WRONG WAY DOWN REDUX: HONDA TRANSALP

by Ian

I had no intention of spending much of the Wrong Way Down ride on the Transalp but ended up riding the venerable Honda all the way.

The Honda Transalp was born on the trails as the XLV600 but has evolved into a street-tourer with options. There is much history with Honda and adventure bikes but we tend only to think of the Bavarian in Australia. Historically, Honda has manufactured a pride of dual-purpose bikes around the world based on the NXR-800, which won the Paris Dakar 3 times in the late 80's, and the family includes the Honda Africa Twin XRV650 XRV750, Transalp XL600V XL650V, Varadero XL1000V XL125V and Dominator.

Dirt Road Tourer: Ian's ride on the Wrong Way Down cruise

A relatively slow steering bike, the Transalp offers a comfortable riding position with a friendly spread of power. After a constant diet of punchy dirt bikes, I spent the first day bemoaning a lack of rear wheel steering and front wheel lofting on offer. By day two I was using the clutch like it was a two stroke out of corners and planning how I would change everything to make it into the bike I wanted. By day three, I shut up and appreciated the simplicity of the bike and its demographic.

One of the advantages of riding a bike you didn't plan to spend much time on from Sydney to Phillip Island in the dirt is that you appreciate the versatility of the market offerings and capabilities that an otherwise overlooked bike brings to the table.

The Honda offered off road capability, fair protection from the elements, a low revving, and low maintenance engine with decent fuel consumption and thus range. I let my mind wander to the 1000cc Varadero that sources its motor from the VTR1000 but then remembered that when we could buy them in Australia, no one did. This is of course why you can't get them here.

What I ultimately came to terms with was an affordable and good value bike that will take you to places you normally wouldn't expect. In addition it can tour around the countryside and commute through the city.

In perspective, if you were riding like we were all the time, you would not choose this bike but in reality, trips like this for most are a once in a lifetime affair. If you wanted to ride around Australia racking up big miles, it might not be the BMW GS Adventure, but it was not designed to be. What it is though is much more than a chooky.