Hyosung GV650 Aquila Sport (2003-2009)

sexy look, powerful and mine is Reliable – i bought this one two year ago from bikesales.com.au in 2009.This one is 2007 model never let me down. i use it for everyday transport never broke down economical and powerful. but need to be careful on roundabout foot holders can touch ground. very good cheap, economical,powerful and so far mine is extremely reliable.i read so many review people… Read more

say gas tank leakage is the biggest issue with the bike i always check the gas tank under the seat but never leaked so far and i hope will not. efficient reliable cheap

Adequate, if only as a stopgap – I came upon my 2009 injected LAMS Aquila after I sold my sporty but asthmatic 2007 ZZR250, which was my first bike and I had owned for about nine months. I wanted to get a cruiser, because as a tall and thin person I figured that at this early stage of riding I would be better suited to a more stretched out foot forward position, which was always… Read more

a problem with the ZZR. On top of that they were so different to anything I understood, our family never had cruisers before. I had my eyes on a V Star 650 Custom, but one way or another I ended up with this.

It was a great buy, cheap, with adequate power and low down torque. The forward footpegs took some getting used to but now the cruiser set up suits me perfectly. It goes well and even restricted it does most of what I ask of it. The mirrors are excellent and offer good visibility towards what's going on behind and around you, without having to shift your head around. The brakes do what I want them too, and handling wise I guess it's pretty standard for a lazy cruiser.

However from the start it was only a stopgap until I can get something better, and there are reasons for that. First, Hyosung's company culture is currently based on cheap immitations, at the cost of quality control. Welds and places where things join tend to be less than up to standard, and it plays on my mind sometimes that I might hit a bump and the front forks would end up going through my brain, or a footpeg would fall off, or something horrible like that. The display is dodgy, on mine at least, and the fuel gauge is misleading. I ended up running out of fuel because of it. As a rule the bike does about three hundred kilometres to a tank. Two hundred and fifty and I start looking for a servo. Also if you ever have to take the seat off, you may find yourself contracting a case of the screaming crazies. You need a screwdriver to get the seat off, which is kept underneath the seat, and to get it back on is utter hell. It helps to yell at it.

Suspension is a bigger issue. While the rear is nice and doughie like a cruiser probably should be, the front forks offer very little shock absorbtion at all. On a regular bike with a regular forward rake when you hit a bumb the shock travels straight up the forks, which compress to dampen it. But with this because of the greater forward rake the shock doesn't go straight up the forks, and instead travels up into the steering head, and makes for a less than comfortable ride over Australian roads. This also brings the danger of becoming unstuck if you hit a bump in a corner that much greater. At this stage I really don't know if this is the same with all cruisers, but other riders of 650 Customs say they don't have that problem.

Also of note is that it has a very high gear ratio, which may surprise some newbies. At fifth gear at a hundred it tends to vibrate. The engine is straight out of the GT650 sports bike so it doesn't surprise me that it does more revs than a cruiser normally should.

In conclusion it's adequate for a learner interested in cruisers with plenty of power for sport and overtaking, though not an ideal bike for keeping on for a long time in my eyes. The combination of poor quality and reputation, plus the awful ride quality over anything but a flat road, mean that I would replace it as soon as possible. I would certainly consider getting another cruiser at a later date, and across a smooth road it rides nicely, so I guess you'll have to look at what you want if you're considering getting an Aquila. Cheap, sounds nice, adequate pull from low down, good seating position and room for a tall person. Terrible front suspension, poor quality control, dodgy fuel gauge, taking the seat off induces madness, vibrates at speed, the name Hyosung.

Bad – Good to ride but would hate to rely on it. I have had a lot of annoyance with this bike and if I could do it over I probably would have bought something different. There is a lot about this bike that is great it feel realy smooth to ride great power and handleing and it looks amazing But the problem is reliability, the bike is just not reliable,… Read more

the first day i bought it it leaked oil so bad had to take it back, then it did it again, then the blinker ticker broke then the fuel tank began to leak, had the bike for about 2 months and had it at the shop for about a month. If the bike was reliable then it would be a great buy apart from the hard rear shocks but it isnt so its not.

Excellent – In the last 12 months l have travelled 35000 km and in this time my bike has been very reliable powerfull to ride and at filling stations l always have on lookers. Overall a good bike for the money. Smart looking, firm ride, good fuel economy, and fast acceleration. Neutal switch breaking, cheap mirrows,bag rack a bit weak in design for larger bags, hard to find neutal and clutch sticky when hot.

Terrible – If you comapre it to other cruiser..it is only marginally cheaper so I am very disappointed with the terrible quality of this bike. I think this a great marketing ploy by the Korean manufacturer...looks good but built like crap I get a lot of looks & compliments. have put the sports muffler on so sounds good Badly built bike. In the first 2 weeks… Read more

of purchase I had the radiator replaced. Now water leaking again and they cant find the problem, petrol tank leaking, rear brak problems, starter motor & starter switch problems, clock doesnt keep time

Terrible – I am having some problems, Approx 9000Km's now although the speedo is approx 15 km's per out ( sit on 80 and you're actually doing 70 ) no wonder why I am always being tailgated..... The tacho seems to do double tthe actual distance covered. It appears to have a oil leak accros a metal seam on the head area although this could be that dangerous… Read more

fuel tank leak. I have to admit that it smells like petrol. Hmm NOT GOOD. Fun to ride and that's about it. Cheap paint and chrome

Terrible – as an engineer and a motorcycle user the most important thing is security we have tested this bike and see that it is well designed but not well produced and in my opinion this kind of low quality unsafe vehicles musnt be on sale, some one may burn bcs of the fuel leakage during hot engine, or have an accident so pls be far a way from untrusted… Read more

kind of vehicles ask for ASTM, TUV, Etc.. standards compatibility and goverments must do some thing to stop these people bcs to earn more money they may kill people ,only for lower building costs

!!!FIRST SAFETY!!! i'm an Engineer :) very attractive design, and if you compare it to cruisers very fast (i can see 200 km on tachometer) and have a very nice acceleration, the seat is very confortable, the balance is good, it handles fast corners very well, and this engine design is suzuki dl650 engine 90 degree V-twin gives you power even low rpms and final belt reduces the power loss and sound new 2008 model comes with new black chasis and fuel injection the build quality is really disgusting as the many users claimed it is very common problems oil leaking,fuel leaking (very dangerous),gear swith broking, and shockingly one of the users handle bars screws dismantled (very dangerous)

OK – The bike is cheap in price and has a lot of plastic parts but so has some of the dear bikes out there. If you are entering the market for a cruiser this is a good start. My shortest trips are 400kms return and I enjoy riding my 650. I brought my bike Feb this year. Great looking bike with heaps of head turning. The power is great, cheap on fuel… Read more

and easy to handle. Parts. I have had to replace the mirrors as they stop being mirrors and the chrome work on the head light was damage. All these items will be replaced under warranty (2 year warranty) but it seems in Australia part will take 2years to get here. I have been waiting for the head light since Febraury its now August.Australia seems to miss out on the extras you can get for this bike.Dont corner to fast as the pegs scrape

Excellent – awsome bike .still breaking in though minus a couple of issues i would highly recommend this bike to anyone,still looking for a great exhaust..... price,you cant beat...great style etc bought it in july had one miner fuel issue,being it would cut out in 5th gear around 53mph...found faulty fuel pet cock by the way it was a 2008 with125 miles

Good – As the bike is my main transportation, I ride every day and apart from the turbulance I suffer, I love the bike. It is light and well ballanced which was great for me, not having ridden for 10 years. There have been a few minor problems, but nothing that kepr the bike off the road for more than a few hours, and even though I am not mechanicaly… Read more

minded, I have known hat the problem was when it occured. (Side stand switch broke and I couldn't put the bike into gear, and the breather hose on the exhaust broke).

I have noticed that all the photos I have seen of GV650's on the net, they all have rectangular mirrors, mine has 2 BIG round mirrors, which I feel is the main cause of the turbulance. I have a windscreen on order and I am going to get some smaller rectangular mirrors, and I hope that will fix the problem I have.

PS, a taller person riding another GV650 does not have the turbulance problem I do, so I must just be the wrong hight. Style, looks (I always have people looking at it and asking me about it), and get up and go Wind turbulance, the standard Rround "Mickey Mouse ears" mirrors

Good – After previously owning 3 HD's in my life time, the GV650 with it's low center of gravity,great handling qualities and an untold amount of power has realy been an eye opener. A few jaws have dropped when I have left some of my HD buddies behind on green lights. Excellent handling,comfortable fit and ride, incredible power for a 650 and I did not have to sell the farm to buy one. Aftermarket products are few and far between.

Good – Good fun and value for money. As long as they improve final check at quality assurance.I like it a lot Simple and rewarding to ride. I must be the fortunate one who`s bike does not suffer from poor final build quality, its got a lot more metal and chrome ( although lesser quality chrome work) than any other similar bike models. Good fuel economy.… Read more

GENERALLY VERY RELIABLE Silly kickstand sensor and neutral sensor. My bike needed starter solenoid at 14 months. Crappy Tail pipe, cost 500 bucks for a worthy one. Possible fuel tank weld problem is a serious consideration. Keep a check on tell tale dicolouration on frame from petrol leak near seat, you dont want your balls on fire !

Good – It has been thought that the oil level needs to 200 mil more oil than recommended and different clutch plates as the Hyosung ones are too hard. My mirrors were replaced with GV250 ones and it appears to have fixed the problem. The handle bars vibrate and I think I have found the problem by opening up the muffler in the centre. I intend to… Read more

open it up more and if this works I will then put a sports muffler on it that is made by Hyosung. I would like to hear from others that have had similar problems. This bike is easy to ride, comfortable and is good value for the money. I have had this bike for 12 months and in that time I have had the clutch replaced twice, the regulator and the mirrors four times.

OK – I bought it because i like power cruisers it sure does pull the lookers.i have owned for about a year done 9000k. Have had problems with fuel leak from fuel sender unit twice,had gas tank replaced due to leak around rear tank mount. Rectifier needed replaceing & rear disc had wear grooves in it all done under warrenty quite quickly without… Read more

fuss,but about after warrenty. Time will tell.i still like the bike but you only get what you pay for. On the whole nice bike not perfect but what bike is? I the way it looks,it has good power & handles well for a cruiser, and it's different. Not a typical harley look alike. Hit & miss build quality, built to a price & sometimes it shows.

OK – I purchased this 08 Aquila 30th anniversary model to own something a little different, the handling and power feel great but still breaking in so hav'nt let it rip yet. The finishing quality is so dissapointing its a real shame.I know I will have to watch the chrome and nuts and bolts for rusting I had starter motor not engaging problem after 148… Read more

kms (1 week)I have that not reliable feeling..Great Bike..Such a Shame!!! 08 GV650 Anniversary. I love the different colour scheme BLK/RED great performance, nice ride 2up. only got 389 Kms (ExDemo 140klms only) Poor quality control, 2 head frame welds had no paint, cissybar logo badge came unstuck, no coolant additive, wish it charging & oil pressure warning lamps.