Hyosung GV 300 S Bobber Evo 2024 — Ficha técnica

Imagine a scene: you park a matte black, stocky motorcycle, with an exposed V-twin engine and low-profile tires along the edge of a Parisian café. Eyes are drawn, eyebrows rise. No one spontaneously thinks of an A2-restricted machine. Yet, that's precisely the trick the Hyosung GV 300 S Bobber Evo pulls off in its 2024 version, refreshed with discernment after the summer of 2023.

The update is surgical but consistent. The Korean motorcycle adopts an inverted 35 mm fork with 132 mm of travel, a raised handlebar, advanced footpegs, and full LED lighting. The ovoal LCD instrumentation displays useful information, speed, fuel gauge, gear ratio, USB port, without attempting to mimic the tactile dashboards of modern roadsters. On a bobber, this classicism is spot on. The choice of unique matte black may seem restrictive, but it forges a strong identity where others hesitate between ten colors that all look alike.

What truly distinguishes this machine from direct competitors is the engine. Where most manufacturers would have installed a parallel-twin engine lacking soul, Hyosung chose a 60° V-twin, single overhead camshaft, four valves per cylinder, liquid-cooled. This 296 cc engine produces 29 horsepower at 8,500 rpm and 26.5 Nm of torque at 6,000 rpm. The figures seem modest on paper, but the V architecture guarantees a frank availability from low revs, which really changes the perceived character when riding compared to a hollow mono or parallel-twin. The six-speed gearbox and chain transmission do the job, even if a belt would have better accompanied the American aesthetic that Hyosung clearly claims. The announced top speed of 135 km/h is sufficient for daily use and weekend outings, without claiming to rival an MT-03 or a Z400 on the highway.

The steel double cradle chassis weighs the motorcycle at 172 kg on the scale, a contained weight for a custom, and the low seat at 710 mm reassures riders of average build. The measured wheelbase facilitates maneuvers in the city. The 16-inch wheels at the front and 15-inch wheels at the rear give this characteristic domed profile of the genre, with wide tires that contribute as much to the style as to the stability. The rear shock absorbers with 94.3 mm of travel may be limited on rough surfaces, a point to monitor if your daily commute resembles a poorly maintained departmental road. Braking with a single front disc, 270 mm pinched by a four-piston caliper, complemented by ABS, provides the essentials without being the machine's strong point.

Facing the Royal Enfield Meteor 350, sold for a few hundred euros less, the Hyosung visually imposes without discussion. The Indian has charm and a reputation that is seriously being built in Europe, but the design of the GV 300 S plays in a different stylistic category. At 5,299 euros with two years of warranty, the Korean motorcycle targets the young A2 license holders who want to ride a custom without breaking the bank, without going through Chinese imitations whose reliability remains unknown. Hyosung has been on the European market long enough to have built a network and a solid reputation, which is important when choosing a niche model. This 300 bobber does not claim to do what it cannot, it fully embraces its urban cool register at a low cost, and that's precisely why it works.