DSK Motowheels’ stall at the recent Auto Expo drew many eyeballs and saw plenty of action, with the company showcasing a wide range of future offerings. Amongst the most interesting new bikes was the GD250N, a pre-production version. Hyosung is confident the GD possesses all the ingredients to take on the competition when it lands in showrooms this April. Can the GD250N prove itself and make a bold statement in our fast expanding 250cc bike segment?
The first thing that you notice astride the GD250N is that the bike feels slim, even compact, with not much bodywork to clutter its naked styling. It uses a set of delectable ten-spoke alloy wheels finished in white, and nifty shrouds mounted on either side of the high tank, which provides good thigh grip. The fuel-filler lid is placed towards one end, close to the rider.
The GD250N comes with decent quality switchgear, adequate palm grips and nice levers, of which only the brake offers reach adjustment. Smart mirrors, likewise, provide a good, vibe-free rear view. The prism-shaped headlight illuminates the road well, and includes a pilot lamp.
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There’s a prominent digital display with clearly legible information, including a speedometer, a cascading tachometer with a redline of over 10000rpm, an odometer, dual trip meters, a fuel gauge and a clock.
The aggressive riding posture takes a toll on your wrists and shoulders early on in the ride, intruding on riding pleasure, as you lean low onto the handlebars. The GD250N comes with smart looking machined alloy footrests and an LED tail-lamp.
The GD250N comes with a button-started 249cc, four-stroke, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine. It’s not as refined as a KTM 200 Duke, and has a claimed power output of 27.6bhp at 9500rpm, with 2.4kgm peak torque coming in at 7000rpm. Though these figures are impressive on paper, the GD does not feel as exhilarating or fast, even when ridden hard, with noticeable vibes setting in after revs rise past 4500rpm. Power is shifted to the rear wheel via an exposed drive chain.
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The GD250N rides on upside-down front forks and an offset gas-charged monoshock at the rear. Ride quality is fair and pliant enough despite riding on poor roads. There’s a steel, tubular trellis frame and an alloy swingarm, and the Hyosung bike tips the scales at a light 155kg. This helps it feel agile and nimble, even when being flicked around corners. The GD250N comes with a 110/70 x 17-inch front tyre, and a 150/60 x 17-inch tyre at the rear . There’s a 300mm disc brake in front with a petal rotor, supported by a 230mm petal disc brake at rear, both providing good strong retardation. The GD250N comes with a firm-feeling riding saddle.
Hyosung’s GD250N is a contemporary looking bike, but it doesn’t come cheap at Rs. 2.30lakh (estimated). Despite this, the engine leaves a lot to desire, with performance feeling only adequate . Then there are the fuel-injection issues and a gearbox that’s not very slick to operate.