1989 Honda

JH2PD0606KM201155

Selling 1st Born! Don't ride much anymore. 2nd owner of this bike for nearly 15 years! Always garage kept. Runs very strong. Newer CDI units and brand new battery. Corbin Seat, Givi Luggage Trunk, and Supertrapp Muffler upgrades. Tires/breaks in great shape! Very minor dents and scatches---mostly on under-carriage. Never laid over or in an accident. Everything in excellent working order! 1 Child and 1 Adult Helmet included along w/ Motorcycle full weather lockable cover (never used). Also included is a strong aluminum Motorcycle ramp for easy loading into any truck, trailer or Pick-up. You pick up Transalp within 60 mile radius of Salt Lake City, UT. $250 deposit required within 48 hours of Auction End or transaction will be cancelled and void. 15 days to pick up and pay balance at auction close. Reserve is $1,989 of course. I am an EBAYer for over 11.5 years now w/ perfect record so bid with confidence. Cash (at pickup) or Paypal prior to pickup are payment options. Good luck! This is a rare and vintage 1989 Honda Transalp that does not come along very often. Good Luck and if you win, please treat her well. Years produced (U.S.): 1989 Total production: N/A Claimed power: 52hp @ 8,000rpm Top speed: 110mph Engine type: 583cc, liquid-cooled, four-stroke V-twin Weight (wet): 204kg (450lb) MPG: 39-58 One of the most unusual bikes Honda's ever offered, the Transalp was good at just about anything you threw at it and is still a great, practical, do-it-all motorcycle. Defined at the time as a “new-concept touring bike” by Honda’s PR department, the Transalp was a motorcycle that bridged the gap between different types of bikes without being exactly like any one of them. It’s not a dirt bike or an enduro, and despite being covered in plastic, its long suspension, deep-tread tires and sit-up-and-beg riding position make it very different from the common sportbike. In fact, this type of bike is more common in today’s American market than it was over 20 years ago when it was first offered here. Today, there are bikes like the Triumph Tiger, KTM’s Adventure models, Buell’s new Ulysses and a couple of mounts from BMW to choose from, and yet the Transalp still makes a perfect alternative to these newer (and obviously more expensive) motorcycles. While Transalps are loved by their owners and consequently aren’t the most common bike out there, they can be found for a pittance compared to the cost of a new F650GS Beemer. The engine hiding behind all that plastic is a 583cc, liquid-cooled, four-stroke V-twin that’s essentially a bored-and-stroked version of Honda’s old VT500 Ascot engine. The cylinders are arranged 52 degrees apart and breathe through 32mm constant-vacuum Mikuni carburetors. The engine features a compression ratio of 9.2:1, and two spark plugs per cylinder work to guarantee a quick and clean burn. Weighing in at about 450lb fully fueled, the ‘Alp was light for a streetbike. The Transalp was (and still is) a great bike for light touring and trips across town. It’s fun on a curvy back road when ridden within the limits of its tires, and will handle gravel and good dirt roads with aplomb. Even so, generous suspension travel, 8.7in of ground clearance and a narrow engine keep things from getting bashed in the dirt, and make it nearly impossible to scrape any part of the bike on a twisty paved road — unless you drop it. On the plus side, nifty touring features abound, including a short — but useful — windshield/fairing combination that’s big enough to keep the wind off your torso (but not your helmet), along with a standard luggage rack. As Cycle World said in a September 1990 test of the bike, “The Transalp is, in short, a terrific motorcycle for those of us who have to make what may be the ultimate compromise: ownership of just one motorcycle. But for those who have ridden the Transalp, that’s a pretty easy compromise to swallow.”