Honda XL750 Transalp Upgrade - 1000PS Tune-Up 2024 Stage 1

The new edition of the Transalp was introduced in 2023 and has now fully arrived in our market. As an accessible adventure bike, it offers a versatile package at an attractive price of under €10,000. This apparently appeals to many customers, as the Transalp made it into the top 10 best-selling motorcycles in the first half of 2024. In our previous tests of the Honda XL750 Transalp, it largely impressed, but there is not only praise for the Transe.

In some areas, the budget cuts Honda had to make to offer the XL750 at such an affordable price are noticeable. The new twin-cylinder engine is a dream, but we believe the new Transalp doesn't fully utilize its potential. This might be intentional, as the manufacturer also makes good money with accessories. For the first steps of our TuneUp, we don't even need to scour the websites of specialized accessory manufacturers, because Honda Original Accessories already offer some useful upgrades. We had these additional parts installed directly from the factory.

• Must-Have No. 1: Heated grips. Hardcore riders might scoff, but for daily and touring riders, in my opinion, they are a must. Riding in the rain and single-digit temperatures is already unpleasant. Why should you also endure burning or numb fingers? Honda's heated grips are invisibly integrated and can be conveniently controlled via the FN button and the TFT display.
• Must-Have No. 2 (at least for riders who like to ride faster): The quickshifter. The 750cc parallel-twin of the Transalp is one of the best in this segment. It responds well to the throttle, offers a nice balance of torque and rev-happiness, and also produces a cheeky, raspy roar. However, if you want to get the maximum riding pleasure and performance out of the engine, you should check the box for the quickshifter in the configurator. The shift assistant with blipper function shifts precisely through the gears even at low revs, but makes the most sense at a brisk pace, where it only minimally interrupts the symphony of the accelerating bike.
• Must-Have No. 3 (for tall riders): High windscreen. The standard windscreen directs the wind, including loud turbulence, to nose height and sideways to the helmet for my 1.85 m height. So, anyone similarly tall or taller definitely needs an upgrade. With the high windscreen, the airstream only minimally touched the top of my helmet, making highway stretches much more pleasant.
• The wind deflector set fits perfectly here. The airflow hits the arms, body, and shoulders less, providing even more relaxation in the saddle.
• Hand wind deflector set: While you're at it, you might as well get the hand wind deflector set to protect your hands from cold wind and moisture. Interestingly, despite all these measures, some air still circulates around the rider, as it wasn't unbearably hot on the Transalp with a breathable motorcycle jacket at 35°C in July.
• Blue tank stickers: The white design variant of the XL750 most strongly reminds me of the old Transalp. As a fan of old adventure bikes and the son of a former Transalp adventurer, I was practically obliged to choose this color. However, to prevent the white tank from getting dirty and scratched by rubbing knees, the perfectly fitting tank stickers are a good option.
• Radiator guard: Stage 1 of our Transalp TuneUps focuses purely on riding on paved roads, but even there, stone chips can damage the fairly exposed radiator. The radiator guard prevents this and, with the Transalp lettering, also looks very good.
• 12-volt socket: The Transalp does have a USB port under the seat, but a power source in the cockpit is much more practical.

For the further upgrades, we turned to accessory specialists. First and foremost, SW-Motech for protection and luggage. Typical crash bars on the front side of the tank are intended to protect the most important components of the Transalp in case of a fall. Why not use the original crash bars from Honda? The SW-Motech crash bars cost just a little more than half as much, but are very similarly constructed and also available with black powder coating, which I personally prefer. Matching this, the SW-Motech EVO fog light kit was also mounted on the bars. The LED main headlight provides a decent illumination in the dark, but without cornering lights, you still turn into darkness on twisty roads. The auxiliary lights weigh 1.3 kg and illuminate the night in a wide beam with 1050 lumens. Practical: The backlit switch on the handlebar prevents you from forgetting to turn off the lights when dismounting, thanks to its green light.

When it comes to luggage solutions, there's a lot of choice. Ultimately, for our TuneUp, we opted for the TRAX ADV aluminum case system from SW-Motech. Why? For road use, I prefer hard luggage solutions because they offer additional protection for the bike and contents, and the extra weight doesn't bring as many disadvantages as it would off-road. The TRAX ADV aluminum cases each weigh 5.4 kg, and the side carriers weigh 5 kg. Thanks to the very low-mounted exhaust on the Transalp, no cutout around the muffler is necessary, and both cases offer a substantial 45 liters of volume. Their biggest advantage, however, is that they are top-loading. In my opinion, such top loaders are much easier to handle than side cases with side loading, which require meticulous packing orders to prevent half the contents from falling out when opened. Another big plus for daily use is that the TRAX ADV cases close watertight.

More essential than crash bars and luggage is the seat on the motorcycle, as it is used at all times. The original saddle makes the Transalp accessible due to its narrow waist and a relatively low seat height of 850 mm for an adventure bike. At the same time, the seat cover is not overly fine or thickly padded, which means that the stock Transalp seat quickly becomes uncomfortable and starts to press on longer stages. Although Honda offers a lower seat variant in the accessories, there are no higher or better-padded versions available. As a slightly taller rider, you are not bound to the low seat height and often wish for a bit more comfort for your backside on the Transalp. The best solution to this problem is offered by SW-Motech Customized Seats, the custom seat workshop from SW-Motech. Unlike other accessory manufacturers, you don't have to rely on the quality and comfort of pre-made seats here, but can have your own saddle customized in great detail according to your wishes. An abundance of different materials, covers, stitching, fillings, and colors can be selected in the SW-Seats configurator, allowing the new seat to be configured to match your motorcycle and intended use.

The assembled seat on our Tune-Up Transalp is 20 mm higher with spacer fabric and enhanced padding, offering more comfort and proving beneficial in Stage 2 of the Tune-Up. We used black, bi-elastic velvet-look material with double stitching in blue thread as the cover, which not only visually complements the Transalp but also optimally supports the raised shape of the saddle. The comfort is improved not only by the better filling of the seat but also by the straighter form, which provides more freedom of movement forward and backward. Additionally, the knee angle is more relaxed for long legs. The result: Especially on longer rides, you spend significantly more comfortable time in the saddle of the Transalp. The custom seat from SW-Seats is a recommendable option for tall riders and, for me, the best upgrade of Stage 1.

One of the great strengths of the Transalp's engine is its cheeky, raspy, subtly popping sound, which is already delivered through the stock exhaust system. So, is an aftermarket exhaust even necessary? And how much does it really add? We tried it out and ordered a Titanium Slip-On Muffler from Akrapovic for the Honda XL750 Transalp. This saves 1.6 kg compared to the standard muffler and is supposed to bring an increase of 0.95 hp and 1.3 Nm of torque at 5,700 rpm. My opinion: With the rest of the heavy accessories installed, the weight saving and performance increase are not relevant for the Transalp's intended use. However, the sound with the Akrapovic becomes a bit bassier, more massive, and sounds like it has more displacement. But you hear this less from the outside, as shown by the sound check of the Transalp with and without Akrapovic we recorded for the YouTube video, and more while riding in the saddle. Here, I clearly prefer the enhanced thumping character of the 750 twin-cylinder over the somewhat tinny, brighter stock roar. And there is a small financial advantage to the aftermarket muffler, but this only becomes relevant in Stage 2 of the Honda Transalp Tune-Ups.

The stock Metzeler Karroo Street tires on the Transalp are decent tires, also suitable for light off-road use. For Stage 1 of this project, with almost exclusive riding on paved roads, daily commutes, and leisurely tours, I wanted a pure street tire with good mileage, handling, and short warm-up time. Ultimately, I went with the Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2. This street tire, designed for tourers and adventure bikes, features a bi-compound rubber mix and excellent wet grip, and it hasn't let me down after more than 4,500 kilometers. However, I would have liked to try the brand-new, even better Scorpion Trail 3, but unfortunately, we couldn't manage that logistically.

All these new components and modifications have made riding the Transalp more comfortable and fun than before. However, it is still not perfect, and I am missing important upgrades that could not be realized for various reasons.

First and foremost, like many Transalp enthusiasts, I would wish for a cruise control. Technically, this would be easily achievable due to the existing ride-by-wire system, but Honda decided against it. Why the Japanese do not offer a cruise control for the XL750 Transalp, I can only speculate. Officially, it was stated during the presentation in Portugal that the development of a cruise control would have raised the purchase price of the Transalp, and they wanted to offer it at the admittedly very attractive price. Unofficially, I think that Honda does not want to cannibalize customers from the more expensive Africa Twin and tries to control this through the available features. The problem for us Transalp buyers: A real cruise control cannot be retrofitted either. There are throttle locks, but they are all illegal and potentially dangerous, as the throttle can remain engaged even in the event of a crash. Technologically, it is possible to retrofit a real cruise control through so-called piggyback systems, but it is extremely tricky in terms of approval, subject to strict regulations, and associated with very expensive testing procedures. In total, such a retrofit cruise control would be such a costly endeavor that it is simply not worthwhile even for large accessory manufacturers. As an individual, you can forget about it anyway.

The second missing feature is easier to explain: it's about the center stand. I could have ordered this from the original Honda accessories, but I forgot. The downside: lubricating the chain alone is quite tedious. However, reports from other Transalp riders have also made me aware of an advantage of my omission. As seen in this short video, the soft suspension of the Transalp quickly reaches its limits during semi-sporty riding and bumps, and it scrapes very early. According to the Transalp owners in the comment section, apparently, the center stand scrapes before the pegs. So better without it!

The "problem" of the limited lean angle on the Transalp, of course, mainly shows that the suspension of the Transalp could also be improved. Since Stage 1 of the tune-up should not escalate in cost, I did not want to install a full suspension kit costing several thousand euros at this point. The alternative I was aiming for was a simple swap of springs and oil, but this was unfortunately not available from our suspension partners, so I cannot judge whether a cheap suspension upgrade would bring a relevant improvement. Stage 2 of the project will address this among other things.

Stage 1 of the tune-up focused on everyday and touring aspects on the road, where it will likely be used by most Transalp riders. However, Stage 2 is aimed at those critics who are searching in vain for the adventurous spirit of the original Transalp in the new model. We want to see how much adventure bike is in the Transalp and whether its character can shift from an accessible, relaxed daily companion to a trail-eating adventure bike. Weight savings, essential protection, and increasing reserves are the focus of Stage 2 of the Honda XL750 Transalp tune-up. Stay tuned!