2009 Buell Ulysses® XB12X

Buell Ulysses is a unique bike. With the fuel in frame, oil in swing arm, exhaust under the bike, belt drive, perimeter disc brake, dated 5-speed transmission it is very different from all other offerings. This bike has a ton of personality, both good and bad.

Good,

Super low end torque, ... wheelie machine.

Very comfortable natural riding position.

Very natural predictable handling.

Lots of well thought out little touches like factory heated grips (2009), passenger folding backrest, wide sideside footprint so it will not tip when parking off pavement, decent size gas tank, good gas mileage, helmet lock, two pre-wired electrical outlets (dash and under seat), pre-wired battery trickle charge connection,fully adjustable front and back suspension, etc. Belt drive does not need to be lubricated, does not throw oil on your wheel, self adjusts, and gives the power transfer a very direct good feel.

Bad,

Bike is afflicted by it's dated Harley based motor and transmission--it red lines much sooner than anything contemporary and is a 5-speed when almost everything else is a 6. Bike is air/oil cooled not radiator. This bike puts out lots of heat making it a little uncomfortable. There is a cooling fan which kicks in and it sounds absolutely stupid. The amount of vibration at idle is absurd. It is so rough at low RPM that I need to wear my contacts lens not glasses because percription glassed bounce around enough to blur your vision. Yes it is that bad and is normal. Yes, it smooths out as RPM go up. So while Buell was able to develop a bike that handles great and is blows away other Harley's it is not nearly as refined as Japanese or Euro bikes. Socially it is a misfit, as it does not really fit in the Harley camp or the Sport bike group either.

The seat postion on this bike is tall. At 6 foot I love it, it feels comfortable and commanding. If you are shorter however I think bike could be awkward to handle.

Now that Buell is out of business not sure if this bike is going to become a collectors item or if it is going to be a joke like an AMC Gremlin. Either way I am not concerned. This bike is FUN and I am keeping it. The extensive Harley netwook needs to provide parts and service for 7 years and we can expect some aftermarket support too.

This bad boy is not vanilla, it's a jalapeno. It's odd traits are either going to be endearing to you or if you are expecting Honda normal stuff it could drive you crazy. Ask around and you will get extreme opinions good and bad. For me, even though statistically there are better bikes, I love it. The character of this bike is worth it's flaws.