Issue:
July/August 2008

Text:
Chris Myers

Photography:
Kevin Wing

Pages:
40 - 43

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Hard-core adventure touring fans needn't worry: the popular XB12X Ulysses is still rolling off showroom floors and proving itself as capable a backcountry bomber as ever. But in the last couple of years, as this machine's appeal has broadened, the folks at Buell noticed that many Ulysses owners were sticking mainly to the street and expressing interest in an even more asphalt-friendly platform. The riders spoke, the engineers listened, and in 2008 a different exploratory option began rolling out of East Troy. The X model's dirtier tendencies and trail-time aspirations have been polished up and given a T-is-for-touring designation. Enter the XB12XT, a road-going unit that company literature refers to as an Adventure Sportbike.

The Go

This reworked Ulysses still wears the XB badge, meaning that a thumping, 45-degree, air-cooled, V-twin provides the ponies. The burly 1203cc Thunderstorm® engine didn't fall very far from parent company Harley-Davidson's V-two tree, and that works out quite well for this bike. Buell's engineers claim that 75 percent of the engine's 84 pound-feet of stump-pulling torque is available as the tach needle hits 3300 rpm. Thanks to this stout grunt, I dispatched the twisting, challenging mountain roads that wind up to the California mountain town of Idyllwild by merely rolling in and out of the throttle – a job made effortless by the DDFI III engine control system and a new, progressive throttle cam. Banging gears became a minor afterthought. The cog of choice in the tight stuff usually wound up being either third or fourth, with the 1203cc of basso profundo singing the sweetest tune in the 4000-5000 rpm range. But with 103 horsepower on tap, wringing out the responsive two banger's rev limit proved to be a most enj
oyable option as well. With a larger crankpin and an increased oiling system onboard, redline has been stretched to 7100 revs for 2008, allowing the XT to build an impressive head of steam in a deceptively quick fashion. And while the Thunderstorm® twin has real fire-breather potential, it still possesses the user-friendly attitude, easygoing nature, and rhythmic rumble of its Harley roots. The low-slung InterActive exhaust ensures a low center of gravity and maintains that appealing all-American sound too. ...