The Honda XL750 Transalp has been updated for 2025, but have the changes made us fall in love with Honda's midweight adventure bike?
Honda resurrected the Transalp in 2023, and we were impressed with the bike's versatility, particularly its on-road performance. However, it was let down in a few areas, including the soft suspension, which made handling it at speed and off-road a bit of a chore.
But Honda has listened, updating the bike for 2025 with tweaked suspension, a new look, updated fairings, and new tech. But is this enough to solve its problems and make the Transalp one of the best midweight adventure bikes on the market?
We travelled to Portugal for the bike's international press launch to put the bike to the test and find out.
Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:10 What's New?
00:02:10 Engine
00:02:52 Handling
00:03:30 Suspension
00:05:34 Looks
00:06:34 Brakes
00:07:13 Off-Road
00:08:55 Value for money
00:11:00 Conclusion
Background
The first Transalp arrived back in 1987 and proved popular around the world before disappearing from the Honda lineup in 2012. The Transalp name has always been synonymous with reliability and the ability to get from A to B, wherever A or B may be.
The Honda XL750 Transalp is powered by the same parallel twin engine found in the Honda CB750 Hornet, which puts out 90.5bhp and 75Nm of torque, squaring the Transalp up against rivals like the Yamaha Ténéré 700 and Suzuki V-Strom 800. It's built around a steel diamond frame which weighs 18.3kg, and the entire bike has a wet weight of 210kg. Showa suspension is fitted at the front and rear of the bike, with 200mm and 190mm of travel respectively, combined with a ground clearance of 210mm.
The brakes are a two-piston calliper working dual 310mm discs at the front, and a single-piston calliper paired with a 256mm disc at the rear. Wheel sizes are off-road biased with a 21-inch front and an 18-inch rear, with spoked wheels and tubed tyres.
The fuel tank has a 16.9-litre capacity, with fuel range sitting around 170 miles, and the seat is an easy-going 850mm height, with a low 820mm seat available as an option.
For 2025, Honda has decided to sharpen up its styling, and the bike looks all the better for it.
Gone is the old, rather anonymous headlight that made the Transalp resemble Honda’s workhorse, the CB500X, and in its place is a new twin LED projector light resembling the one found on the mighty Africa Twin.
The bike’s facelift is completed by tweaks to the upper fairing and a new windscreen featuring an intake duct, all of which has been designed to improve airflow around the rider’s helmet and body.
Plus, Honda has revised the suspension settings in a bid to improve one of our main criticisms of the bike, which was that the handling became vague when loaded up with luggage or confronted with rough roads.
Has Honda done enough to make the Transalp a serious contender against its many excellent rivals? Find out in the video.
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