New 2025 Suzuki GSX-8T & GSX-8TT Retros Announced: 6 Things To Know!

Today Suzuki launched two new semi-retro motorcycles called the GSX-8T and the GSX-8TT, both of which look really quite cool in my opinion and so in this video we'll go through everything that you need to know about them. Now both bikes are built upon the same 800 parallel twin platform as a lot of Suzuki's recent bikes like the GSX-A-Test naked, the GSX-8R sports bike and of course the Vstrom 800 adventure bike lineup. As such you get the same 776 cc parallel twin which makes about 82 horsepower peak at 8,500 rpm and 78 newton meters of peak torque at 6,800. For me it's a really pleasant engine to ride, it's not gonna you know blow your mind in terms of performance but it's really smooth in terms of the vibes, it's got a nice smooth delivery in terms of the throttle and also you've got a fairly pleasing note at the exhaust with that 270 degree crank. Really with retro bikes I think a lot of people want a decent amount of low-end pull and that's exactly what you get from this twin, it's nice and strong in the sort of low revs but also pulls quite well through the mid-range and so there's no real need to rev the nuts off it. A bike like this should be a good all-rounder and so this versatile twin should suit it down to the ground and really the only minor difference between this and something like the GSX-A test naked is the tank. They've changed the shape for the visual redesign which we'll get onto in a bit more detail later but a positive side effect is that instead of the 14 liters of the 8s you now get 16 and a half liters and so with the same engine which should give you the same fuel economy that's actually about 15 or 20 percent more range. Now if you compare the rest of the spec sheet for this bike with the GSX-8S you do in fact get very similar dimensions if not identical and so I think it's fair to assume that it uses pretty much the exact same chassis. That means there's a steel frame and steel subframe, an aluminium swing arm and all of this is suspended on KYB suspension with an upside down fork up front and a mono shock at the rear. Now as with the GSX-8S the fork will be non-adjustable while there's just pre-load adjustability on the shock to compensate for carrying a passenger or not. In terms of the braking well there's a pair of four piston radially mounted Nissin calipers up front and they're on fairly big 310mm discs and having ridden both the 8S and the 8R both of which use the exact same braking setup well I remember the braking being more than good enough for general road riding duties and so I'd expect the exact same for this pair of retro bikes. Wheels are cast aluminium 17 inches both front and rear and from the looks of the pics I think you're getting the same Dunlop Sportsmart tyres as the 8S and in total the whole lot comes in at 201kg curb for the T version whereas the half-fed TT as you'd expect with the extra hardware to it comes in at 203kg. Now for reference the GSX-8S naked is 202kg so they're all pretty much exactly the same which I think you could say is credit to Suzuki occasionally with retro bikes because of the extra styling hardware you do sometimes get a bit of a weight penalty but thankfully that is not the case here. Now perhaps some traditional analogue clocks would be more fitting for bikes that take some of their inspiration from the 60s and 70s like the T500 and the GS1000 that they specifically call out in the press release for these two but I guess for the sake of manufacturing efficiency and also to bring in some of the more modern conveniences they've stuck with the same colour TFT dash as the rest of the bikes on this platform. Now through this you can choose between three power modes so there's A, B and C with varying levels of you know response from the throttle which means you can get it dialed into the particular conditions or your intended type of riding that day. Then you've got three levels of traction control as well as the ability to fully shut it off and you do have a few of the nice well thought out features like a standard fit quick shifter, a USB-C charging socket and also their easy start and low rpm assist features which should make them a little easier to use day to day. Now one thing you don't get with this TFT dash which is perhaps slightly unusual in 2025 is any connectivity features be that standard fit or as an accessory so there's no navigation, there's no calls, there's no media playback but to be honest sometimes the built-in stuff can be a bit buggy and so generally I prefer anyway to just mount my phone on the bars with the system like the ones offered by our sponsors at Quadlock so massive thanks to them for supporting the channel and sponsoring this video. With a bike like this with a flat handlebar I'd typically use their handlebar mount pro to get it nice and central, you can also use their vibration dampener to protect the camera on your phone from any harmful vibes from the engine and then of course with that USB-C charger on this bike that's fitted as standard well you could run a cable to their wireless charging head which means that you can keep your phone juiced up without the inconvenience of having to plug it in and unplug it every time you put it on the mount. Fear not though if you don't have a USB port on your bike they also sell a smart USB adapter so you can run it to your bike's battery and it protects the battery from draining by shutting off when the charge level gets below a certain point. Honestly I think all their products are really well thought out like that so we do wholeheartedly recommend them and so do check out the links down in the description below to find out more they've got a great range of products not just for the bike but also for the rest of your life and so once again a massive thanks to quad lock for their support. Now on to the ergonomics on this bike and while Suzuki claim that the bike has wide tapered bars for a comfortable riding position in the press release well from the spec sheet comparing the width of the bikes versus the GSX-8S I think it's probably almost the exact same riding position. To be fair that's a good thing it's a versatile riding position and one that I think is all day comfortable although there are some slight variations in terms of the seat just because they've given them a bit of a different visual design to match the retro theme. There is a little bit of a functional twist though like the tuck and roll style seat on the GSX-8T which does sit five millimeters taller overall at 815 mil but they also say they've made it lower now at the front to make for easy mounts and dismounts as well as helping with standover so you can as easily as possible get both feet down. That's the one of the two I guess that you'd be more likely to buy for sort of general riding and commuting and so it makes sense to sculpt the seat in that way whereas the 8TT being a bit more sporty is flatter which gives it a profile that they say is more reminiscent of a race bike seat. That one does come in a little lower at 810 mil the exact same as the GSX-8S but to be honest neither is particularly tall or unmanageable and so like I say it'll probably be very very similar to the 8S. Pillion space isn't the worst I'd say for this category of bike and so it should be doable for you know relatively short stints. I think the big appeal of these two though will of course be the styling with some nice details that does give them a bit more of a heritage inspired appearance than that thoroughly modern GSX-8S. Like I say the 8T takes more of its looks from the naked bikes in Suzuki's history like the T500 and it tries to reference some of the styling cues with that new tank shape, the round headlight and of course the bar end mirrors. The result I think is decent. It's not a deep retro like a Bonneville or an Interceptor 650 but more so a body kit on a modern naked bike like Yamaha have done with the XSR700 versus the MT-07. So I don't think it'll quite scratch the same itch for someone who is considering a Bonnie or something like that but it might be of interest to anyone who liked the mechanicals of the GSX-8S but didn't quite fancy the looks. Out of the two I certainly know which one I'd go for and with the softer green and the more vibrant orange paint job to choose from well I think they've managed to cover both bases of something fairly subtle and then something a bit more punchy. Really though I think the one I'd be looking at is the TT with the key differences of course being the half fairing which like I say takes some of its shape from bikes like the GS1000 but also it's matched with the belly pan down low and there are some more sporty finishes here with the graphics on the tank and the fairing. This one comes in black with red wheels or a deep British racing style green this time with gold wheels and I think it would be the latter that would take my money if I was going to buy either of the two. Now again this isn't a Thruxton or a Continental GT in terms of the you know thoroughness of the retro design. The engine, the frame, the hardware, the wheels they all still look 100% modern day but like I say if you put this side by side with the GSX-8S or the GSX-8R it just has a bit more about it in the looks department and so I think especially with this fared one they really have done a good job. I also think the black finish on the radiator shrouds makes them a bit less of a prominent feature which I would say is for the better and while I don't generally mind gold anodized forks well sometimes less is indeed more. As is more often than not the case with retros though you're gonna have to pay a little more versus the sort of modern naked equivalent just for the extra finish and detail that's gone into the styling and so with these two you've got an on the road price of £9,599 for the T and £9,999 for the TT. So yeah well over a grand more than the RRP for the 8S and it is also worth pointing out that they've got it listed on their website at the moment with an £800 dealer contribution so it realistically comes in at about seven and a half so you're looking at two to two and a half grand more for either of these two bikes and so it is a steep price hike for a bike that in terms of the riding experience is going to be pretty much exactly the same but to be fair you see the same sort of pattern with other manufacturers the XSR700 Legacy for example is more expensive than an MT07 or the 801 Husqvarnas like the Vitpilen and Svartpilen come in substantially more expensive than the KTM 790 Duke. Now bikes apparently will be in dealers within weeks so no long wait for these two and you get their three-year warranty as standard along with their extended seven-year warranty if you do follow the service plan with an authorized Suzuki dealer or service center. So as always I'd love to know what you think of these two new bikes down in the comments below personally like I say I don't think it's going to be the most authentic retro riding experience but if you want something with sort of modern handling and performance but like the slightly more heritage inspired looks then perhaps these are going to hit the mark and yeah it's realistically that sort of XSR700 that they're going to compete with. Of the two personally I really like what they've done with the styling on the TT but let me know your pick down in the comments below and also in the meantime I'll put my full review of the GSX-8S on the screen now so you can give it a watch if you missed it and get a bit of a feel for how these two are realistically going to ride. Of course we'll get hold of one as soon as we can for a review though so do hit subscribe if you want to see that as soon as it goes up. A massive thanks for watching today and we'll see you in the next video.