Move over Hyosung, here come the Chinese

[James Deuce]

You're actually wrong, Hyosung is thriving in NZ and I've tested the whole range except for the Aquilas and there's nothing wrong with them. Plenty of dealers and better warranty support than Kawasaki for instance.

[avgas]

Of course, I'd have to completely ignore cost concerns with the Triumph hehe.

And not get water in the air intakes (i.e. dont hose down the bike), also there are the million settings that you should not do (these are shown by stickers all over the bike referring you to a manual)...... The $50 clips to hold the fairings on......that are so quick release that they can disappear down the road.
I love triumphs, but i've found them more of a lifestyle then a bike.....atleast they dont leak oil no more.

[avgas]

didn't you read my other post? it's not a 250... it's $5000 for a crappy chinese 230cc, with the stopping power of a brick wall, that is sure to bring you down from the unlikely 100kph (if it gets to that)

I find it hard to believe that any bike is that bad. Considering i had ridden a few deathtraps in my time. Mabey my standards are too low.

[Quartermile]

Yep! Here's the new Zongshen SZ250GS. To learn more, check out the Aussie website HERE There are spare parts available too.

This little 250 sells for around AUD$5k including ORC.

Took one for a ride about 4 or 5 months ago, theyre just as slow or mybe a tiny bit faster than an FXR.

[Possum41]

Well the Hyosung would out do any chinese M/C.
I am racing a GT650R in the Vic Club Champs this year and so far i've finished 3rd in F2 and 3rd in F3 before the race was stopped.
Few bad points on the bike when i first bought it was the rear shock which was soon replaced with an ohlins, but for racing this is standard practice, (even the guys racing new GSXR's and R1's and ZXR's change the shocks), and the front brakes which again for racing a set of Brembo's will never go amiss.
Other than that as a road bike these things were fine, after all you never push a bike half as hard on the road as you do on the track.
Performance wise the Hyosung puts out 2hp more than SV standard and quality wise i have not encountered any problems so far.
I would never trust something the chinese build and the only reason i went with the Hyosung is because they have been building parts for Suzuki for years but not many knew it.
And as for value for money, after i had completed the mods on my Hyosung, including having fibreglass moulds made and sets of race fairings, my bike is still cheaper than buying an SV out right.
You can't complain about that!!!

[delusionz]

A guy on a Hyosung GT250R rode past us in the car tonight and the night driving filament of his tail light was out, as he sped off into the night he was invisible except when he braked. We let him know, He didn't even know himself, Thats scary.

I have a china bike, It's been nothing but trouble and no motorcycle service centre will even look at it, much less service it. I can't get any professional help at all. It's left to rust while I look for a new bike, Japanese this time.

Just some food for thought.

[moko]

I've never seen a bad write-up of a Hyosung.Suzuki were rattled enough here to slash the prices of their SV650 when they first came in,probably realising the bike mags would test the 2 makes back to back.They did,the Suzi usually came out better but the Hyosung didn't come out at all badly.A couple of years on SV price-levels have gone back to what they were,Hyosung have re-vamped their 650s and their bikes are way better value,I'd seriously consider one if I was in the market for a new bike.

[deanohit]

I've had no trouble gettin my bike sorted.Its a zongshen zs200gy,but I tell the mechanics its a copy of a honda ct200 and they all go 'yep,easy.'
been happy with it so far and found it great to learn on.and that cheap,I was able to afford a good jacket,pants,gloves an helmut which will outlast my current bike.would like more power though.brakes adequate in anything but wet,but im a sunday rider so i dont ride when its raining.

[chris]

There's one sitting in our garage at work, right now. I think (may need confirming) the price is actually about $6000.

[moko]

To get things into persepective you can get a Chinese 125 traily here for £900 on the road,you can get them cheaper but that's from established dealers who'll back up the manufacturers 2 year warranty and carry comprehensive spares.125s here are very popular because of our learner laws.That £900 is equal to about the devaluation on a Yamaha DT125R or Honda XR125 over 12 months.£900 is roughly a months wages at the national minimum wage for a brand new bike with a warranty.O.K so they're not Jap standard but they're not Jap prices either and I know 2 guys who have done amateur off-road events on them,totally uncompetitive but both bikes survived unscathed and usable on the road afterwards,the riders wanted a bit of fun,neither was any more competitive on the dirt than the bikes were.With a few dollars and a some pukka enduro plastics they can even look quite convincing.People here pay stupid money for Indian-built Royal Enfields that are no better built than Chinese bikes and cost 3 times as much.General consensus here is that Chinese companies are listening and learning,I'm old enough to remember the days when everything that came out of Japan was considered crap,Bridgestone tyres in particular were often changed before you picked your new bike up as they were little short of lethal in wet weather,how times change eh?

[Dodger]

I'm still happy with my Hyosung Gt250, and it looks much better than the above beast.

That being said I do own a Chinese 50cc scooter that although cheap and nasty (was $1500 new) runs well and is good for popping down the shops.
Don't think I would want one that can do 100kph though, as I don't trust the build quality

[Tim 39]

that is one ugly motorbike, looks like a cross between a chinese scooter and a tourer gone wrong

[Renegade]

people keep dissing the hyo but ive had mine a year now since new and she hasnt skipped a beat since the day i got her
i am hoping though when i go to sell her i wont lose to much $$

[Tim 39]

I think Hyosung will be a bit like Hyundai. A few years ago I would've never owned a hyundai, now I've got one and a recent survey of drivers, stated that Hyundai was voted the second most reliable car manufacturer with toyota behind in 3rd. anyway I think Hyosung will be similar with regards to starting small and being the "odd ball" manufacturer to being one of the big names, theyre heading the right way about it anyway

[avgas]

people keep dissing the hyo but ive had mine a year now since new and she hasnt skipped a beat since the day i got her
i am hoping though when i go to sell her i wont lose to much $$

Dont worry they did the same about the RG150 as it technically wasnt japanese (malasian?) But now that bike has legend status here.
The nay-sayers would also think the Honda Hero is black magic (if it came here) even though a good chunk of india ride it.
People are scared of new things. They buy stuff from names that have been here for decades. And will continue to do so.
Would they complain so much if the bike was labelled a Suzuki FXR 230?