One clear trend is emerging in the motorcycle industry, and that is the desire for more versatile motorcycles. The vast majority of us can only afford to own one motorcycle. For some of us, this is down to budget constraints, and for others it is more to do with space. So it stands to reason that we want more from our motorcycle. Ideally, we need a bike that can pretty much do it all.
Out of all the versatile motorcycles currently on the market, middleweight adventure bikes most certainly stand out as the most versatile. While there is a wide selection of options in this space, the Honda Transalp stands out as one of the best options for a one-bike garage. It strikes an impressive balance between off-road ability, comfort, and honest-to-goodness value.
To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Honda. Whereas, the opinions are our own.
2025 Honda Transalp: 10 Things To Know About The Updated Adventure Bike
These may be incremental changes, but they make the Transalp a much better motorcycle
The Honda Transalp Is The Best One-Bike Garage In 2025
MSRP: $9,999
With so many great adventure bikes currently on the market, there is most certainly something out there for everyone. Pretty much every brand has a middleweight ADV on the market. Generally speaking, the Japanese brands are more value-oriented, while the European brands offer more for more, and the Chinese brands offer more for less.
The Yamaha Tenere 700 can be credited for really pouring fuel on the ADV fire. It showed everyone what was possible if you plopped a powerful middleweight engine in a more off-road-oriented chassis. The CP2 has proven to be metronomically reliable, but the Tenere certainly sacrifices some long-distance comfort in a bid to be more capable off-road. A recent update has addressed a few weaknesses, but it still has the same rock-hard seat.
There are several high-end European bikes on the market, but the one that offers the most potential for a one-bike garage has to be the Aprilia Tuareg 660. It is just a little more expensive, but you do get what you pay for. It is arguably just as competent as the Tenere off-road, and significantly more comfortable. It just lacks the dealer support of Honda and Yamaha. Something of an alternative choice from China is the CFMoto Ibex 800 E, which actually has a pretty potent KTM engine. It offers a long list of features, but is a little more street-oriented.
The Transalp Has A Fashionable 270 Degree Parallel-Twin
Power: 90 Horsepower
The 270-degree parallel-twin engine has evolved into the workhorse of the motorcycle industry, and it is pretty easy to see why. It is efficient – both in terms of production and fuel consumption – compact, and pretty engaging. It is quite simply the best engine for a motorcycle that is going to be spending its days out in the real world between highways, city streets, and, in the case of modern ADVs, the odd dirt road excursion.
Striking The Balance Between Performance And Reliability
Honda’s take on this engine configuration is unique in the sense that it offers a Unicam design, which cleverly saves on parts and complexity. It has so far proven to be reliable and meets all the necessary emissions standards. 90 horsepower is also ample for a bike as light as the Transalp, while almost all of its 55 pound-feet of torque can be found between 2,000 and 6,000 RPM. This is a fantastic modern motorcycle engine for real-world riding.
The Next Big Adventure Motorcycle Revolution Arriving In 2026
‘Downsizing’ usually means something negative, but that doesn’t seem to be the case in the world of adventure bikes for 2026.
The Transalp Has All The Features A New Adventure Rider Might Need
Any modern ADV that has some level of off-road potential needs to at least offer a 21/18-inch wheel combination. This box is certainly checked, and while it has adequate wheel travel, Honda chose to leave off a skid plate, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why. Cost is one factor, but the main reason is to simply inflate the rather uninspiring ground clearance figure.
What it lacks in ground clearance, it more than makes up for in other areas. In terms of features, you get a 5-inch TFT dash with smartphone connectivity, ride-by-wire throttle, ride modes, a quickshifter, traction control, and switchable ABS. Pretty much everything you might expect to find on a more expensive ADV, not one that only costs $10k!
The Ultimate Blank Canvas
The Transalp is not the “all-conquering” off-road middleweight many enthusiasts hoped it would be. Like pretty much every single other Honda motorcycle on the market, it offers a more balanced approach. At this price, Honda gives customers the opportunity to transform it into whatever they need the bike to be. It is comfortable enough to be a long-distance tourer, and light enough to handle a city commute. It is also still competent enough off-road to explore the wild as much as anyone would dare on a motorcycle of this size and weight.
The right modifications simply enhance these attributes, or more to the point, the attributes you most enjoy. Depending on your use case, Honda will sell you whatever accessory suits your one-bike garage needs. With a growing aftermarket, you are not simply limited to Honda’s options either. Although you can simply leave the bike as it is, that is clearly not what Honda had in mind with this modular design.