Hi People,
I've been looking at getting one of these machines, everything I've read says
"Great bike, but...

• It has substandard brakes
• It has a poor rear shock absorber

Other than that, they tend to have a hard time faulting the bike. The articles
also seem to be from 2005 or earlier.

Have these problems been fixed for 2006/2007 or how are people fixing them?

Thanks.

Who uses the rear brakes? If you brake hard the back wheel lifts off the road thus saving the rear brakes. The people who complain about the rear shock are likely hard to please or if that isn't the case a rear shocker wouldn't cost the earth. Could it be that the front is so good?

By the way the disc pads for the rear brakes can be purchased from Richard Jordan very cheaply. I think the GT650 and GV650 use the same disc pads. My GV650 has over 7000km on it now and there is no sign of rear brake wear, and I'm a fat bastard who rides across the city almost every day.

It doesn't bother me if you get a comet or not, it's your loss if you don't.

Oops, forgot my manners and forgot to say hi and welcome to PIWYR. Read and enjoy. Please let us know what you do as far as bikes go.

WELCOME !!

Could be, I've read that upside-down forks are inherently nifty.
I'm hoping someone will explain why...

Thank you, I hope I'm asking my questions in the right place.

I'm not dissing anyones ride here, Most of what I've read on the bikes was off the road tests on the hyosung website. I was just wondering if they've responded to the criticism of the brake pads and rear shocks as quickly as they did with the adjustable brake levers.

Were new models released for 2006? What changed?

Is this true?
http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/hyosung_gt_650_2006.php
http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/hyosung_gt_650_2005.php

It basically says the bike lost 20kg, and added another 50kph to
its top speed. I would have thought that would at least rate a press
release on their website. Hell, If I lost 20kg, I'd write about it on the internet :P

A big :welcomespin: :WelcomeWave: to the site there Polyhedra! Glad you could make it! :)

As to the two questions, it's more to do with your frame-of-reference rather than the brakes being "substandard" or the rear shock being "poor quality"... you're certainly not going to be getting moto gp bike brakes with the Comet, nor the same suspension... an upgrade to better pads will certainly improve the brake performance... as to the rear shock, some claim it to be a bit harsh and stiff, others are okay with it.

I think the best way would be to take a test ride of one and see if you like it... reviewing can sometimes be too much a personal preference, with the reviewer not having invested much in doing the review... compare this to the consumer who's going to have other issues such as price versus performance, etc...

For one thing, I NEVER TRUST INFO from the Bikez.com website! They've listed the GV1000 as being produced for 2004, when this was just a rumour! In fact, I have the jpg image of where the rumour came from! :o :crazyeyes:

Anyway, the 2005 entry is completely wrong! The bike was always slated to do more than 200kph (it being there to rival the Suzuki SV650) and the dry weight was always set to come in under 200kg...

Again, the best way would be to test ride one... there have been a couple more review recently in AU mags on the other forms of GT650 (fully faired and half) and none really brought up the issue of poor brakes or over-harsh rear suspension...

Oh yeah! Another Australian mag did a full mod job on a naked GT650, turning it into a streetfighter! They made comment that the stock brakes were good for what Hyosung intended them to do, but as they were tricking out the bike, they changed the pads to better ones, and changed the lines to steel braided brake lines... also they changed the brake fluid to better quality than what the factory uses... a good dealer should be doing that change anyway!

Upside down forks are better coz they are stiffer. Long big fat tube instead of a long thinner tube on each side.

Your questions is fine where they are.

I didn't think you were dissing anyone, it's just a fact that if you don't get a Hyosung it is your loss. Sorry I couldn't think of another way of saying they are good and I'm not trying to sell you one just telling you so.

Have fun with whatever you get.

Ok, so as it stands at the moment:

• bikez.com is a dubious reference
• braided brake lines and replacement pads are a big step up.
• Rear shocks _can_ be upgraded but probably don't really need it.
• Upside down forks are better because they're more rigid.

The braided brake lines seem to go for $50~$150 a pair.
Prices on pads seem to be harder to find, I'm guessing $100 for the front
No idea what it would cost to get fitted.

Does the rear brake need upgrading too?

I think Richard Jordan sells genuine Hyosung disc pads for about $12US per set (2 pads) plus postage out of South Korea

You may be able to find a high performance replacement but I don't think anyone has been all that critical of the front brake.

Braded lines will make the brakes feel firmer but won't alter the stopping power or disc pad life. Most people who fit them do so for looks alone.

The front forks on the GV/GT650 are not only more rigid but also have compression and rebound adjustment for the front shockers. The rear has only pre-load. There is no preload adjustment for the front springs but spacers should be available from suspension tuners IF needed. You only need added pre-load if the suspension bottoms out. You can change the oil in the front shockers if there isn't enough adjustment to achieve the feel you like.

Have fun and hope you get the comet and it serves you well.

Oh yeah! The Fischer MRX650, not only uses the same engine as the Comet 650, it also uses the same upside-down forks and brake discs... they only changed the caliper to four-piston calipers (as opposed to the two-piston that you get on the Comets)... they did however, change the rear shock to an aftermarket one... but seeing as the bike is a "boutique bike" they wanted to put in a fancy rear shocker... so if you're really a stickler about the front brake, then you might want to change the calipers to something with more power, but the Comet isn't a Moto GP bike, so I wouldn't bother...

Yes, the Fischer is shiny isn't it?, The photos of the prototype hyosung
bike at the various motorshows around the place don't look bad either.

I've arranged to take a comet 650 for a ride in a couple of weeks time,

Then I have to decide between

* The Hyosung and a bank balance or
* A Suzuki GSR600 or Vstrom 650 and a diet of two minute noodles.

Being out in the sticks, I'd never seen a hyosung before this morning
when a neat silver GT650R idled past. Very shiny.

Mmmmm yeah 2 minute noodles yummy! :wacko:

Glad to hear that you got yourself a test ride going Polyhedra! Whereabouts in the world are you by the way?

Yeah, that's the thing... budget! That's one of the advantages of getting a Hyosung! You've got a bit leftover to waste on other things! :lol: :P

First of all, welcome to the forum, Polyhedra! (Nice greek nick there, me so likes! :P )

Strange as it may seem, the V-strom 650 ABS over here costs about 8000€. The GV650 is not listed by the Hyosung dealers (it's imported on demand only) but the Venox 250 and the GV250 are priced at 4500-5000€, so I guess the GV650 should be around the 7000 mark... So either the DL650 is too cheap (yeah, right) or the Hyosung too expensive here in Greece...

(Btw, I am really looking into that V-strom myself... :) Not much for talking you into a Comet, huh? )

I thought Australian prices were expensive, but 5,000 eu for a gv250 that's about equal to 8,400 Australian dollars. The GV250 is only about 5,900 au dollars here.

$9000AU gets you a GV or GT650 here plus you have to pay about $1000AU in costs to get it on the road. The costs are registration (tax) and insurance stamp duty (more tax) and delivery costs. That's 5341 euro plus 594 euro on the road.

Hi Poly!
I drove a 2004 GT250 a few weeks ago and it was a blast!!! Made me want one instantly!!
I also drove a 2006 GT650R same day - wow! It had a performance upgrade (exhaust, carb work, etc.) but was like riding an acme rocket!!! hahahah

I would suggest checking out Korider.com - they sort of specialize in the GT series bikes. As far as your technical questions - I have no doubt they would be your hook-up.

:D

Then you can share what youve learned with us... :lol:

Polyhedra...did you get the HYO-COMET ?

I ended up with a Suzuki V-Strom.
There were problems with getting a comet into the area.

The V-Strom is nice ride, It's not an off-road bike but It is
a great road bike that knows that a lot of roads aren't great.
Once the crash bars and bash plate went on, I've been able
to keep going once the tar ran out. A common problem in this part of Oz.

I put an RJays top box on it, fraction of the cost of a givi and
just as robust. It's lockable and can hold two helmets.

Heated handgrips are next, turns out they're necessary
around here even with hand guards and insulated gloves.

Still hoping to take a comet for a ride one day.

Cheers!

Polyhedra

Polyhedra,
What part of Oz are you in?

The V-Strom is a good bike, you will enjoy it.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=-30.398...01&t=h&z=9&om=1

These are my stromming grounds.
Weather permitting, I'll be riding the Glen Innes - Grafton road in the next couple of weeks.
It looks nicely twisty in places. :-)

I was just up there for ther Ulysses AGM.
The ride to Dorrigo through Bellingen is excelent as are a lot of the roads around there. I was going to ride from Waterfall Way to Taylors Arm but it's a dirt road with lots of turns. Might have the V-Strom right in it's element.

Hey how is the 2 minute noodle diet going? Are you losing or gaining weight on it? I'm looking for a weight loss diet.

Couldn't recommend it for weight loss. 2minute noodles are egg & flour so basically a protein / carb mix. A weight training snack.

For fat loss, if you find motivational posters inspiring
"Burn the fat, feed the muscle" by Tom Venuto is the book to follow.

If motivational posters get you as far as a cynical smirk then
"The Hackers Diet: how to lose weight and hair through stress and poor nutrition"
by John Walker

is where the answers are. Google should find both of them.

Cheers.

Not sure if you knew why I asked about the 2 minute noodle diet.