by Andy Bisson.
Last month I reviewed the Tracer 7GT which I loved and Pete was keen for me to take out the Transalp and didn’t stop raving about it. I used to be Honda through and through before moving over to Yamaha a few years back so I was interested to see what this had to offer and with the same engine as the new Hornet, I was hoping for great things.
First off it looks really nice with great styling and superb colour choice. It’s a classy looking thing. The TFT dash provides Bluetooth functions as well as giving you loads of rider aids. These include 5 settings of riding modes (Sport, Standard, Rain and Gravel and a self-set option), various traction and ABS settings as well as allowing you to switch them off completely for off-road riding.
Getting on was easy and it’s set at a height that should suit most people with me being able to plant both feet on the ground. The seat was big and comfy and angled nicely to take a pillion. The pegs are nicely positioned so that it’s not a cramped ride for the taller rider.
Heading off out for the demo it was immediately apparent how light and easy it was to ride. The clutch was light and easy and the accelerator was smooth and progressive without being snatchy.
Waterworks valley gave me the opportunity to get a real feel for the bike. It seems to have more low down and midrange power than the Hornet giving it the extra grunt whilst still maintaining a smoother throttle. The brakes had loads of feel and felt stronger. It’s a parallel twin which offers loads of excitement.
Heading out west it continued to deliver. The exhaust bellowed out a real deep growl that complimented the ride and got a few looks as we passed through the villages. Whilst the Transalp has been designed for on and off road and whilst I didn’t venture off-road at all with it, it’s obvious that it’s predominately on-road based compared to other adventure bikes.
In all, this is a great bike. Looks good, feels good and the build quality is what you would expect from Honda. I’m not going to say which I preferred out of the Transalp and the Tracer 7GT but I guarantee they are both fun to ride. Like the Tracer this really is a bike to demo and then let me know which one you preferred.
