[tbsrider2000]

You might also check out the Kymco Venox 250. It's more of a crusier, but it has alot of power. I've taken one for a ride with my wife on back and we were able to take it out on the freeway and easily cruise 70 MPH with enough power to pass easily.. I must say i was impressed with that bike.

 

[gigantic]

AT Motorsports

3001 East Pacific Coast Hwy. Signal Hill, CA 90577

http://www.hyosungus.com/

 

[vermicious]

A carburated v-twin sport bike with virtually no domestic support infrastructure.



no thanks.

 

[gigantic]

Just get a Suzuki SV650S. It's a great first sportbike that you won't outgrow quickly. I've been riding for 16 years, my SV is more fun and easier to ride on the backroads than either my BMW R1100S or my GSXR-750.

 

[desmodue]

I hope no one is making biased generalizations about Japanese piano players all being superior to our native ones and advising people not to listen to them.... I agree on the bike advice but have to throw in that my American car and bike have both racked up many economical, trouble free miles with no more difficulties or maintenance requirements than my Japanese, Italian, or German ones. I plan on driving both into the ground, which I guess points out that I wasn't worried about resale since I bought what I wanted--unworried about return on something that's a non-investment from the start. Buy/Ride/Drive what you want.

 

[longride]

I think you should stick to piano playing. Hopefully know know more about that than you do about cars.

 

[longride]

Or maybe he should get a Concours or VFR?

 

[acecycleins]

Hyosung has a distribution deal with United Motors. Find a UM dealer and you'll be fine. Hyosung's US base is Norcross GA. I know this because I applied for a District MGR job with them. They are working on a dealer network so be patient. The bikes are, in the most basic sense, Suzuki rip-offs. The engineering is there. The dealers are coming and the first reviews are positive so far.

 

[seruzawa]

Where did this idea of vehicles being an "investment" come from? Aside from the odd rarity a purchase of any new vehicle is a dead loss. Some are worse than others, but cars and motorcycles are not "investments". An investment is something that increases in value. The only motorcycle that did increase in value was American anyhow. But even the owners of those didn't really make any money when you figure in the costs of owning a motorcycle.



If you buy a vehicle for $10,000 and sell it for $12,000 after spending several thousand on finance charges, tires, insurance and maintenance you have still made a bad investment.

 

[bbtowns]

I think it's better to say an investment is something you hope/expect to increase in value. If you ever worked for a company that issued an IPO in the late 90s you'd be very clear on that one, as I am unfortunately.

 

[bbtowns]

Whenever anyone asks about a bike here, they get the "you should buy what I ride answer". Those EX250s are bullet proof, but if you buy Korean give us an update every 5K miles or so. We'd all like to hear how those hold up.

 

[stlarson]

It's great to see a reply which isn't "go buy a SV650 or a Connie, you dork" or which dismisses the bike outright because it is new and Korean. The 650 model held up well against the SV650 in the comparison here from last year, and with the 250 being built around the same idea I would expect it to smoke the old Ninja.



If I do buy one I'll definitely keep people posted.

 

[stlarson]

From what I've been able to gather the 250 engineering is very close to what they used for the 650, and that seemed to hold its own for the most part in the comparo here, which is why I'm considering it. Thanks for the additional info on their plans.

 

[seruzawa]

Heh heh. My friend's fancy fully loaded V6 4Runner gets about the same mileage as my K2500 when we go desert camping fully loaded. That's interesting because I'm usually carrying twice the payload he is over the mountains because I've got most of the water. (I also leave him in the dust uphill.) He also has to carry extra 5gal gas cans because of the 4Runner's tiny fuel tank. On top of that it's regularly back in the shop to fix problems with the fancy doodads. The crowning touch was when the electric latch for the rear hatch quit in the middle of the desert... there's no manual release! He had to load it from the cab area. He also complains about the poor off road handling because of all the weight he has to carry on the roof because of the lack of carrying space.



He's really sorry he traded his F-150 for it.

 

[NLJ]

For those who call it a suzuki ripoff, who do you think has played a big role is suzuki's R&D over the last 15yrs???



You guessed it Hyosung! Actually they still manufacture parts for Suzuki, Kawasaki and i believe a few parts for Yamaha. A few people were saying that the 650 engine they use was a cookie cutter of the sv650, but it isn't it's actually as efficent as the suzuki model utilizing a carb.



I'm not sure what to think about the rebadging of the model that UM is doing, but i've heard alot of positive feedback on the Hyosung brand.

 

[43093]

Re: American vs. Japanese Cars

You are of course generalizing when you speak of Japanese cars vs. American, right?. They ALL breakdown eventially. While the there are serious advantages to owning the avg. Japanese cars, they also cost more up front. All said and done I think it's all about even. That said, it's the opposite with so American brand motorcycles, with the American brand costing much more. To make matters worse, American MC resale values are slowly declining while Japanese are doing better.

 

[mscuddy]

I'll take curtain number 3 Monty!

 

[57335]

The SV650 is a fantastic bike, but believe it or not, so folks who aren't newbies WANT a 250-400cc sportbike. They have a very different feel that heavier bikes, and their powerband is a blast if you like high RPMing, but not launching your front end. That said, I really miss my RZ350... talk about mini-rocket!

 

[acecycleins]

Engineering and R&D are two different animals. Suzuki DID the engineering homework and if it's true that Hyosung R&D'd the motor then it makes Hyosungs job easier when they ship their own bikes. But ultimately, it's still a "rip-off" design. Nothing wrong with that. S&S did it to Harley and they sell tons on motors every year. As far as the UM distribution: UM has more money and a bigger network- that's why the aligned. I've heard the bike may carry a UM badge but Hyosung still stands behind the bike with a 2 year unlimited miles warranty. Being a Finance Mgr, I will tell you that if you plan to keep it for more than 2 yrs buy a service contract. Offer about to buy it at a 30% discount. The bike shop will make about $50-80 bucks on the contract and you'll be have the peace of mind to know that if the bike fails it will be covered for repairs.

 

[georgemts]

My son has a GT250 and has put 3,000 miles on it this summer. The bike goes like heck (I can barely keep up with him on freeway ramp runs to the freeway: I have a Ducati!), and it gets around 100 mpg. When we go to bike nights, HIS is the bike that gets the oogles, not my Duc! It has been a totally trouble free bike for him and he loves it. I still cannot get over the power the bike has with just 250CC. It will easily run 90 mph all day long but moreover has absolutely no performance issues for any application including freeway use. And my son is a big boy 6' 4", 230 pounds... And the dealer support here in Columbus, Ohio has been superb. The Hyosung 250 has been an incredible value for my son.