2007 "Buellysses"
2007 "BUELLYSSES"
Adventure-Sport Refined
Do you ever wonder if your favorite motorcycle company listens to their customers? We can tell you that Buell Motorcycles does. Erik Buell and his small band of 170 employees want to make sure that the bike you’re riding is the bike you want.
There isn’t a whole lot of change in the company’s 2007 lineup, but a couple of the updates were made as a direct response to customer feedback and complaints.
The Ulysses was introduced just a short year ago, but it has been revised to broaden its appeal to a larger group of buyers. One of the keys was to lower the standard-seat height by 11/3 inch, allowing a larger variety of riders to plant their boots on the ground; even lower options will be available as accessories.
One of the previous complaints that we’ve made-something that consumers noted in comments to the company as well-was the soft front suspension. The solution was to fit new triple-rate fork springs. After riding the bike in the hills above Bakersfield, California, I can report that the fork-spring change reduces the bike’s front-end dive under hard braking significantly. Combined with new Pirelli Sync tires (Pirellis are standard across the entire Buell range for ’07) the firmer front end gave more confidence mid-corner than did our ’06 test unit.
The new lower seat is a welcome change. Pulling up to stoplights I was able to place both feet firmly on the ground instead of just my toes as before (I’m 5-foot-11). Minor improvements like these go a long way in refining an already-fun ride for the adventurous rider in you. -Blake Conner
For backroad blitzing, cruising and commuting, the chassis is awesome, a really balanced package. Although the riding position is great for strafing canyons, the seat locks the rider into a single spot-one that can get old quickly-limiting ride time. Additionally, the rear suspension can be harsh over freeway expansion joints. The brakes on our tester were also a topic of conversation. “The front brake lever has far too much travel,” Managing Editor Matthew Miles noted, as did every other tester. Guest-tester Brent Avis even went so far as to completely bleed the brakes but it didn’t improve the feel at the lever. Otherwise he was mightily impressed with the overall package, remarking, “This bike is super sweet. The original hooligan has matured but not grown up. All I can say is that the Speed Triple has always been, and for me still is, the most perfect and natural fit for a big Triple from Hinckley.”
The Triumph is clearly capable of going head-to-head with any of the bikes in this test. Power, performance, poise, and oh yeah, a punch in the nose.
