Picked up my Transalp last night!

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letsgofishing

Grey Hound
Joined
Feb 7, 2006
Messages
7,140
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Location
Sedgefield
Bike
Honda XL650V Transalp
....and here she is... ;D
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This pipe is really quite... ???  >:D
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Nice BIG footpegs...
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Touratech chain guard... is the original really that bad or this this just bling  :D
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30mm bar risers...I can't believe the amount of rise on the standard bars, but it suits me...
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... and el cheapo top box.
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Very brief (tar) ride report.
Man this bike feels big! Having all that cockpit area/fairing out in front of you and not being able to see the front wheel feels really strange!

The motor is really smooth and pulls well. The brakes require quite a handful - the DRZ stops MUCH more quickly - maybe it's the weight, but it does have twin discs. Maybe I'll change the pads, but on the other hand, "gentle" brakes are good for gravel. ;D  A lot of owners talk about the front shocks diving under heavy braking, but I didn't find it so bad - I always use a fair bit of rear brake and perhaps this is why.
The gearbox is REALLY smooth - no "clunk" engaging first and effortless shifting. The seats a little bit low, but I'll sort this out by adding about 5cm of foam.
The turn in into corners is not as quick as the DRZ, but this is probably due to the steering geometry.

It runs at 120 at a fraction over 5000rpm (1 up) with plenty of power left for overtaking - I reckon this is going going to be a great touring bike for the 2 of us!  ;D

So what am I going to change first? :D
As I mentioned, the seat as soon as I can - this will give me a bit more legroom.
Remove the cat - hopefully this will release a bit more of that V-twin growl ;)
Replace the stock air filter with a Pipercross re-usable/oilable filter - the OEM part is R840 from the stealers and the Pipercross is R545!
After this, put the bike on the dyno to check the A/F ratio - TA's tend to run rich, but after the pie, cat and airfilter changes, I want to be sure.
Make up a decent bash plate.
Make up some luggage racks for my soft luggage.
Find and fit a TALL screen  - with the standard one, the wind around my helmet is TERRIBLE :-\
Fit proper ProBend hanguards.

Can't wait for the weekend  :blob3: :blob3: :blob3:
 
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