I mentioned that during part of my absence I was on vacation for a week in Disneyland. It was great. We took our 4 kids and went with my sister and her family and her in-laws. We had a blast. One day I hope to take a ride along the California coast. My wife has posted pictures and a "travel-blog" on our family blog at jodedeballen.blogspot.com. It's a private blog, so if you don't already have access and would like to see the blog, contact me so I can give you access rights. One caveat, though, if I don't know you personally, then I probably won't give you access. No offense, but safety and privacy still need to be protected.
Anyway, Test rides! While I was waiting to have my drive chain replaced at Rapid Cycle, I had the opportunity to test out Hyosung's GV650SE and GT650R. It was a great experience for me. Albeit, I still consider myself a newbie; I've only ever ridden two other models (my '80 Kawi 250 and a Honda Rebel). I was a little nervous of how I would handle a "big" 650. Yes, I'm a sissy. But it went really well and I feel much more confident in trying out different bikes now. Here's a rundown of my experience
Hyosung GV650
What you see here is the Special Limited Edition, 30th anniversary model, which I was able to ride. When I first saw the GV650 a year or so ago, I didn't like the looks of it. It was too different from the classic cruiser styling that I was accustomed to. There are still things about its look that I don't care for...but it has grown on me. And now that I've ridden it, I would be glad to own it. Coincidentaly, I was looking at the Harley-Davidson site the other day and was surprised to see that their V-Rod series is very similar in styling. I'm sure everyone else already knew this...but it was news to me. Anyway, after taking the bike for a short spin of the parking lot to make sure I wouldn't fall off, I took it out on the road. I was limited to just some surface streets, so I couldn't put it through rigorous paces. Although, I don't trust myself yet to be very "rigorous"... at least not with someone else's machine. The ride was great. I had in my mind that the 650 would be amazingly more powerful than the 250, verging on uncontrollable. Remember...I'm a newb. There certainly was a huge difference in accelerating power, but I wasn't at all afraid of rocketting the bike out from under me like I did with my buddy's 450 dirt bike. The sitting position is more extended than my 250, which I liked. Going from my old upright Kawi to the GV250 was quite an adjustment. Now my 250 feels upright compared to this 650. The dual front and rear disc breaks provided smooth and solid stopping power. Turning was well balanced and controlled although, it initially feels a little more sluggish because of the increased rake angle of the front forks. It just requires a little more counter pressure than I'm used to. I love the idea of the belt drive, and while '09 Hyosungs have fuel injection, the dealer says we probably won't see those models in the States 'til next year.Hyosung GT650R
My next step was to take a spin on the GT650R. They have an 'S' model as well which has a higher handlebar height. The 'R' model is designed more for racing. This was my first time on a "bullet bike", so of course, I was afraid that I would do something crazy like pull wheelie down the street, fall off, or get a ticket for going 800 mph in a 40 and T-bone a car. But once again, my naive fears were unfounded. I really felt no difference in power than I did with the GV which, again, was really not mindblowingly different than my 250. The riding position was extremely different though, obviously. Like I said, my old Kawi sits pretty upright and is quite a difference from the GV models. But this is completely to the other extreme. I felt like I couldn't fiind the footpegs until I was practically laying on my stomach with my feet out behind me. No, it wasn't that bad, but it made my old Kawi feel like a cruiser instead of a standard bike. Also, having your hands positioned so close to the midline of the bike also felt weird. Once I got over the new position, though, I rather enjoyed the ride. The turning response is definitely more sensitive than the cruiser, but is not outrageously different. I also discovered how much pressure the forward position puts on your hands. I don't think I could ride comfortably like that for too long, but again, I don't think I would mind owning this bike either.All in all, it was a good experience to be able to try something new. I'm going to have to set aside some time and go check out the Harley dealership and see if they are all that now that I've ridden a couple lowly Hyosungs. I think I have definitely confirmed that I'm a cruiser type of guy. The sport bikes seem fun, but I really feel best on the cruiser... for now. So there you have it...for what it's worth.
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