My 80s Classic - a sort of Review of my '87 Honda Transalp

Basically a better version of my walkaround video I recently made.
Subtitles available!
Credits:
Video:
Boano Transalp 600
• Transalp 600 Ivan Repl...
Öhlins Suspensions
• Öhlins STX technology ...
Music:
Hit Crew Masters - Danger Zone (Instrumental Version)
• Danger Zone (Instrumen...
Ann Harris - Do you like me [Release MPGSC]
• Jimmy Fontanez & Doug ...
Time stamps:
0:00 Introduction
0:50 The Transalp
1:42 My Transalp (specs)
3:36 Some Pros and Cons
5:04 Why I love my Bike
5:44 Outro
Endcard:
'87 Transalp Walkaround
• My 1987 Honda Transalp...
Pure V-Twin Engine Sound
• Pure V-Twin Engine Sou...
My Channel
/ @nickpetrol
Equipment:
GoPro Hero 5 Session with ND4-Filter
Tascam DR-05 (Vers. 2)
#motorcycle #POV #pureSound #nowindnoise

[@ethics3]

My 1987 Transalp has 141,000 km on it. I bought and rebuilt the engine at 93,000 km just to freshen it up , but it was running fine with those 93,000 km . One of the most reliable bikes i have ever owned

[@nickpetrol]

Wow, that's very impressive! Most people wouldn't even buy a bike with this mileage.

[@ethics3]

@@nickpetrol To me , the mileage doesn't matter ... at least , not in this case . When i bought it at 93,000 km it was in the same condition as most bikes with 30,000 kms on the clock. The guy was an adventure rider like us . He had been up the Dalton hwy and the Labrador 500 a few times and took acer of his bike . Actually he was about the only guy to be completely honest about every detail of the machine ( in canada people lie constantly ) . I thanked him and told him it wasn't necessary as I was doing a crank up rebuild anyways . So at 93,000 km what did it need ? The crank was in excellent shape. I only had to go to the next thicker honda bushings . The cylinders were just a bit out of spec so i elected to have them rebored because i wanted the engine like new although when i purchased it still ran beautifully . I replaced all the internal bearings even though the stock ones were still in good condition. Of coarse all seals and gaskets were replaced as well. I have ridden this transalp up to the Canadian arctic twice now via the Demster hwy to inuvik ( I have an auxiliary tank installed on the rear in place of the carrier ) and one time across Canada and back ... Then i parked it . I have considered selling it , but recently i think i might do a special project with it .Perhaps an aluminum frame modernized Dakar replica.

[@nickpetrol]

Okay that sounds crazy cool. I don't know anybody else who has ridden a more adventurous route than that. And the Aluminium Frame Replica also sounds like a difficult but very cool project. Keep it up, man!

[@ethics3]

@@nickpetrol Cheers

[@kalaharimine]

Owned my 87 for the last 12 years, totally original - paint, screen, exhaust, etc. Originally from Germany and now rolling the African roads.

[@nickpetrol]

If you treat them right and top off oil regularly they run forever!

[@ethics3]

Same. My 87 has 141,000 ... rebuilt at 93,000 km

[@1LTNOE]

Nice video mate! Love your old steed 😄

[@nickpetrol]

Thanks, man!

[@marktwain..1972]

Reserve lasted 40KM the only time I tested it in mine. What a nice job on that TA.

[@nickpetrol]

Thank you for the information, but i'm still not looking forward to test it myself 😄

[@_T.C.G_]

I'm really amazed by the cutting of the video, the fact that you bought yours for 1000, and i got mine for 900, even tough its a '93 model :D I wish you and your family a great Christmas

[@_T.C.G_]

Or it is a '91 model, i always have these 2 numbers in mind, one of them is right :)

[@nickpetrol]

Thank you. Well, I rounded the price a bit up, because 932 Euros didn't sound that good 😄. You too, a merry Christmas!

[@digitalride6017]

Hi, Nice video, i have a 1992 Transalp 600 that i bought for less money that you spent, yes it needed cosmetical touches in the fairings and some other small pieces but the engine and mechanics was very good. took some time to find the original pieces at the right prices but managed to do it. the initial idea was to buy, arrange all and sell, but after spending some time getting the bike ready and all painted in the original colors and then riding, forget about it, no way, i love this. And yes i do agree on what you said, its not modern, does not have all the fancy things, but it has character, its confortable, pratical, easy to maintain, mine the color is bordeaux and silver, and it is just beautiful to ride and to look, Enjoy your rides, will check the other videos, subscribed.

[@nickpetrol]

After all the hard work and time put into the restoration, I can very well understand that you want to keep it! Thank you!

[@peterpyke1213]

my 98 transalp did 75000 mls with hardly a spanner needed.cannot part with it so it sits in garage as i now have a 650 v strom.very different but still a torquey v.i love my transalp,so many adventures.still starts on the button no matter how long it sits.

[@nickpetrol]

Wow, 75000 miles, even more than mine! But I have to admit, mine doesn't alwasy starts on the first button press anymore after the winter 😄

[@peterpyke1213]

@@nickpetrol carbs never touched,just oil,filters ,1 head setand consumerbles,1 speedo cable,i throttle cable.been all over europe 4 times.longest 3 months and never let me down.one of the best plodderbikes ever.i use motobat batteries.they hold their charge for a very long time.

[@nickpetrol]

@@peterpyke1213 That's amazing! Transalps are not without reason known as one of the most reliable adventure motorcycles.

[@Stefan_trekkie]

I had two of the 400 model versions many years ago. They where the same as 600s from 94 /disk on the back/ and modified with bigger front sprocket.. And with 18 L tank I manage more then 400km easily. Now i have the 650 model.. Still manage to get 4.5l/100km fuel and they updated the gears and 5th is more long then the 400/600 versions.

[@nickpetrol]

Very cool! Yeah the higher geared fifth gear certainly benefits fuel economy, especially when riding at higher speeds.

[@panagiotispapanicola2637]

Amazing video ! I personally own the "95-96" model . Lovely bikes especially if you do not intend to ride them like crazy

[@nickpetrol]

Thank you! Yes, true that.

[@moto_tc]

Nice Video!

[@nickpetrol]

Thank you!

[@lolly166541]

I have an '89 Tranny and I've got to say - my bike is cursed! She has 55k km on the clock now (not 155) and nothing but issues with her; she's been in the Shop for over a Month now because of an unknown problem with the Engine. The Total repair cost is higher than what I've paid for her, so she better will last me for 100k km haha.

[@nickpetrol]

I'm sorry to hear that! Maybe it's something caused by a lack of maintainance of a previous owner? Either way, I wish you good luck and that the shop can fix your Transalp!

[@pateris]

I rode a rented one in Guadeloupe for two weeks, this thing is an old warhorse, nothing can stop it !

[@nickpetrol]

Yeah, just fill up oil regularly and they run forever.

[@pateris]

@@nickpetrol I read that some went beyond 400 000 km !

[@nickpetrol]

@@pateris Well, I've heard some managed more than 200 000 kms, but 400 000 kms, that's just crazy.

[@pateris]

@@nickpetrol At a BMW garage close to my former home (not affiliated with BMW, not even a seller, the old-fashioned kind), they made an ad with the odometer of a K100 at 440 000 km. When I told them, the guy said "Ah, yes, this one ? It's still running, it must be around 600 000 now…" *Sound of a mind just boggling*

[@nickpetrol]

Amazing! Just simple, durable and overbuild engines!

[@dsolin]

Guten Tag. Very nice video. I would like to have one of these, but over here in Thailand even the bad ones are like 5000 EUR (or well, that's what they are listed for anyway). I bought the new CRF1000L instead. Also a nice bike, but it doesn't have the history... Have a nice day and keep up the good work!

[@nickpetrol]

Thank you! But a CRF1000L is far from a bad choice, a very nice bike. Of course it's more modern, but I wouldn't say it doesn't have the history (with the legendary XRV750 as predecessor).

[@andrewmack2161]

I have an XL650 and although I wouldn't say 'I Love It', I do really like it. It's just so easy to bumble around on. Whether it's a ride in the countryside or commuting across town, it's so easy with just enough power and everything just being in the right place controls-wise that it takes very little thought to ride, which allows me to enjoy my surroundings. Having said that, It can be hustled when necessary to keep up with other riders although the brakes do leave something to be desired, and it's certainly not a sports bike. I have another bike for those days when I'm looking for an adrenalin rush, but this bike just allows me to enjoy the essence of riding. It will be interesting to see if the rumoured Transalp 800 becomes reality and how close it is to the original 600 spirit .

[@nickpetrol]

Yeah, I'm really interested in a new Transalp too! The new Arfica Twin is just too big and heavy for my taste, and if Honda won't offer a suitable succesor, then I guess I'll have to switch to Team Blue and the Tenere 700 sometime in the future.

[@andrewmack2161]

@@nickpetrol The Tenere 700 is too off-road for my usage, so I'd probably consider either a used Versys 650 or the Royal Enfield Himalayan, but only as a second bike as the RE definately isn't a motorway/autobahn bike.

[@nickpetrol]

@@andrewmack2161 The T7 may be too off road oriented for me too, but still more of a real advetnure bike than everything else Honda offers at the moment with this engine dissplacement. And the RE Himalayan is definitely underpowered for where I live.

[@NC700_68]

thank you for making the video :) i have a question: is your windscreen cracked? it looks strange to me

[@nickpetrol]

Yes, it's cracked all over the place, due to old age and sun (UV) wear.

[@beervercammen]

Do you know the windshield type? I would like to get one of those!

[@nickpetrol]

It's the MRA Touringscreen (sometimes just called "T").

[@geo2907]

I want to buy one transalp Honda motocycle. but I am not very sure what year of fabrication must to chose ? What year of fabrication do you recomand ? Does 2010 is better than 2002 or 2004, for example ?

[@nickpetrol]

The best you can do in this situation is reading in forums. From what I heard, the 600s from 94 to 96 are the most reliable, but I can't really give a serious recommendation because of lack of experience with other model years.

[@ethics3]

I guess because they were more popular in europe they go for lower prices , but in Canada where they are very rare , the couple that i have seen for sale over the years usually go for over 4700 $ and these are the 1987-1988 models like mine

[@Max-bm5xj]

question: i see you have mounted a voltmeter in your dash, i would like to do the same. But where did you connect it to? as seen on 2:08 it is probably after the key switch.

[@nickpetrol]

It's connected to (right before) the turn signal relais. But watch out that you connect it right, depending on model year and country the turn signal relais has different connectors.

[@Max-bm5xj]

@@nickpetrol Thanks for the tip, I believe I have a German model.

[@nickpetrol]

Then it should work just fine. Be sure to use the right wiring diagram for your model year. Makes everything a lot easier!

[@highjeeemel]

Für 1000 EUR war die zu teuer. Da krigste schon ne gute 1995er mit 60.000km für 1250 EUR ;) Trotzdem nices Video!

[@nickpetrol]

Danke! Mit (eigentlich) 920€ war sie bei uns in der Region mit Abstand die Günstigste und am nähesten gelegene. Hier bekommt man nichts unter 2000€, es sei denn man will über 300km weit weg fahren.

[@mohba01]

i have 230000 kms on mine, 1996 PD10, and NO Duke 390's cant catch me, infact i am from india, land of the ktm duke 390..

[@nickpetrol]

To be honest, I never tested it, but if you compare the power-to-wheight-ratio they're both equal. But I don't think we're here to race against Dukes, are we?! 😉

[@mohba01]

@@nickpetrol haha. Yes ofcourse. I use my Transalp primarily for traveling. I doubt that modern bikes will last this long, these are the last of the analog motorcycles I suspect.

[@nickpetrol]

True that! Simple and understressed engines made with quite modern manufacturing processes... They seem to last forever!