For decades, the Honda Transalp existed as one of those “in between” bikes, caught somewhere between a dual sport and a touring bike.
Today, we have a name for such bikes, and they are called Adventure bikes. It has become the single most popular motorcycle segment, and within that segment the middleweight Adventure bike has also grown in immeasurable popularity as riders seek to use their bikes more off-road. Larger bikes are great for touring, but have their limitations on dirt.
After making a good entry level Adventure bike and an excellent full size Adventure bike for some time now, fans of the brand have had to wait for Honda to develop a proper middleweight. It seems like it was worth waiting for though.
10 A Long Time Coming
The Transalp has been missing from Honda’s lineup for over a decade now, and in truth, by the time it went out of production, it was pretty outdated (above).
Honda had also shifted their focus to full on dirt bikes at the time and had even turned the trusty dual sport into a touring bike of sorts. Sales were middling and Honda lost interest in the platform. All that changed with the rise and rise of the Adventure bike market, and it is now making a welcome return.
9 Honda Strikes Back
Yamaha have made money hand over fist with the Tenere 700. The global appetite for the bike is still pretty much insatiable, and they simply can’t keep up with demand for the U.S. market.
It is that good, and well and truly deserves that kind of following. The Transalp might actually be a better touring bike though. It packs a lot of the same tech and features that you would normally find on the more expensive bikes, and it seems as though you will get all of that for Tenere money.
8 The Return Of A Legend
Although sales sort of dwindled and the name died something of an inauspicious death, it is still a legendary name that evokes a lot of nostalgia. The original Transalps were excellent dual sport bikes.
Although they were not the most powerful, they still packed enough punch to be fun in the dirt while naturally offering Honda reliability. We expect much the same from the new bike, it has on it all the tools required to be good off-road as well as class leading, thanks to some impressive power figures.
7 Powerful New Engine
At 90 horsepower, the Transalp is technically only 10 horses shy of her bigger, more established sister. Considering the claimed weight of just 460 pounds (wet), that is a hugely impressive figure.
It is a brand-new engine and platform for Honda, so there will no doubt be a few kinks to iron out, but if those specs translate into real world performance, it might well be a groundbreaking motorcycle.
6 Genuine Middleweight
All Adventure bikes have pretty tall seats, and the Transalp is no different. If you are under 6 foot it will be hard to flat foot this bike as it has a seat height of over 34 inches.
It has that tall seat height because of the extra ground clearance, and a 21-inch front wheel. Critical features if you want to take this off-road. It is light, and quite frankly too powerful for a beginner. Approachable middleweight, yes, but not necessarily beginner-friendly unless you are in Europe and can get the limited power version.
5 New Tech
Simply having traction control already puts it a step ahead of its most important rival, as the Tenere is still pretty basic by comparison. Not only does it get traction control, but a crisp 5-inch TFT dash which can connect to your phone.
Having a ride by wire throttle and traction control means there are ride modes to choose from, too. Four of them to be specific; standard, rain, sport, and gravel. You can also set up your own custom mode if you so choose, but those four will certainly have you covered.
4 Nimble Chassis
Any bike with a desire to go off-road needs a solid chassis, and it seems like Honda have put a lot of energy into this part of the bike.
It shares a platform with the recently launched Hornet, but gets beefed up for the Transalp. Only real world testing will really reveal how durable it is, but on paper, it is light and stiff, which is exactly what you would want.
3 Showa Suspension
The one thing that lets most budget oriented Adventure bikes down is the suspension, and it is one thing that Honda have certainly not forgotten.
It certainly isn’t top shelf stuff, but both the Showa fork and rear shock are high quality components and at least offers 7.8 inches of travel in the front as well as 7.5 at the rear. The rear also offers preload adjustment.
2 Italian Styling
Well, the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree in terms of design. It looks a lot like the Africa Twin without being its clone, which is not a bad thing at all.
Their R&D department in Italy took care of the design work, and they pretty much nailed it, as the bike looks clean and purposeful.
1 Exciting Platform
Any budget-oriented bike will have its flaws, but even objectively speaking, those flaws are pretty hard to see from here.
It is not as focused as the Tenere, and it isn’t quite as sophisticated as the more expensive middleweight Adventure bikes either. It sits between those bikes on the market and is set to cut out a nice big slice of the more touring focused market for itself.
Source: Honda