A couple of years ago I bought myself a middle-aged Transalp, even rather old, if not ancient - a Transalp 600 produced in 1990. Soon after the purchase, I became convinced in my own skin that the previously read reviews and articles about this motorcycle were true, Transalp is a really faithful and reliable horse, simple as three kopecks and hardy as Bucephalus. Only one thing immediately caught my eye - the motorcycle is quite tall, and it is advisable to have a height of approximately 170, otherwise you will not be able to reach the ground firmly with both legs while sitting in the saddle.
But those with longer legs will have nowhere to put them - they will become numb during a long ride. Being short-legged, I myself really want to stretch my legs after a couple of hours, but in this case I usually just stand on the footrests and ride like that for a few minutes, since the smoothness of the ride allows it. In general, the Transalp 600 is a high-saddle motorcycle, and generally high; when you ride around the city, you look over the roofs of many cars, so visibility is pleasing. The main advantage, of course, is the suspension; in most cases, you can simply not give a damn about potholes and bumps on our domestic roads. Transalp, of course, is not an enduro at all, it’s better not to drive it into loose sand or mud - it won’t pass there, even if you stick more toothy tires on it, but on all sorts of primers or just on grass it rushes like a tank, you can’t do it at all steam. The suspension travel is large, even with a passenger in the back it never hit me, however, it’s cramped for two people to sit, especially for a passenger taller than 160, and the driver has a hard time.
I was very pleased with the brakes, although not right away. At first it seemed that they were ineffective and uninformative, but after bleeding the brake system of my Transalp and buying new pads for it, the situation changed dramatically - it even began to grip too hard, although perhaps this is due to the fact that the previous owner installed reinforced brake pads on it hoses for the front brake circuit. But overall, I would give a solid A for the brakes.
I can’t say the same about the engine, it seems like fifty forces and a decent amount of torque, but after 100 km/h the agility decreases threefold. From the start to a hundred - it’s cheerful, but after a hundred you already have to calculate overtaking in advance, otherwise you can get caught. A more powerful motor would definitely not hurt the Transalp, subjectively there is little difference at all with the 400 Transalp, maybe a little more traction, but the comfortable speed on the road is the same - no more than 120. The windshield copes at this speed, and there are no annoying vibrations. But it doesn’t matter much, so I’m looking towards the liter Honda Varadero.
In terms of reliability, everything is OK, even taking into account the fact that the motorcycle is already a quarter of a century old. I won’t say the real mileage - who knows, but under me it has already covered 20 thousand without major repairs, only the tires, clutch and chain with sprockets have been changed. The throttle cable was also torn, but this, again, is not an indicator for an old motorcycle. There were no problems with the engine, gearbox or suspension. Well, who knows what will happen next, but for now I’m going.
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Review of the Honda XL600V Transalp motorcycle
I bought an old transalp in the spring. Year of manufacture 1989, no problems! Everything that is written about this model is true - it is a strong, reliable and loyal friend. With my height of 165 cm, I lean on the toes of my boots, I don’t complain anymore, I’m used to it. I sit high up, look far away, spit on potholes, and arrange four-wheelers on the Russian dirt road in such a way that some then go 30 km. They can’t calm down and, continuously crossing the solid road, they try to prove how fast they really are! Comfortable driving speed is 90-110 km/h. After two hours of movement, I want to take a different body position. Vibrations and shaking? What is this?
