Hyosung GT650N : First Ride

In the Indian motorcycling space, it is critical that performance and practicality blend in like a leaf-tailed gecko on a tree – either one fails to sync with the other and the result is directly visible in dropping sales numbers and wavering product value in the market. Be it the race for fuel efficient 100cc machines or the premium pocket-rocket 1000cc machines – the unspoken law remains unchanged. The mantra then is to give the best of both worlds. So when it comes to superbiking, not only in India but anywhere in the world, the domain for presenting a mix of real world use and excitement hugely lies in the hands of naked bikes, some hot enough to be termed street-fighters, which offer oodles of functionality for everyday use with just as much power to make every Monday seem like a Saturday night!

Sadly, Indian bikers have been left wanting for naked superbikes with respectable power and an affordable price tag for a long time. But things are about to change and bringing in this change is Garware Motors’ newest offering, the Hyosung GT650 – a naked iteration of its middleweight supersports offering the GT650R.

While the fully faired race-spec Hyosung GT650R is a fantastic product for the hardcore race-replica patrons, the GT650 trumps its race-spec sibling by miles on practicality and, wait for it, on excitement too! Swing a leg over this Korean-made vee-twin motorcycle and the first thing one notices is the ultra friendly riding posture that allows one to not only be confident and feel in-control but also extremely comfortable for spending long hours on the saddle. Even if the 1000cc race-replica machines might make one feel all jazzed up like a MotoGP racer, on our roads and conditions they simply end up being overtly stressful and demanding with their race-crouched riding stance and mega power delivery which quickly turns pleasure into pain whereas their non-faired cousins offer almost identical performance in a more manageable package with the comfortable riding stance and friendlier power delivery that if exploited correctly, can change untrained hands into artists of speed in a lot safer and forgiving manner.

And that is precisely what the new Hyosung GT650 does with aplomb and conviction with its welcoming stance and comforting feel from the raised handlebars and the forward shifted rider footpegs. Even though the tall-ish 830mm saddle height is identical to its racy GT650R sibling, softer rear suspension set-up on GT650 results into a lower riding stance with the rider onboard thus leading to an unperturbed riding experience. In simpler terms, the Hyosung GT650 is a one-size-fits-all package with age no bar, despite the fact that the motor has a quite wilder and gut-wrenching power delivery in line with the bike’s streetfighter temperament. As distant as the two things seem, they gel perfectly well in the GT650’s gorgeous looking trellis frame which adds so much to the bike’s overall visual appeal. A few might find the bulk of the motorcycle fairly intimidating but it’s only till one takes it out for a spin. Rolling down the streets, the kind of attention the GT650 draws is truly humbling, destroying the usual credence that only the faired motorcycles draw eyeballs. The hulk-like presence of the GT650 barely escapes any eyes on the road not to forget the rumble of the powerful liquid-cooled DOHC 90-degree 647cc vee-twin motor humming in the background leaving no stone unturned to grab complete attention.

The fantastic new front cowl on the 2012 model houses an MV Agusta Brutale inspired headlight that adds a lot of chutzpah to the naked GT650 highlighting the attention to detail on the GT650. The idea to keep the front wheel mudguard black only exercises the manufacturer’s line of thought for a good looking motorcycle and it certainly excels at its job as it underplays its presence diverting the attention onto the smart new headlight cowl. The clever play of colour does more than just bring attention to detail but also plays its part in hiding the bike’s lack of fairing but proudly showing off the massive black V-twin motor and the chunky frame along with the stylishly large exhaust unit. There is certainly not a shadow of a doubt in our minds about the GT650’s gorgeous design and head-turning abilities.

If there were any doubts, they were about the performance credentials of the machine and how much muscle the GT650 packed in its naked form. Just like when a shirtless Salman Khan is more dangerous than when he has all his clothes on! The boffins at Hyosung confirmed that the GT650 employs the same mill from the GT650R without any changes whatsoever. Firing up our own heartbeat appreciably is the prospect of a whopping 72PS of power on tap let loose at 9,000rpm and 60.9Nm of torque peaking at 7,500rpm, certainly very impressive numbers for a sporty middleweight vee-twin motorcycle. And impressive it was, but a bit too much as the docile feel of the GT650’s power delivery at lower revs quickly turned into brutal aggression when the rev needle swung up the 5000rpm mark blurring everything in sight while I gathered the last vestiges of bravery and tried to hang as best as I could on to the bars with the speedometer dial mischievously flaunting 207km/h!

The high from the acceleration was wild and convincingly mad enough like one would expect from a powerful 650cc naked motorcycle with the GT650 posting a sub 6-second 0-100km/h time! But as the rush settled down and I parked the GT650, my arms were quick to whimper thanks to the vibrations that they had to deal with while I was on my adrenaline powered flight. With the identical engine powering both the motorcycles, similar to the GT650R, the GT650’s ride experience too gets notably impinged by the vibrations from the vee-twin engine reaching the handlebars especially as the revs climb upward of 5,500rpm. But thanks to the comfier upright riding stance of the GT650, the vibes feel a lot less irritating compared to the GT650R. Trust me, it makes all the difference when it comes to feeling in control of the motorcycle since how comfortable one finds himself on a motorcycle largely determines how much in control he is. Which is what was strikingly evident in the case of the GT650 too as despite the unnerving vibes, the bike did not feel threatening or detrimental to the ride experience.

But the ergonomics share credit for the GT650’s composure with the superbly competent trellis frame that provides incredible amount of feel and feedback thanks to a fine mix of flex and rigidity. And joining the frame’s efforts is an equally skilled set of suspension bits consisting of 41mm upside down telescopic forks adjustable for rebound damping and compression on the front while the damping duties on the rear are handled by a 5-way adjustable for preload monoshock. The set-up works exceedingly well on our roads no matter where you take the GT650. This bike can take everything in its stride all the while rewarding the rider with a thrilling experience as long as he respects it and is keen to scrub off speed when he realises the engine is hitting its high notes. The lighter front end extends even more support to the overall handling with the GT650 turning in smoothly into corners demanding minimal efforts from the rider. Never did I feel the 208kg of bulk of the GT650 come in my way as I caned the GT650 on the hills surrounding Pune. I doubt I can say the same thing about the GT650R, which though equally adept at handling, certainly demanded a lot more from me with its sharp reactions to my inputs, while the GT650 let me enjoy my time astride it demanding slightly less and giving me time to also take it easy as the scenery went by.

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Isn’t that exactly what a motorcycle is supposed to do? At least on the streets? Let you enjoy the saddle time to its fullest without scaring you silly unless you are one of those who are looking for it? That is what makes naked motorcycles like the Hyosung GT650 so much more fun and enjoyable to a larger audience than their race-crazy counterparts which possess zero practicality for real world use and require a race track to truly shine on. And the realism doesn’t end here. Thanks to Garware Motors, the price of the Hyosung GT650 too is going to be as real as it gets unlike the CBU-routed imports which cost millions here in India. Coming in as a CKD and getting assembled at Garware Motors’ assembly plant in Wai near Pune, the GT650 is expected to be priced at least Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 cheaper than the GT650R, placing it within the reach of many more bikers in the country.

Editor’s Assessment:

I happened to spend some quality time on the saddle of the GT650 only because I had to handle the bike for our TV shoot. What was pleasant about it was the excellent riding position, the raised handlebars and the forward shifted footpegs making for an ideal riding position which was way too curled up and also not so very upright. If that’s not there, there is a certain lightness to the steering making you give great inputs and being rewarded with lightning fast turn-ins. Mind you,  this can also have you spitting on the tarmac if you go way too quick but by and large this generally tingling appeal of getting it just right on a knife edge gives you an adrenaline rush like none other and while also having you whistling in delight under your helmet visor.

I am not hesitant to state that I was uncomfortable on the GT650R with its clip-ons making me go low down and the wide girth of the fuel tank at odds with my arms and also my own considerable bulk. No problems of this kind at all on the GT650, which I think is what biking should be all about for the majority. The bike is stunning to behold, the fair ladies at BMC College and Fergusson College making Varad and his colleagues feel as if they were on top of the world when it is only the bike they are raving about! Fair play this but then this is what motorcyclists live for and the GT650 helps you at a price point not many can match.