The Hyosung uses a 90-degree V-twin engine (or L-twin as Ducati refers to it), the advantage being that the 90-degree angle results in perfect primary balance and less vibration. Even without Ducati's desmodromic valve gear, the Avitar's mill is still modern-tech with four valves per cylinder and double overhead cams. Bore and stroke figures are similar to the V Star's at 81.5 x 62mm. Unlike the S40's compression ratio of 8.5:1 or the Star's 9.0:1, the Hyosung's is a stratospheric 11.6:1 with an amazingly high 11,000-rpm redline. Of course at the upper end of the rev range the GV650 has high-frequency vibrations in the pegs and bars, but not as bad as its classmates. One other key feature-it's liquid-cooled. Add it all up and you get a claimed (at the crankshaft) 70.2 hp at 9000 rpm-far in excess of the Boulevard's claimed 33 hp and the Star's claimed 37.5 hp. Top speed? We've heard it's well in excess of 110 mph. Of note, the Avitar will have electronic fuel injection in 2009 to meet stiffer international emissions regulations.
As for the transmissions, all three classmates sport a five-speed box. The S40's was pretty smooth but took a little extra push to get from neutral down to first gear. There was some drive lash at low speed in first gear, but the belt final drive yields a vibe-free ride. While the gearbox was very smooth on the V Star, we had an issue with a grabby clutch and narrow range of engagement, all within the final half-inch of lever travel. In first gear there was some noticeable drive lash from the shaft final drive but nothing to speak of in the higher gears. The Hyosung had a slick gearbox and exhibited a little drive lash but nothing to complain about.
The running tackle on the Boulevard definitely says "budget bike." Spindly 38mm forks with soft springs sport an urban-pothole-friendly 5.5 inches of travel. However, the preload-adjustable rear shocks have too little travel (3.1 inches) and too much compression damping, making for a harsh ride. The front disc is a tiny 264mm unit that provides correspondingly little power from its single-piston sliding caliper-which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't mated to an equally ineffective drum brake in the rear. Color us unimpressed by late 1970s motorcycle technology.
Sadly, the Star follows suit. Its 41mm forks offer 5.5 inches of travel. Any additional stiffness afforded by the larger-diameter fork tubes is negated by limp fork springs. Out back the V Star has an H-D Softail-style suspension with a hidden, preload-adjustable single damper. The 3.4 inches of travel get used up with great frequency, resulting in bottoming out on medium and big bumps. Whoa-ing things down up front is a 298mm disc and twin-piston caliper, but all the testers were disappointed by the lack of stopping power. Like the Boulevard, the Star makes do with a rear drum brake that is equally uninspiring.
Once again the GV650 steps away from the crowd. Not only are the forks 43mm in diameter, they are inverted-like on H-D V-Rods and every current sportbike-with adjustable compression and rebound damping for custom-tailoring the ride while offering 5.1 inches of travel. Fettling the damping does result in noticeable and useful changes in the fork's response to bumps. The rear was old-school with twin shocks yielding a paltry 2.4 inches of travel. They were somewhat stiff, but when attempting to adjust the preload (their only adjustment) we discovered the collars were made of metal not much tougher than a soup can. We were delighted to see twin 300mm brake rotors and twin-piston calipers up front, but the feel at the adjustable lever was rather numb. The rear 230mm disc brake was progressive in feel and provided good power.