Hyosung Motorbikes...

[dzynafalcon]

Just got my motorbike L's (finally.. broke my foot 1 week before i was booked in to sit test last time...), and am looking for a decent bike to get started on. I've heard all the usual "Honda CBR250RR/ Yamaha FZR250R etc is the best bike" stuff, and I have been doing some research on whats out there, but what I want to know is if anyone has (or ridden) one of those Hyosung Comet GT250's??? I have seen these bikes a bit, and had a look at one today, and they seem to be a fairly decent bike. I've read a few articles about them, and they have gotten a pretty good rating. Basically what I want to know is people's thoughts on them from people who have actually owned/ridden one. ie: quality, performance, handling, resale etc etc

Cheers

[Tles]

A guy I play rugby with has a black one and loves it, mostly because he is a 6'3" Maori and the Hyosung has a full size frame. Reckons that it's pretty stable on the Highway and doesn't get moved around with cross winds as much as his mates 250s.

There is a push on in Victoria to bring in the upto 650cc for over 90kg learner rider rules which Qld apparently brought in recently. Don't really know the details or theory behind it but sounds like a good idea to me.

[Road_Warrior]

I know quite a few people with Hyosungs, mainly the GT250R. For the price you pay, its a good buy, but they do not stand up well to abuse and they have had numerous quality control/reliability issues that are documented in various places on the interweb if you want to look for them.

Personally I would just pay the extra and get a Jap bike. Peace of mind reliability wise and at least most (if not all) bike shops are happy to fix them whilst some wont touch Hyosungs. I'm a Kwaka man through and through, I have a 2006 ZX636 and a 2000 ZZR600 so obviously i'm going to be a bit biased in my advice :sm_headba

[holmsy]

i was recently looking at bikes as i was going to get my bike license but due to money i cant afford a bike now anyway.

either way i looked at the usual cbr 250 etc and noticed a hyosung in the dealer.
asked my mate that drives a aprilla 250 and he just said dont you dare buy one.

so make of that what you will :P

the second i sore them and sore the price tag i thought it sounds like a ssangyong

[Conrad]

CBR250's are pretty ****. They rev really high and have are gutless. They are just bird scarers.

I like the VTR250 is pretty nice. V-twin engine. But the CBF250 whips it in looks i reckon but is alot less powerful and torquey.

(No im not a honda man, but i got an earful from my brother whos into bikes. He ended up buying a VTR250 and is pretty damn happy with it, i think hes racked up about 20,000kms in 6 months or something and has had not 1 problem).

[XA Coupsta]

Go the Kwaka's eh Road Warrior!

Ive got a '91 ZZR 600 and the bike is faultless.

Its a shame Learners have to get a 250 - because really they have inferior brakes, suspension, power, build quality - coz they are only 250cc and manufacturers can get away with it.

Step into a slightly bigger bike (with your head screwed on) and you'll become a much better rider quicker.

Anyway the law is the law.

I too say buy a Jap bike (Conrad - agreed on your Honda VTR sentiments - V Twin very good config for a learner bike). Jap bikes are proven - they've been around a looooong time.

Hyosung arent. In fairness I havent ridden one. My primary concern would be parts price/availability (cheap to buy one but $$$ to service one) - and also reliability of the bike itself.

Go a Kwaka ZX2 250 or something similar.

Good luck and let us know what you go with.

[knighto42]

There's a review here on the GT250R from Australian motorcycle news.

The thing I found interesting was the 2 year unlimited km warranty - which you won't get with a 2nd hand CBR/FZR of about the same price. And realistically if you're buying a learner bike, the chances of you still keeping the same bike after you get off your learners is pretty slim, so you're guaranteed not to have to put your hand in your pocket for any problems you might have while you've got it.

[mcnews]

If you must get a roadie then get a secondhand VTR 250 Honda. Pretty much unbreakable.

Best thing to do though would be to get a 250 road/trail while you learn the ropes and that way you can go and get dirty also.

[BA_Turbs]

*EDIT: Used my eyes to look for stuff and found the answer*




Anyway, how much cheaper than the Jap bikes is something like this?

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by XA Coupsta

Go the Kwaka's eh Road Warrior!

Absolutely. In fact, when talking about twofiddies, I reckon you cant beat a GPX250. Cheap, tough, easy to fix. Either that or do as Trev said and use a 250 road/trail, good way to hone your riding skills in the bush.

[Conrad]

Originally Posted by mcnews

Best thing to do though would be to get a 250 road/trail while you learn the ropes and that way you can go and get dirty also.

I wouldn't recommend this. I just recently had a mate with a 450 suzuki (only been riding for a year) and he had a road/dirt tyre (we called it a Steve Tyre lol) and he has recently slid it out from under him while riding on dirt and has a broken foot at the moment. My 2 other mates who are sub-professional riders both had a ride of the suzuki and both said it was ridiculous how little traction there was. Also i've found riding roadworthy bikes on the dirt it tends to bugger stuff up like lights and other things.

I'd say if you are going to do trail you should buy a designated bike for it. Not one for both.

[sleekism]

Don't buy it!!!

I just graduated from my P's to my full motorbike licence with the whole process from L's to Blacks taking 1year and 3months and I can tell you that you get pretty tired of having low powered bike.

Would you really want to spend a lot of money on a bike that your only going to have for a little over a year?

I recomend a Suzuki GN250 if you're after a road bike, they have bulletproof motors, are cheap to run (trust me I didn't have a job and rode one to school everyday) and you can pick one up for bout 2 grand.

If your after a trail go the TTR-250 same deal.............

Basically save your money for when you have your blacks and then you can go RGV or GSXR.

[Squalo]

Honda Spada is the best learner bike around:

- no fairing to damage when you drop it (and you will)
- bulletproof v-twin
- you'll sell it for what you paid for it if you look after it
- looks great! a little bit Italian even

They are a little pricey upfront for an older bike, but as I said you WILL get your money back when you sell it.

I did my L's on a brand new ZZR250 in 1997, I loved the bike but I lost 30% of the initial outlay when I sold it (35 000km on the odo and scratched fairings each side from drops). I should have bought a Spada for $4k and sold it for $4k.

[mcnews]

Originally Posted by Conrad

I wouldn't recommend this. I just recently had a mate with a 450 suzuki (only been riding for a year) and he had a road/dirt tyre (we called it a Steve Tyre lol) and he has recently slid it out from under him while riding on dirt and has a broken foot at the moment. My 2 other mates who are sub-professional riders both had a ride of the suzuki and both said it was ridiculous how little traction there was. Also i've found riding roadworthy bikes on the dirt it tends to bugger stuff up like lights and other things.

I'd say if you are going to do trail you should buy a designated bike for it. Not one for both.

I would say that is a crock. You can break bones on any bike when you mess up, be it Ricky Carmichael's RMZ or Valentino Rossi's YZR-M1. Having the right tyres helps, on my dirtbike I have a set of road rims with road tyres that enables me to scrape my knee if I want to and I also have another set of rims with full dirt tyres. But I rode for years on road-trailies on dual purpose rubber and had no real dramas including on one bike drag racing it, road racing it, natural terrain motocrossing it, enduro racing it, and crossing the country on it.

[XA Coupsta]

yeh but mcnews the difference was you set your bike up PROPERLY. two sets of wheels and tyres.

if you are going to buy a road trail and not do that id agree with conrad - you get poor performance as a roadie and poor as a dirty - so its stuck somewhere in the middle.

buy a designated road bike for the road - not something half way.

sure getting dirty is good experience - buy a second cheap scrubber for that and keep your road bike for the road.

i dont believe it has to be the same bike for you to increase your overall riding skill.

[fordel]

CBR's are all over priced for what they are

Hyosongs are ok, but as they are a LAMS bike so you can restrict them once you de-restrict them you cant put them back, so you will have a very limited market to sell the bike to, and not many riders on their full licence will want one.

Better off getting a 2nd hand VTR or CBF or something, or here in SA GS500 they are a good bike that still have a lot of resale value, thats what im planning on getting once i get my licence later this year.


http://www.korider.com/


There is a forum dedicated to the Hyosongs

Cheers

Chris

[mcnews]

Originally Posted by XA Coupsta

yeh but mcnews the difference was you set your bike up PROPERLY. two sets of wheels and tyres.

if you are going to buy a road trail and not do that id agree with conrad - you get poor performance as a roadie and poor as a dirty - so its stuck somewhere in the middle.

buy a designated road bike for the road - not something half way.

sure getting dirty is good experience - buy a second cheap scrubber for that and keep your road bike for the road.

i dont believe it has to be the same bike for you to increase your overall riding skill.

Mate, every learner legal 250 is a boat anchor. So you will never get any road performance from any of them apart for an Aprilia RS250.

[Built2redline]

and the rs250 isnt learner legal only the rs125 is.

[sleekism]

People: Suzuki GN250 best learner bike eva

[Gobes32]

I will put a vote in for a Kawasaki ZZR 250. Due to the relaxed riding position, it will boost your confidence a fair bit and they are reasonably priced to boot. Bullet proof motor and gearbox too.

[TEaaron]

Big thumbs down for the cbr250.

hear somthing reving it's tits off turn around to see one going 30k's.

IMO it's better to get somthing like a WR250f so you can go on and off road.

It'll have no worries keeping up with a cbr.

If you got your mind set on a 250road bike i'd say an aprlia rs250. 73hp @11,000 and 140kg


Compared to a cbr250r that makes 40hp @ 15,000 and weighs 143kg.

Of course the honda will last longer being a 4cyl 4 stroke compared to a vtwin 2 stroke with 13:1 compression.

but if you're looking at upgrading soon as you can ride somthing bigger it shouldn't be a problem.

Edit: just read Built2redline post

Get a wrf250 still around 34hp only making the power at around 8,000rpm not 15,000 and it weighs about 100kg as well 40kg less than a cbr.

[Parfrey]

i would steer clear of the hyosung bikes, poor quality and yea i guess you get what you pay for.
As for a CBR, or any of the other imported bikes thay can end up costing a bit. Dont be fooled if the compliance plate says its an eg. 2004 model as theyre older bikes all painted up an stuff.
Maybe a cbr or vtr that was sold new in aus would be good. ZZR if you can put up with the standard engine noise

[klawsterfobik]

Well i'm going to pop my vote in for a Suzuki Across (GSXF250). Especially if your a taller person like i am (6'4").

Great fun to ride, good power (45hp @ 14.500 rpm / 25,5 Nm @ 10.500 rpm), spares are everywhere for them, good braking and steering. They're also nice and easy to work on. 16,500 redline is fun to see as well. The only downside being that they're a bit light and can be pushed around a bit on the road.

They're also damn cheap to run, 12L ~$15 gets me about 140 - 160 k's.

The best advice that i will give you is to try them out. See how they feel sitting on the bike and riding it around. You want to be comfortable riding. I personally wouldn't buy a new bike, because chances are that you'll drop it at one point or another and if you don't your not riding enough :P

Like i said, get a feel for what you like and buy that.

[Gobes32]

Originally Posted by XDaaron

Get a wrf250 still around 34hp only making the power at around 8,000rpm not 15,000 and it weighs about 100kg as well 40kg less than a cbr.

I would not recommend a WRF if you plan to ride in traffic. A few minutes of slow riding and she is almost certain to overheat. They are designed for enduro riding, constant movement.

[dzynafalcon]

Thanks for the advice guys. I've been riding since before I could walk, but moved down to the city before I got around to getting my L's. Just lazy I guess. Depending on finances, I think I will go for a VTR250. They look good and from what I've read they go quite well also.

Thanks again

[Conrad]

My brother is stoked with his, you should be too. Good luck, don't do anything stupid and BE AWARE of other idiots.

[mcnews]

Originally Posted by dzynafalcon

Thanks for the advice guys. I've been riding since before I could walk, but moved down to the city before I got around to getting my L's. Just lazy I guess. Depending on finances, I think I will go for a VTR250. They look good and from what I've read they go quite well also.

Thanks again

Can't go wrong with one of them mate as far as 250 roadies go, they are all crap but they are the least crap of the lot of them :->

[HLC]

get a 1980's Ducati Pantah.

they have a desmo600 AND are learner Legal.

[Mark s]

Originally Posted by HLC

get a 1980's Ducati Pantah.

they have a desmo600 AND are learner Legal.

Not in Victoria.

[mcnews]

I believe that might be changing very shortly.