Aaron's elegant dismount of the Ulysses.
So Aaron and I went to Hal's on Saturday to take advantage of some free rides on two neat bikes. The XB12 was sold so no luck getting to ride that one.My quick review of the two...
XR1200 Pros
-Tight feel..could tell the bike was put together well and built with good parts
-Very balanced ride, one handed riding felt very stable and comfortable
-Styling...I love the way these bikes look
-Lots o aftermarket parts available for performance and such
-Can see some styling changes that could be made rather simply...tail section would be first on the list
-Seems like riding two up would be comfortable enough
XR1200 Cons
-Felt a little lacking on the power department
-Stock exhaust was too quite for my tastes as well as bulky and plain ole ugly if ya ask me
-HEAVY! Now I'm used to my DR so I knew it would feel heavy but it felt heavier than I thought it would
-My assumptions about handling were not fulfilled..though again I have to say that I had been spoiled by hopped up versions being ridden by very experienced riders on Youtube...no surprise there! Oh and again too used to my DR and thats not a fair comparison.
-Could not do a power wheelie for the life of me!
Buell Ulysses Pros
-Felt quicker and a little more flickable
-Exhaust sounded better (to me..not the same for Aaron)
-Very comfortable ride
-Engineering seemed better (more on that later)
-Power wheelied rather easily though I was on a demo ride so I didnt get too crazy
Buell Ulysses Cons
-Though it is obviously better engineered I cant say I think it is better built...felt a little sloppy to me
-Aaron noticed the trick and expensive front rotor was warped
-Felt bulky
-Smaller foot controls were hard, at first, to get used to..spoiled by the XR's oversized controls I guess
-All around felt like a cheaper bike.
Aaron and I had almost exact opposite experiences on the bikes so he can chime in with his thoughts. Initially I liked the Buell better but after all is said and done I would choose the XR in a heartbeat...not quite fair to Buell as I didnt get to ride the real mean machine but oh well...winner is XR1200!
5 comments:
This is a great review, good stuff for sure. What were the prices on these bikes?
The Buell was priced at $7k with 11k miles. Could have gotten them down to 5.5K I'm sure...still too pricey.
The XR was listed for 10k with 1300 on it which was an 2010. There was a brand new left over 09 with 10miles on it for 8k at a dealer in IL.
Just cant justify spending that kinda dough at this point...and I have way more fun on my DR.
Was Aaron stretching before he went for the ride or was he actually getting on and stuck there?
No, I just swung my leg over the case getting off, and he nailed the action shot. I'm pretty impressed with that photography.
I kinda thought he was impersonating a bobby from a Monty Python skit...
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