Are Hyosungs worth getting?

[Ryster]

$5000 ish and it would be used. I like to know that theres power if i need it and good handling is a must. I like there looks and style, esspecially the bigger frame. want it for at least 2 years

[onearmedbandit]

Thanks. What model(s) are you looking at? Faired/naked, 250/650 etc?

[CookMySock]

$5000 ish and it would be used. I like to know that theres power if i need it and good handling is a must. I like there looks and style, esspecially the bigger frame. want it for at least 2 years

They have ample power for open-road touring. There is certainly no need to lingering at 80-90km/hr when they will sit on 100-120. It's dangerous for learners to be stuck at 80k on hills with cars hard up your ass.

The R certainly has the styling http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...x?id=268071494
whereas the Comet is a little easier to get to grips with.


Steve

[SPP]

I had a 07 GT250R - so non-EFI.

I liked it. Here are my impressions.

• Not enough power - Common complaint: "My CBR250RR would eat that Hyobag..."
  This is true, a CBR or ZXR will be quicker. I had an exhaust and rejetted which freed it up a little. There's enough it them to easily sit on 120 but they're 250 slow. Not GN slow mind you, Ninja 250R slow.
• Handling - Common complaint: no complaints from most
  They’re not an RS that’s for sure but they are stable and capable enough. Around town or open road. The R is more difficult to U-turn on because the front of the tank get in the way of arms when at full lock.
• Paint- Common complaint: Cheaply sprayed, orange peel.
  Mine was actually quite good. I slapped on turtle wax and my paint stayed mint. The Hyo’s I’ve seen in NZ have CC over the decals whereas other countries didn’t.
• Corrosion – Common complaint: "They rust in all the wrong places"
  I've never personally seen one with a rust problem. A mate who had the same bike, about the same age had some surface corrosion on the triple and some other small places. Mine on the other hand looked like it rolled off the shop floor after a year of commuting and in winter I rode mine daily through all sorts of shit and rain. I put it down to him keeping his outdoors and never cleaning it… ever. I kept mine in a garage and cleaned it weekly.
• Lights - Common complaint: They aren’t bright enough.
  Yep, if you are riding down a twisty country road at night you'd better know the road. Lots of people change bulbs and a few also run new wires directly to the bulbs using the existing wires to switch a relay. With street lights or other vehicles around, they're perfectly fine.
• Tyres - Common complaint: They aren’t grippy enough.
  Oh no. The OEM Shinkos are made from the hardest material that can legally be called rubber. Expect them to last 20-30k... longer if you look after them. If you’re going into winter I’d say get them off the bike. What you spend in tyres, you’ll save in undies.
• Brakes – Common complaint: wooden and don’t pull up the bike.
  Don’t expect Brembo but they do a reasonable job. OEM pads are cheap shit.
• Chain - Common complaint: cheap quality
  The OEM chain looks like a motorcycle chain and is metal but that is where all similarity ends. Expect to last 10-12k if you regularly clean, lube and adjust (and I mean regularly). Oh and never over tighten, they snap. Replace with a real chain (e.g. DID, EK etc) at the first sign of wear.
• Electrics - Common complaint: cheap
  I added earth wires from each indicator to fix intermittent inaccurate fuel gauge readings. 'Nuff said. No problem s with the switch gear though… looks and operates identically to Suzuki
• Street Cred - Common complaint: what street cred?
  Get used to telling people that they’re KOREAN shit, not CHINESE shit.

[woodyracer]

dont listen to any of the negative muppets on here, they are great bikes, got a 250 EFI on thursday, set it up for racing {left stock suspension} and got a 4th on it this weekend at hampton downs......awsome bikes.

Nicer looking that many bikes around, plenty of parts ect, they are build well.

[CookMySock]

• Not enough power - Common complaint: "My CBR250RR would eat that Hyobag..."
  This is true, a CBR or ZXR will be quicker. I had an exhaust and rejetted which freed it up a little. There's enough it them to easily sit on 120 but they're 250 slow. Not GN slow mind you, Ninja 250R slow.
• Handling - Common complaint: no complaints from most
  They’re not an RS that’s for sure but they are stable and capable enough. Around town or open road. The R is more difficult to U-turn on because the front of the tank get in the way of arms when at full lock.
• Paint- Common complaint: Cheaply sprayed, orange peel.
  Mine was actually quite good. I slapped on turtle wax and my paint stayed mint. The Hyo’s I’ve seen in NZ have CC over the decals whereas other countries didn’t.
• Corrosion – Common complaint: "They rust in all the wrong places"
  I've never personally seen one with a rust problem. A mate who had the same bike, about the same age had some surface corrosion on the triple and some other small places. Mine on the other hand looked like it rolled off the shop floor after a year of commuting and in winter I rode mine daily through all sorts of shit and rain. I put it down to him keeping his outdoors and never cleaning it… ever. I kept mine in a garage and cleaned it weekly.
• Lights - Common complaint: They aren’t bright enough.
  Yep, if you are riding down a twisty country road at night you'd better know the road. Lots of people change bulbs and a few also run new wires directly to the bulbs using the existing wires to switch a relay. With street lights or other vehicles around, they're perfectly fine.
• Tyres - Common complaint: They aren’t grippy enough.
  Oh no. The OEM Shinkos are made from the hardest material that can legally be called rubber. Expect them to last 20-30k... longer if you look after them. If you’re going into winter I’d say get them off the bike. What you spend in tyres, you’ll save in undies.
• Brakes – Common complaint: wooden and don’t pull up the bike.
  Don’t expect Brembo but they do a reasonable job. OEM pads are cheap shit.
• Chain - Common complaint: cheap quality
  The OEM chain looks like a motorcycle chain and is metal but that is where all similarity ends. Expect to last 10-12k if you regularly clean, lube and adjust (and I mean regularly). Oh and never over tighten, they snap. Replace with a real chain (e.g. DID, EK etc) at the first sign of wear.
• Electrics - Common complaint: cheap
  I added earth wires from each indicator to fix intermittent inaccurate fuel gauge readings. 'Nuff said. No problem s with the switch gear though… looks and operates identically to Suzuki
• Street Cred - Common complaint: what street cred?
  Get used to telling people that they’re KOREAN shit, not CHINESE shit.

Adding my 10c ;

Theres plenty of power. Unless you have lots of mates with inline four 250's, you will unlikely be in a drag race in a straight line with one of them. Anyway, if they can beat you in a straight line, then learn to corner it.

Paint on ours were awesome.

Corrosion? Keep it clean and dry.

Um, yeah the lights are shit. Upgrade to HID.

Shinkos are scary tyres in the wet, but good training. Get used to it.

Yes, the chain is the first thing that will go in the bin. Get used to changing your chain.

Brakes are fine. Grab a big handful and the fuckers will somersault you.

I never had a problem with electrics.

Street cred? Loads of it. Everyone wants to know what it is. Keep it really clean and they look awesome. The only people who think hyos are shit are keyboard warrior idiots on Kiwibiker.

Steve

[SMOKEU]

A mate of mine has a GT250R. He's had it for at least a year and the only problem its had is that the gauges fucked out and it cost him about $400 for a second hand gauge cluster. If I go hard on the CBR then the Hyosung becomes a mere speck in my mirrors. It's a bit of a shame that a 2 year old bike can't keep up with a 21 year old bike, keeping in mind they both have the same engine size.

[Autech]

A mate of mine has a GT250R. He's had it for at least a year and the only problem its had is that the gauges fucked out and it cost him about $400 for a second hand gauge cluster. If I go hard on the CBR then the Hyosung becomes a mere speck in my mirrors. It's a bit of a shame that a 2 year old bike can't keep up with a 21 year old bike, keeping in mind they both have the same engine size.

Were there corners involved in this?

Don't listen to the haters, these are really good bikes no matter which way you look at them. Most important thing to do is to swap out the fork oil as they are known to be under full from factory, do this with some quality fork oil and it handles beautifully, even with the shinkos on it.
And for the haters out there, a 650r got a 4th place finish in F3 at Hampton today.

[Kornholio]

Im looking at a few bikes, Ive got my eyes on a couple and i like the Hyosungs. Ive not really heard alot about them though, are they a good brand to go for? like reliabilty wise and money wise?

No!!...unless you like cheap and nasty

[woodyracer]

Thew only reason they cant keep up with 21 year old 250cc 4's is because those 250 4's were build with superbike technology.....they didnt hold back...

[SPP]

Adding my 10c... Steve

Mine was good to me. I forgot to add

• Fuel Efficiency - commuting I got +400km to a tank and I wasn't trying to save petrol. I heard a story of a bike courier getting 450km but I don't know. I think the most I could have gotten would have been 420km. I get ~250km for the same trip on a CBR600RR (more or less the same tank size)

[SMOKEU]

Were there corners involved in this?

In a straight line, the CBR wastes the Hyosung easily. In the twisties, it wastes the Hyosung even more. Although the CBR gets literally half the amount of kms per tank.

[SMOKEU]

Thew only reason they cant keep up with 21 year old 250cc 4's is because those 250 4's were build with superbike technology.....they didnt hold back...

Now I'm not just trying to take the piss out of Hyosungs, but in the 1980's Honda (and other manufacturers) could build 4 cylinder 4 stroke 250cc engines capable of revving to 18,000+rpm, with around 45bhp. And those engines have withstood repeated abuse over the years and they don't blow up that often. Surely with modern EFI and VVT it would be possible to build a similar engine, but with a lot more power. Or maybe not. And yes I do understand that 4 cylinder engines have the ability to rev harder than twins.

[CookMySock]

In a straight line, the CBR wastes the Hyosung easily. In the twisties, it wastes the Hyosung even more. Although the CBR gets literally half the amount of kms per tank.

Lets see you get 70,000km out of it without putting a spanner on it.

Steve

[SMOKEU]

Lets see you get 70,000km out of it without putting a spanner on it.

Steve

Do you think your engine will last that long without an oil change?