I've always been under the impression that the only "Sport" bike with a 250cc engine available in the US has been the Ninja 250. That's the bike I was saving up to buy [first bike, don't want to kill myself on a 600].

I was flipping through a motorcycle magazine and an advertisement caught my eye. It was for a 650cc bike, but what was interesting was they mentioned there was a 250cc version available also. The manufacturer was UM and I was a bit skeptical because I've never heard of them before.

I went to their website and sure enough, they offer sport bikes in both 250 and 650cc engines. I think the bike looks sweet as hell but I'm very hesitant because they don't seem like an established company, nor does anyone seem to have any reviews of their bikes, plus it's a V-Twin and I don't know much about those motors.

I did a quick search online and apparently they are rebadged Hyosung bikes marked up an extra $300-500. So the question is: does anyone know anything about Hyosung or UM motorcycles? How do they compare to a Ninja 250? Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Here's the bike:



Website:
http://www.umamerica.com/site/...tosp1

 

Personally I'd go with the Ninja because:

a) I'm willing to bet it's more reliable than that.

b) You can find a HELLA cheap, good condition Ninja 250.

c) There are HELLA spare parts out there for Ninja 250s because they haven't changed since '88.

IMO.

 

well im still most likely going with the ninja, im just curious about more info on this bike because it seems like theyre just hitting the markets now

 

looks like it is kinda chubby- 390lb dry for a 250 vtwin...

 

Hyosung is like the Hyundai of bikes - cheap, fairly reliable but not something you'll immediately get "props" for. Can't really comment on the bikes themselves, but the 650 twin they have is apparently almost a copy of an SV650 (they had some joint project with Suzuki).

 

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