Buell Ulysses Footpeg Mod

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OK, I really need the extra inch of clearance that both Buell pegs give you... I'm 6' 2" with a bad left knee. I ride about two hours a day (one hour each way to work) and my knee was killing me by the time I got home. However, the thought of working on the Buell XB9S footpegs for 6 hours with a Dremel didn't exactly get my blood pumping, so I started looking around. The fine folks here at VFRD had mentioned in another thread that the Buell ULYSSES footpegs might work, so I decided to be the test dummy. I ordered them a week ago and they came in today (of course the Harley dealer did not call me... even though I asked them to.) Nevertheless, the parts guy was courteous and handed my parts over with a smile (I never told them I was putting these on a Honda.) The first thing I thought was "man, these are HUGE! I could probably sleep on them... they'll never fit." But I took them home anyway. You can see for yourself below in the comparasion pics....

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So I try them anyway just to see what has to be done to these beasts to make them work... AND THEY FIT!!! Right out of the bag! I couldn't believe it. Stock springs and all. No sleeves to fill in the gap. Took me 10 minutes to put them on. Man did I get lucky or what?

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They even look stock (to me anyway.) Ignor the water on the garage floor... it's from the van (raining here in Atlanta.) The cool thing is that the brackets are so wide, you really don't need a sleeve or bushing to fill in the space... the bracket does that for you. So the pegs holes end up a little off center, but you would never know it. You can barely see the gap in this pic.

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The pegs even retract smoothly should you lean it over too much or hit something...

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And the difference? See for yourself... it definately lowered my knees a bit. Haven't ridden yet, but will in the AM, so I'll post again to give you a review.

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And yeah, I still have chicken strips... but they are smaller than they appear... Lighting can fool you. And the bike is only a month or two old... and I'm older and more careful now.

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So, if you need more knee room, or have a bad knee/s, I highly recommend this mod. It's super easy and costs about $40. Just pull the cotter pins (or cut them... they have plenty at home depot) and throw these bad boys on. Your kick stand will still clear them (barely.) To sit on the bike for 10 minutes, I could really tell the difference... especially when I had one of each peg on. The ride tomorrow will tell the tale... stay tuned. The part numbers are below.

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I know they may look a little silly, but they feel great. What do you guys think?

wirelesswill, Sep 13 2006, 06:05 PM
I know they may look a little silly, but they feel great. What do you guys think?

I think it looks like Larry will be out of business on his peg lowering blocks... tongue.gif

Good find, although they do look gargantuan in comparison; they're almost the same size as the heel guards!!

I put the same Buell pegs on mine that you did. That extra inch does help a lot. Looks good. Only downfall is you can't keep peg feelers on them. They drag out really easy. Love um though.

Very nice. fing02.gif

My only problem with them are the peg feelers. Once they wear down, they can't be replace. But, if you never touch the feelers, then no worries.

This reminds me, one of the peg feelers on my bike feel off. I need to hit the hardware store for a replacement. tongue.gif

I've been holding out for the BLS lowering blocks simply because they retain the factory pegs with the rubber inserts.
I see that these Buell pegs are quite a bit wider and look comfortable.
A question to you guys that have installed these...How is the comfort/grip on these compared to the stock ones with the rubber insert?
Any input is appreciated!

Tejas, Sep 13 2006, 10:57 PM
A question to you guys that have installed these...How is the comfort/grip on these compared to the stock ones with the rubber insert?
Any input is appreciated!

Yeah, and how about gear lever/brake pedal adjustment ... did they need to be moved, and if so, were you able to move them to a comfortable position?

Good post - Thanks for that.

Dad out.

SEBSPEED, Sep 13 2006, 06:17 PM
I think it looks like Larry will be out of business on his peg lowering blocks... tongue.gif

Good find, although they do look gargantuan in comparison; they're almost the same size as the heel guards!!

BLS has been out of business for 9 months now! schla15.gif

We need More pictures! blink.gif

Great Find Will, good job! fing02.gif

Also how does your foot set on them; comfort, and angle? They look like they have a rake to them that the stock pegs don't. IMO- Could you use a die (thread die) to make threads on the feelers then attach a repalceable, wearable one?
They look great!

I was wrong... they're gonna need some bushings, maybe a washer too. They feel a bit wobbly, specially in the corners. I was thinking that all I needed to do was ride to work and then I could adjust the break and clutch... what a mistake that was. I missed the transition from first to second twice and damn near locked my rear break trying to find it the first time as it was so far up. blink.gif

Other than those two minor details, the comfort is good, the angle is the same as factory (as far as I can tell,) and my feet didn't slip on the tread. I guess you could attach new treads if you wanted to, but I'm not going to put that much effort into it. Yeah, the feelers will wear down, but as cheap as these are, I guess you could just buy new pegs and replace the whole thing.

One other note... my knee still hurts a bit, but not as much. I'm pretty sure it's the stock seat limiting blood flow into my leg, so I'm going to order the sargent seat today. I'll post again when I get back from vacation and try the seat/peg combo.

Wireless, I know all us appreciate you following up on this. Everyone else can learn from your efforts! That is what makes this board so good.

I made the XB9S peg mod on my VFR about 6 months ago. I found that I had to shim the hole for the pin that holds the peg to the bracket in order to keep the foot peg from "floating" around. I had to file some of the metal off the part of the footpeg that fits in the footpeg holder so it would be level instead of cocked up at an angle.

I also had to adjust the shifter and the brake pedel. The shifter was easy, the brake pedal adjustment to more work. I had to remove the right footpeg holder and and the rear brake master cyclinder. I cut about 1/4 inch off of the actuating rod form the MC so that I could lower the brake pedal. This might not make sense but if you look back there you will see what I mean. With no feelers on the Buell pegs, they are not any lower than the stock pegs with feelers, so I don't feel like I lost any clearance.

All in all it took a couple of hours to do all this and I am really happy with the results. I have at least an inch more leg room now. I notice that my knees do not ride as high in the tank cutouts as before. This becomes apparent if you grip the tank with your thighs. It tends to shift your knees down a bit and now you are griping the lower and narrower part of the tank. My cost was $30 for both pegs. I don't remember the stock number, but a quick search here should produce them easily.

I did the XB9S peg mod about three weeks ago and the best way to fit them that I found was to drill out the Buell peg mounting holes to 1/2", then go to Lowes and look in the Nylon sleeve drawer of the hardware aisle, there you will find a sleeve that has a 1/2" O.D. and the inside diameter is almost exactly the size of the VFR peg pin (I forget the exact size, if you mic it you will find the size), its only big by about 2 thousands of an inch or something like that, which is not noticable when you put it all together, it works perfectly.

However, I like the drop of the XB9S pegs but dont really like the look or feel, they are slippery feeling small width wise and looks kinda chincy, like its chrome plated plastic.

I think I am going to try the Ulysses pegs instead, they look to have a larger surface area than the XB9's and have more of a sand cast aluminium look.

Thanks for pics of the mod.

SEBSPEED, Sep 13 2006, 06:17 PM
I think it looks like Larry will be out of business on his peg lowering blocks... tongue.gif

Good find, although they do look gargantuan in comparison; they're almost the same size as the heel guards!!

Im not so sure, because I would rather have my stock pegs, with the weighted bottoms, and rubber tops instead of the all aluminum Buell's. They just dont compare to the stockers in terms of quality. You can actually replace parts of your stock footpegs if you need to. So if he ever gets this done, I will buy his drop brackets and mount my stockers back on.

Great mod idea, thanks. I'm looking to go higher personally, but for touring with the better half I think these would be a fantastic investment (I wonder if they'd fit the pillion pegs? Might have a look in the garage tonight).

Yep I agree that drilling and tapping them for replaceable feelers would be a good option if you like dragging pegs, but IMHO unless you're at the track, dragging a peg is more a matter of choice than necessity if you understand how to get the best out of your bike...

wirelesswill, Sep 13 2006, 04:05 PM
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Made in Taiwan! That's great! biggrin.gif

At the time, I didn't consider using the Ulysess pegs, but after seeing them, I would opt for them instead.

I agree that the stock pegs are superior, but BLS hasn't come thru yet, and I didn't what to wait.

If a kit to move the stock pegs down ever surfaces, I would be inclinded to buy it.

I will give it a shot, cause Im just afraid that BLS is not gonna come through on this and I really would like to put my stock pegs back on but lower.

veefer800canuck, Sep 15 2006, 12:15 AMMade in Taiwan! That's great! biggrin.gif

Missed that, but fing02.gif Pretty funny, I bet US Harley dealers have written staff instructions to destroy packaging as soon as the product has been removed from it goofy.gif

USMCDad, Sep 13 2006, 08:26 PM
Yeah, and how about gear lever/brake pedal adjustment ... did they need to be moved, and if so, were you able to move them to a comfortable position?

Good post - Thanks for that.

Dad out.

yeah anytime you lower your pegs you will have to adjust the shift lever and brake pedal. Easy to do on both though.

but IMHO unless you're at the track, dragging a peg is more a matter of choice than necessity if you understand how to get the best out of your bike...

Translation... get your a$$ off the seat biggrin.gif

Thurn (or whatever their name is) makes a bracket to adjust your stock pegs lower or higher... but it's pricey. I thought I would give this a shot too. I also prefer the stock pegs and am waiting on BLS, but this is a great alternative for now and is keeping me busy.

I think I will prolly drill them.. but leaving for Disney, so no more bike fun for me for the next week. I bought some plastic tubing for now that will act as bushings.

/WW goes off to lower his break and clutch before he kills himself

Not sure about the other gens but the brake pedal has very limited adjustment on the 4th gen. At 6' 3" I would love to try these pegs but can't because my brake pedal is as low as it will go- and that's after grinding the shaft and removing the locknut. dry.gif

johne, Sep 14 2006, 12:06 PM
Not sure about the other gens but the brake pedal has very limited adjustment on the 4th gen. At 6' 3" I would love to try these pegs but can't because my brake pedal is as low as it will go- and that's after grinding the shaft and removing the locknut. dry.gif

unfortunatley thats the same problem i have. i have the pedal as low as it will go with my stock pegs and it still interferres with my foot.

767fixer, Sep 14 2006, 08:43 PM
unfortunatley thats the same problem i have. i have the pedal as low as it will go with my stock pegs and it still interferres with my foot.

That is why you need to trim the plunger shaft on on the rear master cyclinder. If you shorten it just a bit, you will be able to lower the front of the brake pedal because the back end can be rised up.

I will try and take some pictures because my poor text description is not helping.

Another thing to consider... If you look closely at the comparasion pictures, you'll notice the the Ulysses are going to push you feet out from the bike about half an inch or so... maybe more. After 2 hours of riding, I got used to the pegs being lower, but could not get used to my feet being so far out... you have to point your toes in a bit to get to the to the shifter and brake. Not sure if I'm going to like that or not.

This may not be a deal breaker for you guys.. but I wanted you to know about it before you spent any cash on the pegs. I'll be drilling them out and adding bushings when I get back from Disney. I'm pretty sure that I'll end up filing a bit off the end once the bushings have been added (where they sit in the sockets.) Anyway, you guys have a good week and I'll post an update when I get back.

I installed a set of Ulysses pegs today on a 2006 VFR. As recommended, I drilled the holes of the Ulysses pegs to 1/2", and bought nylon spacers (1/2" OD, 3/4" long - it's the perfect length). I bought the spacers with a small interior diameter and drilled out the spacer with a Dremel tool to 8mm. The pin that slides through the foot peg is nice and snug. I had to file the ends of the Ulysses pegs so they lined up properly, but everything looks great.

Adjusting the shift lever was easy. The rear brake was a different story. I was able to lower the rear brake about 3/4" using the two adjusting bolts below the master cylinder, but the brake light was on steady. I adjusted the rear brake light knob as high as it would go and the brake light stayed on, so I had to raise the brake lever to the point where the brake light would work properly. In total I probably lowered the brake about 1/2".

Unfortunately I won't be able to try out the new set up til the weekend. If anyone knows how to make a larger adjustment to the rear brake light switch, please let me know.

Thanks

robar, Sep 21 2006, 12:26 AM


Unfortunately I won't be able to try out the new set up til the weekend. If anyone knows how to make a larger adjustment to the rear brake light switch, please let me know.

Thanks

I'm not sure but maybe move the brake light adjuster all the way BACK up and lower the lever all the way down. The wire rod should now be too short to connect, correct? Next, make an extension out of another piece of heavy wire with hooks on each end to span the needed distance.

johne, Sep 14 2006, 09:06 AM
Not sure about the other gens but the brake pedal has very limited adjustment on the 4th gen. At 6' 3" I would love to try these pegs but can't because my brake pedal is as low as it will go- and that's after grinding the shaft and removing the locknut. dry.gif

I'm 6'4" and did the XB9S pegs on my '02 w/ABS - huge improvement. In order to get the brake pedal low enough for my size 14 feet I had to cut off the adjuster portion (the double flat section at the very bottom) of the M/C pushrod and extend the brake light switch connector.

Brian

Finally got to test my new Ulysses pegs on my '06 VFR. Went for a quick 100 mile test ride. They work great! The extra room makes a huge difference. Although the pegs are slightly wider than stock, there are no problems with shifting or braking. Although I could only lower the brake pedal about 1/2", and still have the rear brake light work properly, the brake pedal felt fine.

If you don't have enough leg room with the stock pegs, for about $40 and a couple of bucks for nylon spacers, it's a big improvement . Will also try the BLS adapters when they are available.

robar

wirelesswill, Sep 15 2006, 01:14 AM
One other note... my knee still hurts a bit, but not as much. I'm pretty sure it's the stock seat limiting blood flow into my leg, so I'm going to order the sargent seat today.

I had some long-distance (actually, even short to medium distance) comfort issues too, and they were largely caused by the interaction between the seat and a very thick seam on my pants that coincided with the edge of the seat. Also, the Knox armour I added to the knees of the pants cut off circulation to my knees. All this was fixed by getting new pants!
I'd still like to have the seat remodelled though; there's a company here that do an excellent job for NZ$500 (about US$325).

enzed_viffer, Sep 27 2006, 08:16 PM
I had some long-distance (actually, even short to medium distance) comfort issues too, and they were largely caused by the interaction between the seat and a very thick seam on my pants that coincided with the edge of the seat. Also, the Knox armour I added to the knees of the pants cut off circulation to my knees. All this was fixed by getting new pants!
I'd still like to have the seat remodelled though; there's a company here that do an excellent job for NZ$500 (about US$325).

Thanks for the info... got the seat while I was on vacation last week and rode with it everyday this week. I took the footpegs off until I can drill them out this weekend... but the seat is awesome!! I think the combo of the two will be just the trick as I usually wear jeans to work. The seat really helped as I can push my big butt back farther, which allows my knee to be at less of an angle.