Can Kinetic do this? The Hyosung GT 650

Yes, you may be wondering whats wrong (or right?) with me nowadays. First it was the GTS 250 that I wrote about a couple of days back and now this?

Well, if Kinetic could bring in the Aquilla 250 and the Comet 250, both of which got a good response (with the whole batch being sold out), I m sure Kinetic must have given a thought to the bigger and far more powerful model, the Hyosung GT 650.

But this time, Kinetic should look at bringing in the full faired version, called the GT650R. It does look like a good sports bike, with the sharp looking fairing with vertically stacked headlamp. I personally love the black and orange paint job, which somehow gives the bike a Honda Repsol colour feel. The rest of the bike looks like the Comet 250, although the rear tyre is 10mm wider at 160/60 specs mounted on a 17inch alloy. In goes a rear disc too and the front gets one extra disc. These little changes help in making the bike look bigger, like what a 650cc street bike should look like.

Talking of 650cc, the bike comes with a 647cc DOHC 8-valve water cooled v-twin engine pushing out a respectable 79Bhp and 68.1Nm of torque. The Hyosung GT650 has always been compared with Suzuki's SV650 around the world, and the Hyosung street bike wins by 5bhp in the power department! One thing I could not figure out was the dry weight of the bike. The official website says 208, other motorcycling websites quote it between 180 and 195!

According to various websites around the world, the bike manages around 130mph or 208kmph true. That means seeing 210-220km/h on the clock will be very much possible. Whats more impressive is the acceleration, with the bike taking 4.3 seconds from 0-100km/h!

But one thing, which was of a bother on the Comet 250 too, is the rear mono-shock. It does feel cheap, ride the bike over undulations and you will understand. And with a pillion on board, things get scary! Hope the GT650R has none of these problems.

Coming to the main point then. The PRICING

The GT650R sells for 3999 pounds in UK, ie, 45% more than the GT250 (the Comet 250). Kinetic sold the Comet 250 for around 1.8lacs in India, and even if they want to make a profit of 10k on every bike ,the GT650R should be available for around 2.6-2.7 lacs in India, OTR.

2.7Lacs for a 650cc fully faired legal bike... Makes sense? A bike which can easily take on the fastest of cars in India (ok, the Lambo is another thing!) , a bike which can cruise at 130-140 all the day long and blast past 200 when needed. What else do you need? Ok, spare parts and service is an issue with every bike that you import. Atleast you have peace of mind that the bike is legal with warranty and back up and insurace.

The GT650R really looks quite good. And the pricing of 2.7lacs seems reasonable too. Kinetic? Hmmm....