Buell Ulysses and Lightning Long

Buell Twins

Buell as a brand has had an interesting corporate adventure over its comparatively short life - starting out as a low-volume maker using Harley engines, and ending up effectively as the sports bike arm of one of the world's oldest motorcycle brands. It's been quite a ride.

Something the firm prides itself on is the unique thinking behind its chassis design, claiming quick and lively handling from machines which on the face of it were never meant to behave the way they do. Included in the package, you generally get very lively steering geometry, fuel in the frame and engine oil accommodated in - of all places - the swingarm.

It's been a while since I've tossed a leg over these things, so a Ulysses adventure tourer (shown here in orange) and Lightning Long sports model (in red) were lined up for a refresher ride.

The 1200 Sportster-derived powerplant is fuel injected in both bikes and runs unique tuning. You're looking at somewhere around 100 horses, which is more than enough to punt both bikes along at a very respectable pace.

Their overall weights vary a little, with the Ulysses being heavier, but straight line performance is roughly equivalent.

The Ulysses is Buell's first attempt at an Adventure Tourer and as a package comes across as something that taller riders are going to feel most comfortable on. The seat feels tall and requires fairly long legs to conquer comfortably. Once in the saddle, you get a commanding view of the scenery, which - regardless of the great outdoors design intention - works really well in city traffic.

You can order it with hard luggage and this is the most pillion-friendly machine in the Buell range.

Fuel range is nothing to write home about - there's a little under 17lt available.

Suspension and accommodation work well together and the stand-out aspect to the bike is that it is a remarkably sporty handling package - despite the height. It tucks into turns well, has strong brakes with plenty of feel and respectable suspension. It feels and acts far more tar than dirt road oriented, which realistically is going to suit most people.

The only handling glitch we came across was the tendency for the front end to wander a little at speed, something that seemed to be set up by the wind-sock effect of the rider holding the big, wide (and comfortable) handlebars.

I've ridden this model side by side with other adventure tourers such as the BMW R1200GS, and frankly it struggles in this company. But on its own, it can be great fun.

The Lightning series has long been a favourite of mine - I loved the first X1 when it came out and have enjoyed the series since. The Long basically avoids messing with the package too much, but provides a longer and lankier package for taller riders, like me. As such it is definitely a more comfortable fit than the short wheelbase bikes.

The penalty is it does not tip in as willingly as the XB9, but given how lively these things are anyway, it's not much of a price to pay. There is a sense that there's more high-speed stability on tap, which is useful compensation.

It's great fun as a solo sports bike on a tight road, but is too short in the seat to be anything more than a last-resort two-up machine.

Just as a matter of interest, the XB12 Long claims a 1360mm wheelbase, 40mm longer than the XB9, but 5mm shorter than the XB12 TT model.

I figure fuel range (which is similar to the Ulysses) is less of an issue on this bike, though it's effectively the same thanks to near-identical consumption and the same tank capacity.

Both machines run a cooling fan for the rear cylinder, which is incredibly noisy and in fact drowns out the engine sound on a stock muffler. It would be nice if it could be toned down a little. Another glitch was the throttle response just off idle, which was 'fluffy' on both machines and led to the occasional stall. I'm told this can be tuned out. The underside of your right thigh cops a fair bit of heat on the Ulysses, but this is much less noticeable on the Lightning, thanks to its very different bodywork.

Glitches aside, they are great fun to ride and the quirky design helps them to stand out from the crowd. Prices are close to $18k plus ORC for the Ulysses and $500 less for the Lightning.