6 Things I’ve Learned from 6 Months of Honda Transalp ‘Ownership’

So impressed were we with the Honda XL750 Transalp after riding it for the first time in 2023, that we named it Visordown Bike of the Year. To ensure we’d made the right call, I’ve been spending the best part of 2024 living with the new Transalp, and so far, it seems our decision was justified.

I’ve ridden the bike for around 4,000 miles in the UK and abroad, chalking up seven different countries although sadly none of that riding involved transiting an Alp and being true to the bike’s name…

I have, though, covered a wide variety of different riding, from long motorway slogs to winding mountain roads and some light trail riding. This has revealed the bike to be the fantastic all-rounder we were already pretty certain it was, and although there have been a few not-so-great elements, the experience has been on the whole very positive. 

Here’s what I learned:

It’s considerably more fun on the road than other Honda ADVs

Soon after taking delivery of the Transalp, I had a week-long test in the updated Africa Twin Adventure Sports. While easily being the better of the two bikes over a long distance, the Transalp proved far more exciting on a twisty road. Yes, it has a bigger front wheel than the Africa Twin AS, but a considerably lower weight figure means it feels more chuckable, and that revvy, oversquare twin shared with the CB750 Hornet is far naughtier.

It’s easily the most fun ADV on the road that Honda makes. The NC750X is a bit dull all round, and while the NX500 is capable and good value, its more conventional, 180-degree parallel twin sounds - as they all do - like a sewing machine.

You ought to keep it on a trickle charge if you have a tracker

Any time I’ve left the Transalp for more than a week, it’s been reluctant to start, and after two weeks dormant without being plugged into a trickle charger or battery optimiser, it won’t start at all. It's worth noting 'our' bike does have a tracker fitted, and when we asked Honda UK Motorcycles for comment, a spokesperson said the following:

"We have a strong and long-standing working relationship with our official security supplier, Datatool. When buying a new motorcycle from our dealer network, customers have the option of purchasing the latest Stealth Tracker System at a subsidised price. 

"A motorcycle tracking device is one of the most powerful devices available to prevent thefts before they happen. Having a tracking device installed helps recover motorcycles after they are stolen, with an industry-leading 96 per cent recovery rate. 

"We are also delighted that the units we have internally, like our press fleet, also have this security system fitted. To ensure optimum performance of both the battery and tracker, we would suggest the use of a trickle charger when the bike is not in regular use.”

So, there you have it - if you do have a tracker, the advice is to keep the bike plugged in. Granted, that's a bit of extra faff, but given the horribly high levels of bike theft occurring in the UK right now, that seems like a small price to pay. 

It’s an excellent tourer, except for a few things

I took the Transalp on an unfortunately rather soggy European tour at the end of May, and the way it performed on the trip saved it from being a thoroughly miserable experience. In fact, I got on so well with the Honda on the journey, that I took it on a second, thankfully drier tour to the Vosges mountains in France and then back to Calais through Germany and Belgium.

With soft suspension, a decent amount of wind protection and a comfortable riding position, the miles pass with ease, and its healthy fuel economy means it’s not too expensive a bike for longer trips. The key thing is it’s a real joy to ride hard once you’ve schlepped through that boring bit of northern France and gotten to the good roads.

It is, though, worth speccing the optional touring screen (£120) for better wind protection, particularly if you’re a little taller like me at just over six feet, and the 50-litre top box from the accessories catalogue (£710) definitely helped the bike’s cause. Also, it’s a real shame that cruise control isn’t even an option - it’d make the Transalp even better for touring, as would a range readout, which the bike doesn’t have either.

The MPG readout has gone a bit weird

I’m not sure when it happened, but at some point, the fuel economy readout for trip B has gone bonkers. At one point it claimed I’d used over 50 litres per 100 kilometres (I’d switched everything to KMs for the second of the aforementioned tours), eventually improving to about 13 litres per 100 kilometres, which is just over 20mpg. Over 4,000 miles. Yeah...

I haven't yet zeroed trip B just yet to see if it goes back to normal, as I've been using it to keep track of the total mileage I've done on the Transalp. Trip A meanwhile, zeroed about 1,500 miles ago, is still correct. Speaking of:

Fuel economy is decent

According to trip B, I’ve averaged 57mpg, a very reasonable figure considering a lot of those miles involved hammering down twisty mountain roads trying to keep up with a mate on a Yamaha MT-10 SP. On a more relaxed jaunt, you can exceed 70mpg, giving a range of about 250 miles at a push.

The value is excellent

You can still get an XL750 Transalp for £9,699, which makes it excellent value for money, especially when a Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE is now a fiver off £11,000. The Honda’s low price point does show in places, though. The cockpit does feel a bit ‘budget’, particularly when it comes to the brake/clutch levers and switch cubes, and the styling isn’t exactly the most daring.

I’m absolutely fine with that, though. The money has gone where it matters, in things like the development of that fantastic powertrain, the well-sorted chassis and - of course - that typical Honda reliability we all love so much.

Given the breadth of the bike's abilities, the fact that you can buy and probably just about insure one for under £10k makes the Transalp one of the biggest new-bike bargains around right now.