Don't buy a Hyosung

As you might know, I recently purchased a Hyosung GT250R EFI to replace my FZR250R while I work on fixing the engine.
Being a new bike with only 36Km on the odometer, I assumed nothing could go wrong and that a new bike will be good and reliable.

Oh was I wrong.

The first issue was the neutral light not working - this was the only flaw I knew when I bought the bike and it seemed like an easy fix. In my FZR it is really easy to get into neutral - sometimes neutral finds itself while riding. On the Hyosung it is very hard to find neutral. I click the gear pedal up with the slightest touch and I’m in 2nd. Stall. I try again and stall again. So I found convenience in the kick-stand switch that cuts off the engine.

Oh not today - I pull up to the bike parking near my work and I put the kickstand down. The engine continues to run. Okay, it must be in neutral for once. I release the clutch and 26 horses are trying to escape from under me, which brings me to another fault.
Yesterday I was reversing into the bike parking and the digital speedo flashes “FI”. FI means there is an error and the only on-screen display is “FI” which means Fuel Injection system despite not being a fuel injection issue.

I jumped online to find a scanner - $800! So I jumped into the forums to find out what the error could be. A common issue, among many others, is that the kickstand sensor fails. This is what I experienced this morning when the bike was still in gear and lurched forwards under me.

At around lunchtime a flash storm hit - hurricane-force winds and heavy rain pelted Auckland and it was only natural that I go check on the bike to make sure that it didn’t get bowled over. Better yet, I could move the bike into a vacant carpark and have it facing against the storm in case another one pops up.
Off I go out to the bike, I put in the key and turn it, then I press that starter switch and low and behold it cuts out and the battery is flat - another issue (or two) I had read on the forums yesterday.

How could one (new) bike have so many issues?
Not only is the battery junk, but the stator (bike alternator) only works above 5,000rpm AND is known to give a very weak charge (around 12.3 volts instead of 14).

After work my boss came out to help push the bike down a bank…
And it fired to life roll-starting and I made sure to keep the revs above 5,000 most of the time, despite the owner’s manual recommending only using half-throttle or less for the first 800Km - It has only done about 350Km (as you can see in the video below).

And finally another issue - the electrics getting wet.
A 250cc bike designed for everyday use, except you can’t let it get rained on.
An issue that popped up once before came back - after getting caught in heavy rain, there was a clicking noise coming from the bike. It sounded exactly like the indicators or emergency lights, and it was… well at least it was the clicky part.
Every time the bike gets caught in rain it clicks.

380Km on the odometer, still in it’s break-in period and it already has 5 faults.
Come on Hyosung, check your products before putting them on the market!

But I’ll still ride it since it has a fuel gauge and clock, and it doesn’t have carburetors that flood on uphills, or a race clutch that doesn’t like slow speeds - all of which the FZR fails at.

Comments

Simone Mascia

At least your boss helped you

07/10/2018 - 12:48 |
2 | 1
Anonymous

And one more problem… It is ugly and has an ugly name

07/10/2018 - 12:59 |
5 | 0
Soarer-Dom

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Well, it won’t be long until the FZR is back on the road. It is nice having a larger tank as well as a petrol gauge though.

07/10/2018 - 23:56 |
0 | 0
Darnihx

And that’s exactly why you don’t buy chinese (or whatever the fck that is) bikes that have sketchy names. Learned that the hard way

07/10/2018 - 14:07 |
3 | 0
ThatWeirdGinger

In reply to by Darnihx

South Korean… yeah, electrics are not Hyosung’s strong suit. Otherwise good bikes.

07/10/2018 - 20:53 |
0 | 0
pylkkon 🇫🇮

I had a hyosung as my first bike. It was cool and felt like a bigger bike but oh boy it had more broken parts than working ones

07/10/2018 - 16:02 |
0 | 0
RueNitta

Well, I once have a Karion/Troy/RT125 (such many names) one. It’s a reliable unit until they’ve gone from Indonesia. I had to sell it as scrap since I can find zero parts to fix it.

07/11/2018 - 09:02 |
0 | 0
Jefferson Tan(日産)

If you are going to use a bike for short trips or just getting around then I’d suggest you to buy an underbone. They’re pretty reliable, in fact my dad used to own a 2002 Yamaha Nouvo (now mine) that just won’t die. It’s still alive after 16 years (funny how the bike has the same age as me). Oh yes, the Nouvo uses a carburettor.

07/11/2018 - 11:06 |
0 | 0

Sponsored Posts