SUZUKI GSX-8S
I’d been waiting patiently to have a ride on the Hammamatsu company’s new parallel twin for far too long. And the glowing reports that I heard from everyone who rode one weren’t really helping. So, it was with great delight that I slung my leg over the GSX-8’s seat, fingers crossed with the thought that, after all that apprehension, I may be disappointed in the end result… I wasn’t.
In comparison to most of the other twins on the market (or, for that matter, just about any bike built in the last five or so years) there’s not much in the way of airbox roar, and while it spins up quite nicely, the 776cc twin does seem to run out of oomph in the higher ranges, so it’s perhaps best to slightly shortshift (despite that actually being a little less fun) rather than chase the 9750rpm redline.
There are some slight vibes through the pegs at around 5500rpm, and this does tend to tie in with a speed that you’re likely to sit at while covering miles on the motorway. My response to that little quibble would be to either change your speed, or choose a more interesting route…
The way that it carries the revs higher up the rev range does give a little indication as to the direction that Suzuki went in their development of this engine. The cam lobes have a reduction in width around the base circle, to reduce drag, and while there shouldn’t actually be any contact between cam and follower at this point on the cam, reducing the potential contact patch reduces drag that can result from the oil film between the two, and, of course, it reduces weight, too.
Any reduction in weight is countered by the twin balance shafts – one for each piston, one in front of the crankshaft, one below – whereas most modern twins have a single balance shaft.
Unusually for a modern engine, rather than have downdraught inlets the throttle bodies are sited in a flatter plane, and they’re actually smaller throttle bodies than you’d expect, maybe to induce torque a
little lower down the rev range, which is allied to the undersquare format (84mm stroke by 70mm bore) to give a specification that would seem to be focused on torque and bottomend grunt.
My initial thoughts to this are that Suzuki have a long-term plan (not unusual, given their form with the vee twin 650 and 1000/1050cc engines, the longevity of the GSX-R 1000K5 engine and, previously, the air-/oil-cooled GSX-R /Bandit powerplants) and that the parallel twin will be developed into larger capacity/sportier formats.
I wonder how much meat there is in the barrels for larger pistons?... and it feels like it is a solid, undertuned powerplant that will last forever.
The quickshifter is typical Suzuki fare, albeit with the occasional glitch in which it would stutter after a shift, almost as though the shifter thought that it needed a second go, but this was rare and, while the five-inch TFT dash is really easy to read, it is a little too bright at night, although I’ll admit to not looking at the settings to see if this can be changed.
There are three rider modes, A, B and C, which from my perspective are pretty much irrelevant. Why? Well, as there’s a great level of feedback from the throttle, with no snatchiness or hesitation even in the sportiest of settings, then it’s easy enough to trickle around in dubious conditions, even with the traction control switched off (which, once it is switched off, stays off, unlike other systems that reset it when the ignition is turned off ). I just left it in the sportiest, most powerful and direct mode. No problem.
It looks superb, and while the slim and pointy tail section isn’t going to be of benefit to pillions or luggage capacity, it does help the style, and emphasises the fact that it’s got a big, manly 180 section rear tyre compared to the Honda’s wimpy 160…
For luggage there are only hooks at the back of the pillion peg hangers and the number plate bracketry, although I found that a cargo net did hold a gallon fuel can on the pillion seat quite effectively. This wasn’t down to any fuel consumption paranoia with the GSX, but because I was commuting between home and Cadwell Park for the last round of the Bandit Challenge, and needed to pick up an extra gallon of fuel for the race bike at some point.
That said, when the fuel warning light started flashing, only a smidge over 10 litres went into a tank claimed as being 14 litres in volume, so it means that you’ve got the best part of a gallon (probably 35 miles worth) before you run dry.
That wider rear tyre may slow down the steering a tad, but the Suzuki is no supertanker – it handles really well. With the proviso that the road on which you’re travelling is of good quality. The suspension damping is, to be frank, of a budget level and while it is easy to assume that this is an issue, the reality is that
it isn’t! Much like various Suzuki models that have come before, the fact that the GSX-8 doesn’t have great fork and shock damping is actually quite endearing.
Both the 600 and 1200 Bandit had very basic suspension, as did the SV650, and they were all fantastic bikes, and the same can be said for the GSX-8. It seems that Suzuki have an ability to make a brilliant bike while keeping the suspension R&D costs to a minimum. Or maybe this is philanthropy on their part, opening up the doors to aftermarket suspension suppliers?...
The initial competitive price has gone up by a couple of hundred quid since it was launched, so its now over eight grand, so more than £500 more than the Honda and Yamaha equivalents, and a couple of hundred quid more than the (built in China) KTM Duke 790.