2024 Suzuki GSX-8R First Look

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As anticipated, another new model based on Suzuki’s 776cc parallel-twin platform has arrived in the form of the GSX-8R. (Suzuki/)

We’ve been saying for a while that a fully faired supersport version of Suzuki’s new GSX-8S has been on the way, and now that bike has been officially unveiled at EICMA in Milan as a 2024 model. Called the GSX-8R, it’s Suzuki’s response to Yamaha’s R7 and thanks to uprated suspension and a reworked riding position it promises to be one of next year’s most interesting new sportbikes.

The 2024 Suzuki GSX-8R in traditional blue. (Suzuki/)

There’s a quiet revolution going on in the market for middleweight sportbikes at the moment. The long-established standard of 600cc inline-four machines is disappearing—those bikes, fun though they are on track, have become too hardcore to be the all-rounders that their ancestors were, leaving customers who want a single, affordable bike that doubles as a useful weekday commuter with the ability to take to backroads or racetracks on the weekend, looking for something a bit less extreme. That’s where the GSX-8R promises to come to the fore.

Suzuki’s new-for-2023 parallel twin now finds itself powering a faired sportbike in addition to the naked GSX-8S and V-Strom 800 lineup. (Suzuki/)

Under the new bodywork, the mechanical bits are largely familiar. The engine is the same 270-degree crank, 776cc parallel twin that’s used in the GSX-8S and the V-Strom 800DE, putting out an unchanged 81.8 hp at 8,500 rpm and 57.5 lb.-ft. at 6,800 rpm. Far from superbike numbers but enough to have some fun without scaring yourself with every twitch of your right wrist. That engine sits in the same steel tube frame used in the GSX-8S, and as in the naked bike it’s controlled via a ride-by-wire system that allows three riding modes, three power settings, traction control, and a bidirectional quickshifter fitted standard.

A pair of Nissin radial-mount calipers with 310mm discs are fitted up front, while a new Showa SFF-BP fork replaces the KYB units from the GSX-8S. (Suzuki/)

The brakes—dual four-piston radial-mount Nissin calipers at the front with 310mm discs allied to a single-piston rear and 240mm rotor—are straight from the GSX-8S, as are the 17-inch wheels and the aluminum swingarm, but Suzuki has opted to upgrade the fork and monoshock to ratchet up the chassis’ ability. The GSX-8S features KYB suspension at both ends, but the new GSX-8R switches it out for Showa kit, with an SFF-BP upside-down fork and a shock from the same company. They’re still nonadjustable, other than for rear preload, but the uprated parts promise improved handling.

The stacked headlights conform to the rest of Suzuki’s middleweight twin family, but are mounted to the fairing instead of to the bars. (Suzuki/)

With the stacked LED headlights and the mirrors firmly mounted on the new fairing instead of movably attached to the bars, there’s less mass on the steering components—a change that should make for sharper responses—and the use of separate, forged aluminum bars instead of a one-piece bar above the top yoke gives a racier riding position, even though the footpegs are unaltered. In fact, the rear section of the bike is carried directly across from the GSX-8S, including the seat and tail bodywork, as is the 3.7-gallon fuel tank, albeit with a redesigned plastic front section to make space for those lower-mounted bars.

The TFT display is shared with the 8S, but is mounted to the fairing instead of to the handlebars. (Suzuki/)

On board, the color TFT screen is again straight from the GSX-8S, including the same display options, but is bolted to the inner fairing rather than the bars, further reducing the mass on the movable parts of the steering.

The 8R uses the same wheel and tire package as its naked sibling, but the shock is now a Showa unit. (Suzuki/)

How the GSX-8R will stack up against existing competition in the affordable sportbike class remains to be seen, but its competition will come from not only established models like the Yamaha R7 and Honda’s CBR650R but also from an array of new bikes entering the same segment but using an assortment of different capacities and layouts, including Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-4R, the upcoming 675cc three-cylinder CFMoto 675SR and 500cc four-cylinder CFMoto 500SR, and even an expected Triumph Daytona 660 based on the engine and running gear of the Trident.

The footpeg controls carry over from the 8S. (Suzuki/)
A view of the 8R’s cockpit. (Suzuki/)
The 2024 Suzuki GSX-8R in white. (Suzuki/)
The 2024 Suzuki GSX-8R in black. (Suzuki/)

2024 Suzuki GSX-8R Specs

MSRP:	$9,439
Engine:	DOHC, liquid-cooled, four-stroke parallel twin; 4 valves/cyl.
Displacement:	776cc
Bore x Stroke:	84.0 x 70.0mm
Compression Ratio:	12.8:1
Transmission/Final Drive:	6-speed constant mesh/chain
Claimed Horsepower:	81.8 hp @ 8,500 rpm
Claimed Torque:	57.5 lb.-ft. @ 6,800 rpm
Fuel System:	Electronic fuel injection w/ 42mm throttle bodies
Clutch:	Wet, multiplate; cable actuation
Engine Management/Ignition:	Ride-by-wire w/ multiple modes
Frame:	Steel tube w/ bolt-on trellis subframe
Front Suspension:	41mm Showa SFF-BP inverted fork; 5.1 in. travel
Rear Suspension:	Showa monoshock, preload adjustable; 5.1 in. travel
Front Brake:	Nissin radial-mount 4-piston calipers, 310mm discs w/ ABS
Rear Brake:	Nissin 1-piston caliper, 240mm disc w/ ABS
Wheels, Front/Rear:	Cast aluminum alloy; 17 in./17 in.
Tires, Front/Rear:	Dunlop Roadsport 2; 120/70-17 / 180/55-17
Rake/Trail:	25.0°/4.1in.
Wheelbase:	57.7 in.
Ground Clearance:	5.7 in.
Seat Height:	31.9 in.
Fuel Capacity:	3.7 gal.
Claimed Wet Weight:	452 lb.
Contact:	suzukicycles.com

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