Some advice - Hyosung 650 Comet

[Blakamin]

For that money, I druther have a secondhand summat else. That's more'n I paid for my FahrtSturm, f'rinstance....

Agree there... could get a early Monster for that!

[vifferman]

There was an article in this month's "Two Wheels" about the Chinese bike/scooter industry. They're currently turning out a mixture of cheap crappy stuff including blatant knock-offs of Japanese bikes/scooters, and some reasonable quality stuff too. As they get better at it, and the QA side of things kicks in (which it's starting to do as they export), they'll start to give the Japanese a run for their money.

[Cajun]

For that money, I druther have a secondhand summat else. That's more'n I paid for my FahrtSturm, f'rinstance....

but that is a honda not a quality highandsung or whatever

[Bodge]

Agree there... could get a early Monster for that!

yep and I did :cool2:

[Ghost Lemur]

There was an article in this month's "Two Wheels" about the Chinese bike/scooter industry. They're currently turning out a mixture of cheap crappy stuff including blatant knock-offs of Japanese bikes/scooters, and some reasonable quality stuff too. As they get better at it, and the QA side of things kicks in (which it's starting to do as they export), they'll start to give the Japanese a run for their money.

It's exactly how the Japanese industry got started, cheep nasty knock offs and look where it is know. They suggest with China's growth (7% avg over the past three decades) that it'll be less than 25 years till they're the ones making the innovations. Then we'll all be drooling over the latest Zha rrrrr9rrrrrr (no idea what they'd call their bikes but they might keep the japanese tradition of including as many r's as possible, because everyone knows if it's got an r its got to be fast).

This isn't just with motorbikes though either it's across the board.

Such is my belief I've been investigating learning either Mandarin or Cantonese.

[kerryg]

There was an article in this month's "Two Wheels" about the Chinese bike/scooter industry. They're currently turning out a mixture of cheap crappy stuff including blatant knock-offs of Japanese bikes/scooters, and some reasonable quality stuff too. As they get better at it, and the QA side of things kicks in (which it's starting to do as they export), they'll start to give the Japanese a run for their money.

Wouldn't buy a new Korean car, myself, even though I'm sure they're good, and they've been around a long time. I'd wager the depreciation on a bought-new Daewoo or a Kia is much higher than on a Jap car or an Aussie car. You can argue that the initial purchase cost is lower but I'd take some convincing that the real cost of ownership over say a couple of years of a Daewoo is not a lot more more than say a Toyota or a Mazda. But Hyosung motorcycles are very much newcomers, and are pretty much out of left field in a market overwhemingly dominated by a handful of long-established brands and a lot of buyers will be looking sideways at them anyway for that reason (strangeness) alone. I bet they drop in value a huge amount on the 2nd hand market. Without warranty, of interest to a far smaller catchment of buyers than Suzuki or whatever, probably/possibly? with a few quality issues which you might expect with a new entrant....Better to buy a good second bike of any description (including Hyosung if that's your fancy) and let some other bugger take the first big drop in value...

[pete376403]

... But Hyosung motorcycles are very much newcomers, and are pretty much out of left field in a market overwhemingly dominated by a handful of long-established brands and a lot of buyers will be looking sideways at them anyway for that reason (strangeness) alone. ...

You know, 30 - 40 years ago the makers, sellers and owners of British bikes were saying exactly the same things about those oriental upstarts Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha.

[Skunk]

Hyosung is brought in by Kawasaki NZ. Kiwi Rider said that the engine made more power and toque than the SV650, they sounded impressed with the donk.
Suspension was cheap (but was USD from memory) so I guess a set of progressives would be good for it, as well as a fiddle with the oil etc. Fully adjustable to (again from memory).
Want something different to ride into the ground? This sounds a good choice. If you're looking to tour or trade it later, then maybe not.

[kerryg]

You know, 30 - 40 years ago the makers, sellers and owners of British bikes were saying exactly the same things about those oriental upstarts Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha.

You're not wrong about that. I'm not saying that with time Hyosung won't gain some reputation and a loyal following of buyers, just as the Japs did...it's just that at this stage they are a bit "strange" and that is likely to affect resale value.

Another point also could be this: 30 or 40 years ago the Japs introduced reliable well-made well-performing bikes to a market that had been used to mainly fairly conservatively engineered and modestly perorming British stuff (absolutely no disrespect to British stuff intended). The CB750 and the Z900 are examples of what I mean. It is not the same situation now. The bikes now made and sold by all the major brands are excellent, with few exceptions. I really don't see Hyosung or any new Korean/Chinese/Malaysian/Russian/whatever origin manufacturer coming in to the 2004 motorcycle market and knocking anyone off their perch unless it is on price alone. This is a very mature industry.

[yobbosayyo]

I reckon you should just buy one.
I used to think Hyundai cars were shite until I came over here and saw what an awful hammering they have to survive from koreans. I'm talking about lack of serviceing, endless traffic jams, stinking hot summers, freezing winters, and numerous fender-benders. Yet you see plenty of Hyundais that have survived this for 10 years or more.
It's the same with bikes. When the comet 250 came out motocycle couriers started buying them and giving them the usual 12 hours a day 6 days a week caning and it didn't break them.
So that's durability sorted, which just leaves performance. I reckon making up for the factory deficiencies (if you notice them) could be half the fun. Trying new bits and pieces, settings etc.
Resale value? probably lower, but who knows. Take a look at pictures of the prototype for the new 650 cruiser,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...yale/gv650.jpg
Hyosung could be cool in a few years

[Cleve]

As a current SV 650 rider I read with interest the comparo between the Comet and the SV in Performance Bikes a few months ago. SV came out on top.
The SV is a sweet bike (but I may need to go back to a bigger bike soon as I miss that HP rush of a bigger bore machine).