The full-faired Hyosung GD250R has been confirmed for production and is expected to be launched in India by end of 2015.
Hyosung has confirmed its plans to launch a new 250cc sports bike christened as the ‘GD250R’ and the same was first showcased at the Intermot show last year. Essentially a full faired version of the India bound GD250N street-fighter motorcycle that was showcased at the Auto Expo this February, the new GD250R will go into production next year internationally and will head to Indian shores by the end of 2015. The new model shares its underpinnings with the GD250N and gets a new front fairing for an aggressive look.
The 2015 Hyosung GD250R gets sharp styling with an aggressive design language complete with twin headlights, split seats and a high tail section. In terms of mechanicals, the GD250R uses a 249cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine tuned to produce 27.6 BHP of power at 9500 RPM and 24.1 Nm of torque at 7000 RPM, paired to a 6-speed gearbox. Suspension duties are performed by 37 mm USD forks at the front, while the rear gets an offset monoshock set-up that adds to the aesthetic appeal of the bike. Stopping power comes from the single 300 mm front disc brake, while a 230 mm disc does duty at the rear. The motorcycle comes with a dry weight of 155 kgs. There is no news of ABS though.
Speculations suggest that Hyosung will be retiring the GT250R with the new GD250R. However, while the former uses a twin-cylinder engine, the GD250R uses a single-cylinder motor and we believe both the models could just co-exist in India. In addition, the single-cylinder will be relatively cheaper against the GT250R. When launched in India, the full-faired Hyosung will be competing against a plethora of offerings including the Honda CBR250R, KTM RC 200 and Kawasaki Ninja 300.
The Hyosung GD250R has been confirmed for launch in South Africa in early 2015 with a price tag of Rs. 2.47 lakhs and we expect a marginally lower price tag when it hits Indian shores. The Korean automaker might not launch the GD250N in India as DSK Motowheels wants to offer cruisers and full-faired bikes from Hyosung while Benelli will be offering street-fighters in the country. This will help the Pune based company to prevent cannibalisation of the two motorcycle brands it handles in the sub-continent.
