I’m going to do this one a bit differently. A lot of what you read about the Honda XL750 Transalp covers technical specs: kerb weight, power output, and all sorts of other numbers to do with suspension travel and wheel diameter. That’s all fascinating if you’re an adventure nut or a bike nerd. But statistics don’t really capture what this motorcycle feels like to ride. So I’ll put it in simple terms. The Transalp is one of the most forgiving middleweight adventure motorcycles I’ve ever ridden, far easier to control than you might expect for its size and appearance. It makes you feel eminently capable, in every sense of the word. From mountain trail to motorway, the Transalp is a machine which feels like it will do any job, anywhere. The only question is whether you can ever truly fall in love with it.
Adventure motorcycles occupy an interesting niche. At first glance they look like specialist machines designed to tackle the Sahara, mountain ranges, or any challenging environment you can imagine. There’s a rich history of off-road competition which has influenced the design language of every such bike on the market, and there is an entire industry built around taking OEM machines and gutting them for off-road use. Flagship machines like Honda’s own Africa Twin, the BMW R1300GS and Triumph Tiger 1200 are always pictured somewhere dusty, muddy and inhospitable – never parked up in a suburban driveway, perish the thought.
However the reality of the adventure bike is that most are used as workhorse vehicles for tarmac touring and commuting. This strange mix of marketing dream and plodding reality has birthed a peculiar sort of rider, usually an older man with money and all the kit who wants the frisson of exploration but with the techy comforts you’d expect on a luxury machine. Given this captive market, even Ducati, those Italian lust machine merchants, merrily pump out Multistradas bought in their thousands by speedy dads the world over.
And who can blame the manufacturers? Even if you’re not part of the paternal performance demographic, you’d be hard-pressed to find a form factor more suited to the majority of motorcycle tasks. Adventure bikes offer powerful engines, comfortable seating positions, luggage-carrying capability, easily maintainable and accessible parts, and unmatched compatibility with aftermarket accessories. The primary criticism is that these bikes don’t have the style of a café racer or the desirability of a sports bike. But style is subjective, and if you’ve ridden sports bikes, you’ll know that their aesthetics often serve others’ enjoyment rather than your own. Back ache and numb buttocks might be worth it for impressing a few onlookers, but it soon all gets very tedious indeed.
So it makes sense that the Transalp, a name first appearing in 1986 as a 583cc V-Twin powered crossover, is touted in Honda’s own marketing materials as a ‘brilliant all-rounder’. To be clear, it’s not really an offroad machine, and not really a pure tarmac adventure tourer, but something in the middle. Sitting above the CB500x / NX500 and below the Africa Twin, this is a soft-road, middleweight, surprisingly agile swiss army knife of a bike with a stance that makes it feel like it can handle pretty much any sort of terrain or situation the amateur motorcyclist might find themselves in. It’s Honda’s attempt at giving you the best of both worlds.
When you pull the Transalp out of the garage, its size and presence immediately stand out. It’s a leggy, substantial machine with solid hardware and chunky luggage rails. There’s a sturdy, horsey quality to it, like a trusty steed you ride into battle. The engine (a compact, powerful unit shared with the CB750 Hornet) produces the right kinds of rumbling noises, the controls are simple to use, and the whole thing feels reassuringly robust under you. On the road, the TFT display is simple, bright and functional. A neutral, relaxed seating position elevates you above surrounding traffic, but the bike remains physically manageable even with the engine off. Lean enough to maneuver comfortably around town, the Transalp nonetheless has a commanding presence which demands respect from other road users.
While we didn’t do an off-road test, I have no doubt about what the Transalp can do with suitable tyres. It waltzed down the rutted, muddy roads near the South Coast which were a bit sketchy on our support bike, a BMW R1200RS. You’ll want a specialised off-roader for anything more hardcore than that, but if you are the sort of person who hates tarmac, the Transalp was never on your radar in the first place. On a meandering trip down to Arundel, I switched to the BMW sports tourer a few times to give Seb a go on the Honda. The BMW is a thrilling missile of a machine, but jumping back on the Transalp as we neared our favourite local pub made me very grateful that I would be riding it home too. It’s that comfortable and reassuring.
I didn’t have many gripes with our review bike as I punted it around town and country. I suppose a USB port, heated grips and cruise control could come as standard, but cannibalising sales of the Africa Twin is probably why Honda don’t offer those out of the box. If you’re a gangly sort like me, you’ll appreciate a higher touring screen. Oh, and if you’re a rallysport nut, you have to get the belly pan. Performance-wise, in second gear, the throttle was at times slightly snatchy at low speeds (but this has been resolved for the MY2025 bikes, and, come on, just use first in town). Other than that, chuck some fine Honda luggage on the thing and you’re ready to go touring around Europe.
I asked earlier whether you can truly fall in love with the XL750 Transalp. It’s a tricky question. The bike does radiate a noble purity of purpose, which will attract some riders, and put others off. If you identify with the do-anything, practical vibe of this machine, I think you will love it. If you couldn’t give a rat’s behind about pretending to be a ton-up boy or a badass cruiser rider, you’ll want to buy one after a test ride. Anything less than that – the merest hint of fear that you will look like a dad or your motorcycle instructor – will prompt a little ego spiral which ends either at a Triumph Scrambler, a CBR 650R or a something a little bit different. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
As for me, I loved the feeling I got when taking the Transalp out. Every ride felt like an event. I’ve always had a real soft spot for adventure bikes, probably coming from my preference for pragmatic kit over visual splendour. But if you want splendour, it has gold wheels – gold wheels! Nobody else has gold wheels on the road. Ah, those gold wheels…sorry, where were we?
Some reviewers have said the Transalp is not exactly the sort of bike you look back at when you park it up. I found it was the exact opposite. Something about this machine makes you feel like you should be somewhere else: at the end of a long road, very far from home. This is a motorcycle that demands to be used, that puts ideas into your head of arduous, exciting trips that weren’t there before. Turn the key and it begins to whisper its ambitions into the wind. Some of you out there will have ears tuned to this call. If you are one of those people, follow your gut. Pull on those touring boots. Pack your waterproofs. Those alpine passes are waiting.
Photography © Fitzroy Motor and Honda Motor Co., Ltd.