In the early 80's BMW kicked off a trend that, forty plus years later, is still going strong. Adventure motorcycles are everywhere and most major manufacturers, including Harley-Davidson, have adventure models available on their sales floors.

However, some had gotten there earlier than others. And that's the case with the Honda and its Transalp XL600V. Originally released globally in 1986, it eventually came to the United States in 1989 and stuck around, in various configurations, all the way up until 2007. Eventually Honda replaced it with the XL700V, a more road-biased version with a smaller front wheel, larger tires and lower seat. Now, some thirty-seven years after the original was released, Honda is at it again with the redesigned and re-purposed XL750 Transalp. And by the looks of it, it's going straight for jugular of the competition.

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A Transalp Built For Any Adventure

White 2023 Honda XL750 Transalp in a water spray
Honda
Ross White 2023 Honda XL750 Transalp on a mountain road in a spray of water

Though the 2008 model was designed primarily for the road, with this iteration Honda went back to its roots. With the spoked 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels, equipped with dual-sport tires there's no doubting Honda's agenda with this bike. You're meant to take it anywhere you want, be it on or off the pavement. It's slim profile, relatively approachable seat height of 33.5 inches and comparatively low wet weight of just 459 lbs should make any rider feel balanced and safe should they decide to take the bike off the beaten path.

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Touring On The Transalp With Honda Technology

Honda Transalp XL750 Adventure Bike
Honda Powersports
Honda Transalp Cockpit View TFT Dash Display

Whether you're taking the Transalp through a muddy forest or pushing some serious highway miles, Honda has the perfect ride mode for you. The 5-inch TFT screen comes with four default ride modes - Sport, Standard, Rain and Gravel - with the additional custom mode available for the rider to tinker with.

You can adjust the engine power, braking, torque control, wheelie control and ABS intervention to suit your needs. In fact, Honda allows the rear ABS to be switched off completely, to get the best possible joy out of riding in dirt. In addition, the bike comes with Honda's Smartphone Voice Control system that keeps you connected to the bike. There's the full LED light suite, and it also features the Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) technology that makes sure that anyone traveling behind you sees your hard braking. Rounding out the modern technology features are the 3-level selectable torque control, optional quick shifter and an assist/slipper clutch.

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A More Powerful Transalp

White 2023 Honda XL750 Transalp cruising on the road
Honda
Ross White 2023 Honda XL750 Transalp on the road in the mountains

The original XL600V Transalp came with a roughly 50 - 55 hp engine and weighs in at approximately 421 lbs. And though the modern version's weight has inevitably increased, so has the power. And that power increase is fairly significant, compared to the original. The engine is now a 755 cc, liquid cooled parallel twin, making a claimed 55 lbs of torque and has 90.5 hp. Compare that with Transalp's closest competitor, the Yamaha Ténéré 700, and it's not even a fair fight.

The Ténéré makes a claimed 50 lbs of torque, which is close enough, but only has 72 hp. That's 19 hp less than the Transalp. And though the weight is roughly the same, the Ténéré's seat height is a towering 34.4 inches. It may as well be skyscraper in comparison, making it a far less beginner and short rider friendly bike. The bottom line is that the Honda has more than enough juice to get you up and through the Alps, were you to actually go there. And it would feel just as capable and fast in Baja California or on the Trans American Trail (TAT).

Comfortable Adventure Tourer

Accessorized white 2023 Honda XL750 Transalp in the mountains
Honda
Accessorized Ross White 2023 Honda XL750 Transalp on the kickstand in the mountains

What's all that power and technology worth when you're not comfortable sitting on the bike for more than an hour? Good thing Honda equipped the latest Transalp with Showa preload adjustable suspension with 7.9 inches of travel and pro-link adjustable rear shock with 7.5 inches of travel. And if the 33.5 inches is too tall of a seat for you, Honda has the optional low seat available, that brings the height down to a much more manageable 32.2 inches. There are also additional comfort features available from the expanded accessory catalog. There are five accessory packs available, one of which is the Comfort Pack. It includes lower wind deflectors, a tank bag, comfort passenger foot pegs and an AAC charging socket. Additional accessory packs come in the form of Urban, Touring, Adventure and Rally configurations that include everything from top boxes, tall screens, center stands, heated grips, fog lights, skid plates and much more.

In such an over-saturated market, where manufacturers are seemingly introducing new models every single month, does the Honda XL750 Transalp have anything original to add? Can it compete with the Yamaha Ténéré 700, KTM 890 Adventure R and Aprillia Tuareg 660? It is perhaps too early to tell. There are a lot of unknowns, including the pricing for the U.S. market, but it certainly has a lot going for it. The upgrades made to it are in line with the rest of the market. The engine is capable. The suspension is adjustable. The technology is comparable, though strangely lacking is the option for cruise control. Honda's overall mission for the Transalp has seemingly been overhauled and returned to the original on-road, off-road philosophy. And while it's not a stunning motorcycle, its vaguely vintage looks make it a subtly handsome bike that tugs at the hidden nostalgia its name elicits.