Suzuki GSX-8S Review versus its rivals - A real middleweight contender?

[@Trevster65]

Having tested the hornet, trident, gs850 and cb650r I bought the blue and white 8s. Im 6ft fits me like a glove and wheelies are not my thing as I don’t have the skills for that so power is ok for me. After 1st service you can use all the torque and it’s plenty for uk roads. Suspension can be a little hard especially over pot holes but this bike gives you confidence in curves and makes you smile, oh and I’ve had no issues with stock tyres in wet or dry. Love it and don’t regret my choice. And after 2600 miles I’m averaging 69mpg yes 69mpg. One last thing dealers are now selling them for £6999 if you shop around.

[@Yelwas]

Good choice, I bought the blue one a week ago, it's plenty power for Japan mountain hairpins. Can't wait to get it run in...

[@santorini8423]

What dealer did you buy from, I’m from Berkshire interested to get the lower price

[@thinkingimpaired5663]

Good to know, I'm in the USA, and I wonder what they sell for here.

[@chrissunde1104]

It would be my choice as well. Nice to see Suzuki turning out nicely finished machines.

[@dIsAstErTR]

It cost them pulling out from MotoGP sadly.

[@robertcorbett4720]

I test rode this model of bike for a comparison group test article in RIDE magazine. I’m a chap of a certain age and weight and on first sight anticipated the prospect of climbing on board with trepidation thinking for sure it wouldn’t be for me. How wrong could I have been?…..I absolutely loved it! It felt bigger than it looked and thus comfortable for my arthritic knees with a really pokey motor. Great bike, fun to ride and nice quality…..I’d definitely consider in the future

[@kevinwheatley1097]

I tried the Hornet and quite like it, but tried the 8S and traded in my 6 month old CBR650R. It’s a great bike as you said for real world road conditions. Smooth and predictable. Tailtidy and fly screen fitted. Love the TFT screen, easy to read. Bring on Spring 👍

[@mancavemoto]

Thanks for sharing

[@DingJe]

Hows the CBR 650r for you?

[@brandonbennett9271]

What made you trade the cbr650r for the 8s currently debating on getting the 8s or the cb650r (hornet is not available in the USA)

[@jamesherrington5606]

Thank you. Life time rider. 59yrs old. Currently on an 18 MT07 and 17 SV650. I shopping for my next “traffic bike”. I didn’t like the 8S initially but I think it may be the one.

[@tonychristie2695]

Passed my direct access 3 weeks ago. And have pulled the trigger on one of these. Picking it up this weekend. CANT WAIT 🎉

[@mancavemoto]

Good choice! Have fun

[@ragerider6283]

Nice review. I like this bike a lot. Got my eye on it or a GSX8R for a purchase next spring. Worth noting the price is OTR, it comes with a QS as standard, a 3 year warranty (+4 years if you get it serviced annually with Suzuki) & it's made in Japan. None of the other bikes can claim all those things so for me it's the best all round buy even if it's not the best bike in every area.

[@nigelfisher3756]

Some good points made, there. The fact it’s made in Japan in’s a big plus….the religious attention to detail from the Japanese is reassuring. Also, if you buy a Japanese bike, you want it made there, not in China or Thailand. If you want a Moto Guzzi (i do!) then you want it made in Italy, right? Good bike but I like the recent faired version even better.

[@bikecommuter24]

Maybe its just me but I see a little bit of the original 80's Katana DNA in the design (I have been riding since 1978) but that is a nice blue and finish and being a Suzuki its probably going to be a nice Motorcycle to have.

[@mancavemoto]

Theres a touch of it there, even more so in the R version

[@motoriancb]

looking at this for my first bike, now doing my direct access course should be passed by the end of december

[@Yelwas]

Almost agree with entirely, and I bought one a week ago, 500k on the clock already. Build quality, foot brake lever looks great, and I like the silver mounting, but the gear shift lever is black, and the bracket looks a bit cheap. Otherwise it's a beauty. it's big improvement over my F900XR, at a much more affordable price. Yes I bought blue one. Stunning...

[@MrAndrew1953]

Centre stand optional. I bought one for my CB500F. Not long after I did, a huge chunk of industrial plastic wrapping got caught up in the chain/rear cog at 100kmh. Sudden loss of power. I spent half an hour picking the rubbish out on the centre stand in the emergency lane.

[@davewestsk8]

I rode the hornet 790 and this gax 8s I prefured the 8s the most so that's what I now have ❤

[@mancavemoto]

Enjoy!

[@godoyfg1]

Thanks for the information:) awesome video .

[@mancavemoto]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mikerider58]

It does look like it fits you. You look perfectly comfortable and relaxed. Quite often you can tell when a rider doesn't fit a bike. I personally don't like the new plastic Jetski design of modern bikes, and truly hate Tail Tidy. Love the riding position on this Suzuki, the handlebars, the motor. A top half fairing and screen would have been nice.

[@singlucille3440]

Just so that it is not forgotten, if you like a more classic approach and a V2, the SV 650 is still there.

[@sheldon-markthompsonvalenc3299]

Hello , please, can you show us the last modifications you did in your Int 650? I saw them in your DGR video. Thank you.

[@mancavemoto]

There’s an update video coming soon, I’ve just collected a new exhaust to fit

[@brucekendall52]

Havn't read or heard a bad word about this bike.Can't go wrong.Cheers.

[@JinZuS]

Difficult to believe the price of this beauty, Suzuki have done a very good job with this bike, and hhave been very generous about the specs. I always like full black bikes, but I have to admit that the pearl blue is gorgeous, thanks for your time & thourough video.

[@mancavemoto]

Thanks for watching!

[@merseamoto]

Great review again Tony. Definitely looks like a lovely machine.

[@neillambton4065]

Great review, and i agree with most of what you say. Yes it needs a tail tidy, and the rear light needs repositioning into the rear bodywork. The only part i`m not too keen on is the lower bodywork, the way it sticks out beside the forks. If they turned it inwards slightly, so it was`nt sticking out in the middle of nowhere, it would look perfect. Yes, remove the pillion footpegs and have a colour matched cover. I`m not a fan of so much black on bikes, and would prefer silver handlebars and levers etc. I agree the rear seat keyhole looks like an emergency afterthought, and would be better placed lower down. Would i have one?, too right i would, in that blue colour too. Once again, thanks for a great vid.

[@SlickMotoMike]

Would like to see one with a top box and panniers kitted out for a commuter plus 2 up riding. I have a 2015 Suzuki Gladius still going strong love my v-twin engines. These new ones scream rather than quietly purrr.

[@syn7f0ld60]

I have been wrestling between the CFMOTO NK800 and this machine. What would your opinion, or the pros and cons of each? Thank you.

[@mancavemoto]

I've not ridden the CFmoto so sadly can't offer a comparison

[@savvasCHg]

@syn7f0ld60 I am asking myself the same question. Haven't ridden the suzuki yet but the nk is a blast. I think the nk wins overall at everything except second hand value and that's debatable of how popular the brand will be the next years.

[@Rmachine429]

Great review! Would be interested on your opinion/comparison with the sister bike, GSX 8R.

[@mancavemoto]

Noted!

[@rikrozendal1702]

Great review. The bike doenst have switchable abs tho like u said in the beginning, think you ment traction control. I really enjoy mine, got it with tailtidy :)

[@mancavemoto]

Good spot, I hadn't noticed that slip of the tongue!

[@1990-t1j]

Stunning bike, especially in blue. I'd be happy to own one. The XSR700, not the MT-07 and Trident [if it wasn't a Triumph] also impress me in this category. Nick

[@stevesanelli90]

Hi Tony, isn’t it nice to see beautiful weather earlier 😉 The 8S is my bike. It’s perfect for what I need & want. Thanks for highlighting how great the Suzuki is. The 8R is nice, but prefer going naked😉 I bet you wish your British winter is always summer ⭐️

[@mancavemoto]

Cheers Steve, yes i'm looking back fondly on those warmer days! we dont do too bad here though ;)

[@aryencas]

I saw this bike live yesterday. I noticed that is much more nicer that I thought seeing it before only only in videos. I am about to buy this one ore the KTM 790. Hard to decide. About the KTM I am scared with the Chinese production, besides: Suzuki 5 years warranty plus quick shifter, KTM 2 years warranty and no the quick shifter for an extra money. Thank you for your review.

[@mancavemoto]

I agree it look a much better in the metal

[@terrybrooks7140]

Good video looks good. ps where was that pretty village you set off from

[@mancavemoto]

Cheers, that was Finchingfield in Essex

[@NooBiker]

I'm guessing you discounted the Triumph Street Triple R due to its price?

[@mancavemoto]

Yes, and I only really wanted to put one bike per manufacturer in the list

[@NooBiker]

@@mancavemoto yes fair enough

[@77hoodlum]

Hi Tony, have you tried the Aprilia Tuono 660? If so how would you rate it against the other middle weights. Regards

[@mancavemoto]

I haven't yet no, they are tricky for me to get hold of. I've ridden the Tuareg with the same engine and really liked it though

[@chili3383]

Nice and unbiased review again! I am torn between this and the 2024 Honda CB650R with a much better updated TFT dash, I am a fairly relaxed weekend rider mainly for leisure and don't use it as commuter at all, I like the sound of four pot engine but not sure about its high revving character that makes you look like a hooligan. How do you compare these two? Cheers.

[@mancavemoto]

Both great bikes, I really like the engine on the Suzuki

[@pskalenda14]

I have a 2020 CB650R and absolutely love it. I test rode the 8S last Summer and it felt very similar to my CB handling-wise over the short demo ride but I hated the engine sound. It sounded cheap compared to the beautiful sounds that come from my in-line 4 of the CB650R. Don’t know, maybe I am just an in-line 4 cylinder guy but the parallel twin sounded like crap in comparison.

[@pskalenda14]

Did a demo ride on one last Summer, felt very similar to my 2020 CB650R handling-wise on the short ride but the engine sounded terrible compared to the in-line 4 on my CB. It sounded cheap, I absolutely hated the sound of the thing. I drove away from the demo on my CB with a big grin on my face as it sounded so good in comparison.

[@JMang101]

@@pskalenda14 hard to compare to a 4 cylinder tho right

[@johnmuir7908]

Did you find that your feet became numb due to the vibration in the foot pegs? Thank you

[@mancavemoto]

No, can’t say I noticed that much vibration through the pegs

[@JT-et7ui]

What was the heat like?

[@mancavemoto]

A little bit, but nothing worth mentioning to be honest

[@Alien937]

I thought the ktm 790 is discounted at £6999? Now🤔

[@mancavemoto]

Yep it’s ‘discounted’ for a short period sales promotion, but the list price remains at £7,999.

[@mattstringer7838]

It's actually £6500 currently

[@dev8546]

Hi Tony, great review as usual. Hows the sitting position on this bike is it upright just like your interceptor? Or is it a little bit slouchy/little bit agressive?

[@mancavemoto]

More aggressive than the Interceptor, but not much

[@dev8546]

@@mancavemoto thanks tony. If you have to pick a bike between honda hornet 750 and suzuki gsx 8s for long distance comfort which would it be? Currently im on an interceptor.

[@mancavemoto]

Tricky question, they are both very good and both pretty much the same in terms of comfort. To me the Suzuki feels a little more substantial, but best to ride both and pic the one you like the most

[@xt225]

Great vid.

[@mancavemoto]

Thanks

[@xt225]

@@mancavemoto trying out the Hornet tomorrow morning and the Suzuki in the afternoon. At 5'3.5" I'm thinking the Hornet but........

[@RupeWilson]

I do like this bile a lot but feel if I get one I will always feel I should have got the duke 790...

[@mancavemoto]

Yep, a tough call between the too, this feels more punchy in the mid range, but is heavier and doesnt turn as quick

[@RupeWilson]

@@mancavemoto I need to ride them back to back before i decide.

[@UncleWally3]

Even with the Triumph Tiger 850 being more expensive, how would the Suzuki GSX-8S compare?

[@DucatiDale]

Tiger is more comparable with the v-strom

[@Otto-AutoPilot]

8R is the one I was waiting for but bought a CBR650R instead. Will take a ride and see if I prefer the twin or not. Love the CBR though.

[@DingJe]

Im considering between these two also! Let us know your thoughts haha

[@nomasker1360]

I like the styling on it , which is unusual for a Suzuki which is usually as bland as it gets . I also like that the swingarm is straight unlike the arcing yamaha swingarm . Also the trellis tail section 👍

[@Dan-56]

Ok Tony, it sounds like you need to see if the importer will make you a good deal on that demo bike you’ve been riding 😉!

[@mancavemoto]

Ha! it would need to be a 'bloody good' deal sadly

[@yarzajemmer]

8s or z9se ? Which is more fun in twisties ?

[@mancavemoto]

Good question, I can't currently get hold of a Kawasaki to make a comparison

[@nickclarkuk]

For pure fun, I’d probably pick the KTM. But I need a reliable bike for commuting year round and they seem to “beta test “ with customers after they have bought the bike.

[@hisride]

Its a lot lighter for sure, but if youre happy to void your warranty a few airbox mods and a dyno tune will get this bike up to 90hp (at the wheel) and 90 odd nm torque. Thats the same as an MT-09 and the 8S will make it about 1.5k revs lower. The stock bike has a lot of potential

[@roadwarrior8560]

I think the 800re will suit me better, looks a great engine.

[@mancavemoto]

It really is and the 800RE is a great bike to ride, check out my review

[@kalnwi2023]

🤔I'm 5'10 w/32" inseam , maybe it'll fit me too .

[@mancavemoto]

Same as me

[@dolphinride5157]

Instead of these kinds of bikes having pillion seats I would much prefer a built in luggage compartment. Also, while I may not use it all the time I would really want a cruise control. I would buy this bike in a heartbeat if, in addition to all it's other great qualities, it had those features.

[@mancavemoto]

There is a little space under the seat, and they do offer a seat cowl to replace the pad. Cruise control is not a deal breaker for me personally as I rarely use it, even on long trips. But if it matters to you then its an obvious missing feature.

[@nickclarkuk]

The quality looks better than the MT07 with that aluminium swing arm and finish .

[@markpeddle4688]

Think I'll stick with the fz8.

[@iantilling210]

I cancelled my hornet order and got a black one........i did love it,did 2800 miles BUT it went wrong on a trip back from Wales. Clueless desler Said it was fixed....it wasn't......full exhaust system replaced under warranty and still running rough so finance company rejected it. I should have stuck with my sv650

[@Trevster65]

What seemed to be the issue? I own a white one with 2600 miles so far.

[@iantilling210]

@@Trevster65 hi mate, first a pipe of some sort came off the air box.....it still ran but sounded like it was gasping Then after they fixed that I had a noticeable drop in power and it refused to rev beyond and 7-8000 no matter what!!! They said it's probably a spot weld come a drift in the exhaust cat so I waited 5 weeks for a new system to be shipped over from Japan. Picked it up and straight away it had the power back but was noticeably rough It never felt smooth again and had a strong smell of petrol at tickover,I said it's probably a fueling issue now but I'd completely lost faith in it and the useless dealer (wheels Peterborough...... never go near them,I should have read trust pilot reviews 🤦) I refused to pay for it anymore and the finance company rejected it on my behalf thank god. Let's hope yours is ok 👍

[@kyriakos8020]

Shouldn’t cancel the hornet

[@HippoDrones]

It is a cracking bike, I am so glad I got one. I swapped the exhaust for the Akra full system, and that livens it up nicely, also turning off the TC makes a massive difference to how playful it is. I tend to cruise in TC1/B mode and play in TC0/A. You mentioned the tail being something to change, I agree, and I hate getting a wet bum... but the stock tail doesn't stop that happening at all anyway, so may as well make it look prettier! 😀 Nice test mate 🙂

[@Yelwas]

I have one too, pkeant of tail tidies, but I might go for the evotech.. I'll check out your exhauste system too. Did it fir ok, plyg and paly as they say?

[@HippoDrones]

@@Yelwas the only issue I had with the exhaust was removing one of the header nuts from the original pipe, had to disassemble quite a lot of the front end to give my hand room to get to it... your hands/tools may find it easier/harder. But yup, plug and play and sounds great

[@nigelfisher3756]

Thanks for sharing the review. Aside from the weird front mudguard (which isn’t really a mudguard, is it?) and the questionable front end looks, I’d take it over all the other bikes you mentioned. No harm in a bit of extra weight to keep it planted, I like the torque hungry motor, looks, electronics and the way way it goes round corners. Colour is good, too.

[@cliveomahoney4096]

The dash is better on the 8S

[@deanskirrow]

Mid range torque in globs, even a half experienced rider can embarrass a lot of the 1000cc power rangers in the twisties, I know! Then if you need to commute it’s planted and predictable, I have toured on mine. It is a Swiss Army knife of a bike it can do a little bit of everything to a fair ability.

[@DucatiDale]

I mean the 100-200kph on this bike is about 17 seconds in comparison a 1000cc like the bmw is 3 unless you’re on a go kart track you wouldn’t see a 1000cc supersport after the first straight stretch of road 😂

[@DucatiDale]

Not to mention things like the superduke tuono streetfighter v4 etc have more power everywhere

[@DeanSkirrow-k7o]

@@DucatiDale you are 100% correct about the speed of the 1000cc bikes on the straights but on the short straights between the corners on "twisty Roads" they are only making up the time that they lost while the small agile bike was pulling a gap in the corners (last ride I had out with the faster group they did not beleive the 8S was only 83bhp). If you want to do drags on dual carriage ways that's great but not my cup of tea, I'm all about the corners!

[@DucatiDale]

@@DeanSkirrow-k7o I mean the superduke is lighter with 100 more bhp and god knows how much more torque I’ve been out with the parallels and my mt-09 leaves them for dead other than the 890 Ktm a decent rider on a supersport would only need 1st and 2nd to leave the Suzuki for dead on a decent b road

[@DucatiDale]

@@DeanSkirrow-k7o I’ve also been out with a competent rider on a xr1000 bmw same lump as the s1000 and I could barely stay with him and that’s a 220kg + tall roader these entry level nakeds aren’t fast no matter how they’re billed up imo I’ve rode most of them and would have the Honda or yam with a gun to my head and just look at Irish road racing Isle of Man tt nurburgring laps and other track laps to see what people are capable of on bigger bikes there would be minutes in a nurburgring lap difference and that’s basically a huge b road

[@TheOliveradams]

KTM 790 is a bit cheaper , lighter: even wet 185kg still 17kg less than GSX8S, 12hp more horse and 7nm more torque and so much fun to ride , my choice all the way . I ride a 2023 KTM Duke 890R , a great bike , would love to have the new Duke 1390 tough 😜

[@donderstorm1845]

ktm has a bit of history with reliability issues though. my local dealer offers 2 years for the 790, but they offer 6 years for the GSX. but still, the 790 is an amazing bike, the 17kg difference is enormous. hard to choose.

[@exothermal.sprocket]

Wonder how soon we can simply refer to motorcycles as having "twin cylinders" instead of "parallel twins" as if they are supposed to be something else? The parallel twin dominates all motorcycles across every brand. It's simply a "twin." It's almost like having to define facial tissues as being "non-Kleenix, two-ply tissues" instead of "tissue."

[@mancavemoto]

It differentiates it from v-twins, L-twins and boxer twins?

[@exothermal.sprocket]

@@mancavemoto Correct. You're 100% right. My point was, parallel twins being by far the most common, it doesn't need distinguished. If it was a Vtwin or flat twin, that would need to be distinguished.

[@tkraft1442]

Only thing that looks good on the bike is from the behind and the frame lol.. the front destroy the whole look for me. Same goes for Hornet 750... I rather go CB650R.

[@cliveomahoney4096]

So strange the consistency of the comments by vloggers re the 8S and Hornet. I tried both at the NEC last year and thought the Suzuki was the cheap option; in terms of finish and looks. It also seemed to be far less amenable re bar reach and overall comfort. I bought the Hornet a couple of weeks ago. It's great and I really wouldn't swap it for a lower powered, more expensive and, to me at least, weird looking bike. The Hornet doesn't look great. But at least its styling is within acceptable norms....

[@chrissy.v]

What about the finish looks cheap to you?

[@damon1957ful]

Well i tested all the bikes stated back to back and picked the 8s better engine, better brakes and a brilliant fit and finish compared to the hornet which did not match the bike i was trading a cb650r, hornet engine to viby revy , the plastice where cheap , as of writting the hornet has gone up by 300 pounds i belive then more to fit a qs

[@cliveomahoney4096]

@@damon1957ful Good luck and safe riding!

[@raymorris952]

It's just very SUZUKI, nothing bad but nothing outstanding or memorable, it does look better than some of its competitors.

[@Steve-motorcycles]

Agreed, I think it looks quite good apart from the old fashioned indicators. It’s a decent enough bike just a bit bland.

[@Pfannkuchenkanone]

2023 and no LED indicators...

[@tomrandom7091]

It's good, but, it is not a suzuki anymore, it is someting vague...

[@mancavemoto]

?

[@Antmanmoto]

🤢…looks like blue Pepto-Bismal

[@filiberto2266]

Doesn’t looks right. There s something off ....

[@DucatiDale]

Fit and finish was mentioned a few times every Suzuki I’ve seen after one winter all the fasteners look like they’ve been pulled out the canal not to mention the wafer thin paint they chuck on their bikes 😂 I’d pick it over the z650 but I’d have all the other competition over it few people saying they like what Suzuki are doing but all they’re doing is sticking the k5 lump in different frames and this new parallel with 0 top end in different frames still typical Suzuki boring need to take a leaf out of kawasaki and Hondas book and bring back the 600 class 4 and maybe make a thousand supersport again but that would mean making a new engine that isn’t a 20 year old k5 lump 😂

[@Steve-motorcycles]

It’s heavy, cumbersome around traffic and nothing much to offer over 4,500 revs and a tad boring. It’s nice does everything well but I find it boring

[@mancavemoto]

Not my experience as demonstrated and discussed in the video, but thanks for the comment 👍

[@barney3417]

I own one, it's Not heavy, it's Not cumbersome and is Not boring. he obviously prefers a Hornet @@mancavemoto 😉

[@Trevster65]

I own one too and love it.

[@Steve-motorcycles]

@@barney3417 👍🏻. I do prefer the Hornet, the KTM and the MT07. The Suzuki is better than the Trident and the Kawasaki though.

[@Elias31203]

Best looking bike from these…. But the heaviest its gonna be this one or the 790 hard choise 🥲