Honda Transalp?

[frenchy3]

Hi all,
i love my Suzuki DRZ400s and don,t think i will sell it any time soon. It is the first bike i have wanted to keep for any length of time since my Harley Davidson MT350. I had a BMW F800GS as a do it all bike but soon realized there is no such thing........see various threads to that effect. The BMW was a lovely bike but i didn,t really appreciate it at the time.
I was looking at Honda transalp as a comfortable road bike but with trail bike sit up and beg styling and legendary reliablility. I don,t mind something a bit dull and am not hung up on power output and acceleration any more.
I don,t think i will be a serious off roader any more and the DRZ will satisfy any easy green laning i fancy doing.
Any thoughts on the Transalp as a cheap(under £2500) commuter and tourer(solo) or are there better bikes to look at. I do fancy a twin cylinder as i already have a single or i would look at F650gs,Tenere etc.
Thanks in advance for any ideas.

[Tramp]

I had a 2004 model and did 50k commuting, touring and genrally abusive green lanes and europe... It was ace apart from sticking brakes and choke plunger... All honda v twins are same... Ride one then test a cb500x...

Translap are a bastard to xhange plugs and need coolant changed correct time... Xrv forum is good.

The cb500x is the new transalp but better engineered more economical and iff you wait till november time there will be bargains galore... 2014 model at 2500 quid is possible with 30k on engine... They cover 100k no probs.... Also try the nc700x... Good seeting position and excellent engine...

All dull as dish water but hey they do the same job day in day out without drama... Whixh is what you want yep....

Or try a tdm900... Teedeeium for nothing but ezcellent touring and commute bikes...

[hotbulb]

Loved my Transalp.. some 35000+ miles over 7 years, until it was written off. Replaced it with a VStrom 650 which is, more or less, the same thing ... upright,comfortable, economical, and reliable.... and the VStrom's got a bit more power and better economy ( I'm getting well over 60mpg) and, I fancy, slightly better handling, perhaps because of the 19", rather than 21" front wheel.
I've always fancied a bigger, faster bike - haven't we all?- but being realistic a 650 is fast enough, and nimble enough for today's roads and isn't too heavy - always a consideration!

[frenchy3]

Loved my Transalp.. some 35000+ miles over 7 years, until it was written off. Replaced it with a VStrom 650 which is, more or less, the same thing ... upright,comfortable, economical, and reliable.... and the VStrom's got a bit more power and better economy ( I'm getting well over 60mpg) and, I fancy, slightly better handling, perhaps because of the 19", rather than 21" front wheel.
I've always fancied a bigger, faster bike - haven't we all?- but being realistic a 650 is fast enough, and nimble enough for today's roads and isn't too heavy - always a consideration!

Thanks for the positive comments,the later Transalp 700 has the 19" front wheel as far as i am aware. I may stretch to one of those for the added bonus of fuel injection too.

[PHILinFRANCE]

I have and loved my 1999 600 took me and our lass all over , can't remember how many kms we did but still fancy another and i can pick one up for pennies here
https://www.leboncoin.fr/motos/1463376425.htm/

[hotbulb]

..... and I should have mentioned: my VStrom has cast wheels, rather than built-up spoked wheels....much, much, much easier to clean! (and taking tubeless tyres, which behave much better in the event of a puncture, deflating slowly, not catastrophically fast).

Fuel injection's OK (at least until it goes wrong ), but can be a bit "snatchy"at small throttle openings - carbs are a bit softer".

[hampsterracing]

I have a 2010 700 and it is spot on for road with plenty of devon and cornwall back lanes and the odd easyish trail 5k miles in twelve months all 2 up and no issues so far (xr250 for the proper trails)

riding position is spot on i tried the cb and the nc before buying it but both were cramped for me.

[Elmer J Fudd]

I had one, a 2012 vaa (or something), I got it for blatting about the Yorkshire Wolds on evenings and the odd weekend away when I worked down that way.

They are great bikes and have much more character than the newer Honda models. For instance you will never have a cold right foot and when you think it is about to blow up with a death rattle, it is only a loose exhaust cover....

Powerful enough for motorway riding two up with panniers, but not really a serious off-roader without mods. A bit vibey at times, but you will always have a smile.

Only issue I had was fried Plug-caps, but sorted in 10mins after ordering NGK replacements on FleaBay.

Since we are on about Transalps, I still have a Givi Touring screen in the garage if anyone wants it?