NEW 700 TRANSALP

[mr moto]

with the official unveiling due at the paris motorcycle show at the end of the week, one of the euro bike mags has let the cat out of the bag   here is the first pic of the new for 2008 700cc engined alp  
i cannot wait to see and sit on it at the show this coming saturday   and if honda can keep the price to around the current transalp,s £5000.00 i think they are going to sell by the truckload . and maybe honda has noticed the success of the wee strom in america , and has designed a bike to take sales from suzuki ?
 i will ask at the show if it is destined for the american market .

[Rincewind]

 i will ask at the show if it is destined for the american market .

Thanks, I look forward to hearing their response, though I would be surprised if they brought it to the US.  

And take pics at the show!  

I like this design - with the round headlight, it looks a bit nautical, almost like from a James Verne book.  

[squeezer]

I really like the looks of that.

And I wish Japanese bike makers would start realizing that many of us in the U.S. really do use our bikes for transportation, not just butt jewelry, and that these things have a market here.

[garry]

Hmmm.... That could be a serious Wee Strom competitor if it comes to the states. The Versys made it here (eventually). Maybe the market for versatile middleweights is now worth pursuing?

[bizarro]

It would be nice to see that bike here.

[Zerosum]

Wait... how does this fit in with the Varadero?



I'd rather have one of them, personally.  I mean, what's with the spokes on the Transalp?

[jude]

I'd rather have one of them, personally.  I mean, what's with the spokes on the Transalp?

Picked off extremebiker...

The reason spoked wheels are used is their ability to take on off-road gunning. The spoked design allows an amount of flex to aid in the absorption of impacts that would crack one-piece wheels. If the rider breaks a spoke or two he can go on riding.

Repairing the wheel is a cinch. You have to simply replace the broken spokes and re-truing the wheel, rather than replacing it entirely.

[Corbeau]

moreoever, spokes = a tube inside the tire, much easier to repair in case of puncture.

OK, so help me out, you Honda-Euros (or Euro-Honda riders): There's the (new) Transalp. There's also a Varadero. And I've heard of the Africa Twin. Are they all twins? Parallel or V?

Nevermind. A quick check of Honda.fr tells me the Africa Twin is not in the picture and that the Transalp is a 650 while the Varadero is a 1000, both V-twins. And there's this weird 125cc Varadero. (two very small cylinders, V-twin, also available w/ factory topbox)

And I saw a CBF1000a7, Travel Edition (please pronounce it as a Frenchman would).      

[garry]

moreoever, spokes = a tube inside the tire, much easier to repair in case of puncture.

I would say the exact opposite. I can plug a tubeless tire and be on the road in 10 minutes. You won't have the rear wheel off the bike and be cursing at your tire irons in 10 minutes, let alone have a new tube installed. Tubed tires do offer options if your tire if FUBAR and couldn't be plugged.

[Mac]

I wonder if the new transalp will be fuel injected like the yamaha 660?

[JamesG]

Looks neato.  So of course we won't get it here...

[DannyZRC]

that lump is heavy and weak, which means that is what it will be relative to the wee.

spoked wheels are a lame throwback to a time when a TA could actually offroad, and they're just needlessly raising the cost and complexity of the bike for style's sake.

tubeless is much quicker and easier to fix, and you can still throw a tube into a tubless if your tire is fubar and can't be made to hold air.

[Zerosum]

that lump is heavy and weak, which means that is what it will be relative to the wee.

So is that the same venerable 52* V-twin found on the Dueville and Bros/Hawk?  Looks like it.

I didn't know the Varadero was a 1000cc... so it uses basically the same 90* V-twin mill as the VTR1000.  I was hoping it was using a "VTR650" type of motor, but I guess no such motor exists.

[kevrider]

yes, it has EFI.  also ABS.  here is a pdf brochure with a spec sheet at the bottom.

yes, it is the same 52 degree twin from the Hawk/Bros/Shadow/Africa Twin...... dead reliable.  this version was introduced on the Deauville a while back.

yes, compared the the wee, it will be heavy and slow.  wet weight is about the same between the two, that is with more gas in the wee.  also the wee will have 5-10 more HP.  not a big deal to me, as i ride an '89 with maybe 40-45 HP at the wheel.  the power gain from that to this '08 will much more significant than the 20 lbs gained.  throw in the ABS, EFI and lack of two decades of wear, and it looks like a winner to me.  

there are places i have been on my TA that would have caused some dismay were my wheels cast of aluminum.  these were unfamiliar roads and  spoked rims are more reassuring in that situation.  maybe a wees rims would have been fine, but i'd rather let someone else test them.

i have only flatted twice on a motorcycle.  fixing my TA with a new tube was more work, but it worked.  fixing my VFR wheel with a plug was less work, but it didn't work.  

OTOH, the VFR let it's air out of the rear gradually at interstate speed and i was able to calmly head to the shoulder.  the TA's front blew out at interstate speed on a narrow country road between rock-filled ditches and my life flashed before my eyes as fought to control the machine.  

spoked and tubeless would be ideal.

of course, it's all moot.  AmHon believes CBR/VTX/CRF are all they need.  i prefer twins to singles, but the KLR might be my next Transalp.  i don't like the wee.

[mr moto]

back from the paris show, and the new alp look,s much better in the flesh than in the pic,s . it is also very comfortable to sit on . but make no mistake ! this is designed as a do it all bike, perfect for commuting to work or riding off on a two week tour . 19 inch front wheel, ABS an option, and a full touring kit are also available . it will not set the world on fire but it will sell in great numbers over here in euroland . and i did ask about an american release . the answer ? not at this time   here are some pic,s of the basic, and the touring version .

[kevrider]

promo videos here.

[Rincewind]

and i did ask about an american release . the answer ? not at this time  

Thanks anyway for asking.    Nice show pics.  

[Schneegz]

moreoever, spokes = a tube inside the tire...

I don't understand why this is the case with motorcycles.  My mountain bike has spoked wheels and tubeless tires.  Why is it that all motorcycles with spoked wheels have tubes?

[miles]

I don't understand why this is the case with motorcycles.  My mountain bike has spoked wheels and tubeless tires.  Why is it that all motorcycles with spoked wheels have tubes?

Not the case.  There are spoked tubeless wheels out there, but just like your UST rims, the key is that they spokes don't poke all the way through the double walls of the rim.  BMW has had that setup for years.

[zarly]

moreoever, spokes = a tube inside the tire, much easier to repair in case of puncture.

Not necessarily. (GS and KTM Adventure)

[DannyZRC]

KTM rims aren't spoked tubeless, but their tires are tubeless type.

Aprilia caponord/BMW R-GS series however IS spoked and tubeless.

[cjohns]

GEEEZZZZ!

Why WOULDN'T Honda market and bring this bike to the USA???


(no particular order)

-Meets Euro III emission standards (makes the green people happy!)
-Fuel Injected (Great cold weather starts)
-IT's a HONDA!
-Competes with the BMW 650GS, V-Strom, KLR etc.  (What bike does Honda currently sell in this category??)
-700 cc rating should be great on the highway
-COOL V-twin engine

I'd love this for both commuting and touring.

Come on Honda!!

Bring it on!!

(You've sold 1 already!!)



What am I missing here?!?

cj

[Johnny Monsoon]

I would say the exact opposite. I can plug a tubeless tire and be on the road in 10 minutes. You won't have the rear wheel off the bike and be cursing at your tire irons in 10 minutes, let alone have a new tube installed. Tubed tires do offer options if your tire if FUBAR and couldn't be plugged.

Depends on usage and design.  Lots of times you need to step down air pressure quite a bit for certain off road conditions; you'll slide a tubeless tire right off its rim and break the bead if you try to go that low.  Also, there's no doubt about the flexibility of the spoked rim over a cast wheel, so is much better for offroading.  I really wish the Versys had spoked rims; I truly think that was a big oversight for Kawi.  

This is the first bike from Honda in a LONG time that has gotten my serious interest.

[Mach VIII]

...I really wish the Versys had spoked rims; I truly think that was a big oversight for Kawi.

From what I've read, the Versys is NOT designed to go offroad as an adventure bike like the Strom is, so there's no benefit to going with spokes.  Of course to me, not giving it some offroad capability (incl. spoked rims, higher muffler, etc.) is/was the big oversight.  I'm guessing, but maybe they didn't want it to compete with the new KLR and potentially confuse customers.  I dunno.

[Johnny Monsoon]

From what I've read, the Versys is NOT designed to go offroad as an adventure bike like the Strom is, so there's no benefit to going with spokes.  Of course to me, not giving it some offroad capability (incl. spoked rims, higher muffler, etc.) is/was the big oversight.  I'm guessing, but maybe they didn't want it to compete with the new KLR and potentially confuse customers.  I dunno.

I spent a good bit of time on the 650R and one of my very first thoughts were what a great trallie this would be.  I couldn't help but think that with just a tad more travel in the suspenders that the bike would be absolutely amazing.  I'll grant you that it won't take the KLR/DRs place, but it'll do things a big GS could only dream of.  The Strom is heavy (topheavy) and wide across the fairing.  The cast rims limit it further.  The Versys is what I had dreamt the 650R could be, but I sure would love to see it fitted with laced wheels (or come as an option).  One final issue with the 'Strom that simply can't be overcome, and a very important area where the Versys trumps it is the exhaust pipe exposed running directly along the front and then following the underside of the engine.  That's a great placement to really screw up your manifold/head.

[Mach VIII]

Isn't the placement of the Versys exhaust problematic for off-roading though???

I really don't know a great deal about dirt/enduro/adventure bike, but is there a practical (ie. not ridiculously expensive/difficult) way to increase the suspension travel on the Versys.  I guess I'm wondering if it's feasible to make the Versys into an adventure bike and if this is something that folks will be doing.  I'm not planning to or anything, but I think it would be kinda cool.  

[Johnny Monsoon]

Isn't the placement of the Versys exhaust problematic for off-roading though???

I really don't know a great deal about dirt/enduro/adventure bike, but is there a practical (ie. not ridiculously expensive/difficult) way to increase the suspension travel on the Versys.  I guess I'm wondering if it's feasible to make the Versys into an adventure bike and if this is something that folks will be doing.  I'm not planning to or anything, but I think it would be kinda cool.  

I'm not sure it really needs any more for general 'adventuring' in the big trallie world.  As I'd mentioned, I wouldn't really have hesitated to pull the 650R all over gravel and maybe just a tad more.  Any more travel would get you a LOT of places (though no bike of this weight would do well in gnarly, technical stuff).  This is a bike I'd take to AK in a heartbeat.  I would not take it through my favorite singletrack or go looking for any air.  

I totally see where you're coming from though.  But I think back to the early pics of the first HDs.  Those guys rode horrible bikes over horrible roads (when they could find them).  While I think that you can get the right tool for the right job, we really *do* have bikes that are so capable and advanced that they can go nearly wherever we point them with relative reliability.  In the case of the Versys, I think it is a very capable bike for this 'adventure' mission.  I think it is a better commuter bike, but I feel it will likely do what the big GS1200 can do and then some.  I still say it needs spoked wheels though.

To that end, I think the new Transalp from Honda does what the Versys will do, and will serve even better for that serious adventure bike right off the showroom floor.

[zarly]

KTM rims aren't spoked tubeless, but their tires are tubeless type.

Really, I did not know that. When I hit the road with my buddy, we didn't think we would need tire irons because his tires said tubless. Good thing he didn't get a flat!

[pnwroamer]

Petition Honda (U.S. market)

I watched the Yamaha FJR, available in european market only, for 2-3 yrs. and only heard "not for U.S. market".  Some people weren't content to accept this and an internet petition began with constant bombardment of  Yam. U.S. marketing.
 
Carlton is the guy that started the grassroots effort to get the FJR shipped to North America. Without him none of us Americans would have this great bike.  
 
I signed that petition early and I own an '03 FJR, off of the first shipment to U.S. market.  Are people willing to push the issue long and hard enough?????
Would Honda respond or just continue to go about their merry own way???

[kevrider]

i placed a phone call to Yamaha USA about the Tenere.  i'd be willing to sign a petition or whatever regarding the TA as well.  not gonna hold my breath on it, though.  anyway, the bike i really want is a Super Tenere built with the TDM motor.  

[cjohns]

Petition??  You bet!!

Already started one right here!!

COme On HoNdA!

cj

[kevrider]

here's a ride review.  

[cjohns]

120 miles per tank of fuel???

That just doesn't sound right?!?!?

cj

[Aero]

120 miles per tank of fuel???

That just doesn't sound right?!?!?

That was Kevin Ash's main complaint. Otherwise he liked it.

   LINKY

[cjohns]

All right, I officially have a problem with the "120" miles per tank!    


Specs list the tank size at 20 litres, that means the tank is 5.28 gallons.  No way the bike only gets 23 mpg!!!!


120 miles /  5.28 gallons = 22.73 miles per gallon


My Z750 at its worst gets around 42 mpg.


Gotta be a W R O N G calculation somewhere!


cj
 

[miles]

My bet is the reserve light comes on with 2 1/2 gallons left.

[atadaskew]

All right, I officially have a problem with the "120" miles per tank!    


Specs list the tank size at 20 litres, that means the tank is 5.28 gallons.  No way the bike only gets 23 mpg!!!!


120 miles /  5.28 gallons = 22.73 miles per gallon


My Z750 at its worst gets around 42 mpg.


Gotta be a W R O N G calculation somewhere!


cj
 

From Kevin Ash's test,the tank is quite a bit smaller:
"It's a shame there's not more fuel to propel, though – the tank capacity is down from 4.18 to 3.85 gallons"
Those would be imperial gallons so just over 4 US gallons.
Range should be, until yer pushin, about 170-200 miles.

[Rincewind]

Couple pics from an italian blog of the new Transalp with Givi setup..  Very nice!  

[Nodaclu]

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!!!!

Dammit, dammit, dammit!! Why are all the bikes I lust after not sold in this country!!

Drives me nuts.....enough to consider getting out of riding until the kind of bikes I like start ending up on these shores again.

I keep trying to buy bikes that are "close" to what I want, and always seem to end up disappointed.

Sure wish it was more realistic to "gray-market" one of these things in.

[bizarro]

It's a real shame we'll never see that here. Though I probably could talk to an aquaintance who's known to import gray-market bikes from time to time.

[mr moto]

it,s been getting good reviews over here in euroland , but every review i have read.... and i do mean every single one, has commented on the poor tank range of only 120 miles before the reserve light comes on . on the plus side ... the engine which is lifted from the deauville , has been known to go over 100,000 miles without any problem,s .  

[traveler]

Honda, or some aftermarket supplier, will probably sell you a very nice "racing" gas tank, with greater capacity, for a premium price.

I really do not understand Honda's marketing strategy sometimes. They seem totally lost, with the Transalp being just another example.

Anyway, re the Transalp, the damn seat is probably too high for me to even consider it. Looks like a fine urban commuter, though.