Swapping a CBR125 for a Hyosung 650?
 

Not sure if this is the best place for this, but I don't see a more fitting sub-forum...

I have had a '07 Honda CBR-125r for the last few months. It was almost new when I bought it and I have since rode it 4,000 KM. It runs perfectly and is an ideal commuter for the city trafffic. However... I have been riding motorcycles for close to 20 years, and I definitely would like something bigger for the freeway.

I saw an ad in the local Craigslist for an '06 Hyosung GT650 (the fairing-less version) with 6000 KM. It looks great in the photos and the owner says it is flawless, with a service last spring, and the 650 does not need any work.

She says that she is a petite build and the Hyosung is too heavy for her to be comfortable, so she is looking to swap it 1-for-1 for a little CBR-125 in good shape. That works for me as money is pretty tight for me these days, and I can't afford to spend much money to move up to a bigger bike.

If this were a better-known brand, like a Suzuki or Kawasaki, I would jump all over it. Hyosung, though... hmmmm....

I've looked on the internet and it seems like there is no middle ground: people either love them or absolutely hate them. Reliability is extremely important to me (maybe my number 1 concern) and many owners say they are just as reliable as the Japanese bikes, but others say they have poor quality. It really seems like there is no middle ground.

The only personal experience I have with them is that a co-worker owned a Hyosung GT250R new for a year. He put 25,000 KM on it in a year, then sold it for a bigger Suzuki. His experience was very positive and he had no issues with it.

What do you think?

(Photos of the actual bike below)

Hello, i dont know much about the bike,but had a friend in Holland that
had 75.000km on the bike without major problems, he liked it a lot.
(Doesent it have the suzuki sv650 engine???)

Good luck!

No contest - do the swap you'll both be happier.
 

In Australia Hyosung's have a good reputation for mechanical reliability. The quality issues tend to be minor and more to do with trim, quality of chrome etc. Look after it, clean it and it should be fine.

Yesterday I did quite a lot of searching on the Internet into the Hyosung brand. Frankly they do not sound that good - they seem to be a lot of hit 'n' miss: some people like 'em and some people say they're crappy. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground in people's opinions. Maybe the factory had two different assembly lines or something.

I think right now I just can't afford to have any unexpected repair bills or anything, so I told the owner "no thanks" and wished her luck in finding a bike to her liking.

Maybe in the spring when I am more flush with cash, I'll sell the little Honda and move up to a bigger bike with a more well-known brand name.

See if you can get a test ride on one of those bikes from Korea.
You can make your own judgement without following the internet hype quite so closely.
It is always interesting how branding works in this world; in this case you are comfortable with the big 4 from Japan. There is nothing wrong with that as such, just an observation about brands.

For what it is worth, I tend to agree with the earlier comments i.e. the reliability of this brand is proven but maybe the quality (of chrome etc etc) can be better. In the salt-laden UK it would need to be, but even the big 4 can suffer from corrosion if exposed to the winter.
I am old enough to remember when Honda were a new brand in the UK, for both bikes and cars. Hyundai are much the same aren't they in the car world; something of an unknown a few years ago and imported from South Korea, although their factory in India seems to be producing for the world market.
Just a few quick thoughts that your post prompted for me.
:innocent: