Until a few years ago, the mid-engined sports segment was a slice of the market dominated by four-cylinder engines. In recent years, however, the trend seems to have reversed, finding the right compromise between performance in terms of performance, maintenance costs and consumption in the parallel twins, all in favor of a simpler dynamic approach without sacrificing driving pleasure.
Analyzing the current offer, we find the Yamaha R7 and the Aprilia RS660, both of which mount a parallel twin, while Kawasaki remains faithful to the inline four with the ZX4-R. Suzuki could join this segment of the market as early as 2024, exploiting the innovative platform of the GSX-8S to develop a sports version, relying on a twin-cylinder with rather interesting characteristics: 776 cc, bore and stroke respectively of 84 mm and 70 mm, 270° crankshaft, countershafts, double overhead camshaft distribution, four valves per cylinder and liquid cooling. The crankshaft values measured by our test center are 82.2 HP at 8,150 rpm. And a torque of 78.7 Nm at 5,500 rpm. The electronic package is also rich, with the Suzuki Drive Mode Selector (SDMS) which allows you to choose the most suitable map among the three different modes, the STCS traction control (also with three options) and the electronic gearbox both in engagement and climbing.
