I have been riding bikes since I was 18 years old and still continue to do so at 45 years.
I have been riding the RE Classic 500 of late and I decided to change over to a modern cruiser .
When one starts thinking about cruisers the name that comes forcibly to one’s mind is HARLEY- DAVIDSON.
I was informed by our group that the SUPER-LOW is a good entry level Cruiser bike from the HD stable at a relatively affordable price, 5.7 L ex-showroom.
One thing led to another from dealer enquiries to test ride and I was almost on the verge of booking the “Super-low”.
Man proposes but God(destiny) disposes so they say and it happened exactly with me.
On the day I was to book the “Superlow” I was met by an old friend at my office and I told him casually, albeit with pride which I couldn’t conceal, that I am off to book an HD.
With a matching casualness , he mentioned about a cruiser he purchased recently , the Hyosung Aquila Pro, “Its parked outside your office ,want a small ride? .
My work was almost over and I had nothing to lose. I was thinking as we walked ; Hyosung sounded like Samsung and Aquila sounded like Aquafina .
I couldn’t help pity my friend who in my opinion was such a loser.
Standing in the parking lot was a huge cruiser with a liberal dash of chrome , fluid lines exuding a feline grace. It shattered all my ill feelings I had gathered about my friend.
I was fighting with myself ,thinking why I missed this option and I had one last straw to save my ego ..the ride.
It turned out that the ride was much more comfortable, even through city mad traffic, the bike never seemed to lose poise or torque. It was very agile and nimble enough to cross any obstacle. The exhaust firing was magnificent (though I learnt later that he had spent 15 k to make a minor modification at the exhaust).
Totally bowled over by this experience, I decided to sit back and do a proper homework and not go by popular sentiments.
Whenever I threw in some questions there were random responses from the friend circle – “ Boss ,HD is HD ! or “ Hyosung ,never heard about them” or “ HD is legendary stuff , man where’s the comparison?” OR “Come on now ,don’t tell me you are looking to save a few thousand ,man go for the HD Superlow”.
Here are the comparative salient features : Superlow vs Aquila.
I researched whatever I could get on the Hyosung Aquila and found that the bike has been in the American, European and Australian markets since 2007 and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find negative responses .
There were Indian reviews too , Zigwheel , AutocarIndia etc and they all had very favorable responses.
Hyosung had earned a bad repute in India due to Garware’s shoddy customer service since it totally lacked any expertise in handling the automobile industry.
DSK bought all the stakes from Garware and set up its own assembly plant at Satara with a view to manufacture all bikes with a 90 percent localization in the coming years.
I made the decision to buy the Aquila instead since it was cheaper by one lakh , it was longer ,had a better road presence ,had better power ,excellent handling ,braking and I simply loved the looks !
Of important note is the fact that the GC of Aquila is 160 mm,enough to take you over those speed breakers without scraping your under, versus the Superlow which has a GC of 100 mm only.
I would like to state that this bike, the Aquila,
cant be compared to the Superlow , as most mistakenly do,since its specifications come closer to the Street Bob. Now compare the price of both; a massive 6 lakh difference.
The current booking price is Rs 25,000 and the waiting period has risen from 15 days to almost 3 months since the bike is getting popular.
Much of the sale ,I learnt ,has been done in Pune ,Mumbai , Bangalore and Delhi. It has a 2 year or 35,000km warranty whichever is first.
The best part of the deal is that the periodic services are done at your door-step, no need to take the vehicle to the service centre! THE RIDING EXPERIENCE :- The saddle is very comfortable .
- The pillon seat although comes with a back-rest ,the foot pegs are placed high.Hence if the passenger is tall ,he would be a tad uncomfortable over a long ride.
- The driving position is very comfortable and those not used to riding a cruiser would take some time to adjusting the brakes and the gears.
- The foot peg position is adjustible ,albiet minimally. Aluminium foot-rests can be bought optionally.
- The rear-view mirror position is optimal,giving a good overall view of the rear.
- Unless the side stand is folded back completely the vehicle will not start.
- The handle bar switches are ergonomic and resemble in all details to a RE Classic 500.
- The lamp is bright but not bright enough and sooner I would want it to be changed to a Xenon.
- The horn is very meek and I would soon replace the "meep-meep" with something better.
- The speedometre is well lit even in dark and the stats are very readable .It lacks a tachometre.However I dont see why a cruiser should need a tachometre.
- The rear stop/parking lights are LED ,very bright and look good.
- Once you start the engine,the stock exhaust is very soft in accordance with the EPA guidelines. There are many options for an after-market silencer fitment. The most famous exhausts are the Larry Cook Double shots ,manufactured in the US.
- Although the bike is heavy, 244 kg to be exact ,once you are on it ,the bike dosent feel so heavy at all courtesy of the slow-slung seats.
- A drive through a crowded section of the city is as easy as any normal bike. Frequent change in gears is not neccessary as the LOW and MID range torque is too good.
- Highways bring out the real pleasure of riding this bike. Its poised, overtakes in a blink of an eye , races through quickly and stops effortlessly. I brought this bike from Pune to Alibag a distance of almost 155 km in 1:40 hours and I wasn't exactly tired when I reached home.
- Initially I had my anxiety on the cornering ability of the bike ,but as I came to understand the bike ,I found that the cornering capability was not all bad and it could take all but few corners with ease .
- The bike requires high-octane fuel.
- it returns roughly 20-24 km per litre.
- At upto speeds of 100 ,I could not notice any appreciable vibration or faultering of the vehicle.
- The vehicle comes to a stop very easily thanks to its dual front and rear single disc.
- The gear change is a little stiff as of now ,but I learnt that it grows softer with time.
So as I continue to ride happily on this bike I would keep adding my experiences, both good and bad as my relations with my bike unfolds gradually and takes on a new meaning.
SUMMARY
The Aquila GV650 is a VFM bike(without the legendary tag!!) which has placed itself impressively in the market since 2007 without any adverse reports ,looks and drives very impressively ,with an exceptional customer service (I bought the bike from DSK Auto Pune). The product is being handled by the DSK group who are into the Auto field for more than a decade and have a plant at Satara with plans to manufacture the bikes locally in the coming future.