The forgotten sportbike, Hyosung GT250R
Here's my 2014 Hyosung GT250R. This one's truly a one-of-a-kind bike. Previously owned a BS3 KTM RC200, Bought this in June, 2024
First Impressions: Looks, twin discs, huge tank (17L), V-Twin engine in a sportbike (couldn't think of any other except the KTM RC8), sweet sound with a slip-on.
Visuals: This bike looks huge for a 250cc. No less than a superbike in terms of its dimensions. Many people have mentioned that this bike looks outdated. But to me, this is still one of the prettiest bikes ever made. I just love the way it looks from the factory.
Posture: The GT250R is a very long bike, hence the distance between the seat and the handlebar is a lot. I'm 6'1" tall and I feel absolutely comfortable riding this bike (I've ridden RC200 for the past two years so I'm used to sportbike posture). Also, this bike is equipped with adjustable footrests but I haven't tried new positions yet.
Power: 28bhp and 22nm on paper. I have to say it this bike feels slow due to its weight (~190kg dry). The low-end feels pretty much dead, mid-range is just fine and the top-end is fun just as any twin-cylinder motorcycle. Though it has a 5 speed transmission, I never actually felt like I was missing out the 6th gear because the gear ratios on this bike are pretty good. About the mileage, I guess I'm getting around 25kmpl.
Exhaust: A separate section to talk about the exhaust because I gotta appreciate the IXIL exhaust. This one was bought from the showroom itself. This exhaust is light AF compared to the stock muffler and it doesn't heat at all. No matter how long you ride, stop and wait for a few minutes and this exhaust cools down to normal temperature so quickly. As it's a slip-on exhaust, it's not too loud and doesn't annoy others.
Brakes: Quite disappointed with the stopping power despite having two discs at the front, they're two piston calipers. I'll be doing brake maintenance soon and will update this post (cleaning calipers, discs, new brake pads) The rear brake is pretty much useless in sportbikes so I barely use it. Engine braking does the job when I have time to slow down.
Handling: In slow speeds and traffic it's quite difficult to handle it due to its weight (I've come from an RC200 which is a very light bike). Making U-turns is a little bit difficult due to its short turning radius. When you're cruising at 60kmph and above, this bike feels really great, very smooth engine and lesser vibrations than a single cylinder.
Build Quality: I love its design, but the way it's designed isn't great. The overall build quality of the bike is average, if you open the fairing, it won't look like it's designed properly. Everything looks like it's done without a planning.
Service and Spares: There are still a few service centers running in metro cities (unofficially). Basic spare parts are available across India, the spare parts can also be ordered from South Korea through websites like hyosungwholesale etc. The cost of the spares is on the higher side for a 250.
Problems I've faced: 1. Misfiring: The bike used to run fine for 20-30mins. When it gets really hot, the front cylinder just gives up and it runs on single cylinder under 4k rpm, after you reach 4k+ rpm it runs normally.
Fix: Spent an ample amount of time researching about this bike and its problems across the world, I've read that the spark plug caps are made of really cheap quality and it's one of the major cause for misfire. The NGK SB05F spark plug caps are compatible with Hyosung GT250R and Royal Enfield GT650. Couldn't source the NGK plug caps in India, so I've installed GT650 spark plug caps and it's running absolutely great now. Quite nervous about doing this on my own but it solved the problem completely.
- The FI light is blinking (could be a sensor issue) but the bike is running absolutely fine with no issues, if anyone got a hyosung diagnostic tool in Hyderabad please let me know.
Conclusion: Overall a good bike to own. Not too fast, not too slow, sweet sounding twin cylinder engine, massive looks. Definitely not a cheap bike to maintain, not as reliable as Japanese bikes. "Hyosung bikes are hard to live with". Not recommended if you don't have any other reliable daily driver, this one suits to be a good weekend bike.
If I have missed anything please let me know in the comments! Will definitely answer :)