Hyosung GT650

In For The Long Run

Hyosung is in a really interesting position in the market, having pretty solid product, but a name that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue (a position brand like Mitsubishi and Kawasaki were probably in several decades ago) and a question mark over its long-term prospects. Which is no fault of the engineering, but rather the inevitable fate of any relatively new brand on the market.

In fact the bikes have been imported here since 2001, but it's only in the last couple of years that we've got to sample its middleweight product, based around the 647cc V-twin. That engine bears a resemblance to Suzuki's SV powerplant, which is no surprise as the Korean maker was building engines for Suzuki for a while there.

The motorcycle end of the company is part of a much bigger conglomerate that includes chemicals, textiles and so-on. It has played with a range of machinery, from 50cc scooters through to the current 650 range, and has had a one-litre V-twin in development for several years. An interesting aspect to the company's approach is that it does not appear to rush into new models - preferring instead to take its time and develop the existing machinery before moving on.

THE NEW TOY
It's always a thrill to get a new toy to stuff in the garage and this was no exception. The GT is one of four models using this engine and three sharing the chassis. The others include a cruiser, plus a light tourer and a fully-faired sports version. This model, the naked, is priced at $7990 (plus ORC) and comes with a two-year unlimited km warranty.

The basic engine architecture is a four-valve per head liquid-cooled 90-degree twin, running 39mm CV carbs. The tuning is the same for the S (tourer) and R versions, claiming a lively 79 horses punting 185 kilos (dry). So the basic numbers stack up pretty well.

Getting all that to the tar is a six-speed gearbox, wet clutch and chain final drive. Again, no real surprises.

Suspending it is a 41mm USD fork with adjustment for rebound and compression damping, plus a monoshock rear with preload only. Brakes are two-piston callipers working triple discs.

What's it like? We're actually running this bike in, so we're getting the full ownership experience. That said, we've ridden several other examples and can draw on that experience as well - so far this machine is typical of its predecessors.

The handling is light and predictable, with well-chosen suspension. Getting that damping adjusted up front is critical to how it feels. If in doubt, use the stock settings and avoid the temptation to wind everything up to max - that can make the front feel a little nervous. The Bridgestone Battlax tyres seem to suit the bike well, and hang on pretty well in the wert and dry.

Braking is strong and trustworthy, without being sensational. Though relatively low tech compared to the top-flight sports kit out there, it does the job.

Performance is terrific on these bikes - more than enough to make them a pretty handy sports bike that is reasonably content just to amble about town when the mood takes you. The engine delivers good, punchy, urge from 2500 through to 10,000. This example has a little more vibration than I've experienced before and I suspect it will settle down once it's fully run in.

One pleasant aspect is the machine makes some throaty (if muted) V-twin noises, so the current noise regs have not removed its character. Fuel consumption is about 16km/lt at the moment and we'd expect that to improve a little.

The clutch has a wide take-up band and causes no complaints, while the gearbox on this one is accurate but a little notchy. Then again it has only 300km on it and previous experience says it will smooth out as it packs on the kilometres.

Instrumentation is basic two-dial analogue, which is fine by me. I was intrigued to see the speedo and tacho use different coloured lighting, one is green and the other white. There is no fuel guage, but a tripmeter and two warning lights -- one for half tank and the other as a low fuel warning. The latter seems to come on with at least a couple of litres to spare.

Okay, what are the negatives? The steering lock is limited, so you need to plan ahead a little if you're filtering through traffic, as sudden 90-degree turns can be a challenge. It's also fairly tall, so you'll need to be at least 165cm (5'5" in old measure) to be comfortable on it. Finish is not quite as 'polished' as the premium Japanese products out there, but has improved noticably in recent years and is still of a high standard.

The price makes this bike really good value. If our time with it so far is any indication, we would be very happy with the deal.

Long-term we'll be using it as a day-to-day do-everything machine and, in partnership with sister mag Motorcycle Trader, will doing some performance mods once it's run in. Watch this space...