EP Racing Takes 2nd Aboard the Hyosung GT 650R
Firebird Raceway, Phoenix, Oct. 4th, 2009 – It was a windy weekend at the tight and technical West Track in Phoenix, yet Matt Kellerman (#63) was able to stay on the bike for three more podium finishes. Entering Round 7 of the CCS Southwest Series, EP Racing was looking to move up to third in the standings for Thunderbike as well as claiming Third Overall in the Lightweight Division. Happily both goals were accomplished with EP Racing taking a weekend best of 2nd in the Thunderbike race.
The bike was running great after last months fixes, so the only modification made for the race was a new paint job to make the Hyosung GT650R stand out on the track and help highlight our sponsors. The team received many compliments on the bike throughout the weekend, and as the pictures show, the bike looks great at speed!
Race 1: Matt was a little late getting out for the warm-up lap, which led to a bad start at the drop of the green flag. He was able to hold on to the back of the two bikes in front for half the race, but on lap 5 he could no longer shift through his gears. Matt had to retire from the race and found the culprit to be a missing footpeg bracket bolt. Not the best way to start the day but with the addition of a new bolt the team was ready for the next race.
Race 2: LW Superbike saw the winds really start to pickup and some dust starting settle on the track. Another rough start saw Matt slotted into 4th into Turn 1. The bike in front ridden by Kerry Alter (#21) was a heavily worked SV650 that rocketed out of the corners. Matt would bring his GT right behind number 21 into the corners only to see his work lost as Kerry used his power advantage to pull away on the short straights. #63 was finally able to pass Alter on Lap 5 and immediately started to pull a big gap. But it was too little too late as the front runners had already pulled away. Matt brought it home in 3rd.
Race 3: Thunder bike started nearly the same as LW Superbike yet this time the Hyosung was 3rd into turn 1. This time Matt was able to get past Kerry on Lap 2 and set off after Dustin who was in the lead. The wind was kicking up some serious dust at this point and halfway through the lap a sand storm blew across the track, knocking the visibility down to near zero. Matt said “I couldn’t see 2 feet in front of me at one point, so I just held the throttle open and hoped I didn’t run out of asphalt!” The GT650R weathered the storm and brought it home in 2nd.
At the end of the weekend EP Racing and the GT650R have moved into a tie for 3rd in Thunderbike, and have moved into 3rd overall for all the Lightweight Classes. EP Racing would like to thank all of its sponsors, PowersportsOutlet.com, Hyosung Motors USA, Hyosung.Biz, Dunlop, EBC, BMC, LSL, and Puig for another successful weekend.
Next month will see the team and their GT650R return to the Main track for the 8th and Final race of the season. The event is scheduled for the weekend of November 14 – 15, 2009. For more information log on to Roadrace Southwest.
EP Racing is based out of Prescott, AZ and have been racing the Hyosung GT650R since 2006. They have achieved multiple victory’s, countless podium finishes, a LW GT title, and other honors, in both the CCS, and SMRI race series. For more information you can contact the team at 928-778-7910 or email: shop@epfguzzi.com
Italjet Machines
Italjet has been slowly adding machines to it’s line up over the last 12 months.
- In an agreement with Hyosung Motors they will rebadge the GT650 as the Italjet Griffon.
- The Marco Polo 400 is thier new Maxi-scooter. This one is a rebadge of an Guangzhou Huanan Motors Group machine.
- The Dragster is also relatively new addition to the lineup.
Italjet has a new marketing director here in the states. It will be interesting to see what direction he takes the company. Diamo USA will import Italjet machines to the states but they will be sold under the Italjet name. There are a few enthusist forums out there if you want to get involved. Italjet Forum is a newer, broad based community dealing with all models. ItaljetDragster.com is a more established forum that concentrates on the Dragster model.
Please post a comment with any information you have about the company. I would be interested to hear what you know.
Italjet Grifon 650 Pre-Production Ride Video
Italjet is about to enter the big bike market with the Grifon 650. The Italian mark is catching a second wind after it’s banruptcy in 2003. The Grifon’s blacked out Italian styling is accented with spoked rims, Giannelli exhaust and Brembo brakes. The Pre-production Grifon looks to be a combination of the Grifon and Bazooka prototypes introduced in late 2005. MCN posted the following video of a test ride…
Italjet is the latest company to outsource the chassis and 650 vTwin engine to South Korean Motorcycle manufacturer Hyosung. This most likely will allow them to hit a lower price point than previous prototypes with outsourced engines. Diamo USA is set to import the Grifon to the United States under the name Italjet USA. Let’s hope we see it spice up the bike meet parking lots some time in the near future.
Hyosung TE450
Buzz is starting to build in anticipation of the release of the Hyosung TE450 and UM MTX-450. Hyosung USA and United Motors will both be importing the ATV to the US under thier respective brands. The quad is built by S&T Motors in South Korea. S&T recently bought out Hyosung Motors and Machinery. Posts on Korider.com mention the UM MTX 450 is due to hit dealer floors by the end of July.
Cagiva Mito 500 To Be Powered By Hyosung 650 Twin
I was reading through the threads at Korider.com and ran across a rumor that Cagiva might be building a Mito 650 powered by the Hyosung GT650 engine. It would not surprise me if it were true. Hyosung builds a strong, reliable power plant and they are not afraid to share it. In fact it is in thier best interest to let others help build the Hyosung brand.
The Mito would be the second 650 twin in Cagiva’s line-up. The Suzuki 650 powered Raptor was wrapped in red tape to keep it from taking sales from the SV650. Hyosung would not need to worry about losing GT650 sales to the Mito as it would no doubt be a higher price point.
Hyosung Motors, At War With the Big 4
Breaking into the world of the Big 4 motorcycle manufacturers is not easy. The list of failed and bankrupt motorcycle businesses grows each year. I have been doing some research on Hyosung Motors and it looks like they might have a new approach to gaining market share.
Here are a few things they have done and are looking to accomplish…
1) Build a universally appealing engine.
There is no denying the success of Honda Hawk GT 650 and Suzuki’s SV650. They have universal appeal to beginners and experienced riders. We have all read the reviews. Smooth, linear, controllable power and plenty of character. This makes the 650 vTwin a great choice. If you can only build one engine, why not a 650 twin? Hyosung has built 2 very different motorcycles with it. The GT650 sport bike and GV650 Avitar power cruiser.
2) Licenses the 650 Hyosung Motor.
The long awaited Fischer MRX 650 and Italjet’s prototype Bazooka are two of these companies. Heck, United Motors licensed the entire 650 and 250 Hyosung lineup to be re-badged under their name. They will eventually make their own machines and only use the Hyosung engines. How will Hyosung use all this money these companies are paying them?
3) Build economies of scale to lower manufacturing costs and gain the attention of the aftermarket parts manufacturers.
The more engines and machines in the hands of customers, the more need there is for parts to fix them. The more parts that are manufactured and sold, the lower the cost per part. This also creates a larger pool of customers looking for aftermarket upgrades and go fast parts. Where there is a need you can be sure people will step up to make money. Having ways to customize a motorcycle gives that bike credibility and attracts more customers who see the possibilities for customization. This only makes the lower retail price of the Hyosung’s more attractive.
4) Have other companies help build brand recognition and trust for their product.
Not only does Hyosung collect royalties by sourcing to other companies, it lets other companies do an extremely difficult job for them. A job so important if not done correctly it can make a fantastic product fail miserably. The job of building visibility, respect and trust with the motorcycle buying population.
Having another company saying your product is good is much more effective than you saying your product is good. It provides instant credibility. For example, every time a magazine or blog mentions the Fischer MRX650 they mention that Hyosung supplies the engine. This is free marketing that people actually listen to. I doubt millions of dollars of Google ads would have a similar impact because people ignore conventional advertising. Motorcycle consumers are very loyal to brands so any help they can get will go a long way.
South Korea invades WERA Series
The UM V2S-650R will be piloted by Brad Armstrong in this weekends WERA West race. This will be the first time the Hyosung built machine will race in this series. UM Motorcycles are made in South Korea by Hyosung Motors and rebranded by United Motors. In coming years UM is said to be developing thier own rolling stock powered by the Hyosung 650 motor.
Brad will be riding the V2S650R for the whole season. It will be interesting to see how he does on the bike. There have been reports of some motors going bad on the Hyosung 650 machines. However, a lot of owners seem to be satisfied with the bikes on owner forums including other Hyosung racers.