Hyowho? The Koreans are coming

[Puffs]

Have any of you guys seen the new GT 650R from Hyosung?

The thing looks like an SV 650 kinda, but with a full fairing. They also make an 650S that is like the SV650S. I hate to say it though, the 650R is a really sharp looking bike.

Anyone know anything about these things? I can't seem to find any information about them online that isn't written in german or italian.

[CometRider]

best place to read about them is the Hyosung Australia site that has uploaded articles written about the bikes. There are also Yahoo Forums for these bikes as well.

http://www.hyosungmotors.com.au/road.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Comet650Owners/

Hyosung seems to be taking over from AlphaSports here in the US. Parts for the 250cc models are still a bit slow to arrive at dealers, but hopefully that will clear up soon - rumor has it that parts for the 650s are better stocked/distributed

you can find a review i did of my 250 comet in the articles section

[Bobthearch]

My wife really wanted the Hyosung AlphaSports V-Twin 250. It's the only sub-750 motorcycle with the 'Classic' cruiser style and did very well in 250 comparison reviews. Unfortunately the only one we ever saw was overpriced and the dealer wouldn't budge, even though the bike was an '04. Tried contacting other AlphaSports dealers listed on their website, but not one ever replied.

Best Wishes,
Bob

[Puffs]

Hey CometRider?

How has it been getting the bike serviced? I assume you go to Riverside? I was there the other day, and I am not familiar with them. The sales guy was a tiny bit pushy, but a nice enough guy.

They also sell Hyosung down at MoM's South and MoM's NH.

The full faired 650R was a real looker! I wonder how it rides and if getting parts is problematic. I wonder what the resale will be on these guys.

[CometRider]

hi puffs - yeah, i got mine at riverside. carlo and robb were my salespeople and they were nice to deal with. i saw the red 650R on their floor too - really good looking bike

getting service is not a problem. getting the parts, that's another story. i've heard that AlphaSports is about 18 days behind in filling parts orders, so i'm hoping my new fork comes next week, as it will be 5 weeks waiting for that.

hopefully hyosung is starting to take over the US parts distribution side of things.

[PerrydaSavage]

Hyosung is also supposed to be selling Bikes in Canada ... but the local dealership (Protek Recreation and Marine, Mount Pearl Nfld.) has yet to stock any Bikes ... the V-Rod inspired GV650 & GV1000 are sweet lookin' Bikes ... belt drive too! But, I was told that the GV650 will retail at about $8-grand(CDN) or so ... that's about the same price as Suzuki's S50 (800 Intruder) ... nice as Hyosung's GV's are, they'll have trouble sellin' a 650 if it's the same price as an 800 ... especially a great Bike like the S50 ...

[Shadow Shack]

Hyosung is also supposed to be selling Bikes in Canada ... but the local dealership (Protek Recreation and Marine, Mount Pearl Nfld.) has yet to stock any Bikes ... the V-Rod inspired GV650 & GV1000 are sweet lookin' Bikes ... belt drive too! But, I was told that the GV650 will retail at about $8-grand(CDN) or so ... that's about the same price as Suzuki's S50 (800 Intruder) ... nice as Hyosung's GV's are, they'll have trouble sellin' a 650 if it's the same price as an 800 ... especially a great Bike like the S50 ...

Aye, laddy...yuir missing some vital comparisons between the S50 and the GV650 beyond price tags:

Triple disc brakes on the GV versus a single disc and drum on the Intruder.
Inverted forks on the GV...hey it worked on the Roadie Warrior and this is half the weight!
No idea about the fuel capacity, but it's gotta be more than the 'Truder's 3.2g tank...
More efficient belt drive over the shaft, allows more power to the rear wheel.
Speaking of power, that brings me to the next point: SV-650 cloned engine versus Intruder engine. 'Nuff said, LOL

My only gripe, sight unseen: Can't they do something about the aesthetics on the motor? Faux cooling fins are so much more visually appealing on any cruiser. Dress it or cover it with some fairing! But all in all, you get a lot more bang for your buck with the GV at the same price. Once the mags get a couple reviews out of the way and dust a variety of 1500+cc cruisers, the only thing that could prevent good sales is a poor dealership network and/or any reliability issues that may pop up.

We finally got a new dealer for the Alpha here in Vegas...sadly looking at the map it appears to be in a residential area. Some guy selling out of his garage doesn't exactly inspire confidence. http://www.beginnerbikers.org/forum/images/icons/icon9.gif Next closest dealers are in Lake Havasu City and Prescott AZ; and one in Ontario CA. Something just tells me the guy selling out of his garage won't service the bikes...

[Triumph]

Saw the 250 and 650 at a dealership last week. Nice looking bikes for sure. The parts on the 250 felt a bit el-cheapo, but what do you expect? If the thing is reliable, then who cares if the parts feel cheap. I love the styling of the 250 and it was quite comfortable just sitting on it. The 650, eh I'd take one of the Big 4 bikes over it.

[E-Man]

That GV650 is sweet!

http://www.hyosungmotors.com.au/GV650_h.jpg

I still like the looks of the Kymco Venox more so though. Kymco now needs a 650.

http://www.mctuning.com/img/models/venox.jpg

[Puffs]

Here is the thing.

Are these Hyosung's built in China? Are they using Chinese steel?
If so, that is a big thumbsdown. :nofinger:

That would be a big deciding factor for me.

[Bobthearch]

The Hyosung motorcycles are made in Korea. They've actually been importing motorcycles and 4-wheelers for several years. Not many dealers around though.

-Bob

[PerrydaSavage]

Aye, laddy...yuir missing some vital comparisons between the S50 and the GV650 beyond price tags

Hi Shack ... the differences (beyond price tag) between the Hyosung GV650 and 'Zuki's S50 aren't lost on me ... I should've clarified my point a little better ... it seems that many purchasers of motorcycles equate sticker price and engine displacement ... meaning that they would not pay the same price for an m/c of lower displacement despite the lower cc Bike possibly being technically superior and/or of greater horsepower.
I agree, that on the spec sheet, the GV650 appears to be a technically superior motorcycle to the S50 ... and though I Ride a 'Zuki myself, I find the concept of the GV650 to be very enticing ... and one, if it turned out to be reliable Bike with good Dealer support, that I would consider.
I am hoping that Suzuki will take cues for the future development of it's Boulevard line-up from products like Hyosung's GV650 and GV1000 Cruisers!

[Shadow Shack]

I'm hoping something explodes myself, from someone. It seems the GV is the "first shot to be fired", although technically as far as V-Twin power cruisers go the V-Rod is the only other bike that fits the picture of more performance without more cubic inches.

If the GV flops but ends up as the successful performer it appears to be on paper, it should at least get Japan off its collective ass for something along similar lines without resorting to a rediculous 3 liter mill. Suzuki really should follow suit, and Honda has the perfect motor for one of their own, the VTR1000 SuperHawk engine. Oh yeah, let's not forget Honda's 650cc dual-pin V2 that they use in their non-North American destined TransAlps and DeauVilles:

http://member.melbpc.org.au/~tjhudson/DeauvilleRed.jpg

[CometRider]

There's lots of changes going on it seems with the importation of Hyosung bikes to the US. A company called Tomberlin (www.tomberlin.net) says on their still-being-constructed website that they have acquired AlphaSports Motors, the company currently distributing Hyosung in the US. But new bikes in the US are branded as Hyosung now and not as AlphaSports.... So something's up, but noone knows what.

I would recommend the Hyosung bikes in a heartbeat, except at this precise moment, as parts availability is the problem. I'm still waiting on a new fork for my Comet even though it's been 5 weeks since my dealer ordered it. i'm a patient person but this is starting to bug me. I have heard that parts for the 650s are better distributed... check with the dealer first i guess.

One can only hope that Hyosung starts getting it right....

[Puffs]

Have you examined the parts on your bike. Do they all say made in Korea?
Do you happen to know where Hyosung contracts their parts and materials from?

Since this stuff in imported, they have to site the source for everything on their bikes. It would be cool to see where they are doing their business.

[CometRider]

i've not noticed any details directly on the forks, but would they really need to label every part as the bike is imported almost wholly put together?

the manufacturer part numbers for the forks are: 51210HM8102 and 51220HM8102, but i'm not sure how much info we can get from that.

[prester_john]

Hyosung isn't the only Korean game in North America. Daelim has entered the Canadian market.

Their Daystar might be the only 125cc cruiser in the world with a Softail style frame:

http://cyclecity.wicms.com/images/image_cache/288_288-E68CC4B2BEF76A96AAE344B49A815799.jpg
I like their clean little Roadwin 125:

http://cyclecity.wicms.com/images/image_cache/288_288-5CA0DB6A789096B32EFB84AC3B144802.jpg

Tom

[ymibhdu]

I LOVE the Deauville. Would have bought one in a heartbeat if it was available here. Don't get me wrong, I do love the PC, but the Deauville styling is perfect! I ogled them on the net when searching for another bike. Yet another thing I cannot have. Is Honda my wife?



Bob in WI