A Hyosung GT650 + Bridgestone BT003 tires + Koso Gauges, + Race Tech Suspension and Willow Spring Raceway = Fun!
The Big track out at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond, Ca seems the least likely place you would take the 65hp Hyosung GT650 out for a test. It is a very high speed track best suited for high horsepower liter bikes, not a mid size v-twin. I guess that’s why we did it.
This is no normal Korean V-twin. This Hyosung has had some nice upgrades to help it around the track. No, we didn’t put a big bore kit in it, higher compression pistons or any of that. In fact, the only work done to the motor was a slip on exhaust and re-jetting the carbs. The upgrades we did are the important ones…the suspension.
A Shocking Story!
To say the stock suspension didn’t work well would be an understatement. The bike was sprung for a 120lb rider (I am well over twice that). The front forks had almost no damping, giving the front end that bouncy ’72 Lincoln feeling. The rear shock was even worse but in the opposite direction. It was so over damped, you could time, on hour hand, how long it took to return to its upright and seated position. The only solution was to head out to Race Tech in Corona, Ca for some help.
The front forks use mid 90s Honda style cartridges, so they were an easy fix. The springs and G2R Gold Valves were an off the shelf part. The rear shock…not so easy! The OEM rear is a non rebuildable unit that works better as a paper weight than a suspension component. So what to do?
The rear shock that lives on the Hyo now is a 100% custom shock built specifically for this bike. It is one of their new G3-S shocks. I was lucky enough to get the first one ever to see a Hyosung. All I can say is “WOW what a difference!” I will be doing a full story on the upgrades later. For now, just know that the Race Tech Suspension upgrades are what allowed the bike to perform as well as it did. I am a firm believer that the suspension is the biggest single improvement you can make to a bike. It sure proved out here!
Better Gauges!
Anyone who has ever ridden a GT650R/S knows how bad the gauges are. You can hardly read them in the day time. Any direct sunlight and you can forget about telling how fast you are going or how much fuel you have. This is another area that needed some attention.
I happened upon an ad for KOSO custom gauges. They looked nice enough and seemed to have all the bells and whistles you could ever want. They were also only about $350.00. I pulled the trigger and ordered a set.
They were a pretty straight forward installation. There are lots of optional sensors that can be connected to the gauge set as well. Everything was easy to read and they mounted rock solid. Just compare the track video with the Utah ZX10 video to see the difference. I have been very happy with the swap and would use the KOSO gauges again.
Rubber Time!
Willow Springs is a very fast, very abrasive track. It can chew up a tire pretty quick. You spend a lot of time leaned over to the right at Big Willow. You also reach some pretty high speeds. Because of this we wanted some very sticky street tires that wouldn’t break the bank. We decided on the BT003Rs.
I was very impressed with how consistent the tires were. They are a multi compound tire, but you never really noticed any real transitions in the tire. The grip was great on the high speed sections as well as the technical portions of the track. They did get a bit shredded, but then again, every tire does at big Willow.
These are great track day tires. I don’t know that I would run them on the street though. I don’t think you would get much mileage out of them. They are definitely more track oriented.
Fun, Fun, Fun on the Hyosung!
Overall, the Hyosung performed incredibly well. We went around a lot of shocked people on far more expensive bikes. I think that was what made it so much fun to ride. You would have a guy go past you on the straight going 40+mph faster, only to pass him on the very next turn.
The suspension handled the bumpy track and just asked for more! It never gave us the feeling that it was out of or on the edge of control. It stayed planted and confidence inspiring. This bike is FUN!
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