GWM Souo S2000 Eight-Cylinder Cruiser Seen Testing
Remember the eight-cylinder GWM Souo S2000ST and S2000GL tourers? As expected, the manufacturer was not going to stop there and is now adopting the engine to a GWM Souo S2000 eight-cylinder cruiser, which was seen undergoing road testing.
The photos of the prototype have been making rounds in Chinese social media, showing a cruiser inspired by other Hondas namely the F6C and Rune. Well, why not, since both these cruisers were based on the Gold Wing platform, which the Souo S2000ST and S2000GL rivals.
The GWM Souo cruiser’s styling looks like a cross between the F6C and Rune. The rear features a cut off fender like the former, but the headlight, fuel tank, and radiator fairing looks like that of the Rune. However, the Chinese prototype utilises telescopic forks instead of a Hossack-style front suspension on the tourer.
It is easy to see that GWM wants to outdo Honda by building an engine by adding two more cylinders (8 vs. 6), one more camshaft in each cylinder bank (DOHC vs. SOHC), and an eight-speed dual clutch transmission (8 vs. 6). GWM has already won the distinction of building the first production motorcycle flat-eight engine.
However, the engine in the cruiser may have an extra cylinder deactivation feature to provide that signature low RPM thump of cruisers.
The finished product should be revealed soon, like how the tourer showed just weeks after its engine was shown off at the Beijing Motor Show.
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