Suzuki GSX-8R- big for 2024?

Off the back of its recently-released GSX-8S, Suzuki’s launched a new middleweight sportbike – and it looks the business. Will this be one of THE bikes for 2024?

Back in the 1970s, journalists came up with the ‘Universal Japanese Motorcycle’ or ‘UJM’ moniker to describe the huge number of inline-four air-cooled DOHC 8-valve engines in steel tube frames and roadster chassis from the big four eastern brands. And it’s tempting to see a bit of a return to that uniformity in recent years – though the recipe is now a parallel twin water-cooled DOHC 8v engine in a fabricated steel frame, in various capacities and bike classes, from the Japanese firms. Suzuki joined Honda and Yamaha last year with the GSX-8S and 800 V-Strom to go with the MT-07/Ténéré and CB750/Transalp.

And now we’ve got another variant, the GSX-8R, a fully-faired sporty update to go against the Yamaha R7 and Kawasaki Ninja 650. The -8R’s engine is basically as you were; no bad thing since the 776cc 82bhp GSX-8S lump is a corker. The frame and swingarm stay the same, too, but you get sportier suspension from Showa rather than the Kayaba gear on the -8S. There’s no adjustment apart from preload on the rear, but expect a firmer ride from the Separate Function Big Piston front forks. That will suit the altered riding position, too. New bars and pegs put your weight more over the front, and the LED-lighting equipped full fairing also adds to the forward bias.

Kerb weight is only 3kg more mind, so nothing too horrendous. We’re keen to see how this latest addition to the ‘new-UJM’ goes for sure.