Anyone ridden a Ulysses?

I just saw a Buell Ulysses with hard bags and a tour pack kinda trunk thingy. Looks like it could actually carry some gear. Anyway, I have been fascinated with these since they came out for 06 and haven't seen a single one on the road. I live in an area with lots of gravel and 'chip -n- seal' roads and if i didn't have 2 bikes already it would be a strong contender for just this sort of environment. Besides, it just looks like a ton of fun.

Has anyone ridden one of these for any distance? I know I can go test ride one, but that isn't the same as putting some real miles on one and so far the local dealer doesn't offer a rental on them.

Now if i can just figure out how to make that payment.....

I can't find one done up that way. You got a pic?

I can't find one done up that way. You got a pic?


Looks like a tough bike.

Here's a pic of the bike with and without the bags. I spoke to the dealer yesterday and they did mention that 2 of the 4 that they have sold have returned with a broken kickstand bracket, but no other common issues with the bikes.

The bike has about 6.5" of suspension travel and a laden seat height of just over 30" (w/ 180 pound rider), so it would be great on bad roads, which are plentiful here in corn country. I'm not sure how the bike would be for extended touring though.

Ever since this bike came out I have thought it was just a really cool idea, maybe they are looking to compete in the European market with it?

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y222/milq/2006-Buell-UlyssesXB12Xf.jpg

Looks awkward to me. I'm curious what a full load does the the center of gravity way back and up there? Maybe no worse then a passenger?

Looks awkward to me. I'm curious what a full load does the the center of gravity way back and up there? Maybe no worse then a passenger?

My S2Thunderbolt was a virtual wheelie machine. And if I had an inexperienced passenger on the back the bike was quite squirrly. I think that I would make sure to keep very littke weight in that tourpack. The bags would more than likely be OK as there are other touring Buells and I have never heard of any issues.

I think the bike would be a bit front end light when loaded down as well. The GVWR is 950 (bike weighs 425) with a load carrying capacity of 452.....I assume that means rider + gear, but wouldn't bet my life on it. It's the closest thing Buell has that I could possibly ride right now, being 6'2"/250 lbs.

I can't even make my legs and feet bend the right way to ride any of the other current Buell models...the older X1 lightning was a real stretch for me to ride across town and it was quite a bit bigger than the current xb models.

Either way, I probably won't see one in my garage anytime soon, unless Lotto has my name tonight (speaking of things not to bet your life on). I just think it is a cool idea and wish I could ride one for a few hundred miles to really get a feel for one. Or maybe I just have too much time to think during the summer months......

It looks like they are tring to copy BMW's line of the dual purpose bike.

Yeah, but I bet it's not carrying the BMW price tag.

Personally, I really like this bike. And I like that it still has the old Sportster engine format. At least it looks like it has kept that much of the Harley tradition.

So how is it as a sport bike with no bags attached?

One thing that I've ALWAYS like about the Buells is that they've kept the muffler tucked in under the bike instead of hanging it up high off the back like the other sport bike MFGs. Even Kawi's new ZX-14 has these 2 huge mufflers sticking out the back. I wanna go find whoever designed that and slap him.

"Dude, You've got a beautiful machine here in all other respects! WHAT WHERE YOU THINKING with that muffler thing?"

Looks like it could be some serious off road fun. Buells are fun on the street, and a dual purpose would be great if they got it right. I am waiting for one to be available for a test ride.

and low and behold, ther sat a Ulysses. One with hard bags and a trunk. I waited for the rider to come out so I could talk to him. He kind of confirmed what FX staed. He said that he had to keep the load low, putting heaverier items in the sidebags. He also said that the bike had a great ride on the open road, but that because of the high mounted trunk, it was real susceptable to cross winds. Sat a little higher than an XBR, but it was sharp looking. I believe that it would be OK with the side bags, but I think that I would forego the trunk.

Don't you suppose that you could get used to anything. The reason I say this is because (and I know I'm comparing apples to oranges here but....) my Electra-Glide has a Tour Pack and a big fairing. Needless to say, when we're out on the super slab, the cross winds and trucks make the bike a pretty nervous twitchy machine. And yet, after a while, you realize that nothing's going to happen and you get used to it - no longer paying any attention.

With the Ulysses, couldn't you just remove the Tour pack until you decided to go on a trip? I mean, is it easily removable?

The other thing that I've noticed with my bike and its Tour Pack is that when I load the Tour Pack down, the bike falls over quickly when it leans in a turn just past the comfortable balance point. I don't know how to describe that but there's always a point where the bike is easily managable leaning over and then one inch past that and it's like: "Whoa horsey!" But again, it's something you get used to and learn to deal with subconscientously. Then after that, it's no problem .... just part of the bike's personality.

Yeah, the point of no return where your foot must meet the pavement to keep you up. Not too bad in a parking lot going slow, but at speed, could be real scary. But it's something all bikes can experience. The tour pack changes the center of gravity when loaded for sure it seems. Never had one myself.

Don't you suppose that you could get used to anything. The reason I say this is because (and I know I'm comparing apples to oranges here but....) my Electra-Glide has a Tour Pack and a big fairing. Needless to say, when we're out on the super slab, the cross winds and trucks make the bike a pretty nervous twitchy machine. And yet, after a while, you realize that nothing's going to happen and you get used to it - no longer paying any attention.

With the Ulysses, couldn't you just remove the Tour pack until you decided to go on a trip? I mean, is it easily removable?

The other thing that I've noticed with my bike and its Tour Pack is that when I load the Tour Pack down, the bike falls over quickly when it leans in a turn just past the comfortable balance point. I don't know how to describe that but there's always a point where the bike is easily managable leaning over and then one inch past that and it's like: "Whoa horsey!" But again, it's something you get used to and learn to deal with subconscientously. Then after that, it's no problem .... just part of the bike's personality.


I too ride an Ultra Classic. I was just passing on the riding observations of an actual owner. I guess that the biggest difference is that we expect the Ultra to be a big lumbering beast, and we expect the Buell to be a corner carving beast. I have found out from my own experiences, that the Ultra is actually a really good handling bike. I believe that the riders impressions were from one who got off of a XB9R. I personally liked the bike. But I still believe that I would forego the tourpack. I also believe that it would be much easier to forget about the tourpack on the Buell due to the power to weight ratio, and get yourself to the point of no return faster. Remember though that these are just opinions as I have not actually had the oppurtunity to take one out on the road.

Just curious but how much does it cost?

I think the suggested retail is around $10,500. ....but I'm not sure.

I just saw that bike for the 1st time in person and it is not a bad looking bike. Just a little to get used to. The only thing I didn't like was that the front tire looked to little for that bike.

I just got back from Reno, where I rented a Road Glide and went for a day trip around Lake Tahoe. When I was at the Harley dealer they had a Buell Ulysses there and I said I would really like to try it out. The guy "Sal" at Reno H-D was great and said after my meetings were over Thursday I could come take it for a ride.

So here is my review. Take this review with a grain of salt because I ride a Road King, I am 6 foot tall, 240lbs and not really into sport type bikes.

First, it is a cold blooded bitch. Took a good 10 minutes even in 90 degree temps for the thing to warm up and run smooth.

The bike is TALL. I have a 30 inch inseam and was wearing boots with a thick sole and I was still on my tip toes. Even with 240lbs of me compressing the suspension I could not stop and flat foot it.

The front end dive when braking is horrible. The bike was new, only had 400 miles on it and the brakes were touchy but still after 20 minutes when I touched the front brake it dove hard.

The kick stand is chincey. Someone said something in a post before about broken kickstand brackets, I believe it.

I expected ALOT more power. It was snappy but it didn't scare me. I admit I tried to get the front wheel to raise and it wouldn't do it.

The diameter of the handlebars is just too damn tiny. I felt like I was holding pencils.

Windscreen, if you can call it that is useless. I wore a half helmet, granted not the helmet you would actually wear if you owned this bike and the wind noise, blast was bad.

The speedo/tach was easy to see, the rest of the indicators could use a little work. For $12K out the door you would think they could go a little more upscale on the switches and stuff.

All that being said it was fun to zipp around on it. The bike is just too small for me so I wouldn't own one. I can't imagine loading it up for touring and going anywhere.

I have owned a buell in the past. A 1995 S2Thunderbolt to be exact. It was a nice bike, not blazingly fast, but it handled better and stopped better than any bike I ever rode. I think that the Ulysses being Harley's first attempt in many years at a dual purpose bike has a lot of compromise built in. I have sat on one, but not ridden one. It is very high. It just does not feel right. Eric Buell designs some really nice bikes, but I believe that it is back to the drawing board on this one.