Motorcycle specifications SuzukiGSX-8S 800 2023 The return of Hamamatsu

The Suzuki range is far from its former glory. A bitter conclusion for a brand with a fascinating past. In 1909, Michio Suzuki founded the first Suzuki factory near the town of Hamamatsu, 200 km from Tokyo in the heart of Japan. Initially dedicated to the textile industry, it became Suzuki Motors in 1954 with the launch two years earlier of the brand's first motorcycle, the Power Free, powered by a small 36 cm3 two-stroke single-cylinder engine.

history was in the making. Suzuki wasted no time in competing with other manufacturers on the international scene, entering three riders in the 1960 Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man. From its first TT victory in 1962, thanks to East German rider Ernst Degner, to its last MotoGP victory, won by Spaniard Alex Rins in the 2022 championship final in Valencia, Spain, Suzuki's career in motorcycle racing - whether in speed, endurance or off-road - has been studded with successes.

alas, this year Suzuki has decided to end its official participation in the World Endurance Championship and MotoGP, despite its excellent results! This is yet another blow for the Hamamatsu-based company, after the famous GSX-R was withdrawn from the market due to Euro-5 standards.

it was a very difficult situation for the Suzuki dealer network, whose morale was understandably low. Fortunately, Suzuki cheered them up by unveiling two entirely new motorcycles at the EICMA show in Milan in early November. Based on a common platform, these bikes are right at the heart of the market: with the new V-Strom 800 DE and GSX-8S, Suzuki is waking up the troops. Let's focus on this tempting roadster..

white sheet : new engine, new chassis, new design, new name - the Suzuki 8S is 200% new! With its razor-sharp lines and particularly aggressive design, including a water radiator that points forward like a sharp arrow, and a piercing look with two superimposed LED headlamps, the 8S imposes a scalpel-sharp style. Ready to carve up the road at the flick of the throttle, it's got a plumage to match. Suz insists on the identity trait of superimposed headlights - first the 1000 and 950 GSX-S; now this "super-SV". This strange look wants to take root at the manufacturer.

Let's start with the engine, a first for Suzuki. The 8S gets an all-new 776 cm3 in-line twin, compliant with Euro 5 standards. This boiler develops 82.9 hp at 8,500 rpm, which is right between that of the Yamaha MT 07, the queen of the category with 73.4 hp at 8,750 rpm, and the cavalry of the new Hornet, whose vertical twin delivers a whopping 92 hp at 9,500 rpm! The new Suz' makes up for lost torque thanks to its larger displacement. With its 776 cm3, it delivers some 7.95 mkg to the rear wheel from 6,800 rpm, compared with 6.8 mkg at 6,500 rpm for the Yam' (whose twin cubes 689 cm) and 7.7 mkg at 7,250 rpm for the Honda (i.e. 450 rpm higher). As we all know, power isn't everything: while the surge of thoroughbred power can be appreciated in moments of madness when you're welding the handlebars in the corner, three-quarters of the time - or more - you're mainly using the torque to wind up quietly or efficiently, whether in city traffic or on small country roads. In this little game of daily enjoyment, the Suzuki 8S could well come out on top, even if the mechanical architecture is identical.

in fact, for technical and pragmatic reasons, we're witnessing a real standardization of engines on the motorcycle market: the parallel, in-line, vertical twin, call it what you will, reigns supreme today. Compact, light and efficient, they meet all the logical and financial criteria imposed on manufacturers. From the smallest cylinders to the largest, in-line twins are the order of the day. Not that it's a bad mechanical architecture, or that its character and the mechanical sensations associated with it are unpleasant - better still, the performance it offers is often pleasing - but the fact is that the choice when it comes to engine types is limited these days. Long gone are the days when in-line four-cylinders ruled the roost(Hornet, Fazer, Bandit, etc.); ditto for V-twins, which had their heyday(SV, V-Strom, VTR, TLR...). The Japanese have rallied to the cause championed by BMW since 2008 with the F 800 GS, and later by KTM with the Duke and Adventure 790.

The vertical twin of the 8S is fitted with two balancers, positioned at 90° to the axis of rotation of the crankshaft. This system, known as the Suzuki Cross Balancer, is designed to minimize the vibrations induced by the 270° ignition timing. As a result, the 8S should offer a pleasantly rounded character, without subjecting its rider to overly pronounced mechanical operation. Naturally, the 8S is equipped with the Suzuki Intelligent Ride System, i.e. a host of electronic driving aids. Combined with its Ride-by-Wire electronic throttle control, the 8S offers the Suzuki Drive Mode Selector, which lets you choose between three driving modes: A being the most dynamic, B offering a more linear response to throttle opening at equivalent power, and C proving best suited to a smooth, comfortable ride, ideal for tricky road conditions.

the 8S also features the Suzuki Traction Control System, allowing rear-wheel traction control to be set in three modes, with the added option of disconnecting it altogether. It also benefits from a limited-slip clutch and an Up&Down shifter, so you can shift gears in either direction without having to cut the throttle. For even greater ease of use and handling, the bike is equipped with Low RPM assist, to assist with low-speed changes, and the Suzuki Easy Start System, which enables the bike to start with a simple nudge on the starter, without having to insist, is also on the menu.

as you can see, while the 8S's powertrain is sure to sparkle, it's also reassuring enough to suit all riders, whatever their level of experience. And with 82.9 hp, it's suitable for A2 license holders, with the addition of a kit that halves its power output.

As for the chassis, the new Suz' features a tubular steel frame for excellent straight-line stability and cornering maneuverability. It is equipped with a KYB inverted fork and a KYB monoshock at the rear.

With a kerb weight of 202 kg, the MT-07 is a little heavier than the competition (184 kg for the MT-07 and 190 kg for the Hornet). A handicap on paper, but one that the geometry of the chassis and the riding position triangle should make up for.

Finally, let's finish with what every biker has in front of him when he rides his machine: the instrument panel. Here, instrumentation is entrusted to a 5-inch TFT multifunction display, grouping together a large number of settings and information. The slab can display speed, rev counter, fuel gauge, gear engaged, traction control level, fuel consumption, SDMS mode selected, shifter activation (or not), pop-up notifications, etc., according to two graphic themes (day or night).

as the icing on the cake, the 8S gets the shortest exhaust silencer ever produced by Suzuki.

a great roadster which, let's hope, will enable Suzuki to return to its rightful place in the motorcycle market, and to offer other equally attractive new models in the future.

Michaël Levivier - Manufacturer's photos