Motorcycle description sheet HondaXL 750 Transalp 2023 Between the road and the cliffs

For some years now, ersatz sand, dunes and vastness have been twirling between the trails and SUVs. Adventure is just around the corner, but the wheel only touches it a little. And then there are the memories. The memory of a moment in the valley, when a valiant two-cylinder engine seems to provoke the mountain.

The crutch will happily sit between the tarmac and the gravel. In the final stretch of the twentieth century, the Transalp lent itself to all sorts of uses. A bit of road, a lot of town and a dose of mud stuck to it like a glove. Back in its 750s, this mini-AfricaTwin takes on the same desires, but with many more solutions.

Following in the footsteps of the new Hornet, Honda has minimised risk-taking with the Transalp suit, which is dynamic but restrained, a little all-purpose and ultimately lacking any real punch. The old 700 was much more daring.
Fortunately, beyond the sad, attaché-case grey or black colours, a sympathetic, vintage trio of blue, red and white refreshes the senses. This dress takes its inspiration directly from the 1987 XL 600.

The new appetites of the Transalp, combined with the process of common platforms, led to a new ideology for its powertrain. After 25 years with a V-twin, the engine now uses a parallel twin. Less expensive to build, less cumbersome and lighter, this powerplant takes the Transalp to a very promising summit.
91bhp! That's something we're not used to from Honda's mid-size trails. It all makes sense once you discover that this block is shared with the new Hornet. A good dose of wattage, enabling it to look good in the segment. The days of 50/60 drunks on the go are now a thing of the past. The new free zone now boasts between 79 and 98 horsepower.

The 755cc engine produces 91.8bhp, to be exact, at 9,500rpm. Maximum torque is a little lower, at 7,250 rpm, where it reaches 7.7 mkg. Even though the internal ribs are very square, Honda has worked hard to ensure that the engine responds well at low and mid-range revs, which are the most demanding for this type of machine. As with the Hornet, the engine uses Unicam technology to produce a compact cylinder head, an optimised 'Vortex Flow Ducts' intake feeding 46 mm throttle bodies, liquid cooling, 4 valves per cylinder, a limited-slip clutch and 270° timing to give it character. However, the throttle has a less 'sporty' setting on the trail than on the roadster.

Let's put our finger gently where it hurts. A trail needs to be light. A sine qua non if you want to go anywhere. That's not really the case here, as the bike weighs in at 208 kilos fully loaded. That's a long way from a CRF 300L... but still 6 units less than the 700 of another era.
But that's hardly surprising, given that the Transalp is in the (low) middle of the pack in this sector: 204 kilos for the Yam Ténéré or theAprilia 660 Tuareg, then.... Wow! 230 kilos for the 800 V-Strom, 227 for the 750 GS...

Whatever the protagonist, an enduro-style game is out of the question. The theme of exploration remains, however, with the Honda's chassis. The front wheel measures 21 inches, the universal size for climbing over rough terrain. Its 9 cm-wide tyre will allow you to carve your own furrow and engage as you should. The rear is also the right size for a real trail bike, with a 150 over 18 inches. All mounted on spoked rims, of course.

While the frame's tubular-steel structure may look very classic, the engineering behind it makes it robust enough to handle its joyful rides, while remaining light at 18.3 kilos, compared with the CB 500 X 's 10% heavier cousin. But that's nothing to brag about either - a KTM Super Adventure trellis frame weighs in at around 10 kilos. And it's got to cope with 160 grunts...
As the thin tyres will take care of handling, Honda has opted for stability and homogeneity with a long wheelbase of 1,560 mm and a 27° caster. The relatively open steering angle of 42° makes it easy to turn the car just outside the lane.
The suspension also plays its part. The equipment appears to be more than adequate, with a Showa inverted fork with separate SFF-CA functions and a Pro-Link shock absorber. Both are adjustable, but only for preload. Generous travel completes the suspension package, with 200 mm at the front and 190 mm at the rear. Reassured by its 21 cm of ground clearance, the 7 and a half Transalp can smile. Pavements, roots and dinosaur bones can all be tackled without hesitation.

The Transalp has evolved in all areas, including braking. Who remembers its small 256mm discs? Who cares now that the rider can rely on 310 mm discs, with 2 pistons in each caliper. ABS is present, and fortunately can be deactivated at the rear for off-road fun. To prevent the action of the 256 mm rear disc, you need to go into User Mode.

The last point where the Transalp enters a new world is electronics. All the Transalp's creators had to do was go to the R&D department, and they came back with a Ride by Wire throttle, torque control (5 settings), engine brake management (3 settings), adjustable ABS, several engine power levels (4), a 5-inch colour TFT screen to monitor all this and more (4 display themes), as well as 5 Riding Modes. Here are their prerogatives:

Sport : Engine power is set to 4, ABS to 2, while engine braking and torque control are set to 1, to ensure maximum performance with minimum intervention from the electronics.

Standard :With this intermediate mode, engine power and torque control are set to 3, while engine braking and ABS are set to 2.

Rain :a mode adapted to difficult conditions, with engine power set to 1, engine braking and ABS set to 2 and torque control set to 5, for smoother, safer driving.

Gravel :designed for off-road use, with power set at 2, engine braking at 3, torque control at 4 and ABS at 1.

User :This mode allows the rider to define his own parameters for each function and store them in memory: from 1 to 4 for power, from 1 to 5 for torque control, from 1 to 3 for engine braking. ABS intervention on the rear caliper can also be disconnected.

Another good point. With the new ergonomics of the controls, the horn no longer takes up half the available space. The efforts made to improve everyday life on board are there for all to see, with a USB socket and luggage rack as standard, smartphone-bike interaction via Bluetooth, automatic stop indicators, an upright and natural riding position that also allows you to stand up off-road and almost 17 litres of fuel on board - enough to ride for a good while without having too much weight in the tank.
Not so great: the seat is a little high, at 850 mm; the windscreen is not adjustable; the handguards and engine cover are optional; and the USB is under the seat; it would have been more practical to fit it in the cockpit. It would have been more practical to install it in the cockpit, but the space is there... as an option.

Then there's the tricky question of pricing. In the past, a Transalp cost around 10% more than a Hornet, with which it shared neither engine nor chassis. Honda has not been able to maintain this small price differential, but the 750 is priced to take on the 700 Ténéré, 660 Tuareg and 850 GS. To name but a few.

With the return of the Hornet and Transalp in quick succession, Honda is aiming to make a big impact in the mid-size segment. The trail has a lot going for it, with a clear appetite for off-roading - much more so than the previous generation. The competition can tremble. Even theAfrica Twin is not immune to having a few customers stolen from it.

M.B -Manufacturer photos