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Patents on New Honda Transalp XL750 Show Sibling Rivalry with CB750 Hornet

Could Honda be Creating a More Versatile ADV Bike?

New patent images showing additional details on the upcoming Transalp XL750. Media sourced from CycleWorld.
New patent images showing additional details on the upcoming Transalp XL750. Media sourced from CycleWorld.

When Honda released the highly-anticipated CB750 Hornet to the hungry masses earlier this month, we saw a middleweight contender to be reckoned with (nothing to put the Yammie MT line in their place, but enough to guarantee a bargain-happy scoot). 

Now, new filings on the upcoming Honda Transalp XL750 are giving us a better idea of what we’re getting – and spoiler alert, this baby could be a bit closer to the Hornet (and the road) than we thought.

The new patents put extra emphasis on the bike’s separate fairing layers and air intakes, positioned above the front wheel on either side. The inner fairing layer – or ‘skin’ – helps to redirect airflow toward the middle of the bike in the same direction as the curving arrow seen on the patent image, while the lower area funnels air to the single radiator (definitely not the dual side-mounted thing in the Africa Twin).

New patent images showing additional details on the upcoming Transalp XL750. Media sourced from CycleWorld.
New patent images showing additional details on the upcoming Transalp XL750. Media sourced from CycleWorld.

As for power, we know this baby will house the same 755cc, Unicam cylinder head as the new Hornet; it means she’ll likely punt out a ballpark 67.5kW/90.5hp of peak power @ 9,500rpm with 75Nm of yank @ 7,250rpm, with the revs likely being adjusted for more off-roading capabilities in the Transalp. 

New patent images showing additional details on the upcoming Transalp XL750. Media sourced from CycleWorld.
New patent images showing additional details on the upcoming Transalp XL750. Media sourced from CycleWorld.

The frame in this new ADV bike looks very similar to the Hornet, too; if Honda decides to reuse and recycle, we’ll be getting a 16.6kg steel frame, meaning there’s not much room to wiggle for the weight, putting the upcoming XL750 at a (very rough) estimate of 419lb/190kg. 

Take a look at the images yourself and let us know what you think – you know we love hearing from you.

Stay tuned for updates via our newsletter, as the new XL750 is expected to drop at this year’s iteration of EICMA; drop a comment below, and as ever – stay safe on the twisties. 

*Media sourced from CycleWorld*