You're new here aren't you Martin?
 

Careful, the mods around here may try to ban you for hurting the feelings of other members and their bikes!

Good point about the spoked wheels - theyre not maintenance-free. And these days there are also cast wheels, that can survive several hits. And you can destroy a spoked wheel, too, especially if you havent regularly checked and adjusted the spokes. Once youve really bent it out of shape, will be hard to fix it on the road.

I really dont know, but maybe a spoked wheel is only better for serious offroad, motocross, etc (when you can, and will do regular maintenance for the wheels)........ and a (tough) cast-wheel is all-in-all actually better for RTW travel?

Just my $100 worth

Question about SLIME...
 

sorry for sounding like the novice that I probably am, and this goes a bit off-topic, too.. but can this SLIME be used in a tubeless wheel??

See, Im starting off in less than 2 weeks, to go from Finland to India (with my better half aboard!) on a DL650. Tyres is one thing that wont be widely available on our route, if at all. So Im carrying tyre irons (as well as an extra set of tyres mounted on a little modified crashbars - and Im not kidding!!), and tubeless repair plugs, I even have a small compressor to run from the battery to fill them up, plus some air cartridges. I´ll probably take inner tubes, too, just in case...

But Im still wondering, if theres any way to make the probability of a flat a little less. And also, to minimise the risk of a sudden total loss of air which, especially with the front, and on such a heavy load, could be quite disastrous.

So, does this stuff work on tubeless, too? And have you had good experiences with it... the inner side of the tyre must be a mess each time you have to take it off? And what is the manufacturer of this stuff, so I could try and find out if its available around here?

Edit: Do you know, if SLIME may affect your ability to put a tubeless repair plug into the tyre? I would need to be able to fix them while on the road, and of course preferably not having to take the tyre off the rim.

Answers should be in here
 

Sold in many countries:-
SLIME - Smart Solutions for Flat Tire Prevention & Repair!

There are quite a few others on the market:-
Flat Free Tyre Sealant

Seal-a-Wheel

Ultraseal Tire Sealant

etc etc

plugged tires all the way until the cord is showing. (Don't do this:oops2: )

Have a safe trip!

Disapointing bike
 

If this is the replacement of the Africa twin.........looks more like the powerranger bikes.
Please give us something with less plastic!
I am just wondering how much BMW bikes will pass this year before we see a new transalp on the ripio.
Yamaha has done the mayor step so long with the new Teneré.Please Honda follow too!!!!!!
No more of that......(i am sick of waiting hahaha)
KH
please forgive my bad humor today

Rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

That bike rules , hope I can get one !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ricardo

ok, thanks Patrick for that very comprehensive info!

I am taking extra tyres, because there are no such tyre sizes available for several thousand kms on our route (especially Iran, Pakistan, maybe also India), and if we´d get a big cut or other unrepairable hole in them, then we´d be screwed.. sure you can order them by DHL or TNT anywhere, but you may hit some very hefty import taxes in that case (500% or so).

And a full set of tools to change tyres anywhere, because there are some desert areas where theres no service available. Need to be able to do it anywhere... but sure as my own experience says, too, flats with tubeless are not very common.

But enough thread-hijacking already!! Thanks once again.

The same pic has turned up in the UKs weekly paper, MCN. It is described as having the same Deauville engine i.e. the 3 valve 65 HP with FI, displacing 680cc.

IMO, the pic looks even worse in large print - same drab colours and the old-fashioned plastics with round headlight seem very prominent.
The square swinging arm is totally unattractive; I am not saying that these things are the top priority, but it has to compete with new products from Yam etc, never mind existing bikes such as the DL650 and whatever else is announced in the next few months.

Xl700v
 

Getting bored with the UK website infatuation with sports bike reporting, I have done a search for this new bike; yep, there it is, written up by a French website (which makes sense because the bike is at the Paris bike show right now!!):-

Nouveau Honda XL700V Transalp 2008 - emoto

Looks like that pic is "correct" then (or they have stolen it from elsewhere and have not been to their own show :rolleyes2: ).

Now my French is rubbish, but I can tell from this report that you do get a choice of colours, so the buying public is not stuck with that metallic brown - how about metallic yellow, red, grey or blue?

Seems that it may have 17"/19" wheels, weighs in at 214 Kg, the seat height is 841 mm and it carries 17.5 litres of fuel.

I wonder if that figure is
accurate?

214 Kg
 

Hi Mollydog,

It could be my translation skills, lack of that is, but that's what I make of the French website; there are some figures in there for the front/back wheel weight distribution and they add up OK!
Your right - it seems to be heavy! Maybe the figures are wet rather than dry?!

But, it is a 19" front wheel --

Paris Show '07: 2008 Honda Transalp official launch news and pictures - Motorcycle News - MCN
and, inevitably, a catalytic converter.

My initial impression is that Honda have done with this bike as Triumph did with the Tiger; they are now aiming it at the road riding public with little pretence to a capability for riding on anything but the black stuff.

Time will tell, but it is not a replacement for the AT :rolleyes2: :rolleyes2: in standard trim.

My French is pretty poor too, though I think the quoted weight is the kerb weight - which may mean:

all fluids except petrol;
all fluids including a half tank of petrol;
all fluids including a full tank of petrol.

Still high but not unforgivably high.

Paris Show Pic,s
 

i just got back and ,je suis tres knackered . ok the new alp , it is very comforable to sit on ,and it look,s far better in the flesh . firstly this bike is clearly designed as a do it all bike , ie commuter, tourer,NOT a dirt bike ! . it has a 19 inch front wheel which clearly shows it,s road bias , and the BIG catalytic converter is just asking to be holed,destroyed by ,road debris, never mind rock,s
and the bashplate is plastic ! . but, for those of us who spend 90% of our time on city streets , and motorway,s it,s a perfect do it all machine , and as such it will sell in big numbers . and if you really want to take it off road then it look,s well up to light dirt road,s and track,s . just do not expect to go crossing any deserts on it , they already have all the extras you need to turn it into a tourer, luggage,high screen, and fog light,s .also there will be the option of ABS brakes . and the headlight is more oval than it look,s in pic,s .just two pics as there are plenty all over the web now .