A special thanks to McGuire Harley Davidson / Buell in Walnut Creek, CA for supplying the Buell ridden in this Road Test.

Road Test of the 2006 Buell Ulysses XB12X By Tim Mayhew To be perfectly honest I know very little about Buell's. What little experience I do have comes from a fast jaunt some years back on a quickie test ride. The seat was too narrow, the breadbox on the side was confounding, and it sounded like a tractor. Not exactly the impression you were probably hoping for. So fast forward a few months, a few years to 4 am. The stars are out, the air is cool. I'm alone, covered in black leather. The night is still except the churning of the tires beneath me. No other light than the soft yellow glow of the twin headlights against the pavement. Could have been any other day aboard a motorcycle but this is no ordinary bike beneath me. It's the new 2006 Buell Ulysses supplied to me by McGuires Harley Davidson in Walnut Creek , CA . I'd been asked to put it through its paces, go explore, get lost, get jiggy with it and generally find out why on earth someone would want one of these. My thoughts drifted off into the motorcycle netherworld of open road pondering. Like many, I started riding on Japanese standards- universal machines that could travel, run all day, and were dead-set reliable. Yet they lacked originality, personality- and handling for that matter. They even gained the title “Universal”, as in ‘Universal Japanese Machine” or UJM for short. And over the years, the motors got bigger, the trips got longer, the mileage racked up and the motorcycle world changed around me. Been there, done that, seen it, ridden every road, owned every motorcycle, attended every rally, every motorcycle show, done the group ride, the solo ride, the touring ride, the distance ride, but dual sport? Now there is an idea- a logical evolution perhaps. Eric Buell seems to think so, and he's rolling the dice you're headed his way. So what about this whole dual-sport thing anyway? The BMW GS is said to be the best selling bike in Europe . Surely that has caught someone's attention. A particular Mr. Buell perhaps. Yet if you do know anything about Buells- you at least know the basics upon which Eric Buell has built his empire. Sexy looking street fighters with low center of gravity achieved by gasoline in the frame, oil in the swing arm, muffler underneath the bike, perimeter front brakes – Buell trademarks. Oh, and don't forget torque. Mr. Buell and his team of mad scientists most certainly enjoy bringing that up. Add street fighter and dual-sport together, what do you get? So there I was watching the sun come up over the horizon, the world slowly awakening around me. I was on a mission, intent on flogging this black on black machine. As looks go, I had to admit it was an eye-catching bike- distinctly Buell. The headlight grill covering the twin headlight, the hand guards, the twin front fenders lusted for adventures found beyond the paved road. Say what you will about looks, but the first non-riding person I showed the bike to put it simply, “That thing is badass.” The first thing I noticed is the seating position. Sitting up high take-the-bull-by-the-horns handlebars- the cockpit was perfect, relaxed you might say- the bars in the right place, the gauges well placed and readable- ready to rack up the miles. And what's with the little bikini fairing over the instrument panel? Don't be deceived, the small removable windscreen is awesome on looks, but little on raising the air flow. This is a standard- what else did you expect. The seat on early models was quickly vilified into the ‘what were you thinking' category and the ‘low-seat option' soon became the ‘standard option' on the later '06 models. I couldn't flat-foot the bike with my 5'9” height, but had no problems with the 31” seat height. The bike came loaded up with the optional $995 Hepco-Becker Luggage- saddlebags and top case. A seamless match, the hard bags were cavernous enough to fit a helmet, or just carry enough gear for a weekend or multi-week adventure. One of the more interesting gizmos is the three-position pillion backrest which dubs as a platform to strap down gear when rotated flat. A standard power accessory outlet on the dash is a nice touch as is a second one under the seat for my electric vest. And to confound the motorcycle newb- the key is inserted into the side of the headlight. The power plant you may have guessed is simply a Harley Sportster 1203cc motor, highly tweaked by Buell and his team. A four stroke, air/oil cooled 45 degree twin producing 100 horsepower and 81 ft. lbs of torque seems rather respectable for a hyper-motard you can travel on- even have an adventure on. The tweaks become a laundry list if you have the time. An extension of the wheel base by 2 inches, enlarging the frame to carry more fuel of 4.4 gallons, a redesigned never-needs-adjustment belt drive system, a revised clutch, better suspension, an improved transmission over past models, yadda, yadda. Had enough? No? Range is claimed at 50 mpg and 200 miles plus, yet the low fuel light came on at 145 miles. Although I was carrying extra fuel and a siphon hose, I didn't have the guts to push the range. To make it a bit less academic, the one time I rode myself purposely out into the wilderness miles from warm bodies or civilization in general, the fuel light went bright at 110 miles much to my surprise. And as for that seat, it does work, but if you want to travel distance, the lure of a custom seat will be too hard to resist. 200 mile day, you're golden. 400 mile day, wee bit tough. 600 mile day (yes, that was me), “Hello operator, the number for Corbin please?” Ah, the ride, you want to know about the ride? The sun finally entrenched itself into the sky and I found the road ahead deserted. Time to flog this beast. This is no in-line four, and the motor does take some getting used to. It shakes and shimmies below 2000 rpm like any good Harley motor should and Mr. Buell is quick to smile and point to the word “Character” in his dictionary as the explanation. On the same note, the heavier counter-balancer takes an extra half second to spool up to speed when you roll on the throttle. And don't forget the premium gasoline required to accomplish said feat. Yet once the motor came above 2500 rpm, the heat was on. The much vaunted torque curve came up, horsepower came a knockin' and the Buell railed into the corners. Speaking of corners, try as I may, I could not unsettle the bike. It became somewhat of a quest, a child-like tantrum, as I made my way up one of the twistiest roads in the entire state. I braked late, I hammered through the 5 speed gearbox, I ran the revs right at red-line. To no avail, I could not upset the Showa suspension in mid-corner. The Buell with its ample travel of 6.5 inches just floated over the bumps. Fully adjustable front forks and on the left side behold a remote rear preload adjuster for easy adjustments on the go- improved the suspension you say? Well then, forget the twisties. Let's put that suspension to the test. So I made a beeline for the bumpiest road I could find. Sure enough, the Ulysses never missed a beat. It got to be so fun, I started steering for potholes. Foiled again, the Buell just floated right over them. Blast. Hmm, let's check out this super bumpy goat trail of a road, the Buell blasted right over it. The car in front of me bumped & shuttered along at 5 mph afraid of its own shadow. Ha! Puny humans, the Buell Ulysses knows no boundary. At the first chance, I dropped it down a gear, grabbed a fist full of 1203cc Sportster motor, and floated on past. The front wheel was also floating a wee bit as in off the ground. Happens. Anything with a 375 mm brake rotor has to stop well, and indeed it does. Running a steady 60 mph and slamming on the front brakes brings the bike to a sudden front-tire-chirping halt. As you've probably noticed, that front brake disc is rather, shall we say, unique. Nowadays, it's become one of Erik Buell's calling cards. Just one is needed, and the ZTL Perimeter Rotor at the aforementioned 375 mm is massive. Bolted to the right side of the rim, the six-piston caliper behind the upside-down Showa fork had some thought put into it with regards to off-pavement excursions. The front fender also dubs as the fork guards to prevent any damage to the downtubes. And wonder of wonders, the bike comes standard with steel braided brake lines. Speaking of off-pavement, we get to do that, right? The Ulysses media machine is quick to point out this is not a dirt bike. Rather this adventure touring machine was set up for the occasional fire trail or gravel road. Although I can attest that you'd best keep the bike out of deep sand unless you know what you're doing. When a nearby pine-tree studded hilltop looked particularly enticing, I found myself with both boots on the ground gingerly easing this 500 pound machine back to the main road. Ah, maybe next time. 100 miles later the pavement ended and I pressed on through gravel ranch roads not exactly sure how long before I'd hit pavement. On my normal bike, it'd be 10 mph counting dollar signs leaving my wallet if I were to drop my fully-faired bike. The Ulysses on the other hand eats gravel for breakfast, and sailed merrily along at 35 mph barely feeling the heavily rippled surface. Five days later, the bike was returned with1600 miles on the clock, there were 5 when I picked it up. Highway, twisties, goat trails, bumps, gravel, a 21 hour day in the saddle- it was all making sense now. Maybe the reason why you are going to buy this bike is because you want something different, because the word ‘universal' is a forgotten archaic term. While there are several motorcycles in this particular class of adventure sport-touring, some more expensive like the BMW GS, and some less like the Suzuki V-Strom, the Ulysses stands alone among all those motorcycles. It doesn't necessarily jump higher, go faster, or pull better wheelies, instead it has character, soul. Something different to offer you. It's not cookie cutter. In fact, it's a world apart. It's a Buell. About the Author: Tim Mayhew is the author of the California Motorcycle Roads website located at www.pashnit.com and the owner of Pashnit Motorcycle Tours .