Old Steve
10th June 2011, 19:59
There probably aren't that many motorbike riders who started their riding career as late as I did. I passed my Basic Handling Skills, passed my written license test, and rode my first bike when I was 61. One year later, I've just passed my full motorbike license. In that year I've ridden 15,000 km. From Tauranga I've gone as far west as Opotiki, as far south as Tihoi on the Western Bay Road around Lake Taupo, west onto a lot of previously unknown Waikato back roads and out to Kawhia, and as far north as Auckland for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter ride.
I ride a Hyosung GV250 learner bike and her name is GLORIA. I didn't buy her from Bay City Motorcycles in Tauranga. I bought her off the net, but I had her delivered to BCM from Wellington. They looked her over, gave her a service, pronounced her fit for the road, and supervised me on my first tentative ride. Before I rode away from BCM for the first time, I had to ride around and around the industrial area watched by the eagle eyes of Trish. Only when Trish was happy was I allowed to venture forth onto the public highways. I bought my riding gear from BCM. I've had two new sprockets, a new chain, a Scottoiler and new front and rear tires fitted to my bike there. BCM is where I drop in and pat the bikes. The Kawasaki Vulcans and Ninjas, the Hyosung 250s, Aquila GV650, and of course a special gentle caress for the new Hyosung ST-7. I feel that I've got a pretty good relationship with Dave and Trish at BCM, they don't seem to mind at all that I come in and say hello to their bikes from time to time.
When I passed my full license I called in to tell Dave and Trish the good news. Both of them immediately told me that I should take the Hyosung ST-7 for a test ride. They must have noticed my longing looks at it whenever I dropped in, the way my hand would rest on the curve of it's tank, the way I would measure it's seat height against my leg. No, no, I protested. I'm not in the market for a new bike. Yes, yes, they repeated. Just take it for a test ride one Saturday morning. Oh well, if you really, really, insist.
So it's Saturday morning and I've arrived to take the biggest Hyosung out for a couple of hours. From Tauranga it's either go up over the Kaimais or head north through the gorges. I figured I'd go over the Kaimais, have a cup of coffee at the Okoroire Pub, then head back home again.
At last I'm sitting on the ST-7, checking things out. There are a number of things I find different compared to my own bike. The handlebars seem wider and are swept back more. My wrist is turned outwards slightly more than it is on the GV250, but it's not uncomfortable and I have a nice upright seating position on the bike. There are tank top mounted instruments. I can't say that I've ever fancied having the instruments mounted down there, the GV250 has the instruments mounted above the headlight, but maybe I'm just an old reactionary. However, I find that I don't have to look too far down to be able to read the speedo. There's a large, very easily read, single speedo dial. I remember noticing that it goes up to 140 miles per hour on the inside range, that's over 220 km/hr on the outside range. Why did I particularly notice the speed in miles per hour? I had no intention of even doing 140 in km/hr. There's also a digital fuel gauge. That's welcome.
I find that I'm sitting further forward on the seat. I can't feel the pillion seat against the small of my back as I do on the GV250. The foot pegs are a little further forward too, a more comfortable position. I sometimes have to place my heels on the foot pegs to stretch my legs out towards the end of a longer ride on my 250. The rear brake, has a large foot pad so it's easy to find. The pad on the gear selection lever is mounted with a good gap above the foot peg so it's easy to slide your boot under it. I push it down into first, then a gentle click up, searching for neutral. The “Suzuki gearbox glitch”, the common inability of Suzuki Intruder 250s and Hyosung 250s to engage neutral if the engine is running, hasn't been included on the Hyosung ST-7. That's progress, and one thing I won't have to worry about. There's no choke lever on the left hand grip since it's EFI, and I find that there's a lot of movement in the clutch lever before the clutch disengages. The one thing that troubles me is that the mirrors are round, not oval. When I have them adjusted I find that I have a much smaller field of view behind me than I'm used to having.
So, finally, I get to press the starter button. The engine cranks into life and settles into a steady beat. Even though this bike has the standard factory exhaust fitted there's a nice V-twin rumble. I've looked at the exhaust tips and there are socket head cap screws holding the baffle plate and exhaust tip in place. If I owned this bike I'd have my allen key set out so quickly, just to see what comes off if you undo those set screws and what the exhaust sounds like.
I feel at ease once I start riding . The extra mass of the ST-7 seems to make it more stable. The centre of gravity seems so much lower than on the GV250, it feels easier to lean over in the corners. I head out onto Takatimu Drive and Route J to get to Tauriko and the foot of the Kaimais. Pulling away from the first roundabout I feel the torque as I open the throttle, my upper body rocks back as the speedo winds up and I ease off the power a little. I've really got to remember that this bike is more powerful than my learner's bike. On State Highway 29 I get slowed down behind a car. Once we reach the passing lanes after the Ruahihi power station I pull out and pass easily in fifth gear. By the time I reach the summit I've become really confident with the ST-7s low centre of gravity and cornering ability. I usually go down through the curves on the Waikato side of the Kaimais between 70 and 80 km/hr on my 250. Today I notice that I'm winding down through the curves between 80 and 90 km/hr.
I turn off onto State Highway 28 at the foot of the Kaimais and head towards Okoroire. The curves here are more open sweepers. I become aware that I'm entering them at a speed which is a little more than the posted limit, and easing out of them at a speed even more than the posted speed limit. I ease off on the throttle slightly. I seem to feel most comfortable at a speed of 120 km/hr on the open road. I have trouble reaching that speed on GLORIA, she has to be screaming away at 9,000 rpm in fifth gear and heading downhill with a following wind. On the ST-7 it's just the speed at which I seem to settle. I could really get used to this, but I'll have to keep an eye on the speedo.
I get a cup of coffee at the Okoroire Pub and stand looking out the back window of the Bike Shed at the ST-7. It definitely has all the classic cruiser cues. It's almost as if the Hyosung marketing people said, “We need a classic, mid-size cruiser.” And they definitely got what they asked for. There's a big 18 litre fuel tank, stepped up and swept back handlebars, cruiser style front forks, large section tires covered by sweeping mudguards, a low and wide seat (675 mm high, thats 27 inches in the old measurements), belt drive, separate chromed exhausts, and a good sized pillion seat. The Hyosung ST-7 also comes with alloy wheels, 16 inch on the front, 15 inch on the back.
The alloy wheels place the Hyosung ST-7 alongside the Suzuki Boulevard C50C and the Yamaha V-Star 950 in the marketplace. But the Suzuki Boulevard C50C and Yamaha V-Star 950 are $14,495 and $15,995 bikes respectively, the Hyosung ST-7 comes in at $12,995. The Hyosung isn't lacking in power either, when compared to it's competitors. The Suzuki Boulevard C50C and the Yamaha V-Star 950 both develop 39 kW (53 hp), the Hyosung ST-7 revs higher than both the Suzuki and Yamaha and develops 49 kW (66 hp).
Coffee finished, and I get back on the bike to head home. It's an easy cruise up the first two thirds of the Kaimais in fifth, I just pull out and gently roll the throttle open when I come up behind slower traffic. For the last three or four corners I drop down into fourth to get a little more response out of the corners. But it's back into fifth as I pass the summit lookout and I stay in that gear all the way down to Tauriko. By this time I've definitely fallen in love with the way the ST-7 corners. There's no heaviness to the steering, even though the ST-7 has a classic cruiser big front tire. It seems as if you only have to think that you'll ease the inside hand grip away from you and the ST-7 has already leant over and you're through the curve.
Finally, reluctantly, I'm back at BCM. I park the ST-7 up, and I just can't stop grinning. It takes 20 minutes or so before the BCM crew manage to shut me up. OK, I've just got my full license and this is the first bigger bike that I've ever taken for a ride. I intend taking as many mid-size cruisers as I can out for a ride and writing up a ride review on each of them. However, if the other mid-size cruisers are as good as the ST-7 then I'm in for a real treat.
How did it feel to be riding away on my Hyosung GV250 learner bike and then to remember what it was like riding the ST-7? Make no bones about it, I love my GLORIA. But just imagine that you're at a party with your wife. You've been married for years, you're comfortable together, there's children, maybe grandchildren soon. So, you're a little worse for wear, maybe the years haven't been too kind on you. But you still love each other. Then, out of the corner of your eye, you see Angelina Jolie walk through the room. Distracting isn't it?
I ride a Hyosung GV250 learner bike and her name is GLORIA. I didn't buy her from Bay City Motorcycles in Tauranga. I bought her off the net, but I had her delivered to BCM from Wellington. They looked her over, gave her a service, pronounced her fit for the road, and supervised me on my first tentative ride. Before I rode away from BCM for the first time, I had to ride around and around the industrial area watched by the eagle eyes of Trish. Only when Trish was happy was I allowed to venture forth onto the public highways. I bought my riding gear from BCM. I've had two new sprockets, a new chain, a Scottoiler and new front and rear tires fitted to my bike there. BCM is where I drop in and pat the bikes. The Kawasaki Vulcans and Ninjas, the Hyosung 250s, Aquila GV650, and of course a special gentle caress for the new Hyosung ST-7. I feel that I've got a pretty good relationship with Dave and Trish at BCM, they don't seem to mind at all that I come in and say hello to their bikes from time to time.
When I passed my full license I called in to tell Dave and Trish the good news. Both of them immediately told me that I should take the Hyosung ST-7 for a test ride. They must have noticed my longing looks at it whenever I dropped in, the way my hand would rest on the curve of it's tank, the way I would measure it's seat height against my leg. No, no, I protested. I'm not in the market for a new bike. Yes, yes, they repeated. Just take it for a test ride one Saturday morning. Oh well, if you really, really, insist.
So it's Saturday morning and I've arrived to take the biggest Hyosung out for a couple of hours. From Tauranga it's either go up over the Kaimais or head north through the gorges. I figured I'd go over the Kaimais, have a cup of coffee at the Okoroire Pub, then head back home again.
At last I'm sitting on the ST-7, checking things out. There are a number of things I find different compared to my own bike. The handlebars seem wider and are swept back more. My wrist is turned outwards slightly more than it is on the GV250, but it's not uncomfortable and I have a nice upright seating position on the bike. There are tank top mounted instruments. I can't say that I've ever fancied having the instruments mounted down there, the GV250 has the instruments mounted above the headlight, but maybe I'm just an old reactionary. However, I find that I don't have to look too far down to be able to read the speedo. There's a large, very easily read, single speedo dial. I remember noticing that it goes up to 140 miles per hour on the inside range, that's over 220 km/hr on the outside range. Why did I particularly notice the speed in miles per hour? I had no intention of even doing 140 in km/hr. There's also a digital fuel gauge. That's welcome.
I find that I'm sitting further forward on the seat. I can't feel the pillion seat against the small of my back as I do on the GV250. The foot pegs are a little further forward too, a more comfortable position. I sometimes have to place my heels on the foot pegs to stretch my legs out towards the end of a longer ride on my 250. The rear brake, has a large foot pad so it's easy to find. The pad on the gear selection lever is mounted with a good gap above the foot peg so it's easy to slide your boot under it. I push it down into first, then a gentle click up, searching for neutral. The “Suzuki gearbox glitch”, the common inability of Suzuki Intruder 250s and Hyosung 250s to engage neutral if the engine is running, hasn't been included on the Hyosung ST-7. That's progress, and one thing I won't have to worry about. There's no choke lever on the left hand grip since it's EFI, and I find that there's a lot of movement in the clutch lever before the clutch disengages. The one thing that troubles me is that the mirrors are round, not oval. When I have them adjusted I find that I have a much smaller field of view behind me than I'm used to having.
So, finally, I get to press the starter button. The engine cranks into life and settles into a steady beat. Even though this bike has the standard factory exhaust fitted there's a nice V-twin rumble. I've looked at the exhaust tips and there are socket head cap screws holding the baffle plate and exhaust tip in place. If I owned this bike I'd have my allen key set out so quickly, just to see what comes off if you undo those set screws and what the exhaust sounds like.
I feel at ease once I start riding . The extra mass of the ST-7 seems to make it more stable. The centre of gravity seems so much lower than on the GV250, it feels easier to lean over in the corners. I head out onto Takatimu Drive and Route J to get to Tauriko and the foot of the Kaimais. Pulling away from the first roundabout I feel the torque as I open the throttle, my upper body rocks back as the speedo winds up and I ease off the power a little. I've really got to remember that this bike is more powerful than my learner's bike. On State Highway 29 I get slowed down behind a car. Once we reach the passing lanes after the Ruahihi power station I pull out and pass easily in fifth gear. By the time I reach the summit I've become really confident with the ST-7s low centre of gravity and cornering ability. I usually go down through the curves on the Waikato side of the Kaimais between 70 and 80 km/hr on my 250. Today I notice that I'm winding down through the curves between 80 and 90 km/hr.
I turn off onto State Highway 28 at the foot of the Kaimais and head towards Okoroire. The curves here are more open sweepers. I become aware that I'm entering them at a speed which is a little more than the posted limit, and easing out of them at a speed even more than the posted speed limit. I ease off on the throttle slightly. I seem to feel most comfortable at a speed of 120 km/hr on the open road. I have trouble reaching that speed on GLORIA, she has to be screaming away at 9,000 rpm in fifth gear and heading downhill with a following wind. On the ST-7 it's just the speed at which I seem to settle. I could really get used to this, but I'll have to keep an eye on the speedo.
I get a cup of coffee at the Okoroire Pub and stand looking out the back window of the Bike Shed at the ST-7. It definitely has all the classic cruiser cues. It's almost as if the Hyosung marketing people said, “We need a classic, mid-size cruiser.” And they definitely got what they asked for. There's a big 18 litre fuel tank, stepped up and swept back handlebars, cruiser style front forks, large section tires covered by sweeping mudguards, a low and wide seat (675 mm high, thats 27 inches in the old measurements), belt drive, separate chromed exhausts, and a good sized pillion seat. The Hyosung ST-7 also comes with alloy wheels, 16 inch on the front, 15 inch on the back.
The alloy wheels place the Hyosung ST-7 alongside the Suzuki Boulevard C50C and the Yamaha V-Star 950 in the marketplace. But the Suzuki Boulevard C50C and Yamaha V-Star 950 are $14,495 and $15,995 bikes respectively, the Hyosung ST-7 comes in at $12,995. The Hyosung isn't lacking in power either, when compared to it's competitors. The Suzuki Boulevard C50C and the Yamaha V-Star 950 both develop 39 kW (53 hp), the Hyosung ST-7 revs higher than both the Suzuki and Yamaha and develops 49 kW (66 hp).
Coffee finished, and I get back on the bike to head home. It's an easy cruise up the first two thirds of the Kaimais in fifth, I just pull out and gently roll the throttle open when I come up behind slower traffic. For the last three or four corners I drop down into fourth to get a little more response out of the corners. But it's back into fifth as I pass the summit lookout and I stay in that gear all the way down to Tauriko. By this time I've definitely fallen in love with the way the ST-7 corners. There's no heaviness to the steering, even though the ST-7 has a classic cruiser big front tire. It seems as if you only have to think that you'll ease the inside hand grip away from you and the ST-7 has already leant over and you're through the curve.
Finally, reluctantly, I'm back at BCM. I park the ST-7 up, and I just can't stop grinning. It takes 20 minutes or so before the BCM crew manage to shut me up. OK, I've just got my full license and this is the first bigger bike that I've ever taken for a ride. I intend taking as many mid-size cruisers as I can out for a ride and writing up a ride review on each of them. However, if the other mid-size cruisers are as good as the ST-7 then I'm in for a real treat.
How did it feel to be riding away on my Hyosung GV250 learner bike and then to remember what it was like riding the ST-7? Make no bones about it, I love my GLORIA. But just imagine that you're at a party with your wife. You've been married for years, you're comfortable together, there's children, maybe grandchildren soon. So, you're a little worse for wear, maybe the years haven't been too kind on you. But you still love each other. Then, out of the corner of your eye, you see Angelina Jolie walk through the room. Distracting isn't it?