I'm surprised on a bike like this one that they don't offer you a choice of tubes or tubeless, would be much simpler and please everyone.
New transalp
- Thread starter Neil W
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The truth hurts
Its not the truth, its someones opinion.Maybe its yours aswell.
I let all the hype die down and went for a test ride 2 Saturdays ago, HMMM I went out on the R1250RS to scrub the new tyres in saw the Honda dealers so stopped for a look and a sit on, salesbot came out and started chatting the next thing is im on it going for a test ride I wont compare it with the RS as there is no comparison between the two bikes at all they are two different bikes meant for two different things, the tranny seemed quite nice, it did get up to speed ok, and sat at motorway speeds quite well and sat there ok, there was a distinct lack of pull from 70 onwards in top gear, but if you revved it through the gears it got up to 100 without issue, it was very easy to ride, and I would say easy to live with, 2 things that really put me off was
1 the fact that I was offered over £900 discount immediately on a bike that was so hard to get 2 months ago !!
2 the noise from the front tyre was unreal a very loud whining that went over my headset with the music on !!
the bikes value at £11200 with everything apart from panniers and top box is super value and 1st service chucked in, it made me think as he offered £10k for the RS in a deal made me think £1200 for a brand new bike with all the goodies !! but then after riding the RS home I think ill stick with that, it just felt so much more premium and the cost to swap back to another RS would be a fortune
so the RS and its new tyres are all sorted for Europe in 3 weeks
Rob
1 the fact that I was offered over £900 discount immediately on a bike that was so hard to get 2 months ago !!
2 the noise from the front tyre was unreal a very loud whining that went over my headset with the music on !!
the bikes value at £11200 with everything apart from panniers and top box is super value and 1st service chucked in, it made me think as he offered £10k for the RS in a deal made me think £1200 for a brand new bike with all the goodies !! but then after riding the RS home I think ill stick with that, it just felt so much more premium and the cost to swap back to another RS would be a fortune
so the RS and its new tyres are all sorted for Europe in 3 weeks
Rob
Rob do your bikes feel nervous - and I'm not talking about the new tyres - when you pull into other-brand dealerships? 
Thanks for the assessment, I far prefer the opinions of fellow riders to those of journalists.
Thanks for the assessment, I far prefer the opinions of fellow riders to those of journalists.
I think that's a positive review? Only negatives are there may be stock available and the tyre, which can be changed. And you actually like the bike you've got.
My bikes attempt to steer away from other dealerships on there own LOL
I was not slating the Tranny i do like it to be honest and truly if I had gone there in the car I may well have done the deal £11,200 plus a Grand for a set of metal top loading panniers and top box, I see that as a cheap fully loaded bike with Honda reliability, Ok its no where near as quick as the 1250 but its not meant to be, if I was going to buy a lighter bike that I could pretty much do everything on this would be at the top of the list, change the front tyre and make the most of the £900 discount, party on
I was not slating the Tranny i do like it to be honest and truly if I had gone there in the car I may well have done the deal £11,200 plus a Grand for a set of metal top loading panniers and top box, I see that as a cheap fully loaded bike with Honda reliability, Ok its no where near as quick as the 1250 but its not meant to be, if I was going to buy a lighter bike that I could pretty much do everything on this would be at the top of the list, change the front tyre and make the most of the £900 discount, party on
Fair summary there. I’ve put a few thousand miles on mine now including a recent 3k trip to Austria and Slovenia. Its a bit of a multi tool. Will do 3 figures but I wouldn’t want to stay there long with the big front wheel. As for gears 1 is a bit low which can work to your advantage, 6 is a bit of an overdrive.
Not a substitute for a big GS or an RS IMO.
Well after just coming back from a 10 day Europe trip on the RS which was faultless,
I did it and traded the RS in for a Tranny, I bought tri colour one with the plus pack, and every extra fitted, I omitted the Panniers and top box in favour of a set of Givi metal top loading ones, I did a deal with Doble as they are my go to dealer's, got a better deal than I was offered from Brayleys, and got £600 more for the RS from them so win win, they had the bike in stock and all the accessories, which are being fitted tomorrow, Thursday and Friday and the bike will be collected Saturday morning, slightly apprehensive as I think the RS truly is a cracking bike but quietly looking forward to riding a bike that is over 4 stone lighter !!
I have ordered a Yoshi oval black end can, small number plate, Screen adjuster, nav bracket, Givi top box plate and fittings, optimate lead, Alarm, Heated grips and a split denali air horn so it will be a busy weekend, Im planning to collect it and go off for a couple of hundred miles before I come back to fit it all up
Ill report back after ive ridden it for a while and may even post a piccie or 2
Rob
I did it and traded the RS in for a Tranny, I bought tri colour one with the plus pack, and every extra fitted, I omitted the Panniers and top box in favour of a set of Givi metal top loading ones, I did a deal with Doble as they are my go to dealer's, got a better deal than I was offered from Brayleys, and got £600 more for the RS from them so win win, they had the bike in stock and all the accessories, which are being fitted tomorrow, Thursday and Friday and the bike will be collected Saturday morning, slightly apprehensive as I think the RS truly is a cracking bike but quietly looking forward to riding a bike that is over 4 stone lighter !!
I have ordered a Yoshi oval black end can, small number plate, Screen adjuster, nav bracket, Givi top box plate and fittings, optimate lead, Alarm, Heated grips and a split denali air horn so it will be a busy weekend, Im planning to collect it and go off for a couple of hundred miles before I come back to fit it all up
Ill report back after ive ridden it for a while and may even post a piccie or 2
Rob
Excellent! Just preparing for a Balkan off road trip on mine.Will follow the TET from Slovenia to Bulgaria
Watch out for the bears !!!Excellent! Just preparing for a Balkan off road trip on mine.Will follow the TET from Slovenia to Bulgaria
Ok so rode the RS over this morning and typical the ride was just superb the bike did nothing wrong and the 2nd thoughts were making themselves very abundant, however the thought of a new bike kept me going, anyway the deal was done and collection immanent so I set off on the New Transalp, the first 10 mins I was convinced Id done a wrong move, the next half hour messing with riding modes mirrors etc I got on the M25 and straight up to an indicated 80 at 5k no vibes, with the touring screen no adverse wind noise no buffeting and had the front of the helmet up handling to be honest was really nice light but solid went where i put it and stayed there, the bike is quite nippy, no where near as fast as the RS but none if the middleweight bikes would be able to compete with the torque of that, but triple figures are not out of the way and cruising at 90 is quite easy going, got home and started putting all the bits on that I had bought and had been delivered it seems very well bolted together and the fit and finish is quite good, the accessories fit perfectly, on the whole the bike is a lot lighter, bigger than I remembered plenty quick enough for real world riding, and well built enough to last a while, am I delighted with my choice ? thats a big yes im going out on it first thing in the morning for a blast !! heres a pic for your viewing pleasure
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Hoping that the weather held for you this morning and that you had a great, First ride. Looking forward to your thoughts - plus an assessment of the bits & bobs that you added.
The bike looks very good in the flesh.
The bike looks very good in the flesh.
Few spits and spots of rain but nothing really, with each ride it just gets better and better, I connected the phone and the headset and the music is superb, volume and track forward works seamlessly, first bike ive had where the volume can go up too loud, operation is easier than the RS, things I noticed this morning, gears are quite short although in top at 85 is 5k revs which is not bad at all, front seems light but surefooted, ive knocked the rear preload up by 2 as it was a bit boingy, front seemed ok to me, so ive left that alone for the time being, I think if I was going to do any real touring with panniers and a passenger id get a better rear shock, ive ordered a pair of bar risers and Honda rad guard today, the Honda heated grips seemed to be quite hot but we will see when the winter is here they may take a bit too long to get up to temp for my very short commute ??
Also removed the Honda touring screen in favour of the std screen and the height adjusters I bought, up on the motorway was simply superb, then down for whizzing around the country roads was brilliant
all in all I was full of smiles when I got back so Im going out on a limb here and say it seems like a really good bike !!
Also removed the Honda touring screen in favour of the std screen and the height adjusters I bought, up on the motorway was simply superb, then down for whizzing around the country roads was brilliant
all in all I was full of smiles when I got back so Im going out on a limb here and say it seems like a really good bike !!
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@Adventure Boy... Thanks for your positive first impressions.... Glad that you are happy with your decision and the investment....A smile at the end of a ride is worth more than most will ever appreciate.
(Went to Box Hill this afternoon... Sadly, not a single TransAlp in sight...)
(Went to Box Hill this afternoon... Sadly, not a single TransAlp in sight...)
I think we need a show us your Transalp and mods thread !!
LOL i see what you did there !!
Well not had a lot of time to ride the Tranny as sorting out the Garage fire, but took it for its first service a couple of weeks ago, I waited for it and as I did the sun came out so decided to take it for a spin, this bike for me just seems to get better and better the ride was simply superb, nothing wrong with the power, handling even the suspension although a bit soft for me I thought seemed to be very compliant, and as TMF says in the Goldilocks zone, I see Honda on the 2025 model have made it even softer !!
If you want a fairly light middle weight Adventure style bike I really cant endorse this bike enough, its still quite a big bike, I dont feel its a small bike when sat next to the GSs or NT1100 i ride with, if you are coming off a XR RS or even GS its going to feel underpowered but I asked myself what did I really need in a bike and I truly feel this is enough !!
Give one a decent test ride not just an hour as I was not convinced in that time to be honest, my only regret is I did not do the deal before the France trip, I think for me it would have been a better bike to go on.
Rob
If you want a fairly light middle weight Adventure style bike I really cant endorse this bike enough, its still quite a big bike, I dont feel its a small bike when sat next to the GSs or NT1100 i ride with, if you are coming off a XR RS or even GS its going to feel underpowered but I asked myself what did I really need in a bike and I truly feel this is enough !!
Give one a decent test ride not just an hour as I was not convinced in that time to be honest, my only regret is I did not do the deal before the France trip, I think for me it would have been a better bike to go on.
Rob
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