P98
COMPARISON I HONDA TRANSALP XL750R & YAMAHA TENERE 700
the chassis more balanced when
chopping the throttle. However, we
noticed an almost surging force
when off road that caught us by sur-
prise, as well. It seems the Transalp
keeps the throttle
bodies open to
alleviate the engine braking, and a
side effect of that is a bit of phan-
tom acceleration when coasting for
a split second. Easily tuned out,
sure,
but it did catch us off guard.
If you are focused on riding on
the street, you will likely prefer the
Transalp's power and options, but
if you favor riding in the dirt, the Te
-
nere's power delivery is more user-
friendly, plus
there is no switching
necessary (other than ABS).
Honda Transalp taking
the advantage slightly.
As soon as you hit the
dirt, the power characteris-
tics of each bike become
more
noticeable. The
Tenere is very smooth and
predictable and doesn't
need to be detuned to
take on even challenging
trails—this hasn't changed
since its original version.
The T7 always feels like it
has built-in traction control
with its smooth throttle
engagement and connect
-
ed rider feel. The Yamaha
CP2
engine pulses torque,
making it a very easy bike
to ride and love.
The Transalp needs to
be switched to the Gravel
setting even for basic dirt,
as the electronics will
render the bike motionless
otherwise. If you hit any
sand, you need to switch
to the customizable option
that allows you to dial the
Torque Control (Traction
Control) completely off, or
the bike will quite literally
stand still. If you will be
going on/off the road as
we often do when riding
ADV bikes, you end up
needing to leave the Hon
-
da in the off-road settings
or
you'll need to stop and
fiddle with the power and
ABS settings every time
you hit the dirt. Honda's
Transalp does provide
more tuning tools, includ-
ing engine brake control,
which,
when reduced, al-
lows the bike to freewheel
into
turns and can keep
