The Suzuki line-up includes two exceptional models that do not go unnoticed. These are the GSX-8T and GSX-8TT: built on the same platform as the GSX-8S, but given a retro look inspired directly by the street bikes of the \u201870s and \u201880s.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
![\"Suzuki](\"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2026030602_SuzukiGSX8T_8TT.jpg\")
<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Project approach \u201cWaku Waku\u201d<\/strong><\/span> A \u201cT\u201d coming from tradition<\/strong><\/span> Toned down aggressiveness<\/strong><\/span>
\nAs Kota Kezuka, Motorcycle Team Leader at Suzuki Italia Design Centre, explains: “We set out from the very best of starting points and we thought we might use it to create a two-wheeler that would appeal to a different audience\u201d. It was through work on the design that another model was created, starting from tried and tested mechanicals. \u201cWe followed a Waku Waku approach\u201d, Kezuka adds, using the Japanese term for enthusiasm, passion, and emotion. \u201cInitially, we weighed up numerous alternatives and for a while we even thought about creating a supermoto\u201d, he concludes.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nThe GSX-8T (the T stands for Titan, the nickname given to the T500) is a design-oriented motorcycle, because \u201clooking back at our past, our history, we realised that the Suzuki T500, produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s, was the right bike to pay tribute to. And that’s how the GSX-8T was born\u201d, adds Arthur Vidal, the designer who headed up the project in Turin. \u201cBut the more we proceeded, the more we realised that reinterpreting brand tradition was the way to go. I even bought a T500 myself to better understand its nature and respect its unique character\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nOverall, the design team focused much of its attention on the horizontal aspects of the profile. The GSX-8S has a high tail and a very forward-leaning front end. On the GSX-8T and GSX-8TT, this aggressiveness has been toned down by changing the shape of the fuel tank, redesigning the seat (now wider and more comfortable) and the rear section.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>