Hyosung GT250R (2003-2009)

Warts and all - I'm loving it! – Hyosung GT250R 2008 (carburettor model) I feel a real satisfaction in owning this bike. It is genuinely quick from place to place. To me it looks as smart a sports bike as just about any other. It puts me in a riding position that feels thoroughly purposeful – and I find it comfortable for long trips. It is frugal on fuel and cheap to… Read more

maintain. It was exceedingly cheap to buy - $2650 with long rego. Of course it is Korean, and a mere 250cc, and thus at the bottom of the prestige ladder. If you want to ride a status symbol spend a lot more money on a different bike and read no further.

It seems to me the Hyosung GT250R is a very well designed motorcycle – but with a few shortcomings in the quality of its manufacture that can be cheaply resolved. The seats have a vinyl covering with the durability of a supermarket bag. The wheels are prone to flaking and weathering of whatever is the paint put on them. Bolt heads and exhaust pipes rust. Put some work in to smartening up these things - $500 should do it – and you can concentrate on loving the way this bike travels.

I'm 178cm tall and the Hyosung feels 'tailor made'. I weigh 70 kgs dressed for the ride and this 250cc V-twin propels me along happily at 120 km/hr all day, keeps up with just about anything when ridden high in the rev range through the twisties, and stops quite surely. The gear shifting is really slick – first class. Best of all you really do get that head-down-bum-up I-am-a-part-of-this-machine feeling. If you really work the gears to keep the tacho between 7000 and 9500 rpm this bike is an absolute hoot.

At moderate speeds the Hyosung copes with rough-surfaced bitumen and whatever bumps are thrown at the simple but capable-enough suspension. But there are limitations, and I've learnt (through a few 'head-shakes' that fortunately didn't morph into life-threatening tank-slappers) that it's not a machine with a front end that soaks up ripples in the bitumen and strings of patched-pothole bumps at 120 km/hr and more. Of course there aren't a lot of bikes that do.. Ride within the capabilities and it's fine.

BUT don't try to ride on a country road at night – the headlight is a dangerous joke. (LED support can be fitted.) The digital instrumentation is dodgy too – at least the speed indication works reliably. The trip meter and clock are tricky to adjust. The fuel level indication stays on full for 200km!

Now you know all the weak points.

In essence this is a pretty simple bike. New spare parts are cheap. And there's lots of these bikes in wreckers yards. You don't need a genius mechanic with a computerised workshop to effect repairs. You can service it yourself.

Fuel consumption is under 4.0 l/100 km. On tour I get 3.7 l/ 100 km. The Hyosung 250s can do 400 kms on a tank. So while the superbikes are refuelling you go sailing by. With a tankbag and gear strapped on the pillion seat (there are well-located tie-down pegs) this is a fine bike for long trips, 600+ km days. Being a 'full-size' bike compared to others in the 250-350cc class better suits it to the long haul and the Hyosung's extra weight is not enough to significantly disadvantage its performance. The 'sports bike' riding position is not hard on your wrists once you are travelling, but stop-start city riding could cause some pain.

My GT250R has a Megacycle carbon-fibre muffler. The carburettors have been re-jetted at Sportcycles in Newcastle and the bike runs so sweetly. The muffler might not be legal, but it is music to my ears (and any other motorcyclist's). For only another $10,000+ I could make a similar sound on a Ducati (and be petrified I'd put a scratch on the bike or someone would nick it).

Tyres? I wore out the Shinkos and now have more confidence-inspiring Metzeler Lasertecs.

My bike's not comprehensively insured - just TPP at about $120/year. It is such cheap motorcycling. You can laugh at the economic irrationality of the big two-wheeled glamour machines. Buy a GT250R secondhand. Get decent seats (mine are superbly made by Mick at MJM Custom Motorcycle Seats...) and an after-market muffler. Tidy up the worst of the corrosion. Learn how at higher revs a 250 can move pretty smartly. Strap a bag on the back and be amazed at how on a long trip you'll love every kilometre, especially the bendy ones.

I've had a lot of bikes and ridden half a million kilometres. I'm having at least as much fun on this 2008 Hyosung GT250R than on anything before. Of all the bikes I might dream of (and I dream of lots of them) there are many I'd love to borrow, but this Hyosung is the one I'm delighted to own. Overall I'd say 3.5 stars – but now that I have this beast sorted out and know how to get the best from it it's a four-star bike to me.

O.K, not great – If you are buying this bike expecting a direct rival to the Japanese 250s, you will be in for a disappointment. Despite the impressive specs, pretty much every part on this bike is from the budget bin. The front forks are under sprung and under damped, the back is massively over damped, the brakes are spongy, lack feel and need a big handful to… Read more

get them going, and the single disk on the unfaired version is even worse (I have tried both). This adds up to the bike doing a weird wiggle around high speed corners, and I couldn't find any confidence in the brakes. Add this to an engine lacking any real top end power, and its a pretty disappointing package.

And if I had bought it new, I would be disappointed. But buying one second hand saved me about $1000 off the price of a similar condition ninja, and about $1500 off a cbr. And comparing it to my friends ninja, it's actually better as a commuter bike. The engine has a decent mid range, and the power comes on early and remains predictable across the range. The soft suspension makes it better at bumping across curbs and pot holes, but the back does tend to go rock solid because of the stupid amount of damping on it.

However, I have had to do more work on it than the ninja. My valve clearances go out of wack for some unknown reason, and need to be adjusted every 2000km. The oil and filter needs changed every 2500km, roughly twice as often as the ninja's. The gear box is only smooth directly after an oil change, and quickly becomes loud, crunchy and prone to false neutrals and slipping out of second. Also one of my cam chain tensioners failed. It is all basic stuff that anyone with some tools and access to google can do, but it is time consuming.

Overall, if you are wanting a 250 sports bike like the ninja or cbr, you should probably look elsewhere (like the Honda or Kawasaki dealership). But if you are looking for a cheap commuter bike that will do everything those two will, just not as well, then the hyosung is for you. It's not good, but it's good enough.

Also, don't buy new. There are plenty of good examples around, and they depreciate extraordinarily quickly. Cheap, good engine for around town, don't care to much if it gets damaged, cheap. Bad suspension for fast riding, very bad front brakes (especially the single disc ones), weak top end, regular (but relatively cheap) maintenance.

Great first bike! – I recently purchased a second hand 2008 gt250r with reasonable expectations. I've been reading heaps about it from reviews in this site and else where and was considering this against other 250s out there. Bottom line, if we are talking bang for buck, this bike does not disappoint. While all other 250s are marginally better in almost all… Read more

aspects, which make them better performers in general it does not make the gt250r a bad bike, just marginally worse in different aspects. But I'll tell you what, the gt250r looks good. Design wise, in my opinion, it looks the best compared to other250 offerings. It's built on a 600 frame making it look beefy. It's got a very sporty riding posture. It's got a fat rear tire and it's got full fairings.

Ok so the build quality is not as good, mine infact, has

Some corrosion already. The stock rear tire sucks and brakes need abit of work. There is a slight challenge shifting it into neutral. It is also slightly sluggish compared to the other 250s. But it's more than enough for a first bike. While underpowered, it's still fast enough to beat traffic coming from the lights. It also has a good engine note. I'm looking forward to moving up a class. But for what it is, my gt 250r is a good bike Cheap, looks good, 600 frame Challenge getting to neutral, poor build quality, corrosion issues, underpowered.

Excellent – It's worth remembering that it's only a 250! The engine is more powerful than anything in its class, but bike is heavier overall, so power/weight ratio is not as good, but it will handle better than any other stock 250cc you can buy. Handles like a full size sports bike... you're on it to learn, and learn you will. You'll learn even more by… Read more

keeping the stock Shinko tires. They're hard, but when they warm up, they'll grip well enough for the inexperienced rider.

People complaining about build quality, and lack of service... this is a dealer issue and not a manufacturing issue, don't accept poor service from your dealer.

I've had mine ('07 model) for a year now, and it's been fantastic. I've learned a lot (previous experience only with moto-X, and in Aus we have power/engine size restrictions on new riders).

If you buy this bike as a go-between (to learn before getting a bigger bike) then it is perfect. They retail new for around $7-8K AUD here in Australia, and are worth every cent.

The machine looks great (mine's black with the fairing decals removed) and it very fun to ride.

As with any purchase, be thorough in your checks before purchase (caviat emptor - buyer beware), as any bike you buy can potentially have problems. I constantly recommend this bike to all new riders, and will continue to do so.

Please only take note of comments from people who actually OWN one of these bikes (one person on here bagged the thing and doesn't even own one ffs!) and ignore issues which are obvuiously dealer related.

Another thing worth noting, is that these things are V-Twin machines. You can service them yourself very easily. Fuel filter, oil filter air filter etc... all very easy to maaintain, there's no need to let some dodgey dealer be responsible for the machanical side, do it yourself, learn your machine and do a propper job. Looks, Handling, price, performance & reliability hard tires, 250cc power (lack of)

Extremely Surprised – I've owned this bike for just over a week now, after having purchasing it used with 50k km. I wasn't sure about the whole Korean manufacturer quality, but I gave it a test ride just for the selling price. I was blown away by the quality of the motor and the handling is excellent (personally after having the bars literally inches off the ground and… Read more

not budging from my chosen line). I get comments nearly every day from complete strangers about the looks of the machine, anybody not fully educated on the Hyosung range would think this was a 650cc - 1000cc. I have ridden motorcycles since the age of 11, and raced motocross bikes for factory KTM for 3 years, I can honestly say the engine on this bike goes far and above the purchase price, it has all the power you need to ride on the roads of modern day, without breaking the budget. Exceptional styling, exceptional sound and exceptional motor. You will not be disappointed with this bike! Inexpensive, Amazing looks, Quality motor, Comfortable ride. Faulty fuel gauge and Speedo reads around 10kmh higher

One year on the front cog nut still hasnt been fixed – January 11th, 2008 I reviewed this bike. One year on the front cog nut still hasnt been fixed as the dealer is not interested. I ride this bike around the block to keep the engine going etc. The back brake locked on and I couldnt release it with out kicking the life out of it, thankfully I was only doing around 20kms. The bike constantley stalls… Read more

and believe me its not a good feeling to have no power with a semi only metres of ya back wheel and you have no where to go. I have discussed this bike front cog issue with Hyosung Australia on 4 occasions, yet after 1 yr from my last review the fault still has not been rectified. A work collegue purchased the same model, and the bike kept stalling, same dealer and it become more hassle trying to get the bike looked at and fixed then what it was worth, he sold it.

When I have to ride this piece of junk, I have to tighten the cog nut and then retighten it after the ride and this is just going around the block. I have tried lock tight and this still comes undone. I spoke to one Hyosung dealer and was told this is a known fault with this model, yet Hyosung have not recalled these models. The dealer states the tightening of the nut has to be done with each service. It should not come undone, serious manufacturer fault. These bikes are a death trap. I say to Hyosung Australia how much is a persons life worth? A lot more than $7000 dollars charged for these pieces of junk. Buy one at your own risk.

Good – I'm 6'2", this bike suits me down to a "T" I've got the two tone red and black, gets more looks and comments than my mates new Ninja 250. And then they say, "... Hyo what?...." lol. Seriously, for the price, 2 year unlimited klm warranty and looks, you can't go wrong. What you save can be spent on Pipes, BMC air filter's etc, and still come out… Read more

in front of the other 250 roadies. Big thumbs up. Size of the bike,Handling,Brakes,Looks Not much at all

Excellent – I bought 4 months ago done 1300 kms and first service.traded modified 1992 honda cbr250rr (brought from Sumoto) to get GT250R ,which might sound weird but iam very happy with this one.I would prefer New stuff rather than brand name with unknown history.I have riden 2 bikes in same day but liked GT250r bcoz of heavyness and power(Torque).so… Read more

certainly i would recommend this bike but ensure this suits your body structure for ease of riding. Looks fantastic and sporty for a 250.Adjustable suspension.Suitable for freeway riding.Good Torque - can be improved with after market 13T front chain sprocket. nothing yet

OK – I had the Hyo since new. Bought it from Dale Brit in Perth Aus. It rode divine and i sold it at 4500km. I have had no major problems, infact only 1 minor to do with coiling as mentioned in cons. Brakes have handled, clutch cables too, gears fine, no rattling or anything i have heard bad of. However 4500km is way too new for criticism and if… Read more

anything the coiling problem was a bit of a downer for me. Overall i was satisfied with my experience. I must warn all potential buyers that when i had purchased the hyo250 there was no ninja 250r, which for the same price is i guarantee you a far better buy. Conclusion, give hyo a few more years, get a kwaka instead, or a cbr125 or...

If you are really into the Hyo i say bargain the dealer for price and extras like free exhaust helmets bla bla bla. Awesome design. Digital speedo is enjoyable. I had a hawler aftermaket pipe which sounded way better than any 250 on market. It rides great on highway, enough torque as well. Good fuel economy and big tank for long cruises. Shinko tires had surface cracks. Turning cyle very bad. Way too heavy for a 250 and have had friends whom dropped theirs. As a result of weight performance is below average for a sport 250 (think even the naked 250 is faster). Passanger does not experience a comfy ride. Dealer 'Dale Dritton' in 'Perth' sold me a 2006 manufactured model as 2007 = cheating. If you are purchasing refer to product plate. After 2000km bike started zagging around the 8-9000rpm mark. Problem fixed after minor argument, it was caused by coiling.

Excellent – i rate the gt 250r as a good bike it could do with another gear but then i would have a lot of speeding fines but all in all i love my bike and thats all there is to it i like the size and weight it is easy to manouver and has a decent ammount of power in the lower gears at high revs especially for a two fifty the vibrations at about 5500 revs im not to sure if thats my bike or the make but its not a comforting feeling

Good – i bought mine new in november 2005. it was my first bike in 10 years and a perfect learners bike. the power, ride and price were great. in 4 years mostly the only issues i had were caused by me learning to ride again. having said that i did have to replace the clutch cable 4 times. the only other replacements required were a set of front brake… Read more

pads and a new battery( the original lasted 4 years). as long as you buy this bike knowing it is only a 250 and a fairly heavy one at that then you should be more than happy with your purchase. and it looks the goods too. looks, price, reliability brakes and minor quality issue with clutch cable

Good – The bike is a great bike, looks great, from my experience i havent found any problems with fairing coming lose, or poor quality parts, in fact with mine, its the opposite. I bought mine 2nd hand and the condition of the bike now is a result of the previous owner doing his part to keep it going well, Also I think its what PUMBAATIM mentioned, its… Read more

important to get your bike from a good dealer, and make sure you do your part to keep your bike in good condition. Apart from the cornering issue i mentioned, i love this bike!! Awesome looks, turns heads on the road! the physical frame size of the bike compared to the other 250s around, digital display, low end torque, relatively quick off the line. Cornering in the bike isnt as great as most other 250s, the bike tends to lag and you end up overshooting where you want to go, which you can only fix by slowing down more than you would normaly want to, and in traffic it could be dangerous in multi lane highways.

Good – i'm riding this bike for 6 months and i have no problem. the gt250r corners great and gives a feeling of secure .the torque is great .i've seen 170 km/h easily on the highway with a comfort ride .the tires aren't so good at the wet but it's ok. here in europe-greece there is no problem with the dealers ,they're ok .p.s in creece the gt250r costs… Read more

?4100 and the nidja 250 costs ?4250 as you can see it isn't cheap .wish you all happy and safe rides. thomas-greece great look, easy ride some quality themes but not so many

Terrible – So far had it for 15 months. In that time, it has rewuired three replacement clutch cables, repairs to the same recurring major fuel leak four times, a clutch that fails to disengage (requiring mechanical adjustment ev ery 300km), sticking stand switch (which the dealership blamed on me "riding in the rain"!!) The list goes on ... As the… Read more

saying goes, you get what you pay for. Save your money and put it toward a worthwhile bike :-( Can't think of one ... no, it was cheap ... Absolute rubbish bike ... but then again, it was cheap

Good – I just completed 2000 kms on the bike - in Australia. This is my first sports bike and it is a great joy to ride. I only have one problem - brakes. I believe break pad and break line quality is poor and have this spongy feel. General problem in all Hyosungs here in Australia. I will try and replace the lines with Stainless Steel Braided break… Read more

lines, hoping that will fix the problem. Torquey engine and with the sports muffler it sounds fantastic for a 250cc bike.It has the looks, weight and feel of a bigger bike and in that regard a good stepping stone to bigger cc sports bikes. I believe I made a good decision on purchase of this bike, good dealer and parts network here in Australia. Looks to die for! Holds its Line perfect in cornering! Well balanced and plenty of torque, Price Squeky & weak breaks

Excellent – overall this bike has been very good for me dont find it struggles when i got someone on the back, its a real head turner very easy to control, ive had mine since brand new since november "06" which is coming up to 5000km and if anything it seems to be running better and better since i got it, just letting people know first befor buying one make… Read more

sure they take replace the factory fuel filter befor you ride away and make sure everything is right after your services and no excuses for the girls out there its not rocket science im a girl too otherwise ive had no problems what so ever with it... great starter bike now im going on to the big toys now i got my open licence by the way great on fuel Great design, constantly getting questions on what size it is, i find it handles better then the little skinny 250's around havent had any problems i always keep it well maintained the only problems i've had is after i had my service my gear lever nearly came off only because they didnt tighten it up very well and it was leaking fuel when i fist got it out of the factory fuel filter which is ment to be changed befor you take it out the yard

Good – Great first bike. I hear alot of bad comments about it but yet to have anything go wrong. It is a 2007 model so i believe alot of the problems have been ironed out. It is heavy with a small turning circle but i ride it to work every day with no problems. Overall no problems recomending this bike to anyone at this stage. Looks great, a bigger sized… Read more

bike for a 250. No problems yet, bought it brand new have only done 2000km. Found the bike was alot better after it's first service. Great for learners. I rode this bike from melbourne to phillip islans and back and it was great. Great Price. Could be more powerfull but i think this is due to it's weight.

Good – i really do think it is a great bike, and if you can lean this bad boy right over on the streets then what ever you get next will be a walk in the park to ride as your not rellying on power to pull you through the corners you just have to hit it hard. great size, im a tall bloke and i simply cant sit on any other sports 250.for what it is it… Read more

handles brillianty digital dash is awesome. the standard tyres are ok until you really push them then its very sketchy.quite a bit under powered, when compared with vtr 250 and zx2.

OK – like the bike but not the way they slap them together, under hard front braking the front wheel has flexed back enough to take a chunk of fehring from the bottom behind front wheel. Not sure if anyone has had this happen or if when the dealer put it together they have done it wrong, would love feed back as dealer has washed their hands of the… Read more

problem like the size , as i am a learner and didn't want to look like magilla gorilla foot peg vibration, needs another gear for top end

Good – What I've learned about owning a Hyosung is to look into the dealer that is selling them. There appears to be a lot of poor dealers in the US that are making a bad name for the manufacturer. I have had no problems with my 2005 GT250 Naked other than two bad batteries and the front brakes wearing out in 1000km. Recently I was hit by a car on the… Read more

freeway and the parts came within 3 weeks to fix the bike right up. I was back on the road in 1 month. I plan on keeping my GT250 for as long as possible, even after I upgrade to a larger bike. Drop dead looks, good low end torque. Top speed around 100mph. Frame size from 600cc bikes. Great beginner bike. Brakes need to be upgraded, Tires are super hard, so its slippery in the rain. Rear shock is adjustable but you have to remove the rear tire to adjust.

Terrible – Why would you buy a bike that you need to replace so many poor quality parts? I have never before the Hyosung, ever purchased a motorcycle that we had to replace so many poor quality parts just to enjoy the ride. I replaced the mirrors, front clip-ons head lights, rear light, Suspension is crap but there is no after market. We cant get the… Read more

bike to stop bottoming out. Levers were changed, tires are trash and they rotted and cracked. We also put memory foam in the seat.

How can this be called a beginners bike? If this was my first bike I would have never kept on ridding. I would have thought that motorcycles were the most un-reliable methods of uncomfortable transportation. Also the bike has to be the hardest ever to turn around. The turning radius on the GT250R is that of a 68 Lincoln Continental and your hands hit the tank.

I can do maintenance, and I understand if one, or two parts needs to be upgraded (I hate the mirrors on my B-King) but the Hyosung is ridiculous, it feels like it falls apart while you are ridding it.

If you want to spend time fixing a bike feel free to purchase a Hyosung, and you will remember this review every time you find yourself spending money to replace a part. Or you can buy a better quality bike from Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki or even Buell.

I hope my insurance agency doesn’t read these articles because if I don’t sell it soon, I am going to light this POS up and toss her of a mountain. cheap price, easy way to loose some money, and a great way to waste your time Brakes, Suspension, the company does not stand behind there product, tires, clutch and clutch cable, clip-ons, levers, mirrors, seat, fuel leak, fuel filter