Suzuki GSX 8s

[Mick_J]

Had a great day yesterday, had a ride on a Suzuki GSX 8s.  When I first sat on it it felt quite natural, the seating position and bars were spot on and the bike felt quite light and having just got off my 1400 it felt narrow.  The bars and grips were well laid out with a huge up/down rocker on the left bar for menu selection, with a mode button in it's centre.  Other controls were standard with hi/lo, indicators and horn on the left and start/stop on the right.  The bike features Suzuki smart start, just press the starter once and let go the starter will disengage automatically when the bike starts.  The dash was the usual colour TFT that seem to dominate all bikes now and when it first came on looked a little cluttered but once you know what is where it's quite nice.  There is a large semi circular rev counter on the left, a large speed indicator in the centre and gear position, mode selected, traction control level, fuel, temp on the right with the normal high beam, abs test , neutral indicators running down both sides.  The one thing I didn't like was the fuel consumption figures, they are in miles/ltr not MPG.  Fit and finish looked very good and the bike looks great.  There are no toys as such on this bike, its electronically quite basic with standard abs, quick shifter, changeable power modes (3 which only affects delivery) and variable traction control (3) and that's it.
Once in gear the bike was very smooth and pulled cleanly with low speed control being excellent, making manoeuvring in car parks filtering in traffic a doddle.  Out on the open road I found the quick shifter to be set up perfectly and I really liked it (Wish my Ducati was as good) and the gearbox was Suzuki's usual piece of perfection.  I then got a surprise in the form of roll on acceleration, it was excellent, it had strong pull in any gear from as little as 2500 rpm (remember this is only an 800)  so overtakes just require a twist of the throttle unless you are in a bit of a hurry, then a quick down change might be in order.  This little bike has some poke and it revved lower than the Ducati V4s I took out last month, which I like.  Brakes and suspension were good but nothing special, in town the shocks seemed too hard and I felt every bump and ripple in the road but out of town it was much better and it handled very well.  There is a good tone from the engine but I'm afraid that's as good as the soundtrack gets as there is no removable can, it's a one piece complete system.
After my ride out I was left quite impressed by this little bike, it looks good (In my opinion) goes well, handles and stops well, is not overburdened with electronics and is at a very competitive price.  All lights except the indicators were LED so a few quid has been saved there.  So would I buy one, yes I would, I have not owned a small bike for some time but this is a lovely little machine and I will consider it when I decide to change one of my bikes.

[VladTepes]

Blue frame and wheels look great. Quite a nice looking bike overall. How much are they?

That tail extension bracket thing though - hell no! 

Legally it may not be possible to do a proper tail tidy as the wheel extends a fair bit past the actual tailpiece.
I would anyway.

[Mick_J]

In the UK they are £8k (I don't know what that is in your bank of toytown money).  I believe that as the law stands new bikes have to be sold with the numberplate being at the furthest point to the rear but if a tail tidy is fitted it's not an MOT failure.  I think it's got the be the first mod, it is ugly.

[Batkwaka]

I test rode one a couple of weeks back and they are very nice with an Aussie price of $14169 ride away.
Seriously considering one as a training bike for R Class licence in WA but will probably go with the Kawasaki W800 again as it has a few advantages in that particular regard, not the least of which is 4cm lower seat height.
If i needed a bike for every day and training though the 8S has a lot going for it.
With the loss of my 1400 I will probably try to get a GSX1000GT, they seem very competent and have good wind protection.

[grog]

Batty, fair diff between W800 and 8S i wouldve thought.

[Hooli]

In the UK they are £8k (I don't know what that is in your bank of toytown money).  I believe that as the law stands new bikes have to be sold with the numberplate being at the furthest point to the rear but if a tail tidy is fitted it's not an MOT failure.  I think it's got the be the first mod, it is ugly.

Aye C&U reg not MOT. Still technically illegal to use I think, but it's never enforced.

[Batkwaka]

Batty, fair diff between W800 and 8S i wouldve thought.

Yeah the W800 is very much inferior (35kw v 80kw) for the most part but is a very simple bike that is easily managed by novice riders.

[grog]

Had one as a lender. Enjoyable old skool ride.

[VladTepes]

OK so I hate the huge gap around the front of the tank.
I hate that the dash just looks like a stapled on mobile phone.



(it's just a snip from a video, not an actual video)

[grog]

Agree Vlad, rear end could be sorted, front end just not nice.

[Batkwaka]

Agreed Vlad, i guess I'm old because all these new iPads glued to the front as a Dash screen are just plain ugly in my opinion.

[Hooli]

If it hasn't got black dials, with white numbers then I won't buy it. I can't stand TFT/LCD etc screens, they are bloody horrible things to look at.

[grog]

My eyes are too old to read those TFT crap, at least i can see 14 needles. A retro based on that motor would be a great bike. Wont ever happen.

[Rynglieder]

Each to their own, we all have our preferences and I too am not keen on its rear end.

The extended tailpiece is emphasised by the lack of bodywork at the back. It gives the impression that there is 200mm of bike missing somewhere.

I still think my 2009 Z1000 is the best looking of these little hooligan bikes, nothing that has come since has made me want to change it. I still love that it has a whole orchestra brass section at the back, those four triangular mufflers look great from behind in my humble opinion.

[VladTepes]

I've just realised that the 'tank gap' is exactly what one would see with a DR or DRZ or other dirt bike.

Which is fine - on a dirt bike