When I got the call from Kaisler to test Buell's new Ulysses, I was salivating. All Buells are machines built for delinquents to some extent or another, and this one comes with long travel suspension and semi-knobby tires. Frank actually requested that I get a shot of it bursting through a hedge row somewhere. After all, this is the first even remotely dirt-intended bike from Buell, and the first since the Italian singles of the '70s for the greater H-D conglomerate. Given its semi-dirt pedigree, we thought we'd stumbled across a full-on Buell SuperMoto (part road, part dirt racing, think Superbikers of the '80s) machine. Well, not quite.
While far better on an unpaved road than a pure street bike, the Ulysses still has many of the traits that make a street bike so unsuited for life off-road: relatively high weight, tall gearing, and a very limited steering range. An average off-road machine is about 250 pounds, a heavy one more like 325; the Ulysses tops the scales at about 425 (claimed dry weight) so you can see how that might affect maneuverability. In first gear, redline is reached somewhere past 50mph, which is pretty fast in the dirt. In a perfect world, the Ulysses would have a different gearbox from the other Buells with a short first (and maybe second) gear, but in this world even dropping the gearing a tooth or two would help its off-road aptitude. One last thing the Ulysses could use to help it in a traction-challenged environment is a bit more lock-to-lock steering travel. This could be achieved with a slight stretch to the neck of the frame. However, with the frame pulling double duty as the fuel repository, (and the relatively modest numbers Buell motorcycles sell in) that also seems like an unlikely modification.
Still, you can go places on this Buell that you would be reluctant to try on any other Buell or Harley. With the tires aired down to 20ish pounds, we tackled some pretty stout hillclimbs and gnarly terrain on the Ulysses. In fact, the tires were one of the high points of the machine, providing great traction on dirt or street. The semi-dirt-style footpegs were another high point, being extremely grippy even in interesting terrain. Certainly, in the right hands, it is a capable machine when the road ends and trail begins, but we were never terribly confident on anything more challenging than a fire road.
As a street-based hooligan bike, our hopes were fully realized, as the modifications to the standard Buell chassis needed to make the machine worthy of off-road travel are the same sort of mods that make for fun times in an urban setting. Buell's Lightning has been lauded in the past for its own semi-dirt track stance, and the same is doubly true of the Ulysses' sit-up-tall riding position, with the wide bars offering all kinds of leverage over the machine. Add to that longer travel suspension than the other Buells, and most any challenge a urban or suburban environment can toss at you is dispatched without a second thought. Getting over any sort of linear obstacle (curb, fallen sapling, stray animal) is as easy as lofting the front end and letting the rear suspension take it on the chin. Maybe that doesn't sound easy to you, but believe me, if you ever wanted a perfect bike to practice wheelies on, this is it. The same goes for little dirt or grass shortcuts, riding in the rain, and all sorts of other things that would be unwise on your dresser or chopper.
While the urban realities of the Ulysses came as no surprise, it was its utility as a mile-eating touring bike that really knocked our socks off. When I picked it up, I was surprised to see it outfitted with the optional hard saddlebags and top box (MSRP $999.95). It was a side to the tall Buell we hadn't even considered. Granted it is competing in the marketplace with other porky street bikes in dirt bike clothing (like BMW's perennial GS) in the Adventure-Touring segment.