The Kasinski Comet GT250 was a 250 cc standard motorcycle from Kasinski, a Brazilian manufacturer that began by buying the industrial facilities and motorcycle rights of the Korean assembler Hyosung. It sat in the middle of the Comet family, between the 150 cc GT150 and the 650 cc models, and a GT250R version was offered as the sport member of the line.
Kasinski Comet GT250 at a glance
| Maker | Kasinski, Brazil |
|---|---|
| Model family | Comet |
| Type | standard (naked) motorcycle |
| Engine size | 250 cc |
| Sport version | Comet GT250R, 250 cc |
| Other Comet models | Comet GT150 (150 cc), Comet GT650 and Comet GT650R (650 cc) |
| Company founded | 1999, by Abraham Kasinski |
| Technical basis | industrial facilities and motorcycle rights bought from the Korean assembler Hyosung |
| Owner from 2009 | CR Zongshen group, with half Brazilian and half Chinese capital |
| Range in 2002 | ten motorcycle models, average nationalisation 65% |
| Plant output | not more than 600 units a month |
| End of production | motorcycles not made since 2014; production had been suspended in 2013 |
Based on one source: the Wikipedia article on Kasinski, which lists the Comet models by capacity and type but gives no separate article to any of them. No free photograph of the Comet was available, so the earlier cover picture of the record is kept.
History of the Kasinski Comet GT250
A Brazilian brand built on Hyosung tooling
Kasinski was founded in 1999 by Abraham Kasinski. The company started with the purchase of the industrial facilities of the Korean assembler Hyosung, a deal that included the rights to keep manufacturing Hyosung’s motorcycle line under the Kasinski name. Alongside the motorcycles, the company also assembled cargo tricycles using technology from the Indian firm Bajaj Auto.
The Comet family
The Comet name covered a whole ladder of machines. The range included the Comet GT150 with a 150 cc engine and the Comet GT250 with a 250 cc engine, both listed as standards, and the Comet GT650 and GT650R with 650 cc engines. The GT250R was the sport version of the 250, so the same capacity could be had either as a plain roadster or in a sportier form. By 2002 the company offered ten motorcycle models with an average nationalisation index of 65 percent.
The end of the road
Despite healthy sales, production never went beyond 600 units a month. Abraham Kasinski sold the company in July 2009 to the CR Zongshen group, which has half Brazilian and half Chinese capital. In 2010 the firm announced a new factory at Sapucaia in Rio de Janeiro state for electric motorcycles, but production was suspended in 2013 amid legal and labour problems, and since 2014 Kasinski has not manufactured motorcycles.
Design and features
- Middleweight standard: a 250 cc naked bike between the 150 cc GT150 and the 650 cc Comet models.
- Two characters: the plain GT250 and the sport-listed GT250R shared their engine size.
- Hyosung engineering: the brand was built on the right to continue making Hyosung’s motorcycle line.
- Brazilian content: the 2002 range averaged 65 percent nationalisation.
- Small-scale output: the plant never built more than 600 motorcycles a month.
Kasinski Comet GT250 versions
- Comet GT250: the 250 cc standard, the naked version.
- Comet GT250R: the 250 cc sport version.
- Comet GT150: the smaller 150 cc standard.
- Comet GT650 and GT650R: the 650 cc standards and sport model at the top of the range.
The Comet GT250 shared the showroom with the Prima scooter and the Mirage cruisers. More machines are in the Kasinski collection.
Video: Teste Kasinski Comet GT 250R
Video by MOTO.com.br on YouTube.
Sources
- Kasinski, Portuguese Wikipedia: company history, model list, capacities and types
- Kasinski, English Wikipedia: company history, model list
