Words: Séan Hendley
Pics: Beam Productions
In the beginning… Well, this is a bike with a longer and more illustrious history than you might think. Initially the 1985 prototype saw the light of day as a 500cc engined off road bike. It was released with a 600cc engine and a fairing in 1986. From there on it, evolved through the Eighties, Nineties and Two Thousands increasing in engine capacity until where we are now, with the XLV750. Some of the most important upgrades were disc brakes on the rear in 1991, more shapely headlights and modernised fairings in 1994. Then the carbs were increased to 34mm units and the CDI ignition system was replaced by a microprocessor driven design in 1996. Upgraded front brakes came along in 1997 reducing the diameter but including a dual front disc set up. By 2000 the engine was now a 650cc kicking out 52 horsepower and 54 Nm of torque. With all these improvements came an increase in weight from around 175kg’s to 218kg’s. Sadly, the Transalp became more road focused with redesigned shocks, the exhaust was updated to keep up with emission laws and the fuel tank capacity also increased, the exhaust helped it shed around 4 kgs in overall weight. In 2007 the XL700V came to be with a 680cc power plant with Euro 3 emission standards due to the new catalytic converter. The front wheel dropped from 21 inches to 19 inches… “Oi Voi?!?!”. It underwent a facelift and ABS was introduced for the first time. In 2008 the road abilities were increased with a lower seat height, bigger rubber and more road use tweaking of the shocks mated to the liquid cooled, eight valve, 4T, SOHC, 52 ͦ V-Twin.
Where does this leave the 2023 iteration of the Transalp? This has to be one of the most anticipated bikes for us and quite possibly the most important bike for Honda SA this year following on the success of the absolutely brilliant CRF1100 Africa Twin and more recently the unbelievably excellent CB500X. As the market starts focusing on the mid-weight bikes we have followed the progress of the Transalp and lapped up every bit of information we could glean from the world wide web. And everything we read about us got us more excited, from what we could tell it was 18 kg lighter than the Africa Twin and 10kg lighter than its predecessor. 18kg lighter and only 10.5 hp or 7.5 kW less out of a 329cc smaller engine, the torque is also only slightly down by 30 Nm to 75 Nm, understandable and forgivable with the smaller crank and flywheel. This is significantly better than the XL700V which pushed out a mere 44kw and 59 horses versus the 750’s 90Hp and only 60 Nm compared to the new machines 75 Nm. Most importantly, the wheels are a proper size again 21 inch upfront and an 18 inch outback sporting the same tyre sizes as the “Twin”. The forks are only 4mm smaller at 41mm with only 30mm less travel overall than its bigger sibling with 200mm up front and 190mm out back, ground clearance is 210mm, 40mm lower than the “Twin”. Importantly, even though it is slightly longer overall than the “AT” it is a full 5mm shorter on the wheelbase as well as 122mm narrower and 5mm lower than the 1100. Seat height is the same at 850mm. Eyeballing all these specs had everyone in the office donning the boxing gloves as to who would be going on the launch, this on paper is a significantly better bike than the old machine and so flippen close to the Africa Twin but significantly lighter and narrower, we couldn’t wait to ride it.
Where does it fit into the market? Is it an ‘AT’ contender or is it aimed at the F850GS/750GS, T7, Tuareg 660 market? Well, in my humble opinion it is most definitely not an Africa Twin wannabe. It is more comfortable and better specced and less off road fixated than the T7, better kitted out and priced than the Tuareg and an overall nicer package to ride than the GS’s as well as being kinder to your wallet.
Let me explain before you all crucify me, I am 2 metres tall and tip the scales at 115kg’s and thus have some very specific requirements, particularly in the ergonomics department. Also being north of 50 years old and really unfit, I don’t like to fight bikes and enjoy comfort. The Africa Twin is a big powerful machine with exceptionally good off-road abilities and more than acceptable road riding manners – one of my all time favourite bikes in that category – yet, the extra weight and power can become a bit of a chore in the really extreme rocks and mud etc. The T7, for my size, is one of my all time favourite bikes for extreme adventuring because of its off road focus, lightweight and its tall disposition suiting my frame perfectly. However, for high speed, long distance tar liaisons between off road fun with its lack of creature comforts it does become a bit tiresome especially when running with bigger more powerful bikes. The Tuareg on the other hand, even though it is only a 660cc, does come across as the perfect middleweight adventure bike offering you the best of both worlds, where it does fall down quite significantly in this country is it price tag and the fact that all the niceties are an extra cost option, putting it in the same price range as the big cc adventure bikes, then the bells, whistles, long distance ride comfort and engine capacity of it price tag competitors blow it out of the market, making it a true enthusiasts bike – like most Italian machines. The Beemers, well here is a quandary, I like the 750 more than the 850, it feels faster, lighter and more manoeuvrable. I had the dubious honour of ‘competing’ in the local finals of the 2019 Trophy on an 850… and made the best of it. It was one of the early bikes, the front suspension was quite bouncy for the extreme and competitive off road riding we had to do as well as the feedback being quite vague off road. On road it is a superb tourer with all the lekker trinkets you could want, but honestly my personal 1150GS is an all round nicer bike to ride for me. The 2023 Transalp just suits me better than most of the aforementioned bikes, it is fast and stable at high speeds on the tar as it is on good gravel roads, its ergonomics fit my long body both sitting and standing, it has just enough electronics and trinkets with some sensible cost options and I like the way it looks. Here are some more detailed thoughts about my first ride on the 2023 Honda XL750 Transalp….
The ride. Our route consisted of a good mix of B-roads, high speed freeway riding, some track time, good and fast flowing gravel, water eroded and rocky dirt road passes, twin track and grass and some big mud puddles for those that wanted, so a good mix of terrain well thought out by Honda SA and ADA to really give a thorough test of these machines. And as usual, Honda really does take us to the nicest places. We kicked off at ADA in the foothills of the Magaliesberg around Hartbeespoort dam riding a combo of good b-road tar and some interesting and very scenic dirt passes through the valleys, before burning down the Bakwena freeway at high speed. Then it was off towards Cullinan with a bit more good gravel and some more b-roads before a little jaunt through Somabula Nature Reserve for some lekker pics and a refreshment stop. If you have never been there, you have to make it a priority, flippin amazing place. Then a short stint to Galagos Country Estate for a sublime lunch. After lunch we hit a short tar liaison to some beautiful dirt highways through the farm lands and past our overnight digs and onto Redstar Raceway for some track time and a really nice surprise…. read about that at www.ridefast.co.za before turning back into the setting sun and heading into the dirt and back the way we had just come to our overnight stop at Oxbow Country Estate, another country altogether, yet unbelievably still in Gauteng…. I have never experienced a place this beautiful, like a really larney French country Chateau with lakes, lawns, bridges, trees – so very nice. After a brilliant evening, fantastic food, good friends it was a short dirt section back to the tarmac a cable stretching all the way back to ADA. What a lekker ride! What a lekker life!
Riding the XL750 Transalp. Getting acquainted with the Transalp had a feeling of family familiarity about it. We have had several long term Africa Twin demos at the office and have spent a lot of time touring the countryside on them. My immediate impression was that it was some sort of new A.T. The seat, a stepped single seat was the same height, the handle bars felt a bit wider and possibly a smidgen higher, the screen was very close to being the same… thankfully the keyboard on the left handle bar has been replaced by a much simplified yet equally as effective toggle unit with two buttons and much more user friendly. Hitting the starter switch brings the reassuringly familiar twin thumper sound. The rider triangle is relaxed, especially for the taller rider and everything is where you would instinctively expect to find it… well most things anyway, I’ve yet to understand why some manufacturers swap the indicator switch and hooter around, making the hooter more prominent and getting the young ladies along our route waving acceptance at our unintended propositions approaching corners or overtaking slower traffic.
Sinking into the bike the suspension felt plush and almost disconcertingly soft, however I do feel that Honda has applied the Citroën/DS philosophy to the Transalps shock absorption – plush and comfortable, but more than up to the task at hand. Both the dampening and rebound do seem a bit quick and quite soft, and had me floating over most obstacles like a boat in the waves not once did my 115kg drop through the stroke and bottom the front or rear shocks out even at far north of 150 kmh in the dirt through some pretty serious ditches. I had the opportunity to ride next to a few guys and watch them bob languidly over the dirt and paid particular attention attention when hit hit some very bad corrugations, even though the wheels and shocks were working harder than a strobe light at a disco the bike and rider were absolutely still, like they were on smooth tar – and I’ve got the video evidence to prove that, which you can see on our YouTube channel @ridefast-dirtntrail-magazines . Hitting the track at Redstar I was fully expecting the Transalp to be wallowy in the corners with horrible feedback and terrible track manners, on the contrary it was surprisingly good, and by the grins from my fellow riders they all concurred. Yes, it is no superbike, but with a bit of talent and skill you can go quite quickly and get decent angles of lean and proper corner speed all on Metzeler Karoo Streets. Honda have gotten the XL750’s suspension, chassis, brakes and overall geometry to work together extremely well in every circumstance – to use a phrase coined by our mate Disco Don-key, “all very Honda-ish”.
Now let’s have a quick chat about that engine. As with all their other adventure bikes Honda has migrated from 52 ͦ v-twins to 270 ͦͦparallel twins, and this 755cc version is really very good, it gets off the line quickly and when you turn off the traction control it lights up its back wheel quite easily. On one tar section we did a top speed run and I had to back out just as I saw 200kmh because of traffic. At that speed the mid weight Honda was stable and predictable, none of the expected 21 inch front wheel instability. Although, at this juncture I do need to say this, the engine does like to be revved to develop power. Sixth gear is more like an overdrive fuel saving touring gear and works very well for that. Kick it down into fifth or even fourth and bang on the gas and she picks up her skirts and pulls finger, this motor really loves to rev, no pleas for a bit of mechanical sympathy, she just grits her teeth in an evil grin and purrs, “C’mon big boy, harder… harder…. harder….. ohhh YES!” as she tears off down the freeway, clicks her back into sixth and she goes all soft and gooey and settles back to a more sedate pace.
The rider modes and electronics packages also play a big role in her temperament and this is where I started experimenting a little bit. By far my most favourite mode was “User” where I could set the power to full, leave engine braking as is, wind down and switch off the traction control and turn off the ABS – the correct settings for proper Off-Road riding. “Sport” mode was best for high speed tar riding, “Standard” seemed a bit wishy washy fuel saving and “Gravel” is definitely the proper mode for newbies to off road riding with all the rider aids dialled in just enough to keep you upright and having fun and finally “Rain” mode – self explanatory really. If memory serves me correctly, “User” mode is the only one you can make any changes to. Switching between modes is ridiculously easy and the TFT screen is easy to negotiate with all the relevant information displayed without any fuss on a high contrast screen. There are a couple of different screen layouts and backgrounds you can change to but the white was the one for me. The one bit of information I did miss was ‘range to empty’, critical to me when riding unfamiliar territory. One brand I was exploring new horizons on had a nasty habit of also not showing range to empty and then suddenly flashing a big yellow and orange message across the screen in the middle of nowhere – “FUEL LOW, RIDE TO NEAREST FILLING STATION!!” – that would have been helpful to know at the last town I passed 20 minutes ago. You think the arse end stepping out unexpectedly in a corner will loosen your bowels, getting that message while daydreaming through the countryside will really clench your arse cheeks.
Other little niceties that Honda have furnished the Transalp with are self cancelling indicators, which work on wheel speed sensors on the front and rear wheels. The hazard lights kicking on under harsh or emergency braking, flippin hilarious to watch on the track but also a great aid in overtaking other riders knowing when they are full braking and trying out brake them, I’m pretty sure that is not what they were designed for, but a cool safety feature anyway. A few upgrades are going to be available shortly, most importantly the Bluetooth connectivity, which is having the final touches added as we speak before it is released.
The four different TFT display options are well laid out and easy to negotiate and read
Also available on the day were one or two bikes with some of the price options already added, like the quick shifter, touring windshield, monster bash plate/crash protection, lower crash bars, wind deflectors, hand guards, top box, tank bag, etc. These will be available directly from Honda’s aftermarket department along with a whole host of other bits and bobs and even come as standard package cost options.
Riding the bike with the both up and down shift quick-shifter was a revelation, it is silky smooth in comparison to the ‘Twins’ unit and has a very sexy burble from the auto blip – however, this only made me yearn for the famed DCT box which is not available on the Transalp…. Yet, I can only hope. Another unavailable favourite of mine is Cruise Control, but it is all very electronic and fly-by-wire, so once again I do hope for its emergence somewhere in the near future.
The taller touring windshield does not get in your line of sight and with the various deflectors does a great job of protecting you from the wind buffeting, although it must also be said that the stand screen is pretty damn good as well. The luggage, well it is all lekker and works very well, the bash plate had my left foot trying to scamper away with memories of a similar unit pummeling it into a pulp when I ran out of talent on the 901 Expedition. Considering it is of similar construction to the 901’s I can attest to its ability to fully protect your Transalp and judging by the bit of engine block protruding out the bottom I do believe the bash plate to be the most prudent and primary investment future Transalp owners should make. Honda is offering a R5,000.00 voucher to the first 50 buyers of the Transalp – I know that I would invest that into the bash plate.
Price: 209995.
www.honda.co.za
|
Capacity |
755cc |
|
Bore x Stroke |
87 x 63.5mm |
|
Engine layout |
Parallel twin |
|
Engine details |
4 valve per cylinder, Unicam, ride by wire, 270-degree crankshaft |
|
Power |
90.5bhp (67.5kW) @ 9,500rpm |
|
Torque |
55.3lb-ft (75Nm) @ 7,250rpm |
|
Transmission |
6 speed, chain final drive, assist/slipper clutch, optional quickshifter |
|
Average fuel consumption |
64.9mpg claimed |
|
Tank size |
16.9 litres |
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Max range to empty |
241 miles |
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Rider aids |
Five riding modes, five traction control settings, wheelie control, three engine braking modes, two ABS modes, switchable rear ABS |
|
Frame |
Steel ‘diamond’ type |
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Front suspension |
Showa 43mm USD SFF-CA forks |
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Front suspension adjustment |
Preload only |
|
Rear suspension |
Showa monoshock |
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Rear suspension adjustment |
Preload only |
|
Front brake |
Dual 310mm x 4.5mm ‘wave’ discs with axial mounted 2 piston Nissin calipers |
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Rear brake |
Single 256mm x 6.0mm ‘wave’ disc, single-piston caliper |
|
Front wheel / tyre |
21in (stainless steel) spoked wheel, 90/90-R21 M/C 54H |
|
Rear wheel / tyre |
18in (stainless steel) spoked wheel, 150/70-R18 M/C 70H |
|
Dimensions (LxWxH) |
2,325mm x 838mm x 1,450mm |
|
Wheelbase |
1560mm |
|
Seat height |
850mm |
|
Weight |
208kg (kerb) |
|
Warranty |
2-year, unlimited mileage |
