Honda Transalp XL600V - 30 Years Review - The GOAT of Adventure Bikes 2K

[@keddesmart]

Hello Transalpers. I forgot to mention a detail about the gearbox on the old Alp. Generally the 5 -speed gearbox is very slick and tight, but if you are sloppy on the downshift you will find that false neutral between 5th and 4th gear or is it between 4th and 3rd - can't quite remember which one it is now 🙂

[@hdan1867]

Mine is from '89 and runs like a Swiss clock...done many trips throughout Europe and it's just a fun and reliable bike to ride... and I will continue to do so 😀 So thanks for this EPIC episode on your TransAlp and continue to enjoy...

[@keddesmart]

I'm glad you liked the video. Safe travels :-)

[@rippinmachines]

I have a 87 XL600V here in Canada. Well done video!

[@keddesmart]

1987, that's the genesis Alp

[@VoxJ]

Thanks! Al the relevant information in one place

[@keddesmart]

I'm glad you liked the content 👍

[@darraghchapman]

Great video! I'm looking into getting this exact model, and the info you provided couldn't have been more helpful! :)

[@keddesmart]

Thanks for the feedback man - it is a wonderful do-it-all bike. I made the review because I found other reviews failed to adress the weak spots of the good old Alp.

[@darraghchapman]

@@keddesmart I've had my eye on the DR650 for quite a while now, but I'm a sucker for v-twins, and the first gen Transalp's engine with the the 'cooling fins' looks really nice without all the farings (which I'm planning to remove). One thing I've noticed is the relative lack of performance upgrades and general aftermarket bits and bobs, especially compared to the DR. It doesn't even get a mention on Procycle, for example. I'm guessing that's mostly because of its lack of popularity when it was released in the US. Still, certainly not a deal-breaker for me, and you get an awful lot of bike for your money on the used European market!

[@keddesmart]

@@darraghchapman The bush pig is a good option if you want more offroad capability since it is about 30kg lighter, but my advice.. Buy a Transalp 😎😎

[@darraghchapman]

@@keddesmart ​ That's my thinking too. I enjoy greenlaning and doing the odd bit of light offroad stuff, but the reality is, 90% of my riding will be on (admittedly, Ireland's terribly maintained) roads. Really, the vast majority of people (myself included) have bikes that are far more capable than they are, but many still delude themselves into thinking that the extra 1cm of ground clearance or half kilo of weight will make all the difference 😂

[@keddesmart]

@@darraghchapman Yep - the marketing of adv bikes with pro riders doing narly stuff on 200+kg bikes has fooled many people into thinking you can buy yourself ability.. Tons of videos with noobs crashing their expensive bikes showing the opposite. I am an ex motocross rider and here in my late forties I have had a lot of fun on the Alp. I did some singletrack/notrack in Swedens forrests where me and a buddy had to carry the Alp from a bog - definitely would have faired better on a lighter bike ;-), but 99% of the time the Alp is plenty good.

[@ryszardochucki9975]

I have a 2006 Transalp, some of the advantages and disadvantages mentioned in your video fit the 650 Transalp. Cool material, best regards.

[@keddesmart]

Thanks for the feedback. I dont really know how much(or little) Honda changed from the 600 to the 650.

[@scottyd024]

Im rebuilding 1991 xl600v, good source of information 👍

[@keddesmart]

Good luck with the rebuild and thanks a lot for the feedback. Cheers

[@muddmanrich]

love it man! In the process of restoring an 87 Transalp. Good tip about the fuel cap! had no clue.

[@keddesmart]

Thanks a lot mate, I'm still learning how to make videos, but this is the first one that I really put some hours and effort into. About 1½ month from I started the script to the finished video - largely due to endless rain, making it hard to capture proper footage. The fuel cap mystery is hidden somewhere in the user manual, but not a very clever design feature. Best of luck with your '87 Alp - Great bike :-)

[@thesmellybomb]

Great video, looking at getting a transalp as my first bike. Thank you for the information. Hello from England 🇬🇧

[@keddesmart]

Thanks a lot, you're welcome. The good old Alp is pretty much bullet proof. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine. Cheers from Denmark

[@Luggruff]

The only thing I have not done so far to fix my 1999 XL600V from completely shutting off after about 30 minutes of riding is to change the rectifier, and clean the fuel lines. My mechanic means that the rectifier was fine after my battery started to corrode, and blamed it all on a burnt alternator, that he sent away to have rebuilt and restored. He showed me some images of a charging test and claimed that the values were perfectly normal when it came to the ripple being at 472mV... which I found out on Google should never go above 100 for any electronics 😅 Hopefully it ends up being the rectified (when I can get to replacing it) because it's been a never ending battle of fixes to try and solve this for about 8 months now.

[@keddesmart]

Rule of thumb for 600 Transalps.. If you have electrical problems, then change the rectifier first.. I suffered something similar like you. As the general failure mode of a rectifier is that the bike overcharges(16-18V). As mine was undercharging(12-12,5V) I asked in forums and and the general concensus among experienced Transalpists was that the alternater was defective. I measured the phases on the old alternator and it looked within specs, so instead of trusting my measurements I ordered a second hand alternator.. That did not solve the issue. Then I ordered a new rectifier and the bike overcharged. Long story short, the new rectifier was defective as well just at the other end of the spectrum. So I ordered another brand rectifier and finally the bike charged the specified voltage. Concerning your failure mode, it could be like this: You start with a fully charged battery and if the rectifier undercharges, then the battery voltage slowly drops below 12V, where you will begin to see misfiring and mayby weird behaviour of the instruments and in the end the bike stops running. So just beware that the rectifier failure mode can be either overcharging or undercharging. I am not sure what you meen by your " battery corroded", but if the failure mode was overcharging and you run a lead acid battery, then you "boil" of the acid - this is likely to damage the battery. What is battery voltage before you ride and what is it after the bike stalls? Rectifiers burn out all the time, alternators not so often. I've had a used alternator for sale for over half a year without being able to sell it. A functioning rectifier will be sold allmost instantly. Good luck with the old Alp, once the electrics are sorted the bike will run forever :-).

[@Luggruff]

@@keddesmart Thanks for the in-depth reply! Really appreciated man :) I can't say for sure right now, and ever since this started I have ridden it less and less frequently. Maybe I will take it out on the weekend and check, as I bought the Konnwei KW650 to check the voltages and ripple etc. myself after my mechanic said everything was fine. When I bought it though, the voltages were right on spec, it was only when I did a charging test that I saw insane numbers on the ripple. Haven't tried it when it dies though, so will hopefully be able to do it on the weekend. Before it dies, there are zero symptoms by the way. It just, shuts off in a second. Poof. Everything turned off. Engine, electronics, everything is just dead. I can often just either press the electric started to get it going right away, or turn the ignition off and on, then the started, and it will fire right up. Then after a while it will die again, and the frequency of this happening just gets shorter and shorter.. until it gets to rest for a good 10-15 minutes.

[@keddesmart]

Damn @Luggruf, that's frustrating mate! Anyway, from the failure mode I'd say you certainly have an electrical issue. I'd look for a faulty connector, short to frame or possibly loose ground connection. I don't know where you are located, but up here in Scandinavia the roads are sprayed with salt in winter time and that has a detrimental effect on electrical connections over time. If you can start right up again after stalling, then you likely have a charged battery and a functioning rectifier. I owned an EX500 Kawasaki that had funky electronic problems and took appart all electrical connectors(incl. CDI, rectifier), sprayed with WD40 into all the connectors and blew out metalic dust with compressed air. Any corroded pins in the connectors I cleaned mechanically before doing the above, that solved the issue. Also remove and reinstall all fuses, including main fuse by the battery and do the visual inspection, WD40 + compressed air Also I'd unscrew battery and ground wires, clean and reassemble. To me it sounds like it could be a poor connection that either heats up or vibrates into malfunction. Since you say the time between failure is getting shorter this could be the case. Let me know if you manage to bring the old girl back to life :-)

[@laius6047]

great review. a lot of valuable info. thanks

[@keddesmart]

You're welcome, getting nice feedback makes it worth the effort :-)

[@_bigbuddhacheese9369]

pretty spot on i would say! just returned from a 3000km europe trip on a 93 model, had to replace clutch half way (73k km on odo) bad luck on the timing i guess. thanks for the vid!

[@keddesmart]

Thanks. I guess that's about the wear limit for the stock clutch, if you listen closely you'll actually hear my clutch slipping in some parts of the footage and I have exactly 72,768km on the odometer. Waiting for replacement clutch discs and slightly heavier springs to drop in the mail. Cheers.

[@walles1]

@@keddesmart Yeah around 70-75k km sounds about right. Did mine couple of months ago at around 51k miles - 1993 model

[@keddesmart]

@@walles1 Even failure is consistent with the good old Alps, it seams😍. Just got my clutch spare parts so I guess I'll do mine next weekend and see if I can make a video in process. Cheers.

[@MrDerpInSanDiego]

I suspect that the width of the Transalp is due to its V-twin engine. In warmer temperatures, the engine might risk overheating, if it doesn't get enough "elbow-room" for the cylinders to let go of some heat.

[@keddesmart]

Thanks for watching. I doubt it is a design choice based on cooling since the Alp is very lowpowered and also watercooled.

[@allenlloyd2662]

love it

[@keddesmart]

Cool, thanks 👍

[@janatlmb2770]

Thanks, great vid. I wonder if you change the front and rear sprocket from 15 to 16 and 47 to 45 or 44, is the high speed vibration lower, and still the low gearing in low speeds powerful enough. I predict it is. It should go 197. So the speed at highways could be better. Any experience anyone?

[@keddesmart]

Since the vibrations are caused by the engine, lowering cruising revs will lower vibration levels as well as available torque and power. However, the v-twin has some vibration at lower revs also. Gearing the bike for 197km/h also requires the necessary horsepower to to pull that speed - I doubt the 50 horses on the Alp will yield close to 200 km/h top speed as it already has trouble pulling to red line in 5th gear with stock sprockets. If you try out the 16/44 ratio, then please share your experiences.

[@uniculCSM]

Where do you find parts for this bike? I am currently wanting to buy a 1999 XL600V in a reasonably good condition, but am afraid of not finding parts when I will need them.

[@keddesmart]

Depends where you are in the world. In Europe cmsnl.com is a good option for original parts and off course there is a large second hand market and quite a lot of aftermarket parts to be had.

[@johnkelly2279]

Hi,Keddi, John from Ireland,I have a pd06 1997 mod, i totally repaired the thing as was abused by former owners,I replaced the gearbox, wheels and wireing loom, etc, had the carbs sonically cleaned and set up by an expert, but it still popps on the over run,did everything to enrichen the mix,still no good,any tips??

[@keddesmart]

Great to hear you saved the old Transalp. How many turns are you're mixture screws out?If you are 4 turns out, maybe try like 6-7 turns out, just to see if the mixture screws have any effect, if not something is clogged up. Since popping is lean mixture, have you double checked all intake rubbers, airfilter etc, to confirm there is no air leak? If there is an air leak on the intake it is more serious as it will also lean out the mixture at high revs, causing possible engine death. Let me know what you find out.

[@ozbulitsinces1996]

What are they worth

[@keddesmart]

Depends which country you live in

[@ozbulitsinces1996]

@@keddesmart Australia

[@keddesmart]

Sorry mate. I dont no about Aussie prices and tax conditions.. I am in Denmark which has psycopathic tax rates - here a used 600 Alp will usually sell for 3200-4000 Euro.. In neighbouring Germany an Alp sells for about 1200-1800 Euros.

[@ozbulitsinces1996]

@@keddesmart thank for that mate I will put it up for $6000 Australia 👍

[@Rzv-333]

I bought mine for 400$. Looks like shit but everybody are amazed how its going faster that theyr gs-s 😂

[@keddesmart]

That's exactly why the Alp is the GOAT adventure bike 😁

[@kasperjacobsen5374]

Kan du smide et link til det koblingsgreb du har på?

[@keddesmart]

www.amazon.de/dp/B08SK43KLK/ref=pe_27091401_487027711_TE_SCE_3p_dp_i1 Her linket Kasper, bid mærke i at det går en smule på de originale handguards og er meget tæt på chokergrebet også, men jeg er rimelig tilfreds med det.