2026 Suzuki GSX-8TT Review: The Best GSX-8 Yet?

Hey and say hello to the Suzuki GSX-8TT. This and the GSX-8T, single T, are the newest members of the GSX-8 family. Both of them based off of the GSX-8S platform, not the RS. Suzuki being Suzuki, they like to really utilize successful platforms, get the most out of their successful platforms, and the GSX-8 family of motorcycles is a runaway hit with Suzuki, and this is the latest one in the family. So, as you can tell, this has more of a vintage styling, and the GSX-8T, which obviously is not here right now, also has vintage styling, but we'll focus on the TT for now. So the TT you see here is not based, but inspired by Suzuki's GS1000 from about 50 odd years ago. Some would call that Suzuki's, one of Suzuki's first superbikes. Very successful platform for Suzuki, lots of heritage with the GS1000 line and platform, and it holds a special place in Suzuki's heart. And so when Suzuki decided to give the GSX-8 line a more retro feel, more retro styling, one of the bikes they turned to was the GS1000, and you can really see that styling here with the TT, especially this bikini fairing here, the shape of the gas tank, and the handlebars, of course. Now underneath all of this, the bones, the chassis, the engine, the subframe, everything down here is all modern GSX-8 machinery. You got the same 776cc parallel twin engine. Suspension-wise, the TT is pretty much the same as the 8S. You have an upside-down fork in the front, a shock in the back, and that's about it. There isn't really much adjustability there. The fork has none. The shock, you can adjust the preload with with the collar, but that's about it. The handlebar positioning, though, you can see here on the TT, there's a handlebar, and it's placed kind of up, a little bit closer towards the rider. Suzuki says the ergonomic placement of the bars here is pretty similar to that of the 8S. So when you sit on the bike, your hands will feel in a pretty similar position as the 8S. The big difference, though, at least, well, in my opinion, and Suzuki's as well, the foot pegs. They're a little bit lower than the 8S, and then, obviously, the 8R as well. A little bit lower for just more comfort. This is meant to be a city cruiser, you know, something to have fun with, nothing really to go hard on. That's it with that. I mean, you've got the handlebar mounted mirrors, but the TT here is a big styling exercise for Suzuki. And me, personally, of the GSX-8 family, I like this one, the TT, the most. It's just a really cool bike. I love looking at this thing. It looks really cool. You can clearly see the retro styling, but it also looks modern as well. I dig this kind of darkish, mattish green paint job. The gold wheels look really, really cool. I'm a fan of this engine. The engine on the TT is the same as the rest of the GSX-8 lineup. Same mapping, same tune, same everything. We've put the GSX-8S and the R on the dyno before. We'll put that up right now. You'll see the horsepower figures there, somewhere in the 70-ish range. And it's just a fun level of power to scoot around on, get excited with, but not scare yourself silly. And then, like I said before, the ergonomics of this is what really makes me happy because you may not be able to really notice it from where you are, but this is such a comfortable position for just everyday riding. So I actually rode a GSX-8R and swapped it with this TT. So I had a direct back-to-back comparison as far as the ergonomics go between the two. And really, from the waist up, a lot of it feels very, very similar. The big difference, like I've been saying, is that foot peg positioning. It may not seem like a lot, but just for everyday riding around, the more relaxed knee bend with this TT compared to the R that was a little bit more up here, that doesn't look like a lot. But when you're just riding down the freeway, droning along, it actually makes a difference. I didn't think it would either, but I found the comfort of the TT to be just to my liking. So as you can see, we are here on the canyons riding around. It does the job. It's a very fun little bike. You can get to the limits of the suspension with a road like this. It's not like you can't do it, obviously. I even took this bike to a track day and it did just fine. But, you know, I wouldn't mind a little bit more firmer suspension, a little bit more control over the bike, but will it handle a fast, twisty pace? Absolutely it will. It likes to have more flowing kind of riding maneuvers. It doesn't like to be manhandled into corners or anything like that. Learn to glide and flow with the corners. And this will be a fun ride to experience that with. If you're trying to like rush into corners, brake hard and slam it over on its side, that is, this is not the bike for you. Especially because these low foot pegs that I really enjoyed just cruising around touch the ground super duper fast. I even took the peg feelers off of this bike and it's scraped like hell. Granted, that was because of the track day I went to on this bike, but even here on the canyons, I did touch down the foot pegs just a teeny tiny bit. So beware. Braking wise, the TT, like I said, is the same as the S and the R. Rubber lines, you've got a Nissan caliper, and you know what? They're actually pretty good for what the bike is. It's a pretty decent feel, pretty decent power. I never once feared that I was going to not stop in the amount of time I was hoping for. Surprisingly impressed by the braking power of what these rubber lines can do and the really basic braking system it has here on the bike. There is ABS. There's also traction control that you can adjust to different levels. Three different levels, plus off the Suzuki ride modes. You've got, I forget what the acronym is for it, but it's when you put the clutch in, put the bike in gear, and slowly let the clutch out. It'll pick up the revs for you to help you not stall the bike as you get going. Kind of a cool feature, especially if you're kind of parked on an incline and trying to get going. Kind of fun. Overall, pretty pleased with the TT here. Really, really dig this. If you know me and my Suzuki history, I'm a longtime SV650 owner. I've loved the GSX-8 platform as the successor to the SV650. If I were to buy something in the GSX-8 family to kind of replace the SV650, I think this TT would be it. I think this is the next natural successor to the SV, even though Suzuki still sells the SV650, which is crazy. My only gripe though, the TT is kind of expensive. For that price, there's a lot of other cool, good bikes too. So that said, if this TT does appeal to you, if you like the styling, if you like that heritage, if you like this engine, if you like the comfortable ergonomics, it's great. This is a great bike. But like I said, for $13,000, almost $13,000, that's a tough pill to swallow. For my full thoughts with, you know, all kinds of pictures and dynographs and all kinds of good fun stuff, go over to Motorcycle.com, check out my full review there. Thanks so much for watching, ride safe, and I'll see you later.