Hyosung GV650 Aquila Review

Ah, the autumn air is here again and it's time I should do a review of my summer on the new motorcycle.

After waiting a year to get one, I finally purchased a 2008 Hyosung GV650 (silver) sport cruiser at the end of May.

In the 4 months since, I've managed to ride about 5,500 km including a trip from Toronto to New York, through New Jersey, Baltimore, Washington, Virginia Beach, and back home through Pittsburgh and Buffalo. I rode through hot sun, heavy rain, and even a brief hail storm one day. Thus, I now feel qualified to offer my initial comments on what this machine is really like.

Let me tell you first off - it's fun! It also inspires confidence with a low seat and easy steering along with lots of room for my 6-foot frame thanks to the forward foot peg position. (These are adjustable for shorter riders.)

The bike is "only" 650cc's but just like the MHz game that is played by computer CPU manufacturers, this is a prime example of how displacement numbers don't tell the whole story. The Aquila (named Avitar in other countries) produces 72 hp and 42 ft-lbs of torque. Add the fact that it's dry weight is only 485 pounds and you are talking performance similar or better to a Harley 1200 Sportster!

(By comparrison, the Honda Shadow 750 Ace weighs 500 lbs and tops out at a mere 40 hp.)

In terms of fuel capacity/consumption, the first thing to keep in mind is that it requires 91 octane or higher, so you'll have to look for the premium pump when you fill up. The bike has a 17 litre tank and one of the first quirks I found was that the fuel gauge consistently displays empty with 6 to 7 litres still remaining.

That first 10 litres tends to last about 160km for a combination of city and highway driving or 16 km per litre. (Highway-only riding tends to be upwards of 20 km/l.) A full tank should last 270km and some people report close to 300km but I've never done more than about 230km on a single tank - deciding to always fill up when I still have at least 3 to 4 litres of fuel left.

Some other basic specs include belt drive, dual disc (front) and single disc (rear) brakes, digital speedometer with clock/fuel/trip/temperature guage, and added accessories including a short windscreen, backrest/luggage rack, and engine guards.

One omission that I wish Hyosung would include is a tachometer. You can always shift by ear/feel but when getting to know a new bike, it would be nice to know how fast the engine is actually rev-ing. From the video review I saw, the rider seems to shift from 2nd-3rd-4th at about 25-35-45 mph respectively. (In metric, I tend to go from 2nd to 5th at 30-45-60-80 km/h myself, give or take 5k either way.)

The seat is very comfortable for short rides, yet after 1.5 to 2 hours with the foot pegs in the forward position you really need to stop and walk around for a minute since you can't lift yourself while riding - the way you might on a standard or sport bike.

A few quirks and minor annoyances include surface rust already appearing on some of the nuts and bolts of the frame along with squeaky brakes and suspension. These are things I've noticed in some other reviews as well, so perhaps Hyosung still needs some work on the fit and finish of their bikes.

Overall I'm very happy with the bike after one summer. It's eye catching and still fairly unique here in North America. Everywhere I go people ask what it is or give the thumbs up as they drive by - including a group of Harley riders I passed last week.

It felt more comfortable than a Triumph even in the showroom, is less expensive than a BMW, and as long as you don't need that fancy "other" brand name that starts with an "H-" on the tank, you should easily enjoy riding your GV650 as others watch with envy.