" bike in my stables.... but there was something else (even in addition to the better performance of the larger engine) that I could vaguely sense and feel that I liked about the Buell Ulysses even though I could not "put my finger on it" or explain it... even to myself.
During my post ride debriefing with the salesman he must have sensed that I liked the bike more than I was letting on to him. At some point the salesman then asked me if I would or could make a decision if he offered me a great price.... someone apparently trained him well in sales school... i.e., "ask for the sale" no matter what.
And, heck yes... make the price attractive enough and... who knows what will happen. Guy comes back and quotes me $6000 plus tax and tags.
SOLD.
So now I have a 2009 Buell Ulysses XT in my collection. Have put a hundred miles on her so far... and it's a neat bike. Weighs only about 465 pounds even with the hardbags on it. Handles far, far better than what I would have ever expected through turns and mild twisty's...
kinda of a neat bike... so I never even got to the dealer who had the 1125's... I'm quite happy with my Daytona for sporting duties... and figured it made more sense to get a bike with a different set of capabilities as opposed to another sport bike. And I think I'm going to wind up liking the Ulysses quite a bit.
So I hope you guys can forgive me for it not being a triumph
MSL
) I noticed the differences immediately, but I really liked it. Like you said "It's no Daytona". But nonetheless it was pleasingly different. Decent power, and a comfy riding positon. Good thing it was the long version(I'm 6'3), I couldn't imagine the regular length.
Linear Mode
