TEST RIDE

COMPARO RIDE: HYOSUNG 650 MODELS
ROB SMITH tucks in to the full Hyosung 650-twin smorgasbord. Check
out his reactions to the naked, sports-tourer, sports and cruiser versions
of these budget-priced, mid-weights…
RIDING THE RANGE
TEST RIDE
24
MOTORCYCLE TRADER
P
erhaps surprisingly, I’m prepared to admit
that the prospect of riding the entire
Hyosung 650 range in one sitting was kind
of appealing. I’d seen them all on the road on
different occasions and often thought they
looked pretty good, especially the un-faired
Comet that immediately brought to mind the
Laverda Ghost with a bit of VTR250 and a dash
of SV650.
The plot was simple, breakfast at Hyosung
Australia’s Kensington HQ, then a day to ride
the Comet, GT650R, GT650S and the GV650
Aquila cruiser on a few of my favourite roads.
WHAT ARE THEY?
Well, the GT650 Comet is Hyosung’s naked
standard. The GT650R is the fully faired
sports model, while the GT650S is the sports
touring version featuring the higher bars from
the Comet and a simple half fairing. Lastly the
GV650 Aquila is the cruiser of the range. The
first three share many parts but the common
element to all four is the 647cc V-twin engine.
GV650 AQUILA
Let’s start with the
styling; I have to say the
sweep and form of the
curved lines makes for
quite pleasing shapes.
There is, of course,
plenty of chrome that requires more cleaning
than I personally can be bothered with but,
overall, it’s a unique look that’s by no means
unattractive. The paint and overall finish
looks okay, but long-term ownership through
a couple of seasons of crap weather will
undoubtedly determine how well it lasts.
The Aquila has an engine with a bit of
character (especially with the aftermarket
exhaust), good suspension, a low-maintenance,
belt-drive and fairly decent brakes. What
this adds up to is a machine that is actually
engaging and entertaining to ride, on flowing,
open roads. Naturally with forward foot
controls, there’s minimal cornering clearance
and any bend requiring much more than about
COMPARO RIDE: HYOSUNG 650 MODELS
SPEX
HYOSUNG 650 RANGE
ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled, fourstroke, four valves per
cylinder, V- twin
Bore x Stroke: 81.5 x 62mm
Displacement: 647cc
Compression ratio: 11.6:1
Fuel system: Twin 39mm
Mikuni carbs
TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed, constant
-mesh
Final drive: Chain (Aquila:
Belt)
CHASSIS & RUNNING
GEAR
Frame type: Perimeter style,
steel, double cradle
Front-suspension:
41mm inverted forks, fullyadjustable
Rear-suspension: Pre-load
adjustable monoshock (Aquila
version: twin shocks)
Front brakes: Twin 300mm
discs with twin piston calipers
Rear brake: Single 230mm
disc with single piston caliper
DIMENSIONS &
CAPACITIES
Dry weight: 185–190kg
(Aquila: 216kg)
Seat height: 780mm (Aquila:
675mm)
Fuel capacity: 17 litres
(Aquila: 16 litres)
PERFORMANCE
Max power: 78hp at
9000rpm
Max torque: 6.9kg-m at
7500rpm
OTHER STUFF
Prices: GT650: $7990, All
others: $8990
Colours: Too numerous to
list – check website
Test bikes supplied by:
Hyosung Australia Visit:
http://www.hyosungmotors.
com.au/
Warranty: 24 months
unlimited kilometres
And it’s that kind of riding that generates the
best rewards from this engine.
GT650R
The R is
Hyosung’s
sporting
flagship
(apparently
there’s a
1000cc version in the pipeline to take on
the role ultimately). In blood red with the
stacked headlights, you could be forgiven for
thinking that its country of origin is Italy rather
than Korea.
Although there’s a definite feel that this
machine has been built to a price, the build
quality is better than that price would suggest.
On the road all my observations about the
Comet apply to the R.
A difference is that the R’s sports handlebars
put more load on your wrists than the Comet
does. Your wrists also seem to take some extra
punishment from the under-damped front
suspension and it seems to cost you some feel
for front-end feedback. This criticism could be
made, I suppose, about all “racer-crouch” sports
bikes to some extent.
All the 650 range uses the same Hyosung
twin-piston, sliding-caliper brakes married
to 300mm discs. For some reason, the R (and
incidentally the other faired version – the S) lost
a considerable amount of braking power under
sustained use in hilly twists and turns. Strangely
the Comet fared better but on the R and the S it
felt like the pads became glazed, needing harder
and harder squeezing. This applied even when
charging uphill to bends that normally would
need just a brush of the lever to slow and settle
the bike before pitching it over.
There’s no doubt that improvements could be
made to all of these bikes, perhaps with the
exception of the Aquila. It stands alone and
is working well within the constraints of its
market niche.
All the others need better brakes and better
suspension. Despite this the Comet, the R and
the S are outstanding given their showroom
prices. My suspicion is that all are transition
bikes that will be sold after a year or two as the
owner gains experience. If that is the case maybe
they don’t have to be much better than they
are already.
Would I own one? That’s hard to say as a used
SV Suzuki is still a better buy at this time. If
the Hyosung gets better brakes and suspension
without a huge increase in price, then the gap
would be closed and I’d go with the Korean. ■
It’s a handsome machine,
the GT650R.
The S is the sports tourer and it’s by far the most
comfortable machine in the range. While I loved
the look of the Comet, the S is the one I’d buy
THE SUZUKI CONNECTION
MOTORCYCLE TRADER
SUMMING UP
GT650S
Korean company Hyosung has produced a V-twin 650 engine that is very
similar in concept to the Suzuki SV650. How close are they to Suzuki
and what’s the history of the realtionship? In fact the links between
the two companies go back to 1979 with Hyosung supplying bikes and
components to the Japanese company. Hyosung also supplies bikes to
the Korean market in its own right.
The Hyosung engine has a slightly larger bore and shorter stroke than
the SV. It was designed in Japan using ex-Suzuki know-how. When you
look inside the engine you can’t help but be impressed with the strength
designed into the castings, bearings and shafts.
What’s more Hyosung not only supplies components to Suzuki, but
companies like Cagiva are currently looking at using Hyosung engines in
future generations of Raptors to replace the current Suzuki engines.
26
simply because
you get the extra
protection of the
fairing coupled
with the riding
position of the
Comet. Once
again everything is the same as the others, but
whereas the extra weight over the front wheel
on the R seemed to result in heavier steering, on
the S it seems to have slightly calmed the bike’s
behaviour over bumpy bends. It’s possible that
the suspension settings on the two bikes may
have been different but, one way or another, I
felt much more confident on the S.
Engine castings and bearings
are robustly designed.
PHOTOS: LOU MARTIN
30° of lean is a liability. Despite the handicap,
the Aquila handles with security; the suspension
feels well damped and controlled. The engine
pulls well from low in the rev range and makes
surprisingly swift progress with a strength that
belies the capacity.
In terms of comfort, the seat is well shaped and
comfy even if the forward controls conspire with
wind pressure to separate the rider’s legs from
the torso. Nicely positioned handlebars allow the
rider to adopt a relaxed stance and at speeds of
up to 100km/h the Aquila is undoubtedly one of
the more comfortable cruisers on the market.
Overall the Aquila represents not just good
value, but it appears to be a genuinely honest
alternative to anything from Japan.
GT650
It’s probably my
favourite and
undoubtedly
the one that
feels most like
an SV650 Suzuki to sit on. The Comet is a really
good looking mid-range naked bike, especially
in the all-black livery. Just like the S and the R,
we’re looking at fundamentally the same engine
in the same steel chassis without the plastic.
Visually the Comet looks like it’s going to be
more fun. Paradoxically it is and it isn’t. Sure,
you get the same easy steering and capable, if
not outstanding, handling characteristics. This
is courtesy of the somewhat odd mix of fullyadjustable, inverted forks and bum-basic, preload only, rear monoshock. But where the R and
the S get away with not having any red-light
wickedness in the DNA, the Comet disappoints.
What am I talking about? Mostly it’s down to
being overweight and over-geared. I’d expected
the Comet to exhibit the same appetite for blazing
away with the front wheel cocked that the SV650
has. So I was surprised when I found it didn’t.
Although with 78 horses the Comet makes more
power, at 185kg dry it has an extra 20kg to carry
around compared with the Suzuki.
Despite this the Comet still manages to be fun to
ride. Sure there’s a loose feeling to the suspension
when attacking bumpy bends but that’s down
to the mismatched suspension. Luckily the
Bridgestone BT56 tyres are more than able to
make up for any damping shortfall by providing
excellent grip no matter what antics the rest of
the bike gets up to. So there’s enough security
and feedback to hustle though short straights and
switchbacks. On long sweepers it enjoys using
big throttle openings in high gears, accessing the
midrange to maintain corner-to-corner and midcorner speed without resorting to brakes.
CHAMPAGNE
❯ Appealing engine
character
❯ Great value for money
❯ A nice comfortable ride
(Comet and S versions)
DISH WATER
❯ Brake performance
drop-off
❯ Suspension needs work
❯ An uncomfortable ride (R
version)
“IN BLOOD
RED WITH
THE STACKED
HEADLIGHTS,
YOU COULD BE
FORGIVEN FOR
THINKING ITS
COUNTRY OF
ORIGIN IS ITALY
RATHER THAN
KOREA.”