The adventure bikes you NEED not want | V-Strom 800 DE vs Transalp XL750 Review 

As always, beautiful production quality, and insightful commentary. Love what you do. I also love both of these bikes. I could not pick a favorite either!

Congrats to the Suzuki team for coming out of nowhere with such a great bike/platform!

Well said. We’ve all become so stuck in the spec sheet that we’ve forgotten that we don’t actually need the spec sheet.

Best review of these two bikes. Great job! I went with the Suzuki :)

Really enjoyed this. It's so good to get such an honest and unbiased real world opinion of two bikes that many will discount just because they're not a T7 or 890 Adventure and it's just what the average adventure rider needs to hear. Cinematography was spectacular too. Without doubt my favourite Motorcycling channel!

Great review comparison and very enjoyable to watch. I own a Transalp 750 and I've test ride a V-Strom 800 DE and although I truly respect the solidity of the VStrom and the engine's precision, the Transalp 750 it's the best compromise money can buy for 95% of the casual "adventure" segment customers, myself included. With proper experience and skills, Transalp can take you whatever place you dream.

Next level cinematography as always. Beautiful stuff man. I think either of these two bikes are the ideal machine for most adventure riders if we're being honest about our riding abilities.

"and with suspension that actually works" Fantastic.

@BrakeMagazine your videography, storytelling, and evaluations/observations are stellar. Thank you from middle America.

I have been questioning you about the vstrom 800 de video for a while. Oh well, i got a transalp review and comparo as well as a bonus. I love how you keep your content fresh and different in style than other youtubers. For exensive reviews, i have big rock moto, for short quick videos that are just informative MotoBob, for the best balance videos we got your channel. You dont beat the deadhorse like the other channels talking about the same bike over over and over. Love the video. You deserve way more susbcribers.

As always, love your work. Great cinematography and thank you for toning down the background music. Perfect!

Man, I love your videos. You get it down to the point so well.

Excellent review video! Well shot, funny, and with unique insights into the bikes that so many others don't cover. This channel is definitely top tier and I'm excited to see what you come up with next. Keep up the great work!

Yet another great review from you guys, epic scenery, quality birds eye photography and as always commentary that understands the audience and provides food for thought. Thank you 🙏

The Transalp handles just like a CB500X, but slightly slower to tip. It’s just a lot faster and slightly heavier with a wider stature. The Transalp is closer to a CB500X than people might expect, in a great way.

Fantastic video. I love the topic of “need not want” I have a WR450F that’s street legal and I’ve owned many single cylinder dualsports but I finally decided to sell my Goldwing and concours 14 and get a REAL multi cylinder adv bike. My type of riding was going to be lots and lots of highways. I live in Texas and it’s 1,000 miles just to get to Colorado. Sure I WANTED a T7 or Africa twin. I want that 21in front wheel but the more I was honest with myself the more I started to favor a shaft drive (coming from shaft drive street bikes) and a 19/17 wheel. So I looked at the GS1200 and read the horror stories of electrical gremlins and shaft drive failures and ended up with the humble Super Tenere 1200. The super tenere is a land barge. Massively heavy but it still gets the job done off-road at a slower pace and it’s great on the highway. The S Ten is arguably the most reliable motorcycle ever made. So many forum posters with 200,000 miles on their bikes. It feels more like farm equipment than a motorcycle. Tractor like. To me it’s the Toyota Land Cruiser of motorcycles

After 6 months of research and being as i value dependability over all else i picked the best Japanese mid bike i felt would suit my 80/20 riding, the 800de. Love it and will always be as open minded as possible but i dont want to constantly be working on any bike i have other than mods and accessories...accessories...

Amazing video, which explains these two bikes so well. Thanks for the shoutout too!

Great review as always, but I'm most impressed with your little icons indicating how the products used in the video were acquired. Hopefully that level of transparency spreads throughout the online motorcycle journalist/youtuber world.

Great review Llel, Id love to try one of these modern adventure bikes. I was in at the beginning, I bought an R80g/s in '83 and ive had it ever since. Ive done a bit of trail riding with lads on T7s so i see the difference that the years have made to suspension etc.. Nice to see that manufacturers are still supporting this class of bike.

Kudos to your video editor- the little touches like the frame connecting as a timer for your commercial- really great little touches. Content is always a smash hit !!! Editing is like the icing on a cupcake

thanks a lot. great comments !

Another excellent vid. Those 15 minutes just flew by. Thanks.

Love the film quality, love the honest and fair review, top marks mate....top marks 👍

This is the first video I've seen from you guys. Really impressed with the production quality. Subscribed.

Wonderful channel. Absolutely fabulous reviews too. The love of bikes shows through.

A well produced and thoughtful review. This is a great market segment with strong competition from nearly every make.

Excellent review and beautifully shot. I loved the no BS nature of it. Kudos.

I watch everything on these bikes and I think this is the best video on them - to the point!

Great review I will definitely try the v strom before I decide what to buy. Ps great to bump into you again on the ox drove. R Adam

I’ve now changed to a tracer 7 with some Pirelli str tyres for my green landing and off road adventures, it’s much “easier” to handle off road than the tenere and I’ve only done one lane 😂 roll on the weekend and lots of testing to be done . Keep up the great vids fella 👍🏼

Nice one guys. This is exactly what's needed

Great reviews as always

Great review! As usual great quality video, I watch your stuff even when I have no interest in the bikes reviewed, they are that entertaining and interesting. I'm in the market for one of these, I will have to go test ride them, I like the looks of the Honda better but that Zuzuki seems to impress everyone who rides it.

Excellent video, great production and I like your delivery style. Its great to have a UK based channel that is up their with BRM, Dork in the Road and dare I say it... Fortnine??!!! Great work guys.

Great work & a fair assessment - Dropping the front that smidge on the 800 exactly the same idea as myself after a couple thousand miles.. And as for the great engine, think what a tune / ECU will do ... (a couple others out there already have it tuned up in GSX-8s and I look forward to doing this sometime later this year, the gains throughout powerband are huge). Cheers and keep it up.

Awesome video Llel & Team, well done! 👍👍

Well done Llel, I love your straight forward practical take on these bikes, ones that some may turn their noses up but most would find suits them best. Bought my GS before these came out would like to have had them as an option but that’s life. Looking forward to fitting my Tailmax Raids with my Rabaconda too. Cheers Llel.

Yes!!! Was really looking forward to this one

Love your edits to this Llel

An excellent balanced review. Personally I decided on the suzuki, it's base inclusions, better and simpler electronics, and more sophisticated and capable suspension made it a better value proposition for me. The flexibility of the engine is icing on the cake. However I couldn't adjust the shock to my preferred rider sag, even with the preload wound all the way up, I guess slightly heavier spring for the shock at least is in my near future.

Agree with your summary bikes the Adventure Bike Market needed. Bought the V4 Motool suspension tuner based on your recommendation, great work Thankyou 😂 Ewen…

Thank you for the review.

Such a great video!! 😊 Would you mind sharing gpx for the trip?

Great video and review 👍

Nice video. I think you described these bikes perfectly.

Too funny!!! I did a search for comparison reviews on these two bikes just a couple hours before this video was launched. I intend to buy one of these, probably the Suzi

Thanks for a great video review of these two machines. Probably one of the more sensible tests I have seen of these two bikes. That is: ridden how most people would probably ride them. 👍🇦🇺

Great review! One of the best reviewers on yt! What is your personal adv bike?

Great video, thank you! I only tested the transalp out of the two, and only on road. Significantly lighter and more nimble than my Tiger 900 Rally Pr (although I love my bike). Transalp is great for do it all bike in my opinion. It is good for London traffic, touring and some off roading. If I had to have 1 bike only, this would be the choice for sure. I am only a bit scared of tubed tires in case of trouble somewhere in Pyrenees or Alps.

Great vid, beautiful riding Couldn't agree more.

Its really interesting watching this :) ive been trying to work out what to get my dad ive gone from a 1200gs te rallye (himmy rejected)- 300 Rally to a 2004 1150GSA for ease of maintenance an it really fitted my needs for the riding i wanted Im no Pol thats for sure! I think for most of us even the Suzuki an the Transalp are still big bikes id love to see more sub 200kg ones the difference between the Himalayans weight and 300 rally was huge to me as someone that gave green laning a whirl. Ive got alot of seat time on older stuff from 1927 to the 60s n 80s an the seats an seat heights were so much better! Id love to see some more lighter 500 twins on the market especially a boxer 500. I feel like stuff like that would suit alot of us, with simplicity at the core of the design ethos and ease of Maitinece 10-12k is still a hell of alot of money to alot of us really like the transparency of the review style inc the graphics ive been watching review videos all evening an some are so so vague on whether they are paid or press bikes. Awesome video as always 👌

Incredible drone shots

Like the XL very much. Thanks again for a great review.

My guy, you've got the voice over thing DIALLED.😉 And we both know that's the hardest part. Seriously though, that is a top notch video. Oh and that '91 Africa Twin at 00:44 is a thing of beauty.

great review. id love to go buy a 800de and find out where you rode and go try some non tarmac riding,

The humour is coming together-good stuff

Great quality video!

Great great great and to the point .. It always comes down to the rider knowing themselves and understanding what kind of riding brings them the most joy . I have a 30 " inseam .. It's the Transalp for me .. I would love BMW to jump in with a Earles front fork and a good mono shock in the back on a 800 boxer with a 5 USgallon tank and great brakes ...

Have had the VStrom 6 weeks now ... a very fair review you've managed 👏👏. We loved the TA too, and in Australia it's 3 grand cheaper ... but the electronics and the awful airbox access were the clangers for us.

I personally feel like I'd be perfectly happy on the T7, Vstrom, or Transalp. Each having their own strengths and weaknesses and needing upgrades or parts swaps but all 3 appear to be great bikes. I went with the Transalp as I'm more on-road than off and prefer the better wind protection and more comfortable seat than the T7 and I like the extra power and lower weight than the Vstrom, and I also personally think it's the best looking although I do wish we got the gold wheel option in North America I need to find some old Africa Twin wheels to try out :)

I love your videos. so good that I've added to my favorite video list. thank you. I have the super limited 2024 KTM 890 rally, and yet as a second bike I'm getting a transalp... love it

This is a great review, guys. Take a bow.

If you haven't already, you seriously need to thoroughly test the Tuareg660. Slightly less comfortable on the road because of the narrower seat, but makes up for it with the stock cruise control. And off the road significantly better suspension than even the Vstrom. The T7 isn't even in the competition anymore.

First off I’ve really been looking forward to this video! 👍 I looked at the transalp and immediately discounted it due to the very low sump! I live in North Wales and recognise some of the trails in the video, taking that in to account should I look to the Suzuki or take another look at the Honda? Most people I think would run the Yamaha but it’s too tall for me.

Mind if I ask where you ride taking these shots? Looks awesome, would love to get my 98 Africa twin on some of these trails! Mainly ridden round Cummbria which looks very similar, but im stuck in the south at the moment and its all too flat XD

As always, a perfect video and very well explained. As a V-Strom 800 fan, I can only agree with your assessment.

A middle-weight category comparo with a few riders of different sizes and skill would be amazing!

I have a 2009 VStrom 650. It runs well. It does highway all day at 130kph. It does forestry roads. I can two up. I can haul camping gear. It’s good on gas. It’s easy to work on. With a bit of body protection I started taking it down rockier trails too. 15 years in it’s a good bike. If you are looking for a long term bike you can’t go wrong with the Suzuki.

Great review Llel. When I'm ready to trade-in my F750GS, I'm fairly sure it will be for the Transalp. The only thing that puts me off is the tubed tyres. Not easy to repair when you're a long way from home.

just bought the 800 the quick shifter is insane!

Good review. The best advice I ever received was to make a choice and enjoy the bike. You can customize it as needed, and you can always change your mind later. Or you can sit behind a computer screen or phone and compare and complain about specs until your head explodes. The people that want something to meet every little, tiny requirement before they go and do so something or delay living life until everything is perfect are never happy anyway.

Interesting review, thanks. It looks like the Suzuki is a bit better as the Honda has a few issues like not remembering settings and placement of the horn button where the indicator is supposed to be, as well as more difficult air filter replacement.

Glad to see someone treating the transalp like a transalp, and not going on and on about how if you just put $6,000 of parts on it you can turn it into the ADV bike "it was meant to be." 🤮 Transalp is a transalp, not a GS, for the better.

Nicely balanced realistic review .😊Those outback motortek bars are very solid. But, any problems adjusting the gear lever for off road boots? My bars prevent that...🤔

I had zero interest in the transalp but after watching various review videos I'm actually starting to become interested. Everybody loves the V-Strom and I've never met an unhappy V-Strom owner. And I've ridden with some guys who are on V-Strom who can ride the heck out of those things and they seem to take all of it and continue to run smoothly

Do you plan to make graphics for BMW 1250GS any time soon?

Great video. Amazing quality as well. I wonder, how is the seat on the Transalp compare to CB500X? I've had a CB500X '22 for a year, and could'nt stand the seat on longer rides. I now have T7 with original seat, and it is much better for my bottom. Even tough it's better, I feel in the bottom after som hours on the Highway... I also felt the CB500X was a bit to cramped for me. I feel the T7 is better for my height (190cm). Althoug it is a bit top heavy. Has anyone compared the seat on T7, CB500X, Transalp and Vstrom 800DE? I guess I have to try them all..

Love the review and the comparison but the only reason I would stay away from both of them would be tubed type rims which means not having tubeless tyres and a lot of hassle to change them ... I would take my scrambler 1200x or XE or the tiger 900 over these two any day, it would do the job just fine.

Watch OnTheBackWheel ride the 800DE, then tell me again what the bike can't do. For me it was an easy choice, I prefer off road and the 800DE is the clear winner.

Really loved these video, as always, everything is top-notch. The one thing that I just cannot love about the trans out. Is that front end, like you said if it was Dakar’d it would be a completely different story for me. Am hoping that Honda brings out a 2025 model with that new NX 500 style front end and it would be a peach.✌️

If my 890 Duke didn’t steal my heart before I jumped in the dirt with the Adventure, I would’ve ended up with a Transalp I think. Unfortunately for me I’ve caught KTMitis but someday I hope to be able to take a spin on a Transalp. Can’t wait to see more of both these bikes around in the US. It’s lonely off-road in my neck of the woods.

Great video...I thought the Suzuki was a bit bland from original reports, but it seems like an attractive buy now. Have you put the Aprilia 660 to test yet?

I don't know which of these bikes is better.... but I DO know which moto-journalist has the best hair in the industry. I love that you're responding to the comments with the right amount of Sass they deserve. Keep on trucking, mate!

Great review and filming. I currently ride a GSX 8S so I know about the motor but both the Transalp and the Vstrom 800 are too big for me 😢. Im 😢considering a Vstrom 650 as its more manageable and I can mostly get my feet on the floor.

Very impressive video quality guys. I subscribed! btw... SUZUKI FTW!

Transalp for me. If that was Barmouth area, you had a good day out. 👊

Aprilia Taureg,post lockdown production bikes(Yamaha's French built bikes had similar QC issues) ,is still the one to go to,but the 2024 BMW F900GS might just be the surprise package, albeit price?

Really loving my Transalp so far.

Would love to know what route you did for this video! The trails look great! Also, I've got a Vstrom 650XT. Is the 800 worth the upgrade?

Love my 800 de

Where did you do all this beautiful riding if I may ask?

I wasn't brought up with this, my words exactly, I watched Carl Fogarty "Foggy", I've had mostly sports bikes the 02 R6 is still my favourite bike that I've owned, so switching to a bike that's around twice as heavy, I feel like I'm learning to ride a bike again

How would you compare these to the 790/890 adventure S or the non R verison?

And we were bought up with Paris Dakar haha.

Guys, this is the absolute best comparison of these two bikes I’ve seen. Your descriptions tell me the transalp wins for me and the 800 is best suited for others. Heading to dealer tomorrow…but if only we could switch the instrument gauges. One thing you didn’t mention is the Honda does not have a fuel range readout. Even the lowly versys 300 has that. This is 2024 right? Come on Honda!

British fortnine. Very nicely made.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH now I want both!!!!

All of these machines will be a slight compromise as they have to fit so many riders weight, height, riding styles and abilities. Having tried both extensively i felt the 800DE has the best motor/power delivery/ suspension with more potential to tailor to suit individual preferences. As much as i love my Hondas (and i have a few) the TA motor is more akin to a revvy sports tourer lacks low down punch. If you feel the need to test the 800DE off road, i would recommend go to Suzuki Live at Cadwell Park June 22/23. The off road test couse at the circuit that Suzuki set up is excellent and a great test for the bike and rider.

Hello ! Can you make a video about CF Moto 800 MT ? Thanks !