Longtermer Suzuki GSX-8T

Oliver gives us his take on Suzuki’s GSX-8T after a few months behind its bars.

Summer is in full swing and therefore so is bike season. Almost every day has been somewhat bike related, and thank God. Whether its rides out or a simple errands run, I have been making the most of this summer weather and racking those miles up. As my skill and confidence builds, I get to experience more and more of what this bike has to offer. Its brakes become sharper, its handling smoother, and its engine angrier. At the beginning of the month, I blessed another bike meet with the presence of the GSX-8T and, just like the last, I was the only one of my kind there. Riding in over gravel also gave me a glimpse into its off roading capability – its off roading capability at 5 mile per hour, that is. Of course, with every bike meet there is a ride afterwards. The roads around this place, contained a lot of sharp corners that most experienced riders would get their knee down on, but unfortunately not me, so just a slight lean for now.

It certainly felt like I could get it down though, it’s just the rest of my body would probably follow with it. Despite this, it still allowed me to get the most out of its handling. For a 200kg bike, and me, it doesn’t half glide in and out of bends. It almost feels as light as the old GSX-R125, and with those bigger tires you can trust it to hold itself the whole way through. I think some of you will be glad to hear I have found some new local spots, now I’m not on a 125, meaning, journeys that used to be daunting, are now a breeze especially with the use of motorways, which has opened up whole new areas. One of these is a redundant church in the middle of the countryside with very good photo opportunities so now a lot of my evenings are spent up there. I am not the only one to have recently upgraded my motorcycle. One of my friends has now also passed his test and bought himself a Suzuki SV650. That makes 3 of us with Suzukis. We just have to convince the last member of our group to convert too. So, of course, I had to accompany him on his first ride.

Despite it being nighttime, the 8T’s big, bright LED headlight lit up the road like it was day, and also made my friend not want to be in front of me. As we flew down country lanes, my ever so slightly more experience showed, as I managed to pull quite the gap. Maybe I’m not such a bad rider after all, and as I passed under each lamp post, the bronze/gold colour really started to come out, shimmering and glowing, making me feel like I was in Tron.

The following weeks were greeted with a heatwave. It got so hot I didn’t even want to go on my bike. The thought of wearing all black leathers in a humid 33-degrees sounded like hell. I think the bike was probably grateful too, therefore a lot of my riding came about in the evenings and nights when I wouldn’t get cooked alive. Recently, my bike has become my trusted transport to the gym, along with my friends and theirs. That means when we park them all outside it looks like a pop-up Suzuki dealership. They all get their fair share of looks too, from those walking by, maybe we will inspire them to get one. It’s these little rides that allow me to ride my bike everyday even when I’m working and don’t have the time to spend hours and hours out on the road. It still gives me that kick even if it’s for 10 minutes, more so when you are riding the bike I’m on… it’s all just ridiculously smooth. My first month on a bigger bike has really made me appreciate that extra power. Finally, being able to overtake those horribly slow drivers is a blessing and I somehow feel safer than I did on my less powerful bike. Very handy for when I am late for work. Along with that punchy acceleration, is the quick shifter which puts everything together so the overtake isn’t ruined by my horrific shifting. I didn’t think I’d bother too much with the QS, but flying through the gears with such ease is a joy, I must say. In these next few weeks, I do want to venture further out and test the long-distance capabilities of this bike. Its medium and short range is an absolute blast, with its speed and handling, but I want to see how the comfort side and ease of riding is like after a few hundred miles. For this I have some new gadgets for it, a top box to allow, perhaps, an overnight stay somewhere. I am getting very daring now. This could be the start of some biking weekends away… oh, my poor bank account. If the adventure bike style approach is anything like its sporty naked style, then I’m in for even more fun. It already ticks all my boxes in terms of fun and looks. Can it get even better? I think it can.