New transalp

[Daxaar]

Used one appeared on gumtree Aberdeen this morning with 800 miles on it . . .

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Is this the 1st private sale of one of these in the UK?

No there was one on ebay during July that didn't appear to sell. Although he was taking the piss on the price for most of the listing period. I've had mine a week and absolutely love it even though I remain furious at honda for not putting cruise on it for fear of affecting AT sales.

 

[harry the cat]

Had a test ride today courtesy of Vertu Honda at Nottingham. Other than having to go through a call centre in Newcastle and speak to someone who appeared to know nothing about bikes it was good experience.

Bike was waiting for me when I got there fully fuelled and ready. Sales guy was pleasant without being too pushy and no deposit required. Also no prescribed test route and only a rough deadline. Not quite old school Rainbow rules but pretty relaxed.

I was expecting, almost hoping, to be disappointed, thinking underpowered and bland might be the order of the day, but it wasn’t. I’ve seen the comments about getting on or off the bike and I have issues with sciatica and hips due to old injuries. Step up on the peg and swing over worked well and I could do it I’m sure with a bag on the seat. Ergonomics were fine with everything where it should be, controls were easy to use, screen was fairly simple and everything easily visible.

The bike rides really well and although there isn’t masses of power there’s enough for real world riding and it will take you way beyond legal speeds (apparently). It isn’t packed with ‘character’ and the idiosyncrasies that my previous BMW’S and the current Moto Guzzi have but I’m not sure I’d miss them to be honest. For me this is a bike I could just get on and ride comfortably.

And yes the seat might feel a bit hard to the touch but it was pretty comfortable and with a 31 inch inside leg I could flat foot it one I was aboard.

So not a bad bike for the ageing tosser and even the sales manager appearing with his ‘what have we got to do to get a sale today’ line didn’t pee me off too much. I thought I’d be relieved to get back on the V85tt but I wasn’t. Riding back just highlighted how comfortable the Honda was.

Now I’ve been looking at configurators and trade in prices and that’s very worrying for a Yorkshire man. Anyone want a Moto Guzzi?

 

[Clifton]

Buy the Transalp. You won't get much for the V85TT now so keep it, and once the last of the few air-cooled motorcycles like it are discontinued in 3 years or so prices will increase.

 

[harry the cat]

Not a bad thought Clifton but I’ve got a garage full and not enough room for another bike. It’s one in, one out.

 

[tis eye]

I'd be interested to know how shorter riders cope!

29 leg, sat on one today with a standard seat and had good ground contact with the ball of my foot on the floor one side with the rear brake still accessible on the other side, although i only had deck shoes on so in my riding boots it would be a lot better, haven't ridden the bike yet, i bought it on impulse and ordered a low seat for when i collect it, based on todays experience the low seat should be just about perfect and ill likely flat foot one side. I'm happy to be able to get one foot down but if you want two feet down you'll need longer legs! it's going to be a commuter bike for me with regular 300 mile round trips so i wanted decent power and like a taller bike / upright riding position - i had the Tenere at 74 bhp and always wanted a bit more so this should fit the bill at 91 bhp and better road manners, from the reviews it seems that it's got little to complain about.

There was another guy at the garage looking at the same bike today - he looked at me and said you not thinking about getting on that are you.... i sad yes - why? he replied -- it's too tall for you mate... i said no it looks just about right, he said you will never get both feet on the floor...., anyway i sat on it flicked the stand up and sat there with the ball of one foot down and one on the rear brake and said - see....it's perfect. He was a bit perplexed and didn't seem to get that some people are happy to get a toe on the floor one side let alone a flat foot... both sides - which is never going to happen on a ADV style bike with short pins.

 

[adventuredon]

29 leg, sat on one today with a standard seat and had good ground contact with the ball of my foot on the floor one side with the rear brake still accessible on the other side, although i only had deck shoes on so in my riding boots it would be a lot better, haven't ridden the bike yet, i bought it on impulse and ordered a low seat for when i collect it, based on todays experience the low seat should be just about perfect and ill likely flat foot one side. I'm happy to be able to get one foot down but if you want two feet down you'll need longer legs! it's going to be a commuter bike for me with regular 300 mile round trips so i wanted decent power and like a taller bike / upright riding position - i had the Tenere at 74 bhp and always wanted a bit more so this should fit the bill at 91 bhp and better road manners, from the reviews it seems that it's got little to complain about.

There was another guy at the garage looking at the same bike today - he looked at me and said you not thinking about getting on that are you.... i sad yes - why? he replied -- it's too tall for you mate... i said no it looks just about right, he said you will never get both feet on the floor...., anyway i sat on it flicked the stand up and sat there with the ball of one foot down and one on the rear brake and said - see....it's perfect. He was a bit perplexed and didn't seem to get that some people are happy to get a toe on the floor one side let alone a flat foot... both sides - which is never going to happen on a ADV style bike with short pins.

I am 5"7 at a push. Inside leg 30". I used the foot peg with the side stand down to mount the bike, otherwise I would have struggled. Once seated I could 2/3 foot down on both sides. Be aware though that as Honda did with the AT, the side stand is tall. Leaves you believing the bike is super light and easy to lift...A long side stand perpetuates this myth. The seat is narrow at the front so go test one and don't rely on cycle ergo to rule bikes out. I was quite happy to ride the bike, more so than on a GS...I'd not be getting a low seat though, the stock is hard enough. I hd enough of both feet on the ground to feel safe, but the tall side stand could lead to a few bikes blowing over..

 

[Posh Pete]

29 leg, sat on one today with a standard seat and had good ground contact with the ball of my foot on the floor one side with the rear brake still accessible on the other side, although i only had deck shoes on so in my riding boots it would be a lot better, haven't ridden the bike yet, i bought it on impulse and ordered a low seat for when i collect it, based on todays experience the low seat should be just about perfect and ill likely flat foot one side. I'm happy to be able to get one foot down but if you want two feet down you'll need longer legs! it's going to be a commuter bike for me with regular 300 mile round trips so i wanted decent power and like a taller bike / upright riding position - i had the Tenere at 74 bhp and always wanted a bit more so this should fit the bill at 91 bhp and better road manners, from the reviews it seems that it's got little to complain about.

There was another guy at the garage looking at the same bike today - he looked at me and said you not thinking about getting on that are you.... i sad yes - why? he replied -- it's too tall for you mate... i said no it looks just about right, he said you will never get both feet on the floor...., anyway i sat on it flicked the stand up and sat there with the ball of one foot down and one on the rear brake and said - see....it's perfect. He was a bit perplexed and didn't seem to get that some people are happy to get a toe on the floor one side let alone a flat foot... both sides - which is never going to happen on a ADV style bike with short pins.

Thanks for that. My comments were related largely to mounting the bike. Once aboard, I agree it would be relatively easy to touch the ground, even for a shorter rider. It must surely be possible to design a bike with decent ground clearance without that "step up" in the rear sub frame and consequent high pillion seat?

 

[tis eye]

I tend to lift my right leg up in front of me and slide my foot over the rider seat rather than swinging over the pillion, make sure it’s your right leg because if you do the left you’ll be sitting backwards..

 

[Clifton]

.....It must surely be possible to design a bike with decent ground clearance without that "step up" in the rear sub frame and consequent high pillion seat?

Very possible but that goes against the trendy "butt kicked up in the air, lots of space between the top of the tyre and mudguard" styling trend of motorcycle rear end design.

 

[Northern jock]

A mate in Inverness has just bought one so I got to sit on it today. Nice height, nice riding position for me, all seemed well layed out and bars/seat/footrests setup worked.
A test ride would be good but, my mate bought one without, he just sat on one. Tempting!

 

[Clifton]

Ian (Big Rock Moto) offers his initial ride review on the Transalp. It's not a loaner from Honda, he actually purchased the bike. His videos are always pretty in depth and this one is 36 minutes long.

While he likes the bike overall he feels it has an identity crisis as it's neither a dirt or street bike. As he rides it he seems to favor it more as the mid-weight adventure tourer it is. However it lacks cruise and tubeless wheels for the touring part, and to disable TC and ABS is unnecessarily involved to do which'd be a PIA when crawling up a gravel road and notice deep stuff up ahead. And once you finally toggle through to accomplish this it reverts right back after powering off the bike.

If you can do w/o cruise, and with inner tubes, it makes a great tourer with its smooth engine, relaxed gearing, great mpg, and excellent wind management.

 

[Northern jock]

So, has anyone put a few miles on one?

Any feedback?

 

[Arsey]

Rode one in Gran Canaria. So pleased I didn’t order one . No midrange and gearing is crap . Suzuki Vstrom 800 DE is so much better


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[harry the cat]

So, has anyone put a few miles on one?

Any feedback?

I like it. Not used it for long distances yet but it’s nice to ride. Very ergonomic design with everything to hand, gearing a bit low at the bottom end but imo not as bad as Arsey suggests. Plenty of torque and enough power. I think it’s a keeper.

 

[Arsey]

I like it. Not used it for long distances yet but it’s nice to ride. Very ergonomic design with everything to hand, gearing a bit low at the bottom end but imo not as bad as Arsey suggests. Plenty of torque and enough power. I think it’s a keeper.

IMO the lack of midrange was awful.Just dreadful in the mountains .
Second gear too low and third too high . Riding same roads on Vstrom 650 you could leave it in third and ride the torque.
Everybody wanted a day on it in Gran Canaria so it was rationed to one day each and everbody who rode it said the Vstrom 650 was so much better .The owner of Canary Motorcycle Tours said they won’t get any more as nobody liked it .
I was going to order one last year but cancelled the idea after a test ride .The pillion seat is also crap and the riders seat doesn’t stay comfy more than an hour or so. Quite possibly the worst Honda in years.
Whatever you do , don’t try a new Vstrom 800. You’ll be gutted


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[Northern jock]

There are two views! Test ride needed in the spring.
I've still got an 800GS(and an old XT600) but want a change from the 800, looking at all sorts

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

IMO the lack of midrange was awful.Just dreadful in the mountains .
Second gear too low and third too high . Riding same roads on Vstrom 650 you could leave it in third and ride the torque.
Everybody wanted a day on it in Gran Canaria so it was rationed to one day each and everbody who rode it said the Vstrom 650 was so much better .The owner of Canary Motorcycle Tours said they won’t get any more as nobody liked it .
I was going to order one last year but cancelled the idea after a test ride .The pillion seat is also crap and the riders seat doesn’t stay comfy more than an hour or so. Quite possibly the worst Honda in years.
Whatever you do , don’t try a new Vstrom 800. You’ll be gutted


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That’s a fair shout

 

[bdastu]

Got one late last year but have only put about 700 miles so far. Very happy with it. Had a few GS's and was looking for something lighter and lower. Don't see any issue with lack of torque or gearing, or the comfort of the seat. Great bike to ride and surprisingly lively for a 750, had a GS750 and this is a lot better to ride. Everyone looks for different things from a bike, best idea is to test ride and make your own mind up.

 

[harry the cat]

Got one late last year but have only put about 700 miles so far. Very happy with it. Had a few GS's and was looking for something lighter and lower. Don't see any issue with lack of torque or gearing, or the comfort of the seat. Great bike to ride and surprisingly lively for a 750, had a GS750 and this is a lot better to ride. Everyone looks for different things from a bike, best idea is to test ride and make your own mind up.

Seems like a good plan.

 

[gspod]