be turned off if you ’ re not a quick-shifter kind of rider . It ’ s there if you want to use it . One perk on the 8R is that it has LED indicators as standard , rather than the bulb indicators of the 8S . etc makes a difference to the way the 8R rides . The R is a little slower steering than the S , but a bit more composed and stable for it . The 8S is agile , quick-steering and a little more sensitive to body movement inputs . The 8R needs a touch more steering effort and feels more stable , which helps when moving around on the bike ( such as setting up for a corner on the track ). Neither is wrong . For example , I liked the poise and stability of the 8R , whereas Dayna Sawtell , the operational brains behind this Suzuki launch day , preferred the more excitable , lighter steering of the 8S . It ’ s all down to what feels best to you . This bike has stunningly good brakes . There ’ s great initial power and bite , with more and
RIDING Suzuki says the 8R is identical in the engine department to the 8S , but , to me , it actually felt faster on the track . I found on the straights it pulled through the higher revs a little more easily . It took me a while - and riding both bikes back to back - to figure out this is most likely a function of the screen and fairing letting the bike slip through the air more easily , so it feels quicker accelerating at higher speeds . The Showa suspension is noticeably better - on the track at least . The SFF-BP fork has a little more damping , which makes it more composed under hard braking , such as into a slower corner on a racetrack . As mentioned earlier , there ’ s no adjustment available on the forks or shock , other than the preload . I didn ’ t find it needed it , despite pushing the bike as hard as I dared ( the standard Dunlop Roadsport 2 tyres worked especially well ). If a bike is well set up from the factory , only outliers should really need to adjust it . If you ’ re super light or super heavy you might need to change the springs , but I reckon most will enjoy riding it exactly as it is . I think the extra weight of the fairing , brackets
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