Hyosung COMET 125 2009 — Specifications

Look at this machine without looking at the registration plate, and ask yourself honestly: what displacement are you dealing with? The compact but muscular silhouette, the 75° V-twin visible between the tubes, the rear wheel shod with a 150/70-17 tire worthy of a true road bike... The Hyosung Comet 125 deliberately maintains the confusion, and it does so with a certain talent. It's no coincidence: it shares its double steel backbone with the Comet 250, and the family extends to the 650. At the Korean manufacturer, platforms are shared, and the visual result is there.

The engine, 124.70 cc air and oil cooled, produces 15 horsepower at 10,500 rpm with a torque of 9.80 Nm at 10,000 rpm. On paper, this seems consistent for the category. In practice, the V-twin doesn't really come alive above 7,000 rpm, and below, it drags its feet. The problem is that it has to pull 150 kilograms dry, which is heavy for a 125. A Honda CBR125R or an Aprilia RS4 weigh 20 to 30 kg less, and it shows. The 5-speed gearbox does the job, the top speed is limited to 120 km/h, which remains sufficient on the road, but the engine lacks breath to fully exploit the chassis it animates.

This chassis, just so, is the main selling point. The 17-liter tank, generous for the category, provides real range for weekend rides. The braking, with its front and rear discs, is among the most convincing points of the machine, biting and progressive. But some structural defects spoil the picture: the chrome plating doesn't hold up well in humidity and rusts quickly, the original rear tire lacks grip, and having spare parts shipped from Korea can sometimes be a battle. For a beginner who breaks or wears out parts, this is a real constraint.

At 3,490 euros, the Comet 125 is positioned in the high end of the category. It clearly targets the A1 license holders who want to ride something that looks like a real motorcycle, not a scooter in disguise. For this audience, the visual bet is successful. But the engine, undersized compared to the weight of the machine, remains a frustrating aspect difficult to ignore, and the long-term reliability of some finishes deserves to be monitored. Hyosung had the right ingredients; the final assembly leaves some open questions.