| Harry Shaw recently put our new Transalp XL700V demo bike through its paces. These are his first impressions ...
God had his Triumph, but Methusalah must have ridden a Transalp. This bike has been around for so long it is difficult for even giffers to remember when it was introduced. It has evolved over years without major structural changes, which tells its own story. Actually, the Transalp was a triumph for Honda. Not a mad ‘Sale of the Century’ arm waving and hooting success, but a quiet one, a proper, long term success.
Sports bike riders will say the engine is ‘soft’. Hard core MotoX types might scream that the frame doesn’t look that strong. Real, everyday riders will tell you it’s a bike you can trust. Some owners we know have found 80,000 miles without major faults the norm. You can cover thousands and thousands of miles in comfort and safety. You can go quite fast enough, even though the top speed is said to be a ‘lowly’ 110/115 mph. I ask you, who actually needs more than that on our roads, and on a trail style bike? It’s light, and not only can you take it to all sorts of places you never expected to be able to, including round the world as one of our own members did (You may have read about Alex Ramirez elsewhere on the site) The bike easily wins the morning rush hour battle, the riding position and lightening quick changes of direction making life really easy. So, let’s look at the most recent update.
The nature of the engine allows the rider to take some liberties because that softness we talked about allows less than perfect petrol to be used occasionally. Even in its gruntier 700cc version that’s not been lost, and those extra 50ccs will make you feel good as you chase your mates and sometimes wave them goodbye on twisty roads. The new fatter front tyre adds to your confidence when you switch direction on a Derbyshire park road, being much more road orientated than its 650 predecessor.
The brakes will haul you down quickly when you need them although you rarely will, because on this bike you’ll relax as you ride. The cases will take your luggage where you want to go, while you admire the scenery from the high and wide riding position. The seat is wide and just hard enough for real long distance comfort, though I am no fan of seats which press you forward and lock you in. Then there is that new bodywork. Love it or hate it, it brings the bike a long way into the Varadero family and the headlight makes the bike seem very different and much more masculine than its predecessor. Older owners will miss the shotgun exhaust but the new one is smart too.
More powerful, more stable and sharper, then maybe better looking than its predecessors, this is an excellent example of evolution. Those who try them for any length of time usually love them.
Harry Shaw |
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