Buell Ulysses

Buell Ulysses

I'll be test riding one this morning. I sat on it Thursday. I'm 6'1" with a
32" inseam and I was on tippy toes. How does this work if your struggling in
the gravel and need to put a foot down?

I'll report later on what I think. Not that it matters, I've never ridden a
dual sport off road anyway. And, considering it's Glendale, Ca. I doubt I
will today.


--

By it's very nature, my sig. makes this posting 100% on topic.
"Of course, you'll have the good taste not to mention that I posted this."
Thumper
"I don't want a pickle..."
* w w w .thumpers-roadhouse.ws
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Re: Buell Ulysses


"Thumper" <roadapple@bigfoot . com > wrote in message
news:3XuPh.18324$tD2.10808@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink . net ...
> I'll be test riding one this morning. I sat on
> it Thursday. I'm 6'1" with a 32" inseam and I
> was on tippy toes. How does this work if your
> struggling in the gravel and need to put a foot
> down?


Being a short rider I can honestly say that I've
only been on one motorcycle that I didn't have to
tippy toe. That was a LS650...oh and the harley's
I've show room sat. Other than that, I tippy toe
with half to most of my ass off the seat. That
includes dirt, gravel etc. It's no big deal
really.
--
Keith Schiffner
History does not record anywhere at any time a
religion that has any rational basis. Religion is
a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up
to the unknown without help. But, like dandruff,
most people do have a religion and spend time and
money on it and seem to derive considerable
pleasure from fiddling with it.
Robert Heinlein

Re: Buell Ulysses

On Sat, 31 Mar 2007 15:16:15 GMT, "Thumper" <roadapple@bigfoot . com >
wrote:

>I'll be test riding one this morning. I sat on it Thursday. I'm 6'1" with a
>32" inseam and I was on tippy toes. How does this work if your struggling in
>the gravel and need to put a foot down?
>
>I'll report later on what I think. Not that it matters, I've never ridden a
>dual sport off road anyway. And, considering it's Glendale, Ca. I doubt I
>will today.

Well, @ 5'8" with a 30" inseam on a GS, I just get one foot down and
the other on the brake onroad. Offroad? Don't stop. ;)

Re: Buell Ulysses

sleazy wrote:
> On Sat, 31 Mar 2007 15:16:15 GMT, "Thumper" <roadapple@bigfoot . com >
> wrote:
>
>> I'll be test riding one this morning. I sat on it Thursday. I'm 6'1" with a
>> 32" inseam and I was on tippy toes. How does this work if your struggling in
>> the gravel and need to put a foot down?
>>
>> I'll report later on what I think. Not that it matters, I've never ridden a
>> dual sport off road anyway. And, considering it's Glendale, Ca. I doubt I
>> will today.
>
> Well, @ 5'8" with a 30" inseam on a GS, I just get one foot down and
> the other on the brake onroad. Offroad? Don't stop. ;)

This question comes up all the time, the important thing is, are your
legs so short that you cannot support the weight of the bike when you
are flatfooting one foot with the other foot off the ground? If the
answer is yes, the bike is too tall and/or too heavy for you. Otherwise
you can manage it. It is *not* an absolute requirement that you
always have to be able to flatfoot a bike to ride it safely.

--
'01 SV650S '99 EX250-F13 '98 ZG1000-A13
OMF #7

Re: Buell Ulysses


"Mark Olson" <olsonm@tiny . net > wrote in message
news:130t3mbjdftuh00@corp.supernews . com ...
> This question comes up all the time, the important thing is, are your
> legs so short that you cannot support the weight of the bike when you
> are flatfooting one foot with the other foot off the ground? If the
> answer is yes, the bike is too tall and/or too heavy for you. Otherwise
> you _can_ manage it. It is *not* an absolute requirement that you
> always have to be able to flatfoot a bike to ride it safely.


Then there's always the little dip in the road where you put your foot down
causing the bike to have more momentum when your foot finally touches down
or causing the bike to lean over just past the point where you can support
it with that short leg. I've embarrassed myself a few times -- Joe Cool with
the bike gear, lying on the pavement and needing help to lift the bike.
('wing)
Sometimes it's the center of gravity of the bike that makes a big
difference.
Wayne
86 Venture

Re: Buell Ulysses

In article <eumiuk02to4@news3.newsguy . com >,
"Wayne" <wrjones@newsguy . com > wrote:

> "Mark Olson" <olsonm@tiny . net > wrote in message
> news:130t3mbjdftuh00@corp.supernews . com ...
> > This question comes up all the time, the important thing is, are your
> > legs so short that you cannot support the weight of the bike when you
> > are flatfooting one foot with the other foot off the ground? If the
> > answer is yes, the bike is too tall and/or too heavy for you. Otherwise
> > you _can_ manage it. It is *not* an absolute requirement that you
> > always have to be able to flatfoot a bike to ride it safely.
>
>
> Then there's always the little dip in the road where you put your foot down
> causing the bike to have more momentum when your foot finally touches down
> or causing the bike to lean over just past the point where you can support
> it with that short leg. I've embarrassed myself a few times -- Joe Cool with
> the bike gear, lying on the pavement and needing help to lift the bike.
> ('wing)
> Sometimes it's the center of gravity of the bike that makes a big
> difference.
> Wayne
> 86 Venture

Hm. I ride an R1100GS, which is pretty tall, and I'm not petty tall. I
haven't run across that kind of irregularity, but there are a few spots
on my commute where the road slopes up to the right, so I have to put my
right foot down instead of my usual left. And I can't flatfoot that bike
on both sides at he same time. It's a matter of choosing stopping places
carefully. :-)

--
Timberwoof <me at timberwoof dot com>
faq: * w w w .timberwoof . com /motorcycle/faq.shtml
It's easy to say a war is so important your neighbor should go fight it for you.

Re: Buell Ulysses


"Timberwoof" <timberwoof.spam@infernosoft . com > wrote

> Hm. I ride an R1100GS, which is pretty tall, and I'm not petty tall. I
> haven't run across that kind of irregularity, but there are a few spots
> on my commute where the road slopes up to the right, so I have to put my
> right foot down instead of my usual left. And I can't flatfoot that bike
> on both sides at he same time. It's a matter of choosing stopping places
> carefully. :-)

Probably a good idea for all of us.

As it happens, I *am* pretty tall and can flat-foot my VFR, but the
assumption that I can always do so led me to trouble one day when I was
inattentive at a stop sign and discovered to my horror that there was a
drainage ditch running under my bike, and I could *not* reach the ground
with either foot!

Only a quick spurt forward to level pavement saved me from a very
embarrassing drop at a busy intersection.

Re: Buell Ulysses

Thumper wrote:
> I'll be test riding one this morning. I sat on it Thursday. I'm 6'1" with a
> 32" inseam and I was on tippy toes. How does this work if your struggling in
> the gravel and need to put a foot down?

Not that I'd recommend it, but I had a friend who used to plan rides for
Harley and Buell. Right after the Ulysses was announced, she filled
me in on a test ride she went on. Lots of vertically challenged folk
(including her), all trying out the bike for the first time. After the
first few stops, they got into the habit of putting their foot on the
side stand as they were slowing down. Then as they come to a stop, they
lowered the stand and used that instead of having a foot down.

There's a girl--maybe 5'2"--in my neighborhood with a (much lighter) KLR
650. I see her at stoplights sometimes, one foot down, and the bike
looks like it must be at about a 50 degrees angle. Very appealing
dedication to her bike, in my opinion. Never had a chance to meet her
though.


Glenn P.