Honda Transalp XL750 long-term review, 9,000km report

It has been quite a few months since our last report on the Transalp, and in that time, the bike has just turned one year old. I’m glad to report that there have been no issues with the bike, and it has performed very well as it approaches the 9,000km mark on the odometer.  

Most of my usage has been on long rides, and I have done several trips to places like Bhuj, Badami, Panchgani, Daman, Dapoli, Lonavala, Nashik, Ratnagiri and more. I recently had the second service done at the 7,900km mark, and it was more expensive than I expected. 

Hondas generally have a very good reputation for service costs, so I was surprised to see that the service came up to around Rs 14,000. A big contribution to this was replacing the air filter, which itself costs Rs 7,078 with GST. There was also a Rs 2,124 service charge towards this (with GST), as replacing the air filter on the Transalp is a tedious process that requires removal of the fuel side panels on both sides (and crash guards, if you have them installed). You even need to remove the TFT dash and some panels around it just to access the filter. 

In a dusty environment like ours, easier air filter access would have been much appreciated. Other service costs were more reasonable. The engine oil cost Rs 3,067 and the oil filter Rs 923, both including GST. The service charge in Mumbai was Rs 2,714; again, with GST included. Beyond this, I also replaced the rear brake pads, which cost Rs 4,612 with GST. 

The Transalp has run perfectly all this time, and regular E20 fuel does not seem to be having any negative impact on its performance. Highway performance is superb, and I get a decent fuel economy of around 22-23kpl while holding low triple-digit cruising speeds. There is no range indicator, although the fuel gauge is quite accurate, and I can cover 300-330km before the ‘low fuel’ indicator starts to blink.

The manageable size of the bike is much appreciated, and if you ever have to push it out of tricky situations, it can be done without any help. I have had one puncture so far, but it was an easy fix since I have upgraded to the Africa Twin rims – a costly upgrade, but great for peace of mind.

There are some things that can improve. In the monsoon, some rainwater gets flung off the front wheel onto your helmet and the sides of the fuel tank. The headlight throw is quite weak, and this was made worse by the headlamp grille I installed. A pair of aftermarket aux lights was a must for night riding. I also find that the rear suspension on my 2024 model feels quite basic, and I will be upgrading that soon.

While the Transalp has a few flaws in stock form, it can be upgraded to fix all these issues while remaining much more affordable than the European alternatives. So far, I have been very happy with the bike. 

Written by JIGAR GANGAR