Honda's XL750 Transalp wants to dethrone Yamaha's T7

Honda takes off the wraps of XL750 Transalp at the Makina Moto Show

The Yamaha Tenere 700 (T7) enjoys a comfortable market share lead in the middleweight adventure bike segment since it was introduced just before the global pandemic hit. It’s simplicity, Japanese make reliability and reasonable SRP make the T7 a favorite among adventure riding enthusiasts.

But hold on, Yamaha, Honda has finally a weapon to match the T7.

XL750 Transalp

With the booming middleweight adventure bike segment, it is inevitable for Honda to join this very lucrative market and rumors of the Transalp’s revival have been lingering on since 2021.

The new XL750 Transalp is powered by a newly-developed parallel-twin, liquid-cooled 755cc engine that is shared with the new CB750 Hornet. As for the features, the new XL750 Transalp will be more technologically advanced than the T7, boasting a Throttle By Wire (TBW) system, 5 riding modes, ABS, and Honda’s Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) with integrated Wheelie Control.

The new XL750 Transalp also boasts a 5-inch TFT display, as well as the connectivity of the Honda Smartphone Voice Control system (HSVCsi) for Android and IOS devices. All lighting is LED; the indicators auto-cancel and also include an Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) technology to warn other road users of sudden braking. ESS automatically activates the hazard lights during sudden braking.

Paying homage to the original Transalp's off-road prowess, the new XL750 also has 21-inch front and 18-inch rear tires, 200/190mm suspension travel for front and rear, and 210mm ground clearance (8.26 inches).

Seat height is standard at 850mm, while 820mm for the low seat option. The fuel tank capacity though is a bit small at 16.9 liters which gives the XL750 Transalp a claimed fuel range of less than 400 kilometers in one top-up. The kerb weight of the Transalp is 3 kilograms heavier than the T7 at 208 kilograms.

The SRP of the new Honda XL750 Transalp is PHP 598,000. The All-New XL750 Transalp is available in Ross White and Matte Ballistic Black Metallic.