[TusharK]

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) has launched the XL750 Transalp in India. The adventure tourer is priced at Rs 10,99,990 (ex-showroom, Gurgaon). Honda BigWing dealerships are currently taking bookings for the first batch of 100 units. The bike will be imported via the CBU route.



The XL750 Transalp is inspired by the original Transalp of the 1980s. The bike features a compact LED headlamp with a large windscreen and a stepped seat. It rides on a Showa upside-down front fork and Pro-Link monoshock at the rear. Braking is handled by dual 310 mm wave discs with 2-piston calipers in the front and a 256 mm disc at the rear.



The XL750 Transalp is powered by a 755cc parallel-twin engine that puts out 91 BHP and 75 Nm. The engine features downdraft intakes and 46 mm throttle bodies. The cylinders are coated in Nickel-Silicon Carbide which is said to improve engine efficiency.

The bike is equipped with a 6-speed gearbox and a throttle-by-wire system. Riders can choose between 5 riding modes – Sport, Standard, Rain, Gravel and User. Other features include a 5-inch TFT instrument console, Honda Smartphone Voice Control system, Honda Selectable Torque Control, ABS and assist slipper clutch.

[RT13]

Hot dayum Honda!! Are you really waking up?! Say it ain’t so! So soon on the heels of the CB300R’s price drop, this gives me hope.

[100Kmphormore]

Finally! With the impending launch of the VStrom 800DE, and competing with the 850GS as well, seems like they got the pricing right, nearer the 800DE (the 650 was nearly 9L ex showroom, the upcoming will be atleast 10.5L). I hope they get the 2024 CB500X with a 5L exshowroom as well and do great business!

[setuniket]

Finally, Honda India gets its price right in first attempt, good pricing for CBU, considering its for sale in USA at 10k USD and around 10k-11k Euros in EU.

[DivyanshuDiv]

Was expecting this from Honda. I think, they could have launched it at a more aggressive price. But that's fine for this segment.
I hope they bring 2024 500X soon and price it right.
It's already on my radar, just waiting for bigwigs to launch.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Sensible pricing from Honda this time around IMHO. Hope this one won't need the usual price cuts to dispose of the initial batch of 100 units. Honda Big Wing made that mistake 5 times as I mentioned in another thread, good to see them learn.

Transalp is not for everyone, and I already see the biking groups divided by the specs and looks - tubed spoke wheels, CB500X looks etc being the main talking point. But I think the bike brings a very good proposition to the Indian market in the absence of competition like the Tenere and Toureg 660. It produces good power, sounds very good for a stock Japanese parallel twin motor - the 270 degree crank makes it more fun than the usual parallels and to top it all - it just weighs just 208 kgs. This nicely fills the gap between the Suzuki VStrom 650 and the BMW 850 GSA. Plus it's going to be very reliable.

I'll echo Schaaf's words for I couldn't have put it better and wouldn't be of relevance even if i could -

"The Transalp is not a bike for me but still I think it has very good reasons to exist and maybe even be successful. Many of its traits are very much Honda-like...

The new Transalp totally lives up to its heritage of being a friendly and unexcited allrounder."

[th2]

Are the tubed spoked wheels a dealbreaker for anyone in this forum? As in, they have had, or known someone to have had a difficult time dealing with punctures while touring in Indian conditions.

[Darkcloud]

Originally Posted by th2

Are the tubed spoked wheels a dealbreaker for anyone in this forum? As in, they have had, or known someone to have had a difficult time dealing with punctures while touring in Indian conditions.

They are definitely a deal breaker for me. The thought of fixing a puncture on a tubed tyre while off roaring or on the trails is enough to stop me from getting this as an upgrade to my Xpulse.

It’s not because I do not know to fix punctures in tube tyres or even change a tube (I have done both on my Xpulse) but cause I think it’s too much of a hassle and not worth it at all.

Having ridden my 1200GS all over the country I have come to appreciate the peace of mind that accompanies a tubeless setup!

[neil.jericho]

For the first time in a very long time, the overall motorcycle enthusiast community has responded to a Honda big bike launch with a fair degree of positiveness!

While many riders are looking at the Transalp 750 as a bigger version of the excellent and unfairly overlooked CB500X, in my books, its the very capable smaller version of the Africa Twin that will suit the requirements of many adventure riders in the Indian community!

[rahul4321]

The Perfect Upgrade for me coming from my D390 and Himalayan for the purposes of long distance touring.

Any idea what is the India-spec seat height on this one?

Tempted to put money on this in a jiffy but the Honda Spare Parts (or the lack of it) scares me silly. If a Tyre Rim for a CB300 takes more than 60 days then I shudder to think what is going to happen on a Transalp!

Also, I am ready to buy it now that Marc Marquez is not going to get any money from me

Until he was at Honda, I had a self-issued moral prohibition in buying any Honda Superbikes.

[shree_shell]

Glad to see the XL750 launched in India, and hopefully in the Euro power figures i.e. 90HP/75Nm, and NOT the US spec which has -7 HP.

As someone who is eyeing a low to middle-weight adv here in the USA, I have my eyes on Himi450, Tuareg 660, T7, and KTM 890R, I have eagerly waited for the launch ever since they debuted it in EICMA this year, but I honestly feel it did not live up to the hype!

The Good stuff -
1. Lightweight and compact, ideal on-road
2. Excellent power, albeit the engine is not very torquey; making you rev it out
3. Just like the Tuareg, its airbox is in front of the fuel tank, giving the bike a great induction noise upon revving.
4. 270 deg crank parallel twin
5. Honda reliability

The ugly, near dealbreakers:
1. NO Tubeless tires! What? I think now people will appreciate the Himi450, if comes with tubeless tires, even as an option
2. NO adjustable front and rear suspension! The rear suspension is absolutely budget, and any kind of off-road trail will make this bike jump and bounce like a pogo stick; in the worst case - can throw the rider in a ditch.
3. The oil sump sticks down so badly, an easy target for even smaller rocks, and this may be unsolvable

Given this, I do not think the XL750 can be compared with the off-road-y Tuaregs, KTMs, T7s, and the Tigers of the world. At best, this is a road tourer, which can go on gravely off-road terrain. But still, a good addition to the ADV world.

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by shree_shell

The ugly, near dealbreakers:

2. NO adjustable front and rear suspension! The rear suspension is absolutely budget, and any kind of off-road trail will make this bike jump and bounce like a pogo stick; in the worst case - can throw the rider in a ditch.
3. The oil sump sticks down so badly, an easy target for even smaller rocks, and this may be unsolvable

Given this, I do not think the XL750 can be compared with the off-road-y Tuaregs, KTMs, T7s, and the Tigers of the world. At best, this is a road tourer, which can go on gravely off-road terrain. But still, a good addition to the ADV world.

2. Not a dealbreaker if you compare the rivals in india. Tiger 850 sport and F750 GS, both don't offer adjustable forks here and are priced slightly higher. I believe the Transalp gets preload adjustable forks. We don't get the likes of T700 or ADV790/890 in India. The closest rival will be the V-STROM 800DE which is expected to launch here soon.

3. Honda's official accessory bash plate looks solid and covers the sump and exhaust, at least in their official pictures. Aftermarket options will be there as well.

[RT13]

Originally Posted by shree_shell

…I have my eyes on Himi450, Tuareg 660, T7, and KTM 890R, I have eagerly waited for the launch ever since they debuted it in EICMA this year, but I honestly feel it did not live up to the hype!

….
The ugly, near dealbreakers:
1. NO Tubeless tires! What? I think now people will appreciate the Himi450, if comes with tubeless tires, even as an option
2. NO adjustable front and rear suspension! The rear suspension is absolutely budget, and any kind of off-road trail will make this bike jump and bounce like a pogo stick; in the worst case - can throw the rider in a ditch.

Heh, those of us here in India aren’t spoilt for choice like you are I don’t even know why the Himalayan 450 is in your list given all that you have access to. Heck, if you want something smaller, the Honda CL500 is an absolute hoot. And you can choose the Tenere 700 if you want something that’ll go through hell and bring you back with it. Not to mention the KTMs and Nordens.

With respect to the Honda it addresses a specific need for different markets. In a global market if the main setup works for you it’s pretty easy to swap rims/wheels for tubeless and upgrade the suspension. Heck I’m sure there will be cheap tubeless conversions, available commonly, pretty soon. And if that’s not worth it there are always the aforesaid options, not to mention the Suzuki Vstrom 800DE.

Here in India we frankly don’t have many choices compares and are pretty grateful for this. The V, if and when it comes in, should be pretty good but it weighs a whole 10% more and won’t handle like the Transalp. The suspension of the Honda isn’t totally without adjustment and preload should at least help.

This is a Baby Africa Twin almost and has a lot to recommend it in our part of the world. For the likes of you however, the options are endless. Lucky guy!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

While many riders are looking at the Transalp 750 as a bigger version of the excellent and unfairly overlooked CB500X, in my books, its the very capable smaller version of the Africa Twin that will suit the requirements of many adventure riders in the Indian community!

Agree with you Neil.

However, I beg to differ that the CB500X was unfairly overlooked. If anything - it was unfairly overpriced even with the huge discounts that happened towards the end of its life cycle. Pricing aside - the 500X has always been the most hyped up motorcycle on and off the forum, people wishing it would come back, but may be at half the price tag.

That said - as I see with two of my/our friends owning the 500X - in India it doesn't suit the international hyped up role of being the only bike in the garage. The average riding age of the Indian rider is still quite young and we want these machines to provide some fun along with practicality. And the 500X falls way short here! Whereas most of the internarional fanbase it built by older person retiring from more powerful bikes. As we see in our friends cases - It suits well as the tourer in a garage which includes other fun bikes like the Street Triple RS or the Ninja 1000. Nor is it very offroad oriented! Instead of using it as the hyped jack of all trades - it is indeed best used only as a no nonsense long distance tourer.

With almost twice the power at hand, a more interesting 270 degree crank producing one of the most unique exhaust notes from a parallel twin, the torque curvue which is on the sportier side than what Honda is known for - this one (the XL750) certainly can bring some fun element into the ride. With the ergonomics, practicality and typical Honda reliability- it can certainly tour and with the 21 inch spoke wheels setup - it can also offroad.

So looks to me (on paper at least) that the XL750 is more of a mini Africa Twin than a bigger CB500X. With the Africa Twin prices almost doubling in the recent years, the Transalp makes for a good option in the market.

[rahul4321]

Woke up from my sleep and had a sudden itch to book the Transalp because of the VFM factor and it can be my one motorcycle which can do everything. But it doesnt shown an option for my state unfortunately.