Thread: Hyosung GT250R Or KTM RC390 Or Wait?

Hi Fellow xBhpians,

I am very new to this community as a registered user however a frequent follower of xBhp for a very long time as a guest. So, here is the little background. In 2009 we got our first vehicle Pulsar 220 Dtsi which was newly launched then. As my brother had started working in that very same year, Therefore he was the official owner of the bike. I had never ridden a motorcycle before so basically, I learnt riding a motorcycle from my brother's 220. In 2011, I got myself a RTR180, I don't know why i made that choice(No offence to the owners) but i just didn't like that bike. It was too small and underpowered as compared to 220. I sold my RTR within an year and got myself a Car. So now, I have an Activa for small duties and a car for big duties. I don't know why i feel the need to buy a motorcycle for myself again but there is something that is provoking me from inside. I will be buying the bike after 6 months and here are some details which may help.


1. Budget: 3 Lakh
2. Age: 25
3. Height: 5ft 9inch
4. Weight: 75Kg
5. Intended usage: As i already have an activa for day to day needs, The bike will more or less be used on weekends and for touring once a month.
6. Fuel Efficiency requirement: Anything over 25km/l is adequate
8. Approximate Daily / Monthly running: 500km monthly
9. City / Town /Village of residence (so we can evaluate road conditions / traffic / terrain / altitude / OTR pricing): New Delhi
10. Brand / Bike type preference (if any): 1. Hyosung Gtr250, 2. KTM RC390, 3. Wait for R3 or R25 by Yamaha. 4. Wait for Pulsar 400.

Looking forward to get advice/suggestions from you all as i don't want to regret my decision later.

Query Approved

Originally Posted by Pandit

Hi Fellow xBhpians,

1. Budget: 3 Lakh : TNT300 / Duke 390/ pre-owned N300
2. Age: 25
3. Height: 5ft 9inch
4. Weight: 75Kg : you seem fit for your height
5. Intended usage: As i already have an activa for day to day needs, The bike will more or less be used on weekends and for touring once a month.
6. Fuel Efficiency requirement: Anything over 25km/l is adequate : either of the 250/300/390 will give you 25kmpl plus
8. Approximate Daily / Monthly running: 500km monthly
9. City / Town /Village of residence (so we can evaluate road conditions / traffic / terrain / altitude / OTR pricing): New Delhi
10. Brand / Bike type preference (if any): 1. Hyosung Gtr250, 2. KTM RC390, 3. Wait for R3 or R25 by Yamaha. 4. Wait for Pulsar 400. : dont even keep the hyosung in this list. as you said weekend ride and touring TNT300 and duke 390 fits best. RC needs a lot of workout as a tourer. n300 is a great tourer and weekend bike

Looking forward to get advice/suggestions from you all as i don't want to regret my decision later.

replies in bold above

wait ,

get yamaha R3

i owned R15, GT250R and CBR250 , i can surely say nothing beats yamaha in build and reliability.

GTR is good bike , but quality is an issue and spare parts extremely costly, remove this bike from your list

I own the RC390 and have been using it for my daily commute and for weekend touring!I have done everything on this bike,good tarmac to 'kinda-off-road' riding and it delivers without any hiccup!
When you buy the RC, keep in mind what the bike is designed for; as much as I'm happy riding it I wouldn't buy it if I had a chance to go back in time. Would have picked up the Duke 390 as the Ninja is quite an expensive affair for me w.r.t to maintenance.
The fuel tank is a HUGE drawback; I have not ran out of fuel anywhere during my road trips; but you will have to restrict yourself because of the range. In a group ride, you will have to slow the group down so that you can fuel up! The riding posture is intense, but you will get you used to it and then it shouldn't be a problem. Max distance that I have covered in a day is 550; national highways : Cochin > Bangalore and I was able to function at the end of the ride!

To sum it up,if I was in your position - I would wait for the Yamaha to see what they are bringing and if you are in a hurry - Duke 390, and if you can manage the financial expenses for a Ninja - look no further!
PS: Can't talk about the TNT as I haven't had a chance to try it out.

Originally Posted by theironhorse99

replies in bold above

Thanks for the quick response sir. My top most priority is the LOOKS. I don't care about the top speed or how quick the bike is in acceleration as long as the bike is more than average performer and a looker. I know the GTR is the best looking of all that's why I was leaning towards it more. Apart from this, Upright seating position is something I am trying to avoid. Bikes already rejected; Pulsar RS200/NS, Bullets and Dukes. I know I will have to compromise on touring but that's not the main purpose. I might sound like confused myself to you. :P

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

Originally Posted by nagoo

wait ,

get yamaha R3

i owned R15, GT250R and CBR250 , i can surely say nothing beats yamaha in build and reliability.

GTR is good bike , but quality is an issue and spare parts extremely costly, remove this bike from your list

Points noted nagoo Bhai. I have read few of your travelogues where you have covered long distances on GTR. How is the bike in terms of touring? Is it a real pain or something that you will get used to with time. Surely Yamaha is worth the wait, Let's see what they come up with. I went to Yamaha dealership in Adhchini, New Delhi yesterday and the advisor seemed to be clueless about the release of r25 or r3.

Pranaam @Pandit ji :P

You mentioned that looks is the most important on your priority list. Looks - heavily subjective criteria. If the looks of a bike is what works for you then no need to ask any questions. Just go out there and buy the bike that looks best to you in you price range.

One thing to consider even with that priority is the cost of maintenance. You don't want to invest in the Hyosung because it is reported to be notoriously hard to maintain. Well, I may be pushing it by saying notoriously hard, but that's what it seemed like to me from the reviews of all who own it/use it.

The TNT300 to me has killer looks and is incredibly VFM too. Take a step back and look - Those beautiful Pirelli tires. The P-twin engine. That oh-so-sexy big bike kinda exhaust note. Twin discs up front with such good stopping power. The seats are plush and nice. It may be an upright seater, but you wont regret it one bit! Then again, the Benelli bikes come from DSK and the DSK Hyosung thing bombed big time. Hopefully, lessons were learnt and it wont be so rough this time around.

Being a guy who loves faired bikes and the sporty riding stance myself, nothing bowled me over like the looks of the Kawasaki Z250. But, when you compare it to the Benelli, the Z250 just pales in every other department other than looks.

Also, as far as riding stances go, you could use this site to see the ergonomics of every bike. I usually use my RTR(in your case, a bike you have used extensively) as a benchmark to decide the actual ergonomics in real life.

Hope I helped! Cheers!

Originally Posted by Pandit

Thanks for the quick response sir. My top most priority is the LOOKS. I don't care about the top speed or how quick the bike is in acceleration as long as the bike is more than average performer and a looker. I know the GTR is the best looking of all that's why I was leaning towards it more. Apart from this, Upright seating position is something I am trying to avoid. Bikes already rejected; Pulsar RS200/NS, Bullets and Dukes. I know I will have to compromise on touring but that's not the main purpose. I might sound like confused myself to you. :P

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----




Points noted nagoo Bhai. I have read few of your travelogues where you have covered long distances on GTR. How is the bike in terms of touring? Is it a real pain or something that you will get used to with time. Surely Yamaha is worth the wait, Let's see what they come up with. I went to Yamaha dealership in Adhchini, New Delhi yesterday and the advisor seemed to be clueless about the release of r25 or r3.

its very fun in highways and for long distance. as i said earlier quality of parts is real drawback, can you imagine that back monoshock giving up in less than 2 years of usage ? where as it should last life long [or atleast 5 yeras]

city ride is not recommended, its heats up in traffic jams so much that either it auto stops due to over heat or will burn you legs

Originally Posted by Pandit

Thanks for the quick response sir. My top most priority is the LOOKS. I don't care about the top speed or how quick the bike is in acceleration as long as the bike is more than average performer and a looker.

If you just want a looker, you should buy whatever you like as it is difficult to buy a bad bike with your budget and limited running. If you want a looker and something unique, I would suggest you also look at
1. Kawasaki Z250
2. Continental GT

The Z250 is above your 3 lac budget but not by much. It has proven mechanicals and will grab plenty of eyeballs. You just cant go wrong with it and there are so few of them on the road. With your requirements this would be my first choice (if the budget is flexible).

As for the Continental GT, it is the best engineered Royal Enfield to date to the extent that purists say its the virtual opposite of a Bullet. To many people it is the best looking bike this side of 3 lacs. Having done 6000 kms on it, I can tell you that it is a very good buy. It's not a bike for everyone but you should give it a closer look given your criteria.

Friend if you want Looks then look no further than the Conti-GT. I can bet you... even common people will crazily gawk at the GT even in the presence of many other big bikes. I say this from personal experience. Yes it's not everybody's bike, it's like the Fiat Palio of the bike world... timeless looks, great ride, loved by all, owned by few