Honda XL750 Transalp
When we first broke the news of the new 90 horsepower 755 cc parallel-twin coming from Honda our minds immediately thought, son of Africa Twin! Honda have kept us waiting though… First revealing the new CB750 Hornet, but now we can reveal the one we have really been waiting for, the 2023 Honda XL750 Transalp!
At 208 kg with a full 17-litre tank, and with 200 mm of suspension travel, 210 mm of ground clearance and an off-road ready 21-inch front, the XL looks to be very competitive in this now very crowded middleweight adventure-touring category.
That 21-inch front will prove vital when the going gets proper rough, but the XL750 Transalp does not skimp on the creature comforts for long distance road touring either.
Masatoshi Sato, Transalp Large Project Leader, Honda R&D Japan
“With our new Transalp we looked hard at what made the first model so good and wanted to strike the right balance between urban agility, long-distance, on-road touring comfort and off-road ability. In arriving where we are, we have considered all these aspects in a ‘360 degree’ way, and created a bike that gives riders of all experience levels a fresh new option in the Honda range. The look revives the classic Transalp presence in a modern key, the new engine is incredibly strong and versatile, and the bike has an appealingly long and rich specification list. Around town or around the world – our Transalp is ready!”
This bike is built to go the distance, so genuine comfort, for rider and passenger, matters. Seat height is relatively low at 850mm and the riding position is upright for natural control and leverage.
The riding geometry is also promised to works well when standing up. A rear carrier is standard and there’s a USB socket under the seat for convenience.
The instruments comprise a 5-inch, full colour high-visibility TFT screen, which offers four types of speed/rpm display (3 analogue rev-counter styles and 1 bar) according to rider preference, as well as fuel gauge and consumption, riding mode selection and engine parameters, gear selected and customisable shift-light. Management is via the screen and switchgear on the left handlebar.
The XL750 Transalp’s brand-new 755c parallel twin-cylinder engine has bore and stroke set at 87 x 63.5mm, with compression ratio of 11.0:1. It produces a reasonable whack of top end stick for a relatively small parallel-twin, with a claimed maximum output of just over 90 horsepower at 9,500rpm. This is accompanied by significant usable torque in the low to mid rpm range, rising to a peak of 75Nm @ 7,250rpm.
While mechanically identical to the CB750 Hornet’s unit, the Transalp’s engine TBW settings are tuned differently to focus on an engine intended for the long distance, touring duty.
At just 18.3kg, the steel diamond mainframe is lightweight, 10 per cent lighter than the frame of the CB500X. A major R&D process of reducing the number of reinforcing parts, thinning of the main and down tubes, and optimisation of the upper shock mount and swingarm pivot shape has produced a hugely strong platform, with rigidity balanced to deliver feel to the rider across all conditions and geometry set to inspire confident handling agility. The integrated heavy-duty subframe employs high-tension steel pipework for strength and toughness. Ground clearance is 210mm.
The suspension specifications have been selected based on the all-round concept, with long travel with damping that offers smooth performance and comfort on-road, and reassuring control off-road. Showa 43mm SFF-CATM (Separate Function Fork-Cartridge) USD forks offer 200mm travel with spring pre-load adjustment, and mount by a forged aluminium bottom yoke and cast aluminium top yoke.
With 190mm travel, the Pro-link rear suspension with remote reservoir Showa shock has adjustable pre-load . The swingarm employs the same castings as the CRF1100L Africa Twin, but uses aluminium material exclusive to the Transalp.
Compact, two-piston calipers work dual 310 mm rotors. The rear 256 mm rotor is operated by a single-piston caliper. Stainless steel spoked rims and tubed tyres are a combination of 90/90-21 at the front and 150/70-18 at the rear.
Slow speed U-turns are promised to be easy thanks to a 42° steering angle and 2.6m minimum turning circle.
The XL750 Transalp is available in Ross White, Matte Ballistic Black and Matte Iridium Gray. The Japanese produced machine is expected to arrive in Australia in the second half of 2023. Price will be announced closer to the release date.
Honda XL750 Transalp Specifications
- Engine – Liquid-cooled OHC 4-stroke 8-valve parallel twin with 270° crank and Unicam
- Engine Displacement – 755cc
- Bore x Stroke (mm) – 87mm x 63.5mm
- Compression Ratio – 11.0:1
- Max. Power Output 67.5kW @ 9,500rpm
- Max. Torque 75Nm @ 7,250rpm
- Induction – PGM-FI electronic injection
- Fuel Tank Capacity – 16.9L
- Clutch – Wet multiple, assist slipper clutch
- Gearbox – 6 speed Manual Transmission
- Final Drive – Chain
- Frame Type – Steel diamond
- L x W x H – 2,325mm x 838mm x 1,450mm
- Wheelbase – 1560mm
- Caster Angle – 27°
- Trail – 111mm
- Seat Height – 850mm
- Ground Clearance – 210mm
- Kerb Weight – 208kg
- Suspension Front – Showa 43mm SFF-CA – 200mm travel
- Suspension Rear Monoshock damper, Pro-Link swingarm, 190mm travel
- Rims – Spoked 21-inch (F), 18-inch (R)
- Tyres – 90/90-R21 (F), 150/70-R18 (R)
- Front Brakes – Dual 310mm x 4.5mm ‘wave’ discs with axial mounted
- Rear Brake – Single 256mm x 6.0mm ‘wave’ disc is operated by a single-piston caliper
