Is the Honda CB750 Hornet cheaper than the Suzuki GSX-8S?

Yes, by a surprising margin. At 2026 US MSRPs the CB750 Hornet lists at 7,999 dollars against 9,249 dollars for the GSX-8S - a 1,250 dollar gap, before destination charges. The Hornet is also about 12 kg lighter and makes slightly more peak power, which makes it one of the strongest value propositions in the middleweight naked class right now.

Why would anyone buy the GSX-8S over the CB750 Hornet?

Because spec sheets do not capture how a bike feels. The Suzuki's 776cc twin is tuned for strong midrange, and the 8S rides with a planted, bigger-bike solidity that some riders strongly prefer to the Honda's lighter, busier feel. Suzuki's dealer network is also long-established in markets where the Hornet is a recent arrival. If you sit on both and the Suzuki feels like the sturdier place to be, that is a legitimate reason - just make the choice knowing it costs 1,250 dollars more.

Are the GSX-8S and CB750 Hornet good first motorcycles?

Not really - both are best as a second bike. Around 80-90 hp and roughly 190-200 kg is a lot for a first year of riding, even with the traction control, riding modes and ABS both bikes carry as standard. The Hornet is the more approachable of the two: lighter, with a lower 795 mm seat, and offered with A2 restriction in some markets. If you are starting from zero, look at a CB500 Hornet, MT-03 or similar first, and come back to this pair when the basics are automatic.

MyMoto Comparison

Suzuki GSX-8S vs Honda CB750 Hornet: Which Should You Buy?

On paper, this is not close. The Hornet costs $7,999 to the Suzuki's $9,249 - a $1,250 gap at manufacturer MSRPs - while making slightly more power and weighing about 12 kg less. If motorcycles were bought from spreadsheets, this comparison would be one sentence long. They are not, and the reason the GSX-8S keeps selling anyway is the most interesting thing about this matchup.

Photo: Chanokchon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Honda CB750 Hornet755cc · ~90hp · $7,999

The value shock of the class. More power, less weight, a lower seat, and $1,250 left over - with traction control, riding modes, a quickshifter and a TFT dash all standard. The rational pick, priced like Honda wants the segment.

Photo: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Suzuki GSX-8S776cc · ~82hp · $9,249

The one that feels more substantial. A bigger 776cc twin tuned for midrange, a planted, unflustered way of covering ground, and the same modern electronics suite. The pick if solidity matters more to you than the spec-sheet win.

Specs head to head

	Honda CB750 Hornet	Suzuki GSX-8S
Engine	755cc parallel twin	776cc parallel twin
Power	~90 hp	~82 hp
Wet weight	~190 kg	~202 kg
Seat height	795 mm	810 mm
Price (2026 MSRP)	$7,999	$9,249
Electronics	TC, riding modes, quickshifter, TFT	TC, riding modes, quickshifter, TFT
Licence	Unrestricted; A2 variant in some markets	Unrestricted
Best for	Value, agility, lower seat	Midrange punch, planted feel

Prices are manufacturer-published 2026 US MSRPs (Honda and Suzuki), excluding destination charges. Power and weight figures are catalog approximations and vary slightly by market and model year - the Hornet in particular is specced differently in Europe versus the US. Verify locally before you buy.

The spec sheet says Honda. Loudly.

Cheaper by $1,250. Lighter by roughly 12 kg. More peak power. A seat 15 mm closer to the ground. The same headline electronics - traction control, riding modes, a quickshifter and a TFT display on both. If you walked into this comparison with no history and no test ride, there is no column where the Suzuki wins on paper. That money buys a full riding course, or a top-tier helmet and jacket, or a year of insurance for many riders.

And the Hornet's advantage is not fragile. This is Honda's trademark move - build to a price that makes rivals uncomfortable and let the badge's reliability reputation do the rest. It is the same play the CB500 series has run for a decade, one class up.

What the spec sheet cannot see

Ride them back to back and the numbers stop telling the whole story. The Suzuki's 776cc twin is the larger engine tuned the opposite way: less interested in peak power, more interested in shoving hard through the middle of the rev range where you actually ride on the road. The 8S also carries its extra weight the way a bigger bike does - planted, settled, harder to fluster on a rough back road or in a crosswind. Some riders get off the two and describe the Honda as the more exciting bike and the Suzuki as the more confidence-inspiring one, and neither is wrong.

There is also the boring-but-real question of dealers. Suzuki's network is long-established; the Hornet is a newer arrival in some markets, the US included. If your nearest Honda dealer is an hour away and the Suzuki shop is in town, that matters more over five years of ownership than 8 hp ever will.

Which should you buy?

Buy the CB750 Hornet if you want the strongest value in the class, the friendlier seat height, or you are moving up from a smaller bike and want the more agile, forgiving machine. It is the correct default, and the $1,250 you keep is not an abstraction - it is real gear, real training, real insurance.

Buy the GSX-8S if you have ridden both and the Suzuki's planted, midrange-rich character is the one you kept thinking about afterwards - or if dealer proximity tips the scales. It is not the rational pick, and that is fine. A motorcycle you connect with gets ridden; one you talked yourself into gets parked.

Whichever way you go, ride both first. This pair differs more from the saddle than any two rows of their spec table suggest, and a twenty-minute test ride will settle what three hours of forum threads cannot.

Still not sure which fits you?

The right call depends on your height, your experience, what you are stepping up from, your budget once gear and insurance are counted, and how much of your riding is town versus open road. Tell the MyMoto advisor about yourself in your own words - it weighs all of that, including the regret risks most comparisons skip, asks only what matters, and builds your free personal report in a few minutes of chat.

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MyMoto is an early beta. Always verify current specs, pricing, licence rules, insurance, and local availability before buying any motorcycle, and inspect any used bike carefully. Prices are manufacturer-published US MSRPs at the time of writing and exclude destination and dealer charges.

Full Honda CB750 Hornet profile →
Full Suzuki GSX-8S profile →
The previous generation of this fight: SV650 vs MT-07 →
Prefer four cylinders? CB650R vs CBR650R →
Not ready for 80+ hp? See the best beginner nakeds →
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