Admittedly, the whole concept is still absolutely rumor, but the timing is perfect to bring back the Transalp, eh? The middleweight ADV segment is on fire, and the Transalp was one of those bikes that was way ahead of its time.

Let’s take a moment to dream about this, friends. Honda has refiled all its trademarks for the name, after all. We who have owned and loved a KLR, or a DR, or maybe an NX650, would definitely not kick a Transalp out of bed for eating crackers. Then, there are current competitors like the Tenere 700, a bunch of middleweight KTMs, small BMW GSes, Ducati and Triumph scramblers… What a time to be alive!

Honda’s Africa Twin isn’t having any trouble getting off sales floors all over the world. And of course there are also rumors flying about a smaller (850cc) Africa Twin. But a small Africa Twin isn’t a Transalp, is it? Is the parallel twin so different from the V twin? No, that’s OK, I was just trying to see if you were paying attention.

There are loads of riders who will complain that a bike as faired as a Transalp (if we’re sticking with tradition here, which we must) won’t be super useful on dirt. And it’s true, but you’ve seen, oh I don’t know, all of the other bikes in this segment, right?

In my fantasies Honda stuffs a modern liquid-cooled peppy 650cc v-twin into something that’s evocative of the late 80s Transalps. Half-faired and sporting a straight-stripe retro paint job, the bike should of course have ABS and tubeless tires on spoked rims. LED lights will be the frosting on this beakless cake of a motorcycle. It will have a low front fender showing off the dual in its dual-sportiness. It will be Honda’s Gran Canyon, functional but beautiful, but functional.

Keep clapping, kids. If you believe in the Transalp, clap your hands, and maybe she’ll come back to life.

Vezi sursa