[sharad_kmc]

Congratulations on the new bike. Sorry to hear about the puncture woes. My bike has reached the Kolkata showroom and I have requested them to deliver it with Outex (one of the sales people has sourced it). As per the dealership it will take up to 4 days for the Outex and accessories to be ready. I have opted to go with the OEM accessories even though they are priced a bit higher as compared with the aftermarket options due to ease of availajility. Was in two minds about the Auxillary lights, but reading through your impressions feel they are a must have. Showroom has the option of sourcing Denali D4’s (feel they are slightly pricy). Was wondering if I should continue with the same tubed tyre setup after the Outex. Any info on tyre setup or aux lighting will be appreciated.

[the_90s_car_guy]

Originally Posted by setuniket

Check if the local Apollo dealer can arrange for a 21 inch tube and 18 inch tube. 18inch tubes are also available on amazon.

Thanks. I asked around a bunch of shops here, and only some of them have stocks for the front 21-inch. The rear is not available anywhere in Chennai in this size.

Originally Posted by Nilesh5417

That's a nice looking bike! Especially the white colour is really nice. Heartiest congratulations!

Indeed! Honda hasn't offered a tubeless variant or an alloy version internationally. However, the dealer did offer to fit Honda Africa Twin's tubeless spoked rims, but they cost 1.4L!

I thought I'll probably go the OUTEX way and ensure I proactively replace it every 2.5- 3 years. It's far more economical.

[the_90s_car_guy]

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

I guess Sugidharan had made a post in his Instagram about a Transalp puncture and the ensuing difficulty in you getting a help, are you the one?

Yup! That was me. We were all riding together back to Chennai when this happened.

My bike has reached the Kolkata showroom and I have requested them to deliver it with Outex (one of the sales people has sourced it).

Congratulations on your new purchase. Save for this one irritant with the tyres, this is a great bike, and I'm sure you'll love riding it around!
As for the Outex, that is a wise decision!

Was in two minds about the Auxillary lights, but reading through your impressions feel they are a must have. Showroom has the option of sourcing Denali D4’s (feel they are slightly pricy).

IMO, Baja Squadron Sports is a better option, which I've ordered for myself. It comes to around 27k and I feel the illumination is pretty good for highway riding as it has a flood+spot hybrid. The D4s are definitely more powerful and put out atleast 40-50% more lumens - but also cost more. For my riding style which is mostly highway touring, the Bajas seemed VFM.

Was wondering if I should continue with the same tubed tyre setup after the Outex.

If you wrap outex around the rims and still stick to the current setup, you'll still run into the same problem I have - fixing it in the middle of nowhere, in case of a puncture. My dealer advised to change to tubeless tyres if I'm going for outex. Considering those new tyres' high costs, I planned to do it much later.

[the_90s_car_guy]

Originally Posted by skviknaraj

Congrats on the purchase.

Can you share the Rim size if possible? to see the available tube options.

The front is 90/90 R21
and the rear is 150/70 R18

Front tubes seem to be available readily. Rear though, isn't.

[skviknaraj]

Originally Posted by the_90s_car_guy

The front is 90/90 R21
and the rear is 150/70 R18

Front tubes seem to be available readily. Rear though, isn't.

Thanks man.

On the rims you should be seeing a number like 4.00-21 or something similar. Can you share the pic if possible?

[sharad_kmc]

Hello guys, just an update on my bike. Wanted to get it delivered with Outex and accessories. However the Kolkata dealership was unable to source it through regular vendors. I have ordered the Outex for Transalp 750 from Japan via an online reseller. Let’s see how the custom duties add up to the sticker price. The bike is ready and I am currently awaiting the temporary registration formalities for delivery.

[sharad_kmc]

An Update. The bike finally reached home. Used a bike delivery service from Kolkata (rolling wheels). They were pretty professional with the packaging and delivery. Got the bike at 11.55pm at night yesterday. The white looks impressive in person. I am 5’8 and my wife felt I was dwarfed by the bike.
This marks an end to about 2 months of waiting, I had booked the bike in March.

[camitesh]

Originally Posted by sharad_kmc

The white looks impressive in person. I am 5’8 and my wife felt I was dwarfed by the bike.
This marks an end to about 2 months of waiting, I had booked the bike in March.

Congratulations buddy! Personally, I really like white colour on bikes especially on Honda bikes and Transalp is no exception. It really brings out the proportions and you don’t seem to be dwarfed in any sense.

Glad that the delivery transport wasn’t messed up. Did Honda arrange it and how much did it cost you?

[sharad_kmc]

Hello Camitesh, thanks buddy. The transport to my hometown (Jamshedpur) was via an independent bike transport company called “Rolling Wheels” in Kolkata. They charged me 15 Grand with packaging. I saved a working day, and was spared the Kolkata rains and traffic. Felt the service was well worth it.

[sharad_kmc]

I finally went for a Sunday ride to the nearby trails with my riding group. The smaller trail sections had become satisfyingly slushy and provided a great feel. The bike felt balanced and could keep up with the fellow riders. Note: I was a Harley rider till a couple of months back and a recent convert to the ADV segment in my riding group. Transalp put a grin on my face and it felt like a total paisa wasool investment on my first long drizzly Sunday ride.

[BoltThrower]

I see a lot of happy Transalp (TA) owners here and wish them rubber side down and many happy miles. A few questions for the owners:

1. I couldn't help but notice that most have gone the way of Honda OEM crash bars and sump guard. According to the price list shared with me by Honda Pune, the top guard + lower guard + skid plate combo is 1.25L! Going the Hepco or SW route costs about 75k. Are the OEM accessories better or is Honda providing discounts?

2. I asked Honda Pune about the quick-shifter(QS) and they seem to have never heard of it. An English youtuber who goes by the name Rocketman got his TA with all the guards and QS pre-installed, free of charge. Lucky bugger. North Americans get QS as standard but they don't get the Ross White option so I'm not as peeved about that. Has anyone here heard anything about QS availability in India?

3. The internet is awash with praise for the TA relative to its direct competitors - V-Strom 800DE, Tuareg 660, Tenere700. I see lots of reviews comparing it to the Tiger 900 as well but very few with the Tiger 850 which logically is much closer in terms of power, cost, features etc. Does anyone here have any experience with both the Tiger 850 and the TA? I'm mostly interested in criteria such as -
a) heat management
b) aftersales and service
c) touring comfort
d) smiles per mile/giggle factor/helmet head

Thanks in advance, good folks of TBhp

[skviknaraj]

Originally Posted by BoltThrower

1. I couldn't help but notice that most have gone the way of Honda OEM crash bars and sump guard. According to the price list shared with me by Honda Pune, the top guard + lower guard + skid plate combo is 1.25L! Going the Hepco or SW route costs about 75k. Are the OEM accessories better or is Honda providing discounts?

You can get discounts on the OEM Accessories. This is given by the dealer, so how good are you at bargaining?

One reason to go with Honda OEM is that you can get the entire set in one go. Crash guards from H&B seem to be out of stock for the entire set and will require you to procure as separate parts from each retailer, if at all they are available. There is a mounting plate that needs to ordered separately for H&B. An alternate is the SRC moto crash guards.

SW Motech crash guards mount using the main engine bolt directly. This was one reason I avoided them. The bash plate does not seem to be very friendly for oil changes also.

One disadvantage with the HONDA upper crash guards is that they have mounting points for the OEM fog lights which make using third party aux light mounts a pain in the behind to get a proper fixing location. Apart from this they are easy to remove if you want to remove the upper fairing. Also the clearance between the crash pipes and the bike plastics are fairly close.

Originally Posted by BoltThrower

2. I asked Honda Pune about the quick-shifter(QS) and they seem to have never heard of it. An English Youtuber who goes by the name Rocketman got his TA with all the guards and QS pre-installed, free of charge. Lucky bugger. North Americans get QS as standard but they don't get the Ross White option so I'm not as peeved about that. Has anyone here heard anything about QS availability in India?

QS is not an official accessory in India. You can either get it from Japan or Thailand and get it installed here. Installation also seems straight forward. You will require the service key from Honda service center to enable it. (there are ways to make your own key).

If you are really intent on getting it, you can ask the Pune service guys to order this part no. 08U70-MLC-D00 or get it from Japan/ Thailand.

[BoltThrower]

Originally Posted by skviknaraj

how good are you at bargaining?

Evidently not as good as I thought. I was able to wrangle up free RSA for a year and free installation of OEM accessories but that's about it. This is what Honda Pune quoted me:
Ex showroom - 10,99,990
Insurance 1+5 - 48000
Regn + Road tax - 2,34,998
TCS @ 1% - 11,000
Total - 13,93,988
No handling charges or any other add-ons were quoted.

In contrast, Triumph initially quoted me 14,69,591 for the Tiger 850 which I was able to negotiate down to 14,12,180 inclusive of 2 years' RSA. That seems like a really good deal but I'm still rather confused between the two and as it stands, I'm leaning towards the Transalp.

Originally Posted by skviknaraj

SW motech crash guards mount using the main engine bolt directly. This was one reason I avoided them.

This is good to know

Originally Posted by skviknaraj

If you are really intent on getting it, you can ask the Pune service guys to order this part no. 08U70-MLC-D00 or get it from Japan/ Thailand.

Good info. Thanks heaps.

[Nilesh5417]

Originally Posted by BoltThrower

but I'm still rather confused between the two and as it stands, I'm leaning towards the transalp.

Sorry..not following the thread but have you ridden them both? I have ridden the triple engine in the T900 and I own an L-twin. I would prefer the triple over the twin anyday. I know choosing a bike is sum of parts but do take a test ride to see which one do you enjoy more.

[the_90s_car_guy]

Great questions. I've had them as well. Let me answer one by one.

1. I couldn't help but notice that most have gone the way of Honda OEM crash bars and sump guard. According to the price list shared with me by Honda Pune, the top guard + lower guard + skid plate combo is 1.25L! Going the Hepco or SW route costs about 75k. Are the OEM accessories better or is Honda providing discounts?

I had this dilemma when I bought mine a few months ago. Honda's accessories were about 30-40% more expensive than H&B but I could not find or prove that they were 40% "better". Honda's bash plate, in particular, is big and ugly compared to the sleek look H&B (bash plate) has. So, I procured them from Moto Usher, who is H&B's official India dealer and handed them over to the BigWing showroom, where it was installed by Honda technicians for a reasonable fee. I took delivery of the vehicle with the H&B upper + lower crash guards + H&B Bash plate + SW Motech centre stand + Barkbusters handguards installed. Honda's hand guards, for instance, are only made of plastic and do not have the metal braces Barkbusters has. So, your levers and fingers will not be as protected with the plastic OEM ones. If you can get atleast some of the parts in advance, the major advantage of the OEM parts will be negated.

Also, you do not need to buy the H&B mounting bracket/adapter if you're installing both the H&B upper and lower crash guards like I did. However, if you choose to install only the lower part, you'd need to get it.

2. I asked Honda Pune about the quick-shifter(QS) and they seem to have never heard of it. An English Youtuber who goes by the name Rocketman got his TA with all the guards and QS pre-installed, free of charge. Lucky bugger. North Americans get QS as standard but they don't get the Ross White option so I'm not as peeved about that. Has anyone here heard anything about QS availability in India?

The US spec Transalp makes only 83 HP versus the Global spec model, which makes about 91. It also redlines sooner at almost 1,000 RPM less. This is to comply with US' EPA noise regulations and has affected other models from other makers too. Some there have theorised that the QS is being offered by Honda as a brownie to improve its value proposition and justify the price, which is similar to the more powerful European model.

When I bought mine in May, Chennai BigWing told me that they could purchase and install QS as an accessory for a price of Rs 18,000 ( + installation costs). I was given the option to do it in my first service as it needs to be back-ordered. However, over the course of riding it, I've found the gear shifts to be precise and the clutch to be so easy to use that I chose to spend a part of the money I initially earmarked for the QS instead to get a PPF coat on my white Transalp. My recommendation would be to wait a while and then decide?

3. The internet is awash with praise for the TA relative to its direct competitors - V-Strom 800DE, Tuareg 660, Tenere700. I see lots of reviews comparing it to the Tiger 900 as well but very few with the Tiger 850 which logically is much closer in terms of power, cost, features etc. Does anyone here have any experience with both the Tiger 850 and the TA? I'm mostly interested in criteria such as -
a) heat management
b) aftersales and service
c) touring comfort
d) smiles per mile/giggle factor/helmet head

I ride with a group that has the old 800, the 850 and the 900 and I got the chance to try them all over short and long distances. In fact, I had seriously looked at the 850 as an option before locking in on the Transalp because of this initial exposure.

I think globally, Triump offer a no-frills base Tiger 900, a 900 GT and GT pro models and finally the 900 Rally and Rally pro models. India never got the base 900 and instead only got the 900 GT, the Rally and the Rally Pro alone. This helps differentiate the 850 from the GT pro model. As you know, the 850 is just a de-tuned version of the 900 and misses out on many 900 features to give you a nearly 2 Lakh lesser sticker price.

Both the 850 and the 900 looks like bigger bikes from every angle when compared to the Transalp, except maybe from the sides where the latter looks just as tall as the former. That and the relatively more upmarket perception of the Triumph brand mean that it will always attract the most attention over Transalp.

That said, I hated the heating issues on all Tiger models (800 being the worst). The radiator fan will vent all the heat from the engine on to your knees (I think this has been fixed in the latest facelift to the 900 range by moving the fans to the sides, but I'm not sure if the 850 ever got it) while the heat radiating from the chassis will be strongly felt near your shoes and your calves. It gets very uncomfortable very quickly in Chennai's heat and you can feel it inside your riding boots too, over long rides. I also noticed a strong buzz in the handle bars between 90 kmph and 110 kmph - which is usually what we get to cruise at in group rides. Besides, the service experience at Chennai Triumph is terrible, and that's putting it mildly. The spares are more expensive to the Honda, too.

Honda does heat up a bit in crawling traffic but nowhere near the 850 (or 900) levels. The heat management is excellent in the Transalp, and the vehicle cools down once you start moving at decent speeds. It is also not top-heavy (yes Tiger 800, I'm looking at you!) and easy to manage. The 850/900 is better than than the 800 on this but the Transalp is MUCH better and easier to handle. I guess you could say that it lacks both the visual and the physical bulk.

It's hard to talk about Smiles per mile as it's purely subjective. I did enjoy the Tigers otherwise, and there are a lot of riders who live happily with them. I guess it won't matter much once you buy one.

But the Transalp is just easier.

It's easier to ride, easier to park, easier to make a U-turn, easier to rev hard, easier to get good mileage (I get 20-21 kmpl inside the city on office commutes) and most importantly, easier on my pocket. And cumulatively, all these add up to an easier overall ownership for me.