Honda Transalp 650 owners review

[@darontan1]

Great content for this model in 2024. For it's intended pupose, the bike is still rock solid till today. I did a few upgrades on my bike over the years which improved it's riding significantly. I had a Nitron rear shock to beef up the rear end. It helped during 2 up riding, braking and low speed steering. I also replaced my stock brake hoses to steel braided. I have been thinking on replacing the exhaust but never got to it so far. The only downside when compared with modern fuel injected bikes is the fuel efficiency. One small trade off to a easy low maintenance budget bike. Guess we cant have it all. Cheers!

[@akadjuwem888]

Kako je super vidjeti naš čovjek a video na svjetskom nivou! U zdravlje!

[@nomadmotorcycle]

Hvala! 😁

[@bojanpetric4607]

Tacno! I ja sam se iznenadio kad sam vidio da prodje kraj kasarne pa u Jelovac 😂

[@Medjed_87]

I was born in that town....it's nice to see it through your camera lens :) hopefully one day I'll stop by with my AT. Your content is truly good, has a good vibe how to say, excellent video editing. I hope you will make a bit more videos, maybe a few video clips with tips and tricks on how to ride offroad. Good luck my Honda brother :)

[@nomadmotorcycle]

Hopefully 😁. Thank you so much. Comments like these, make me want to do this more... I will try my best.

[@georgem8973]

great video wich says a lot about this bike. I'm about to get one for myself too, because here in Greece there are many off road options that my Suzuki V-strom 650 can't handle!

[@nomadmotorcycle]

Thank you...

[@robrob9050]

@@georgem8973 TA is national motorcycle in Greece, plenty of them on street every day.

[@boblea1414]

Hey, interesting video, just picked up a 2001 model I got for a good price. I still have my 87 xl600v I bought in Canada, the 55 hp version. When I bought my 1987 I decided I did not like Totonto seeing I was raised in Marbella, Spain. So I traveled 5500 km to Vancouver in 5 days in late September & crossed all types of weather & landscapes you can imagine. I am currently going to fix my 87 then probably sell the 2001 but menwhile I have a bike :). The 87 600 motor seems to have a bit more growl & attitude/ compression which suprised me. I 110% agree whith the 6 gear, was thinking that the 600 km ( Alicante - Marbella) back whem I picked up the bike, seeing thet I came back mostly Highway. Makes a hell of a difference when you are cruising under 120 to when doing 130 -140. Thats why I was a bit suprised at the beggining of the video when you said it was good for long rides, not if you go over 120... Also thought from 87 to 2001 they would have improved a few things like 6 gear, vibration reduction, top heavyness, which they havent, so I preffer my 87 more of a wildcat, dont think it needs any more power in lower gears, the power is everywhere. By the way since I am a bit too old to do Offroad on such a big bike I want to convert the back end a bit more scrambler, leave the fairing but get rid of most the back & cut the seat till the end of the frame & have a light under it. Have a bmw style back guard with plates & indidcators on it & a front 19 inch wheel, which I am trying to find out if there are aby thet would fit from other second hand junk yard bikes. My 2 cents 🙃

[@nomadmotorcycle]

@@boblea1414 Nice... I always enjoy comments from people that truly use these bikes... I want to have the first generation one day. And i would like to test ride one, just to see the difference... But this is one of the things that i want to own. I really enjoy the comfort of these bikes. I prefer to go off road, and in some way even if this bike is top heavy it can go places...

[@motomeditacija]

Spot on...I couldn't agree more...great review

[@dimazimmer175]

Nice. I own also a 650 ... same colour.

[@janinajankowska8965]

Love the color. 👍

[@nomadmotorcycle]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Zakonite_Krum]

Great content! I just found that you,re from Bosna! Greetings from Bulgaria brate

[@nomadmotorcycle]

@@Zakonite_Krum Thank you. Gretings 😁

[@welcometohudson2828]

Nothing fancy, but excellent bikes.

[@robrob9050]

@@welcometohudson2828 You can't get wrong with Honda.

[@cipriancasoni]

Nice bike, I had the honda Deauville 650 same engine, lived it, now I'm searching for a transalp 650 for the grabble road, hope to find one asap. ❤

[@nomadmotorcycle]

Thank you... Hope you find one in great condition

[@mattdrat3087]

Hi! I have the 2006 Transalp. I count on around 400km from a full tank at legal speeds. I love my bike except for one thing: wind noise. I see you have an additional wind shield, is that something that is available or have you had it custom made? I rented a 2016 Africa Twin a couple years back. The wind noise on that was horrific. At 120km/h on the motorway my helmet vibrated so much that my vision got blurred! The fuel gauge on my bike is unreliable as well. It stays at around full for a long time, then starts falling rapidly. Thanks for sharing your review!

[@nomadmotorcycle]

Hi... 400 km is very good. I think i could not get this range. Yes i have an additional wind screen and it makes all the difference. The Taller wind screen is not helping. But this small wind deflector removes all the buffeting and wind noise. This is the only thing that you need and you will be very happy. You are welcome.

[@mattdrat3087]

@@nomadmotorcycle Thanks for your reply! Did you make the extra wind shield yourself or is available in a shop?

[@nomadmotorcycle]

@@mattdrat3087 You are welcome. It's aftermarket. It's available in the shop.

[@mattdrat3087]

@@nomadmotorcycle Excellent! I have one, but a lot smaller than yours and I don't really notice much difference. See you in the next one!

[@dimitrhsrap65]

If you get rid of the catalyst and put an aftermarket exhaust it's an extra 5hp and the bike gets a bit more bite. And believe or not better fuel consumption.😉👍

[@nomadmotorcycle]

@@dimitrhsrap65 Hi… i have Mivv exhaust, but i still have catalytic converter 😂

[@dimitrhsrap65]

@@nomadmotorcycle You get rid of the catalytic and you get a bit more bang for your buck. I haven't done it personaly but I know dudes in the Transalp club that have done it and boast that it makes a difference not big but notable. I too am a official club member.

[@viracocha3125]

Moja trosi 5.2 / 5.3l gradske voznje a otvorene i ispod 5l. Uvijek sipam na predjenih 300km i točim 15.8-16l (gradske voznje) Po mojim mjerenjima lako bi mogao 350km preci sa rezervoarom. Pozdrav

[@nomadmotorcycle]

@@viracocha3125 Pozz. To je odlično... Ja nažalost nemam tu potrošnju. Najniže je bilo 5,4... Najviše čak 6,7... Malo mi je smješa goriva otvorena zbog izduva, jer je puno pucao pri oduzimanju gasa. Ali nadam se, nakon servisa karb i sinhronizacije da bi to moglo pasti dole....

[@TitaniumRxx]

Great review,nice bike.Make one for your Pegaso also please :).How you compare them?

[@nomadmotorcycle]

Thank you. I will do for Pegaso also, since i rode it a lot... I know that bike well 😁

[@patrykrog8121]

I have the same bike. And as you said they are great but the fuel consumption is high. I get around 5.5l per 100km. Also is the mivv exhaust a lot louder than stock? I am thinking of getting it. Also I have a valve noise when the bike warms up and this is my first bigger bike so i dont know exactly how much sound the valves should make and when i baught it the previous owner showed me recepits of the valve clearances getting done so i assume its normal to hear a bit of noise. Its not loud or anything but louder than on a 125. Anyway ill check the valves when i next do a full service.

[@nomadmotorcycle]

Hi. Yes, the fuel consumption is a downside. Regarding the Mivv exhaust It's a lot louder when you remove the DB killer, which I did. With the DB killer it's almost as quiet as the stock exhaust. I think this noise is normal. I can hear it on my bike also and on this bike the valves were never checked. I plan to do it at the next service interval.

[@enricorossi5996]

go and have fun

[@toddclarke2348]

Love these bikes. Thankyou for the vid. Nice bike.

[@nomadmotorcycle]

Thanks…

[@lauraiss1027]

About being fuel injected - I have transalp 700 that is EFI, and there it's electronics does not compensate the fact that overall it's worse bike than 650. My 700 bottoms out very often, it feels much more heavier, clearance is lower and front fork is something out of the scooter. With 700 honda went for the tarmac/asphalt adventure, it's good for traveling around Europe but only good single tracks and absolutely no off-road. In other words, it would be nice to have Transalp 650 with EFI but Transalp 700 is no way a solution to this problem. It's completely different bike and to be honest I don't think 700 has a place in Transalp line. Look for 750 if you want a continuation of 650. My friend has 650 and keeps it in my garage, that's why I know what is 650 and how it rides. Please get sure you can remove cat. I had to cut out contents of it to remove restriction of gasses but could not remove it because of local laws. Make sure you can do it. For me no-cat pipes are not the option (Eastern EU), I would fail MOT instantly.

[@nomadmotorcycle]

Yes, i complain about that sometimes, even if i don't have a really straightforward reason. My brother in law, has a Transalp 700 which i rode so many times, and i love the way that engine is performing. But i never rode it off road and i always come back to my 650 after riding 700 and keep thinking that i prefer it much more than 700. I agree with you totally. They are completely different bikes and 700 feels much heavier, even after that 659 is also a heavy bike. Honda went away from the Transalp culture with that model. But still, a really great bike to have and ride. Something about these old Honda's is special. I guess that new 750 is a true comeback for Honda. And i sat on the new and it feels much more compact and better than those older ones. Regarding cat it's still legal to do it in my country but i don't know for how long. I can pass the MOT for maybe next year or two. That's why i want to keep the original setup in case i have to revert it to stock.

[@pedro7401]

Hello , what's the windshield you're using there ?

[@nomadmotorcycle]

Hi. Honestly i don't know what brand it is. Since i got it with the bike. But i think it's Givi.

[@bucka-y3i]

​ @nomadmotorcycle Hello so by your suggestion I bought a transalp 650 2007 :) i like the bike but I went highway with it for 1 hour and it was HORRIBLE, the bike can reach 160km/h and it accelerates easily,but already at 100km/h it is sounding and feels like it "struggles" it is not smooth it feels rough, it was serviced by the last owner,now i paid 250€ for another service and its still the same,is the bike just like that? or could it be spark plugs as those are the only ones that weren't changed,i changed air filter,oil filter,coolant system 2hour clean and refill, etc...please help me pegaso 650 was the same "rough" but it was only 1 cylinder...

[@nomadmotorcycle]

@@bucka-y3i Hi... Sorry you seem disappointed with Transalp. These bikes are not perfect for the highway, for that you can find a much better choice. Mine, tops out also around 160 - 170 it's the max. Maybe it sounds like it struggles because of 5 gears, so it's quite high in rev range in 5th gear. But still it's far smoother than Pegaso for me. It should not vibrate a lot, otherwise there is something off with the bike. Check if the chain and sprockets are stock sizes. Or maybe a carburetor tune is what you need. Overall mine js very smooth and does not vibrate a lot. What tires are you using? I have no issues up to 130 Km/h. After that it's not that enjoyable.

[@bucka-y3i]

@@nomadmotorcycle I am using MC24 tires, it doesn't vibrate thats true but I feel like it's supposed to have a 6th gear for it to be smooth,maybe the bike is just like that I can't really tell,but 130km/h is a bit steep and its really frustrating at that speed. Carbs are set to winter time (told by mechanic) could that be it?

[@nomadmotorcycle]

@@bucka-y3i yes, it's really missing a 6th gear. I would check in time, valve clearance and maybe just carburetor syncing. It could be that there is a difference between two cylinders in carburetor sync. I guess it should not be a problem because it was tuned for winter time... Overall they are really great and reliable bikes.

[@robrob9050]

@@nomadmotorcycle I can only top 153 on TA or something which is strange, talked with knowledgable guy and he stated the speed just like you and the reason why as "probably some engine problem".

[@nomadmotorcycle]

@@robrob9050 it's really strange. But i would try with a carburetor tuning. I never heard of TA having some major problem with the engine. But anything can hapend. Try to put in 5th gear, and go around 80 km/h and just give it a full gas, see how does it accelerate. If it lags, or cuts the gas, it could be the carbs.

[@ΝταβιδηςΓιωργος]

I’m transalp 650 2002 345 km 16 l

[@nomadmotorcycle]

@@ΝταβιδηςΓιωργος Mine is heavy on the fuel...

[@danijel124]

Well at 7:36 if you calculate the consumption you get 7,6l/100km which is more than some cars loolz... That is a big downside

[@nomadmotorcycle]

@@danijel124 I actually made a mistake while talking about it. But what i actually get by messuring was min 5,4 - max 6,7. But still a downside... I meand i usually refill when i do that amount of KM's because of the unreliable fuel gauge...

[@robrob9050]

​@@nomadmotorcycleYes funny fuel gauge

[@robrob9050]

Koje ulje koristis za TA?

[@nomadmotorcycle]

@@robrob9050 Motul 5100 10W40

[@robrob9050]

@@nomadmotorcycle Moze li za auto 10W40? Vidim ljudi nekad naglasavaju da ulje bude za motor po forumima, mada nisam to procitao u Honda manualu.

[@nomadmotorcycle]

@@robrob9050 Mislim da ne bi nastetilo. Ali uglavnom svi sipaju ulja namjena za motocikle. Jer kod auta ulje u motoru i mjenjaču je razdvojeno pa sig postoji neka razlika.

[@KyriakosSoul]

Have you noticed any difference in fuel consumption with the aftermarket exhaust? Is it better or worse than the factory one?

[@nomadmotorcycle]

I do not now, since i have the bike I got the Mivv exhaust. But i plan to remove the cat and put k&n filter. Everyone says, that drops fuell consumption by more than 0,5l.

[@DavidSenna57]

What a robust motorcycle 😳🫵🏼🫵🏼

[@enricorossi5996]

transalp will alaways bring you home

[@nomadmotorcycle]

@@enricorossi5996 Always 😀