Other rides...Hyosung GT250

[piscatorial_phd]

2004 Hyosung GT250 - Surprising little bike that I bought strictly for fuel economy, low price and novelty. This was a great bike that I regret selling. I actually picked it up on a trip through Augusta, GA from a high end custom chopper shop who sold these bikes as a side business. This was my fishing bike as I used to ride around with flyrod on a backpack and could go forever with a 5 gal. tank. I got almost 75 miles per gallon. Which was great when gas was $4 per. I might try to pick up another on the cheap.

[JB1290]

I've been seeing more and more of those lately. I just wonder how reliable they are and how hard it is to find parts for them when they do break.

They do look nice for what the asking price is.

[Custom82Hawk]

parts aren't that bad and they're pretty reliable.  my buddy had one for a couple years, only problem he ever had was the kickstand switch had to be cut due to vibrations causing it to want to shut down the motor since it was in gear.  other than that (even after it was run into a tree), he had no other problems.

[happycommuter]

I investigated a GT650 before getting the NH about 3-4 years ago and the scarcity of dealers was a major concern.  Didn't Hyosung just get some arrangement with Harley that would allow them to aggressively expand their dealer network?
Budget bike for sure, but like Koreans cars of old the refinement was a bigger issue than reliability.  Always heard the fit and finish was a step or so below Japanese quality, but a good deal for the money.

[Custom82Hawk]

Hyosung is actually Suzuki.  They make the bikes that Suzuki puts their names on.  Well, at least a few of the Suzuki's started out life as a Hyosung.  Why not, my ex-wife's Chevy Aveo started out life as a Suzuki Swift, turned into a Daewoo Kalos, and then into the Chevy Aveo (and according to Wiki, it was also a Pontiac Wave).  But I will say the Hyosung is VERY popular in South Korea, and while shipping is a bit pricey, parts are extremely extremely easy to come by from there.  A Hyosung won't do you the way these cheap Chinese scooter/"motorcycle" knockoffs will. 

[niteman]

Hyosungs seem to be fairly valid cheap bikes. Like custom said, they are better than those scary Chinese scooters. I saw quite a few of them in Thailand.

I remember seeing a comparison test video comparing the Hyosung GT250 and the new model ninja 250 on a British bike website. the only things they noted against the hyosung IIRC were the fit and finish. They noticed surface rust and paint issues on the GT250 that should not have shown on a new bike so quickly. As for the handling and operation of the two they stated, again IIRC, that the GT250 was almost as good a bike as the venerable ninja 250.

[flynrider]

Hyosung is actually Suzuki.  They make the bikes that Suzuki puts their names on.  Well, at least a few of the Suzuki's started out life as a Hyosung.   

  Not exactly.  In their early years, Hyosung licensed several Suzuki designs and built the bikes exclusively for the Korean market.   Sometime in the late 80s, they quit licensing from Suzuki and designed their own bikes.  Naturally, there was a lot of Suzuki infuence in their designs leftover from the licensing years.  That has always led some to believe that Hyosung builds bikes or engines for Suzuki, but that has never been the case.

[JordanA]

I considered a comet650 as my first bike, but found the Nighthawk first.

I do like the looks of them, though.  I am in need of a sportier bike than the nighthawk (I am keeping her though, of course).  I think the VFR or the VF750 I am looking at this weekend will fit the bill.

[Yokomo]

Havent seen one of those in person but I've seen a few for sale.  Look like they'd be a good ride.  I like the looks of them.  Are they about the same size as a NH 750 as far as the "cockpit"?

[piscatorial_phd]

This bike was great for the 2 years I owned it. I didn't have trouble finding any parts, in fact I got everything from the local Suzuki dealership. This was basic maintenance, though. I'm not sure how hard it would be to find more serious parts, though. For a 250, it ran great. It would do triple digits, if you were willing to wait for it, but there was plenty of throttle for around town and highway. The only exception I suppose was passing on steep hills. Other than that I never had a complaint. My primary concern about the bike was not with the machine, but with the fact that my local dealer gave up the line, because he said that Hyosung was too demanding, which I understand is true of many Korean companies. They have a way of doing things and that is the way it will be done.

The fun thing about he bike was the looks and comments.

[fishball]

In a lot of cases I think 250 displacements are overlooked.  It's a great motor and fitted to the right bike can be all one truly needs... the problem for me was wanting more.