Honda Transalp XL750 long-term review, 5400km report – Introduction

I have always enjoyed owning adventure bikes, and after moving from a Himalayan 411 to a Hero Xpulse 200, to a Suzuki V-Strom SX, and most recently a Versys 650, I was finally ready to go for an even bigger one.

I initially planned to go for a Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro, but it was slightly out of my budget, and I was also concerned about its reputation for high running costs. After the top-heavy Versys, I wanted something that felt lighter and easier to manage. Plenty of chats with Rishaad in the office led me down the path of the Transalp XL750, which seemed to be the best bet for my requirements.

What helped my decision was that the BigWing showroom in Andheri was very helpful – they gave me two test rides and even arranged a low seat for me, which is always helpful for my 5’5” frame. The first test ride was in heavy traffic, and the bike was super easy to manage – it almost felt like I had owned it for years, and the connection was instant.

My only concern was how it would perform on the highway, and the dealership was happy to give me a second test ride. I took a longer ride of about 15km on a Sunday morning, which further convinced me of the bike’s handling and power. So much so that I immediately made the booking. Luckily for me, there were two bikes available in stock.

Quickshifter is an optional extra but is reasonably priced and works very well.

I selected the one I wanted, negotiated a small discount, and opted for some official accessories. What I immediately went for were the upper crash bars, the low seat and the centre stand. While the quality is good, Honda charges too much for these accessories, and these three alone cost me Rs 85,000. I have subsequently added some high-quality aftermarket mods, like an SW Motech sump guard and Barkbustershandguards, both of which were more affordable than Honda’s own accessories.

The official accessories are of good quality but come at a very high price.

The first service was scheduled at the 700km mark, and I quickly got that out of the way with weekend rides to Lonavala. It included an oil change and a general check-up, all completed in just two hours – and I got to witness the bike being serviced. It wasn’t a free service, but at Rs 7,150, it was quite reasonable for a big bike.

My first long ride was to Bhuj, a 2,400km round trip. One of my main concerns with the bike was its tubed tyres, and I wanted to fix that before the ride. The solution was to purchase a pair of Africa Twin tubeless rims from Honda, which cost Rs 1.62 lakh, including the front and rear brake discs and a few other small components that needed to be replaced. Alongside this, I also installed the optional bi-directional quickshifter, which costs around Rs 17,000.

Stock rims run tubed tyres, and it’s an expensive issue to properly address.

I have since clocked over 5,000km, and the bike has run absolutely flawlessly. This is easily the best motorcycle I have owned to date, and though there are many things I love about it, a few things could be better. We’ll discuss these in the next report.

Written by Jigar Gangar

Also see: Ather Rizta long term review, 2,300km report