Honda Transalp vs Suzuki V-Strom 800DE vs Yamaha Tenere 700 Preview! 

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It's worth mentioning the V-Strom also has a fully adjustable suspension, bolt on subframe, and is likely the best for 2 up riding. Add in the extra fuel capacity, I'm definitely leading towards the Suzuki for long distance back road riding.

The Transalp looks like a show pony to me & the Suzuki seems the best all rounder overall on paper out of the three. However the weight could be an issue but you can't ride a spec sheet & it will depend how the weight is distributed & how it feels in real life. I also don't see the Transalps peak power as an advantage for an off road bike either. Surely the Suzuki's higher torque is a better engine characteristic for a bike with real off road aspirations. Plus the bolt on subframe & fully adjustable suspension on the V-Strom have the Transalp beaten all day long off road you would think. Although I guess only a group test & a demo rides will see for sure.

Re: Torque 700+ cc at 6000+ rpm torque values are pretty much meaningless in an off road situation. This is where low RPM torque provides the ride-ability in more tricky situations. In fact torque at idle & just above can be most important. IMHO , YMMV

The V-storm seems to be the most versatile bike for touring, 2 up, and off road. At least on paper and To me that is what wins in the ADV segment. The Honda looks and reads great on paper and built to a budget. The T7 is great for what it is but now there competition in the segment. I’m not as picky on the ADV bikes when it comes to looks, though the Honda looks the best IMO. A more tractable engine and power and is more important to me than a peaky high HP power band. And it just appears that Suzuki is able to deliver the complete package with all the accessories with its top of the line model .

I currently ride a V-Strom 1000, and would seriously consider buying the new V-Strom 800, BUT not as long as it's got tube-type tires. I just wouldn't want to deal with taking the tire off the rim every time I had a puncture, and I like the way tubeless tires tend to get a slow leak when punctured rather than a blow-out.

Styling is #1 for me, followed by reliability and cost of ownership. I test seated a couple of bikes during EICMA 2022 in Cologne and I recognised, I don't fit on every bike, even when I like them and they look great. My advice: take a seat and than start to create your own short list for a test ride 💙💛🏁🤛🏼

Great comparison Bob!! It’s always Tenere for me. Nothing beats the handling and simplicity.

I think the v-storm is a bit underscored.I would take it or the Yamaha

Wouldn't really rank any of them until they're ridden head-to-head. Have to see how all of their features and dimensions work together. And the longer you're able to have them, the better. Especially these days, more riding time reveals more of what the engineers and designers intended.

It would be interesting if you also compared these bikes to the Aprilia Tuareg 660 that has cruise control (none of these have it) and tubeless tires. Yes it's a bit more expensive but I'd bet it's one peoples lists who are looking at these.

Another thing that I consider important is an interval between services. Suzuki bikes often have it shorter than others.

the cp2 in the T7 has been rated as the most reliable engine in the last 10 years. Tried and tested. The other 2 new parallel twins still need to prove themselves worthy. 3 years down the line, could be a fair fight. For now, id take the T7 as it is the proper riders' machine with no gimmicks, aids or any other bollocks.

Regardless of points, Yamaha is only true off road capable and other two is road bikes. So if you are looking at off road, other two is not an option

Suzuki's cross balancer shaft makes it the top choice for me for 2-up riding and overall creature comforts.

As my only bike, I would get the T7 easy. As complement to my DR650... Give me the VStrom.

I think all are good bikes and the best one is the one that matches your road/off-road bias. So considering T7 > V-Strom > Transalp , from the most off-road to the most road oriented bike, just pick the one for you.

Great review! In the future, because those bikes as so "similar" you could add comparative data such as: insurance classe (i.e., for me the Suzuki will be one class up compared to the other one because of its engine CC), manufacturer warranty (sometime Suzuki offers like 5 years etc.). Cheers!

T7 has Throttle problem, feels too heavy even is lighter from Transalp, terrible seat, 20hp less and gets rusty at some places after a year. 800DE with 22 kg plus is out immediately. If someone wants a moto with 80/20 orientation and to forget about visiting service except oil change etc for many-many years only Transalp 750.

The Transalp is a road bike primarily, with off-road capability. But don't hope too much. The Yamaha T7 is a trail bike. Two different markets.

T7 because it’s more off road capable out of the box, it looks the biz and for me, less is more in terms of tech

Got the Tenere, and love it. But would be happy with any of these bikes.

I’m disappointed in both tbh , I’ll still be looking at a Tenere next.

I drive a 2008. Transalp 700, and I'm buying a new one. No Suzuki, no Aprilia, no .... I need a bike that goes on, and on, and on ...

Apparently you can feel that the honda is built on a budget. A bit cheaper plastics etc. Atleast the hornet and the Suzuki got a better bump in the quality department.

Sensible people will go for the Transalp. Posers will go for the Tenere, and those who want to be different, will go for the Suzuki. Just joking, but some truth there.

The tenere is basicaly a larger enduro dirt bike, 2 others r just a adventure bike, ill go for tenere, more rugged looks and maneuverability

Honda first, then the Yamaha then the Suzuki. Would love to own any of them.

Price for the Transalp is already released in Europe, it'll probably be £10.499 in the UK...yes, getting ripped off once again, there's not £2500 between the Hornet and the 8S to their ADV sisters ! KTM 890 ADV old model for under £9k,what to buy until the bugs are rattled out of these new models, and accessories are available, Hessler have the 800DE looking good already, the primary reason to buy a Suzuki,the specialist builders for that brand that Honda doesn't have!

Love the simplicity of the T7, not a big fan of all these bells and whistles personally... Would make a nice tourer which is what these (adventure) bikes basically are.

How can you possibly determine that T7 engine is the less torquey? max torque peak could be misleading, and I would wait for a proper test ride comparison before expressing assessment. And why people always forgot the Aprilia Tuareg? It's by far the best bike in the segment...

I'd have a V Strom 650 XT before they stop making them.

For me it's the V-Strom. The Honda is nice, but I like the looks of the Suzuki more. It also a steel frame.

These bikes are supposed to be off-road capable, not just dirt road capable. Only one of these is, T7. Do Honda and Suzuki really belong to that category?

As someone in the market for one of these I'm leaning towards the Honda ... the weight, power and features are all great and the price should be around £9,300 ish in the UK (it's now been revealed to be 10,500 / 10,600 Euros in some European countries from what I've seen in other videos online today) which is extremely competitive and undercuts the Suzuki considerably. My riding is predominantly road biased though ... I certainly can see the Suzuki being the more attractive option for off road enthusiasts with its longer travel fully adjustable suspension and bolt on subframe. End of the day the proof will be in the pudding ... it's going to be interesting trying each one out and seeing how they taste out on the road 🙂

I love the look of the tenere but they haven't stocked one anywhere near me and I have a great relationship with my Honda dealer so I'll be sitting on a transalp as soon as they get one in the showroom. I couldn't care less about all the tech it just adds to the price. The vstrom looks pretty good but I'll never 2up on an adventure bike anyway. I also like that Hondas dealer network is so big, I have 6 dealerships within 100 miles of my house.

Enjoyed the comparison. I own a V-Strom 650 model as my current ADV bike so am a little biased, even though I've always been partial to Hondas and their reliable, un-killable nature. That said, V-Strom is bulletproof and versatile. Will be interesting to see if that same reliability on V-Strom will stand the test of time with the parallel twin over the V-Twin. I'd own any of the bikes rated, but I would also want to compare them with the Africa Twin, the KTM Adventure and the Triumph Tiger. Not sure if the KTM or the Triumph offers the same reliability as the Japanese bikes, and I'm going to make a huge assumption that the Aprila is going to be expensive to maintain and maybe not as reliable. Only other thing I'd say is these bikes all offer different levels of capability. I'd take the Tenere if I was doing more off road, but I'd take the Suzuki if I was sticking mainly to tarmac. I think the Trans Alp is a bit ho-hum, but I haven't ridden one so I just don't know.

Tenere is the first the most durable more qualitydurable mechanics and the best for me.

I like the Honda for the tech and Honda's legendary reliability. But, the Tenere is such a well proven platform - the choices keep getting harder and harder...price will make a difference - or will it? Nod to the Yamaha on the style front though. It is going to probably come down to a showdown off road to see if either of the Suzuki or Honda can hold a candle to the Tenere. That high countershaft position gives it such great forward thrust off road, I wonder if the others will be able to keep up - especially on long, loose uphill sections. The Honda appears to have very street oriented tires on it . Will it go off road?

I'll say the new benchmark is the aprilia!

Thank you for adding excitement to the anticipation of my next bike! Well done.

I've been expecting a video on this from you, roads tests have been landing on RU-vid already, though from the Philippines

Honda looks dated to me and budget, prefer the other 2.

Between these three? It’s an easy pick: - either the Aprilia TUAREG 660 or the KTM 790 Adventure 2023 ! 🤣🤣🤣😜💪🏼😎🇵🇹👍🏼

Vstrom is the only one with quick shifter as standard and the only one with fully adjustable suspension. And Has the best range .and out of the three the best display .

Awesome video again MotoBob keep up the good work for me it will come down to the price of the trans Alp if it’s under 10 grand you gotta go for it I think 😊

The Suzi weighs the same as an Africa Twin so possibly a better comparison with cost and performance.

You should have included the aprilia tuareg.

The Transalp... if you can get one!

had tenere for one season, sold it after that, blue rally with all the accesories, garmin nav etc. Sold it. I simply could not stand the wind buffeting i was getting while riding, no matter which helmet, what type of screen, nothing worked. And top heavy beast, to pick it up it was a challange, looking for ktm 890r next

I was really quick to think that Honda missed out greatly on the design. Something with more flair would have been much appreciated. But we should not forget that a more "inoffensive" design is going to greatly help it reach a much wider market.

Suzuki has superior adjustable suspension, crash protection standard and a quickshifter as standard so has more tech and a better chassis. I think you need to do more research.

As a T7 killer, I would put my money on the Tuareg 660. (At least in Europe)

T7 is the top one.

Thing is we do not know when the transalp will be be available in Canada.

You forgot to say that the quickshifter is standard on the Suzuki. While it is not on these two models. The Transalp is a bike without emotion and soul. While the Suzuki is a hit in my opinion. That's why I already ordered the Suzuki. And I can't wait to drive it in April 💥 🏍💥

no, T7 has better torque then Transalp. Electronics silly features are pointless on adv bikes. For me Transalp falls to last place in comparison.

i have the 2024 Transalp and my god it is a good bike. i absolutely love it. But i wish it looked like Tenere. i love the looks of that bike so much.

Thanks Rob. Transalp all the way. In red, white and blue please. Thank you 🙏

Mr MotoBob, you’ve missed a very important competitor to that line up. How about the newly released 2023 KTM 790 Adventure ? Same price as the Japanese 3, but with more torque, power and CC’s. I used to own a T7, and switched to a 2020 KTM 790 Adventure-S. I’ve owned 27x different bikes in my life. I think the 790 adventure is an awesome, Goldilocks bike. I use mine for commuting (all year round), touring and breakfast runs. If I had to change bikes, I’d get another one (890s).

I can't wait till I can ride that new Transalp myself

Fully adjustable suspension does not seem to matter that much, after all...Let's wait to see whether the Honda feels as light as its figures show, because for the Tenere, that is definitely not the case...

The score table is totally wrong -based on video is clearly visible that only tenere did the enduro style driving -jumping and easy offroad wheelie...

I like off road abilities the most. But height of the bike is also a consideration. Honda sounds awesome. But Suzuki if the price is a factor??

My choice: Honda Transalp! Thanks for sharing.

Styling should never be a category, anywhere. Due to the fact that’s it’s a personal choice that can’t be put into stats.

Nice review & comparison motobob

Missing the Tuareg and the 790 😀

Currently torn between the TA and T7. No thanks on the DRmid.

Mr.motobob...i read somewhere that ktm would be coming with a 690cc parallel twin platform in the near future...ditching the 490 cc parallel twin...and btw you missed the tuareg 660

3 new ADV models from the 3 largest Japanese motorcycle manufacturers, and all of them are missing critical features for an adventure machine such as tubeless wheels and cruise control. Don't have to re-invent the whell, just copy it from Aprilia :-)

Apparently the Hornet 750 is better off road than the Trans Alp🤔 A wheelbase comparison would've been nice

Definitely the Transalp for me - buller proof reliability and better road manners - but this is acknowledging most riding will be on tarmac and off-road will be limited to gravel, some dirt but not true off-road adventures...

Compare the Honda Transalp with the NC750X instrad of the CB500X. It is the most similar to the other one, just 10 c.c. more and similar chasis. Triumph Tiger 850 should be added as well as Husqvarna Norden and KTM ADVENTURE 900

What does styling have to do with i anything? It totally depends on who you ask. People have different taste. So it should NOT be category.

This is a comparison of three motorcycles, that two of them you haven't ridden yet. So how can you score them ???

great review mate love it! :)

Old mt07 cost 6800 euros in 2019. Crazy increase in price.I will NEVER EVER buy a brand new bike.

I took a Tenere for a test drive on the road and suspension was so hard that my coxix was sore for a couple of days after, but the handling was great. I got a africa twin in the end, DCT. 🤣

Three times parallel twins - oh how exciting

What about the Aprilia Tuareg 660 ?

The final verdict will be out when expert rider reviewers have the bikes to ride. But good prelude of things to come. Can't wait. Having said, that no Japanese bike has really challenged the T7 for what it is. But let's see when the new bikes are ridden.

So none of them have cruise control? For do all middleweight bikes, that's kind of a miss. So it looks like if I want all the features that all of these bikes have, plus cruise control, I only have 1 choice- the Aprilia Tuareg 660. Sad, I was sure one of these middleweights would have that feature.

Nice video review 👍

T7 still the best. Unless you’re a pavement princess, then the other two are ok.

If honda and Suzuki can get their bikes to the dealer they will sell. Yamaha hasn't been able to do that and the ones that do make it get a premium added to the price by the dealer.

Aprilia Tuareg!

Aprilia Tuareg 660 as T7 killer??

I want a smaller Yamaha Rally style 450

None has cruise control which is bizarre!

None of them will ever come Anywhere near the tenere . Thee both road bikes with bigger wheels 😂

I think a Yamaha 3 cylinder adventure bike is coming soon~ that will be WAY more power & similar weight.

Nah Bob, you got it all wrong on this one. The Suzuki has done its homework here, with fully adjustable suspension, longer touring range, better ground clearance and suspension travel and things like bashplate standard. The Transalp has none of these things - not even a bashplate standard. While the engine in the Transalp might be a peach, it is tuned to deliver more power higher up in the rev range and less torque - exactly what you don't want off-road. For me the Suzuki comes out on top! And the Tenere....well its a Tenere!!

These journalists always talk peak power and never look at the whole power line figures, when engineers are making engine always look at the whole range of revs …

I like the look of the Suzuki & Honda

More choice of features is a good thing for salesmen. It keeps mechanics kid's in the best schools charging customers to replace it. It's a bunch of nothing if you know how to ride.

you nailed it. Transalp all the way.

Well.. to be honest I have to say that this is a nice example of making videos just to close a to do list ✅.. Some MOTOBOB videos are pretty good with useful information and unbiased opinions.. and this is not the case! First, you haven't ridden two of them, then there's facts.. T7 also have slipper clutch (23 model), and where's the Aprilia and KTM?? But that's a funny Honda commercial 😊

I'm about to buy my First Bick... I'm looking for adventure motorcycle...for long long destinations in Asia, Africa, North America....I'm planning to get my Training course soon... So Please what you Guys from your Experiences suggesting...yamaha , v-strom , Translap 750 or BMW? Thanks alot for all the Advices 🙏🏻🙂

T7 is the answer.