Without any doubt now, the Hyosung GT650R and ST7 is going to make it to India.. The official Indian website is up..!!
A couple of weeks back, I had posted on how an unknown group in the auto industry called Garware Group were about to bring products from the Korean brand, Hyosung in India.
That news has turned out to be true. Just today the website of Garware Motors have been updated with two 650 cc models from Hyosung's international lineup. The full faired GT650R and the cruiser ST7. By the way, the website is neat and well laid out.
Garware has a History in Automobiles from the Black and White era..!!
Yep, its surprising but that is what the website says about Garware Motors. It seemed in India's pre independence days, there used to be an entity called Garware Motors which used to import automobiles in India.
Ok, so Garware did have a history in Automobiles in the past, but ramping up the "after sales service" and the availablity of spare parts would be the main challenge for Garware Motors in the present day.
The Products
Currently there is a huge gap both in terms of engine cc and also in terms of cost between the Kawasaki Ninja 250R which costs around 3 lakhs on road and the 10 lakh (plus), 800 cc (and above) imports ( like the Ducati/Harley and the Japanese). The Hyosung GT650R and the ST7 fills up this gaping void perfectly.
Launch Date
The launch dates of these bikes have not been made public so far but according the what I have been hearing, an official announcement is due very soon.
Price
Currently there is no mention about the prices of the GT650R and the ST7, but Garware Motors have a golden opportunity to fill up a huge void. If Garware can price these models somewhere between 5-6 lakhs, then it could be music to the ears of bikers for whom the Ninja 250R is not exciting enough and the big imports simply not affordable enough.
[Update, 28'th Oct: According to BikeIndia, "the ST7 will be priced somewhere in the region of Rs. 6-6.5lakh and the GT650R in the region of Rs. 4.5-5lakh."]
GT650R
The GT650R features a 650cc, 90 degree DOHC, 4 valve per cylinder, V-twin engine which is fed by fuel injection. It also has an adjustable suspension, twin front disc bakes, 4-piston brake calipers. The feature list is a long one with LED tail lights, clip on handle bars, adjustable foot pegs, race inspired full fairing and narrow and higher seat.
Although the GT650R might not be a true blue Super Sports bike, at 73.6 Ps peak power from the twin cylinders in a 90 degree V format, will be more than enough to blaze our urban Indian roads. Plus the GT650R is definitely not a bad looker too.
But at 830 mm seat height and 215 Kg kerb weight, the GT650R would not be an ideal bike for the shorter guys.
GT650R - SpecificationsENGINE
Type: Liquid cooled, DOHC, 8-valve, 90 Degree v-twin,
Engine Capacity: 647cc
Max Power: 73.6 Ps / 54.2kW @9,000 RPM
Max Torque: 60.9Nm @7,250RPM
Fuel System: Fuel injection
Transmission: 6 - speed
DIMENSIONS
Length x Width x Height: 2090mm x 700mm x 1,135mm
Wheel Base: 1,435mm
Seat Height: 790mm
Brakes
Front: Semi floating Double discs, 4 pistons calipers,
Rear: Single disc, 2 piston caliper Suspension
Kerb Weight: 215kg
Hyosung GT650R Photos [Courtesy: GarwareMotors.Com]
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ST7
The ST7 is a cruiser styled bike. It features a 680 cc, liquid cooled, v-twin engine with fuel injection and 4 valves per cylinder layout. The styling in classic cruiser fashion has a low seating along with lots of shiny chrome bits.
ST7 - SpecificationsENGINE
Type: Liquid cooled, DOHC, 8-valve, 90° V-twin
Engine Capacity: 678.2cc
Max Power: 62.5 Ps / 46.0kW @8,000RPM
Max Torque: 57.3Nm @7,000RPM
Fuel System: Fuel injection
Transmission: 5 - speed
DIMENSIONS
Length x Width x Height: 2,470 mm x 960 mm x 1,135 mm
Wheel Base: 1,690mm
Seat Height: 675mm
Brakes
Front: 300 mm Dia. Semi floating single disc, 4 pistons caliper
Rear: 270 mm Dia. Single disc, 2 pistons caliper
Suspension
Front: 41 mm Dia. Conventional Telescopic,
Rear: Swing arm with Hydraulic Double shock absorber(Preload adjustable)
Tyres
Front: 120/80 -16 60H
Rear: 170/80-15 77H
Kerb Weight: 244kg
Hyosung ST7 Photos [Courtesy: GarwareMotors.Com]
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Disclaimer:
This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.
12 Comments:
cruiser looks good..cheaper than harley?
I love the faring of the Hyosung 650R, it is different from others. Hyosung has a good reputation of competing with its Japanese as well as European rivals. So this one seems to be good option with in its price range.
But the question how many Indians can afford this beautiful beasts?
Bike India reviewed both the bikes sometime back and they found both of them to an amazing package!! Hyosung does not have a very good image in the west owing to it's build quality in the past but I guess after reading Bike India's reviews, things definitely look bright!! Common Bring em on!!
But my point of concern here is Garware Motors do not have any road presence what so ever, no outlets, no service chains. Setting those up from scratch needs time and before they can launch these bikes, they would have to have these basic infrastructure and logistics in place. So, in my opinion it would be some time before we see the actual presence of these bikes on road.
i agree with @sajal ... making setup from scratch is time consuming..
Though Hyosung's reputation is a lil suspect in Europe and the rest of the west, both bikes look Sssswwwweeeett!
SP, Great job dude...! These are Red-letter days for Indian biking....The Hyosungs, the CBR and now there is news that BMWs are coming this Christmas! \m/
@Melville,
You are right happy days seem to be here for a desi biker. But I'll count out BMW even if it's coming to India simply because being of European pedigree, it will be stratospheric in its pricing.. way out of reach of a middle class Indian like me.
That's one reason why I don't even have the motivation to blog about BMW bikes in India..
when is the ST7 available in India?
Please inform
@lost,
according to news, probably by March 2011.
Hi,
Its really great to know about Garware Motors (Hysoung tie up) from this forum. Any expert can share about this 650 cc segment + Service + Network + Dearship + Pricing etc ?? Its workable in INDIA ?
Gonna get the GT650R when I hit 18. Oh yeah baby! To the snots with 220-s tearing about the place as if the own it, here I come!
I read this blog is good for the information on the bike, about the bike short description and detail is shown here. This is not enough for buying a new bike in this segment for few detail.The Hyosung ST7 bike complete detail and specification with price list on the city wise.Also describe the engine displacement.
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