Hyosung GT650R Review

[Administrator]

Original Article:
Hyosung GT650R Review

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[acecycleins]

Nice write up, Yossef. Let me make a few points while I'm here:
1- Honda wasn't on top of their game when they came to the states in the 60's.
2- Although Yossef said build quality wasn't on par with Japan he didn't say it was so bad as to pass on the buy.
3- When Hyundai started selling cheap cars in the mid 80's people thought the quality was bad. It took 20yrs for them to get it right but now they sell cars that have the same build quality of Honda.
4- They do come with 2 yr factory warranties in the US.

Is a $500 savings worth it? Probably not. But if you're a club racer or just a cheap b@stard then this may be a fine fit. In 5 or less years the company (which is now owned by a much larger automotive company) will be right there in terms of quality.....

[vermicious]

And, as sales volumes pick up, probably be lower in price.

[seruzawa]

They are selling them for $3995 this month in Salt Lake.

[bbtowns]

I've got to think that the entry of low cost manufacturers into the US market is a good thing. At a recent 'cycle show I saw a company I believe was called Q-Link with some dual sports that looked half way passable for a small rider. The suspension was way soft (despite a beefy diameter fork), and sales guy a bit mis-leading (he said the suspension was "fully adjustable" because you could add spacers to change the pre-load and change the fork oil to adjust damping!), but still probably a good value at $2-3K. Didn't Q-link make my network cards not too long ago?

[acecycleins]

Originally Posted by bbtowns

I've got to think that the entry of low cost manufacturers into the US market is a good thing. At a recent 'cycle show I saw a company I believe was called Q-Link with some dual sports that looked half way passable for a small rider. The suspension was way soft (despite a beefy diameter fork), and sales guy a bit mis-leading (he said the suspension was "fully adjustable" because you could add spacers to change the pre-load and change the fork oil to adjust damping!), but still probably a good value at $2-3K. Didn't Q-link make my network cards not too long ago?

There's a scooter (no- really) shop in ATL that sell Supermoto 200 cc Qlinks for $1800.

What a deal.....

[newagetwotone]

Originally Posted by acecycleins

There's a scooter (no- really) shop in ATL that sell Supermoto 200 cc Qlinks for $1800.

What a deal.....

I can only imagine thats sarcasm....

I actually like the Hyosung 650S (half faired) and their 650 cruiser is pretty nice looking bike too.

[acecycleins]

Originally Posted by newagetwotone

I can only imagine thats sarcasm....

I actually like the Hyosung 650S (half faired) and their 650 cruiser is pretty nice looking bike too.

I'm a fan of capitalism. Market a product and sink or swim. Hyosung had a slightly rough start, but things are improving. The Chinese market cheap crap, but oddly enough they know it and are improving their cheap crap to compete in this marketplace. I figure Hyosung is 3-5 yrs from being in line with the Japanese in quality on bikes. China is about 5-10yrs from nailing it. The Q-link SM bike is cheap and easy to find parts for because the motor is a Honda copy. If the little scooter shop keeps selling them at the current pace they should surpass some of the actual scooters they sell in annual sales.

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by acecycleins

I'm a fan of capitalism. Market a product and sink or swim. Hyosung had a slightly rough start, but things are improving. The Chinese market cheap crap, but oddly enough they know it and are improving their cheap crap to compete in this marketplace. I figure Hyosung is 3-5 yrs from being in line with the Japanese in quality on bikes. China is about 5-10yrs from nailing it. The Q-link SM bike is cheap and easy to find parts for because the motor is a Honda copy. If the little scooter shop keeps selling them at the current pace they should surpass some of the actual scooters they sell in annual sales.

They are going to have to improve them pretty quickly. I saw a brand new Lifan ATV last summer with a broken axle. I won't buy one.

The Japanese bikes weren't the best when they started out here either. But I was a teenager back then and I remember their entry. They were certainly better than a lot of the Chinese stuff.

I suspect that there's is a limit as to how cheaply something can be made and still be of acceptable quality. You may be able to bring the labor in cheaper but the components themselves are going to have a certain amount of cost to be reliable no matter where the products are made. $1800 reliable 4 wheelers are likely an impossibility.

Still, competition is good.

[longride]

I think one day they will compete. Lots of cheap labor in those countries. If they button things up tight with these machines, the Japanese will see some stiff competition. That is, if Global Warming doesn't kill us all first.