Motofilter: how do you rate Hyosung as a manufacturer of motorcycles?
May 18, 2012 3:10 PM   Subscribe

How does Hyosung compare to other motorcycle brands?

Have been riding a 150cc scooter for a while and am ready to graduate to a big girl cycle. I have looked at a couple of Hyosung bikes and was wondering what the low down on this Korean company is.
posted by fogonlittlecatfeet to Shopping (6 answers total)
 
I don't think I've ever seen one on the road. I've never ridden one and I don't know anyone who has. Little to no dealer support. What attracts you about them? If it's price, you can always find used small-cc bikes from the big four Japanese companies for a couple thousand peanuts.
posted by scratch at 4:17 PM on May 18, 2012


Response by poster: Not saying I was attracted to them necessarily, though there was one that i thought was a really pretty color ;)
Just see a lot of them at the shops I have visited. But, like you, I can't say I have ever seen one on the road. Can't find much apples to apples about them online. Just curious if they were a hidden gem or just a fly by night I should avoid.
posted by fogonlittlecatfeet at 4:33 PM on May 18, 2012


I have zero experience with Hyosung. Reviews have been ok, but the consistent theme I've seen is that they don't measure up to the small Japanese bikes.

If you're looking at 250cc sporty bikes, the Kawasaki Ninja 250 is a perennial favorite. Honda just started selling a CBR250 this year as well. Both get stellar reviews, and used Ninja 250s are everywhere.
posted by swngnmonk at 4:40 PM on May 18, 2012


I own a motorcycle parts, accessories and apparel store. Only one of our customer rides a Hyosung. The sum of my experience so far is that parts availability can be hit-and-miss and the selection of accessories is abysmal.

If you're considering the small-displacement Japanese bikes too, be sure to rule in the Kawasaki KLR250, Yamaha XT250, Honda CRF230L and Suzuki TU250.
posted by workerant at 6:32 PM on May 18, 2012 [1 favorite]


I owned a 50cc Hyosung scooter for about a year, 10 years ago. Actually, my husband and I both had one (they were on clearance at the local scooter shop).

Mine was stolen off the street, but for the time I had it, I really liked it. Peppy, reliable, always started even on the colder mornings. (My husband's likewise ran great, until he was hit by an old man driving an enormous land yacht. Even then, I was able to go back the next day and ride the wobbly scooter slowly back home.)

That they're still around 10 years later speaks well of the brand. But the off-brands can sometimes be more expensive to repair, and it's harder to find parts.

I've had good experiences and bad experiences with other rare-brands, and I think from now on I'll stick with the bigger names -- Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda. Parts are easier to find, repairs are easier and cheaper, accessories are more plentiful.

(I wish they still made the Buell Blast -- now THAT was a great choice for a girl bike. Small and peppy, 500cc, in some really great colors. I think they stopped making them in 2007 or so.)
posted by themissy at 7:48 AM on May 19, 2012


I know literally hundreds of people ride, many of whom own multiple bikes. I do not know a single person who owns a Hyosung. It has been very valuable to me personally to own bikes that I have in common with people I know--sharing of knowledge and parts has been really helpful. I would never have an uncommon bike as my ONLY bike.

As to the pretty color? Paint can make any bike any color, fairly easily.
posted by mollymayhem at 12:46 PM on May 19, 2012


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