Blue-eyed Samurai

Suzuki has introduced a new middleweight sports tourer to the mix, and it promises to be a heady cocktail with equal measures of power and practicality. Question is, does it strike the right balance?

- Abhinav Jakhar

I've always been fascinated with Japan. To my mind, it's a bright and colourful place where most objects exist in their most extreme forms. For example, the people come across as extremely restrained and humble, yet their artwork and food have a distinct flavour to them. This rings true with the its cars and motorcycles as well. There's something for everyone, whether fastidiously practical or completely bonkers.

Take Suzuki for example, in our country, it means one thing and one thing only - practicality - at least when it comes to four-wheelers. However, it's easy to forget that Suzuki is one of the foremost manufacturers of two-wheelers in the world. They've got a substantial range, which has everything from the likes of the Avenis up to the Hayabusa. Speaking of which, they've got cool names too; Katana, Boulevard and I kind of like the sound of V-Strom too. So, when the GSX-8R first arrived in the office, the name certainly didn't catch my fancy. But, I was aware of the GSX lore in some capacity at least, so the excitement was very much there when I went out to receive the motorcycle.

From a design standpoint, things aren't extreme like the Kawasaki Ninja 650 or classy like the Triumph Daytona 660. The vertically stacked dual-projector headlamps are the first element to strike the senses, followed by the well-integrated air intakes. The fairing also has a nice balance of edginess with sharp cuts around the 14-litre fuel tank, which too looks good.