Ruminations in Korea

Comment by Jake in Changwon

8 June 2009 @ 4:47 pm

Hey Jeff,

This isn’t related to your post, but I really like your blog and if you have the time and will allow me to hijack your post, I’d like to ask you a few newbie motorcycle questions: How do Daelim and Hyosung 125cc motorcycles compare? Can two people safely ride on a 125cc motorcycle? Can a 125cc motorcycle work for the kind of long-distance country tours that you post here on your blog? Can a 125cc motorcycle work for those long-distance country tours with two people on it?

I would have just e-mailed your these questions, but I couldn’t find your e-mail address. Thanks in advance.

Yours,
Jake in Changwon

Comment by Jeremy

14 June 2009 @ 12:17 am

Hi Jake.

Jeff may have a different opinion, but here’s my two cents.

“How do Daelim and Hyosung 125cc motorcycles compare?”

The Daelim 125cc bikes have a single cylinder, the Hyosung bikes have two. The Hysosungs are also slightly larger in dimensions.

“Can two people safely ride on a 125cc motorcycle?”

Depends on the size of the two people. But I’d advise against it.

“Can a 125cc motorcycle work for the kind of long-distance country tours that you post here on your blog?”

In a word, no. The 125’s, and even the Korean 250’s, require an oil change every 500km. You can always push it further than that, but in any case, with frequent high-load long-distance riding on one of these, you’re going to have to rebuild or replace the engine far sooner than you should. They’re just not designed for those kinds of loads and being run that hard. They’re mainly meant for courier and delivery services that never leave a town.

That should answer your final question, as well.

If you want to get a local bike to learn on, the Hyosung 250 will tide you over for a time and allow at least limited cross-country travel to get your feet wet…provided you’re under 6′ tall.

But for the long run, investing the extra money in something bigger (600cc and up) more than pays itself off in real-world enjoyment and practicality.

Comment by Jeff in Korea

14 June 2009 @ 1:17 am

Jake, I mostly agree with Jeremy.

I have ridden a Daelim 125, but I have never ridden a Hyosung 125, so I couldn’t tell you anything about comparative handling. The Daelim is generally a nice bike for what it can do.

What it can do is basically 80km/h to 90km/h on flat ground. Anything resembling a steep hill is going to reduce speed to around 50 km/h to 60km/h

One thing to note, all Korean-made 125s are essentially disposable bikes. They are good for around 12,000 km, and after they they deteriorate quickly and the repair costs tend to quickly add up to more than the bike is worth.

I suppose that two relatively small people could ride on a 125. I have doubled up on a 125 with no real safety problems. However, the already underpowered 125s are significantly reduced in power with an additional rider.

Additionally, if you are a new rider, I would STRONGLY recommend that you not take another rider on the back until you have 6 months to 1 year of riding skill under your belt. Odds are that you are going to go down at LEAST once in your first year due to inexperience, and you don’t want to do that with someone on the back.

Can a 125 make the cross-country trips like the Rotten Dead MC take? Well, yes and no. I’ve heard of people riding 125s around the country, so yes, it is theoretically possible to take the same roads, but it would take a significantly longer time. For example, on my bike, a ride from Pusan to Pohang takes about 1.5 hours, and on a 125, it will take at least 3 hours. A 6 hour ride from Kwangju to Pusan on my bike takes 5.5 hours, but it took my friend about 3 days to make the trip (seriously). In short, unless you have significant amounts of time, you are not going to go on any trips very far from home.

Long trips with 2 on a 125….no.

If you are serious about biking, I would recommend getting a 125 and riding around town and around the area as much as possible for 6 to 8 months and then upgrading to something 400cc or bigger so you can really enjoy life.

Comment by Learn Korean

16 September 2009 @ 1:20 pm

Hi Jeff, great blog. My name is Kim from http://www.koreanclass101.com/. Is there an way to contact you via email? You can reach me at affiliates@koreanclass101.com. Thanks!

Comment by Jake in Changwon

28 September 2009 @ 2:40 pm

Jeremy and Jeff,

Thanks for your responses - I just read them for the first time. I must have checked for responses a couple of days after I posted and totally forgot. I’m glad I found them now, though.

I did eventually buy a bike - a 125cc Daelim that I rode for a few weeks. I went back home on vacation and took an MSF course while I was there, and when I got back I rode the 125cc some more before selling it and buying a 250cc Hyosung. I’ve been riding a bunch lately, and I’m starting to get worried that my Hyosung is going to die on me - it has 53,000 km on the odometer and the comment that you made, Jeff, about Korean 125ccs falling apart at 12,000 makes me wonder how long my 250cc will hold up. So, with a little experience under my belt, I’m looking into a 400cc or 600cc, like you suggested, Jeremy. I’ve been checking Pusanweb’s classifieds lately, but if either of you two happen to have a friend who is looking to sell a 400cc or 600cc that is in good shape, or if either of you know of a good place to buy such a bike, by all means, please pass their information along to me (jakeclarkphoto@gmail.com).

Again, thanks for all of the information. I really appreciate it.