After a long wait, I finally managed to get a proper test ride of the black Hyosung Comet 250. It was worth the wait as I had
the bike to myself for a full 45 mins riding it from the middle of chandigarh to the outskirts of the city.
Riding in terrible traffic in the middle of the day on unfamiliar roads with an unfamiliar bike, was sure to show any
shortcomings with the bike.
I rode on every possible type of road. From long clear roads to test its acceleration and top end, to HEAVY traffic.
Power: 7/10 Firstly, the speedo was not connected so I had no idea what speeds I reached . My first impressions were that
it’s not too powerful. I didn’t feel any kick while accelerating, and the pick-up in till about 6000rpm was not impressive at
all. However, this was deceiving, as taking off from a signal with a guy on a pulsar 180 trying to drag with me, I left him
in the dust...he was a speck in the rear view mirror in a few seconds. So I guess it should be ok. I must add though that in
regular traffic, I was riding mainly in 1st and 2nd gear, just to stay in the top end where the power is. However, its pretty
tractable with enough torque to allow you to ride in traffic in 2nd if you don’t mind the lack of initial acceleration.
Engine: 8.5/10 The engine is extremely smooth. Whether at 3000rpm or its 10, 500rpm redline, I didn’t feel any vibrations. It
sounded really refined as well and had a nice muted growl to it. An aftermarket end exhaust will make this sound great.
Gearshift: 6.5/10 The first thing I noticed was the lever was very stiff. Being a new bike, I guess it needs to be run in for
it to loosen up. However, the shift from 1st to 2nd *is terrible. The throw is too long and you frequently end up in neutral
when riding in traffic. Aside from that, it was a bit tricky to get into neutral at signals, reminded me of my Pulsar!
However, this felt like it would smoothen out with use.
Handling: 9/10 This is the best part of the bike. In heavy traffic, you can ride it like you would a Pulsar, cutting in and
out of traffic with ease. It makes this a great city bike! On the higher speed corners on cement roads, the bike held its
line really well. It inspires confidence. It also eats up bad roads very well. My pulsar felt like it had no suspension after
this ride!
Braking: 7/10 The rear brake in traffic is great. However the front was not very good. High speed braking had the forks
chattering and feel was not very good. However it did track straight on braking, but I would have preferred twin discs in
front.
Fit & Finish: 4/10 The paint quality is so-so. I feel the Fazer has a much better paint finish than the comet. The
switches, dials and mirrors look really cheap and out of place on this bike. The welds on the frame looked shabby as well.
Looks: 8/10 Well, everyone has seen the comet now. I rode a black comet, which blends in well. Not many people noticed it. I
guess if you want to turn heads, the yellow or red colours are the ones to go for. I personally like black though. After my
ride, I stood there watching others go for short rides, some with pillions. Its here where I really got a good look. The
bike, even with 2 people on it, seems large. Defiantly more like a 400 or 600. It looks good in motion!
Price: 7/10 Rs.1, 84, 500 on road Mumbai. Although that is a lot of money, I feel its not unreasonable. This bike costs about
3, 000 pounds (Rs.2, 34, 000) in the UK, about Rs.1, 70, 000 in Australia. So, the Indian price of 1.8 does not seem unreasonable,
especially when you think of the duty we have to pay.
Overall: 8/10 This bike is perfect for India. It has adequate power, is really easy to ride in traffic and has good looks.
What more can you ask for. Well, better fit & finish would be nice for one. Better brakes are another thing needed.
However, I have a feeling that if this bike were called a “Honda” instead of “Hyosung”, there would be a lot more takers and
a lot less people complaining about its price! This bike is for those who want to ride, not show off with…simple as all that.
Comparison to a Honda 400Superfour: This seems the best bike to compare the Comet with. Having now ridden both these bikes,
let me say this. The Honda is way ahead of the Comet in terms of power! Plus, you really cannot beat the sound of an inline
4…amazing. The Honda is as easy to ride in the city, however its ground clearance is not much and you can seriously damage
the exhaust if you are not careful.
Price wise, a good super4 will set you back 2.8 – 3.2 lakhs for a used 5 year old bike. This is where the Comet comes out
ahead. For 1 lakh less, you get a brand new bike, clean paperwork and a loan to buy it with.
As much as I love the Honda, I feel it makes more sense to buy a Comet at this point in time(if I had da monies).