We have our first look at the Honda Transalp, the returning adventure bike whose anticipation has grown over the past few months.
It has been clear for a while now that Honda plans to unveil the new Transalp later this year, probably at EICMA in November.
In preparation for the official launch, Honda has been out filming with the new motorcycle to make promotional content, but taking a new bike out in public brings obvious risks, namely that the ‘wrong’ people will see it, and then be able to leak it before official announcements are made.
It is nothing new, of course, although for Honda it must be a frustration. For everyone else, though, this is a great first chance to have a look at the new Transalp.
An Instagram post from Maxxmoto (above) shows the bike quite clearly. It is no surprise to see that the visual reference for the Transalp is Honda’s flagship adventure bike, the Africa Twin. It also sports an attractive paint job with the classic HRC colours: red, white, and blue; and which is also a clear nod to the original Transalp from 1987.
The bike will be powered by an 800cc parallel twin engine, meaning its direct competition will come from Yamaha’s Tenere 700 and Benelli’s TRK702. The CFMoto 800MT also fits into this category - and the Aprilia Tuareg 660.
The new mid-range parallel twin the Transalp will use is also expected to be used in the upcoming Honda CB750 Hornet, which the Japanese manufacturer continues to tease as a sort of nostalgic art project.
Like the Transalp, the Hornet is likely to be first shown officially at the EICMA show this November.
You can check out the latest Honda motorcycle reviews here.
