We first got to ride the GSX 8-S around Redstar Raceway and we were very impressed with the new mid-weight naked machine from Suzuki. Now they have the faired R model. We got to ride them back to back…
Thinking back to the 8-S launch, we found the bike surprisingly quick off the line. The “little” parallel twin gave excellent acceleration out of the corners, whilst maintaining impressive corner speeds. Yes, it ran out of puff on the long straights, but at around 220kmh it is not deathly slow, and she does like to rev, in fact she really loves to rev, the harder – the better.
Bolt that twin into a (really) good chassis with some decent suspension and excellent ergo’s and it all just gets better. The wheelbase is quite long, or at least it feels quite long and the weight bias seems to be more on the front wheel which with the excellent acceleration and engine braking makes this bike a huge amount of fun around the track, enabling it to maintain much higher corner speeds making up time here on the faster machines.
Since spanking it around the track, we have ridden the 8-S along traditional breakfast run routes we know very well in the Magalies mountains, aimed down long seemingly endless freeways and bombed it through Joburg’s maniacal rush hour traffic quite regularly. And, as far as a parallel twin engine naked bike it has always kept a grin on the face.
Happily, Suzuki has added another model to the 800 Arsenal:
When we found out that Suzuki SA was bringing in a sportier fully faired “R” version, the office was quite excited to get a ride on it.
Some of our team got to ride the bike in the mountain passes of Mpumalanga. That’s a country designed for riding motorcycles cranked over and fast and you can read about all that right here.
We got our turn a few weeks later when we were offered the 8S and the 8R together.
Here’s a recap on what the bikes have on offer.
A six speed fuel injected 776 cc parallel twin engine that pushed 83 horses.
LED daytime running lights, LED-Headlights.
An up/down quickshifter is standard fit, as are upside-down forks, an easy-to-read five-inch TFT instrument panel and radial calipers.
ABS, Riding modes, Ride by Wire, Shift assistant with blipper, Traction control.
Both have a choice of three torque maps, which amount to wet/slippery conditions (C), general riding (B) and sportier/fun use (A).
USB charging ports.
Rake, trail, length etc is all the same.
Fit and finish is good, typical Suzuki.
So, what’s different?
Well, at a glance, bar the faring the two machines seem identical. However, when we rode them back-to-back, they are different..
We used the week that we had them well, visiting clients and basically riding them whenever opportunity arose. Off to Silverlakes and Bronkhorstspruit via all the back roads we went. We headed for the satellite road, Hekpoort pass and the famous Grotto To Gravel venue and back again, swapping bikes between us to really get a feel…
For some reason, the R feels a bit quicker, a bit sharper in its handling and a bit more planted in the corners.
Maybe it’s because the bike is yellow?
This prompted some deeper investigation.
Naked eye:
Well, the R has a fairing. Obviously. Damn it’s pretty!
The bars are different. The R gets clip ons and seating is slightly more aggressive, while the S has a fairly upright standard handlebar.
The R has LED flickers versus the standard bulb units on the S.
Guess what?
The 8-S has 43mm Kayaba BPS inverted forks upfront versus the 8-R which is kitted with 41mm Showa units, and that is where we felt the biggest difference between the two bikes.
Other than that everything is absolutely identical, torque, power, rake, trail, ground clearance, seat height, fuel tank capacity, blah, blah, blah….
But the bikes FEEL different and we’ll try to explain.
The most obvious difference is the upright posture on the naked. It’s natural, comfortable with zero wind protection.
The R is slightly more sporty, with the compact fairing offering decent wind protection.
The 8-R also definitely absorbs the bumps and lumps in our roads better, making it more plush and easier to ride on a daily basis.
The S is quite firm. And not in a bad way, race snakes will love the stiffer feel, it makes the bike feel sporty.
On paper, performance is, identical, but somehow, the R feels quicker. And we can only put this down to psychology. It’s a lot like fitting a noisy pipe. It looks faster, and the ergonomics are a bit more aggressive so it must be faster.
Make sense?
On the long ride that we took, the wind was pumping. The R took more of a buffeting than the S.
Both bikes are extremely agile, more than quick enough and fun to ride, but the R’s fairing for long distances at speed does make a difference. Yes it has a fairing and looks a lot more sporty, but Suzuki has not gifted you with an insanely aggressive riding posture. The bike is still plenty comfortable!
The sporty, stiffer KYB suspension on the S works perfectly well, but the softer Showa’s perform beautifully on that longer journey. .
A full 14,litre tank will get you around 220km’s, pretty much the same on both, irrespective of who was riding. Naturally, that’s in the fastest mode.
Suzuki really seems to have a great selection of real world motorcycles in their GSX lineup right now.
The 800’s are small, quick and peppy, happy in the suburbs or out on South Africas glorious sweeping back roads.
They’re also a lot of fun when you open up and that’s the most important part.
Really well specced too – and in todays world where prices tend to get a bit sideways, pretty sensibly priced.
Wouldn’t it be cool to see a race series start up with bikes like these?
Here’s some food for thought:
For almost the same price as you can buy a 1000cc plus superbike or ADV machine, you can buy both these bikes and take your pick of the fun. OR you can buy one of the road bikes AND the Adventure and head off into the Ver Verlate Vlaktes…
You can grab the S (Naked) for R168950.00
Soon, you can grab the R (Fared) for R179950.00
Are you commuting, or will you be doing that longer journey?
Make your choice. We reckon that you can’t really go wrong either way.
www.suzuki-motorcycles.co.za for your nearest dealer.
