Transalp newbie with tire / gearing / other questions

Just bought a mint Transalp with 15K miles in Colorado- shipping to me in Ohio, then after I get the non-expiring "historic" plates for it, it will be off to my place in NC.

Bike has bigger front disc and slightly taller gearing- the previous owner changed sprockets, but original ones included.

This old (59) guy plans riding mostly on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and occasionally some gravel roads (not trails- these roads are also occasionally used by cars).

What tires are aggressive enough for non-extreme gravel travel, but not too noisy for road use?

I assume changing back to the stock gearing would also make sense?

My only other immediate plans will be to get some side bags and put Honda logos back on.

Any other well-known mods or issues I should know about?

Just scroll down a little on the beast page and there is a wealth of info on the show us your TA mod pages. Also you are going to love that bike!

Bob

Thanks - I did see that, and I'm sure there's lots of good info, but at the moment I'm not able to take two weeks off to read through the 16,867 posts in that thread!

I'd keep the gearing and see what you think. If you find you are lugging the motor, swap back to stock.

Also, those tires look like they're in the realm of Gripsters or Tourances, I don't think they will be loud at all.

The main issue with these bikes are the CDIs failing. There's an updated holder that turns the CDIs sideways, so take a look at them under the seat. Even if you have the updated holder, I'd buy a spare to bring with you. I had one fail on me, even though I had the updated mount. ( I never rode anywhere without a spare CDI)

Other than that, tires, oil and fuel. Oh,and I hated the stock seat.

Another thing, if you're traveling on it and loading it up with gear, try to up the rear preload. Mine always got a little weavy when I had a bunch of gear on the back.

...and keep an eye on the oil. Mine always burned about 1/2 quart every 1000 miles. Make sure you get a feel as to whether it sips the oil.

Thanks!

The bike has a modded seat reshaped for the previous owner, but also includes a stock seat. I'm hoping one of those will work for me.

Not worrying about the existing tires being too loud, worrying about their performance on gravel- looking for a compromise tire that's good enough for both paved and gravel.

I'll look into the CDI issue- thanks again.

This bike was street-ridden by a 72 year old guy, really looks mint.

I can't wait to get it!
.

Ah, I read it wrong.

I typically ride Tourances on my Vstrom and like them for gravel and aggressive road riding. Plus I get at least 10,000 miles out of a rear and nearly 15,000 out of a front.


I've also use Pirelli Scorpion MT 90 A/T's and they worked just as well, though didn't last like the Tourances do.

I ran TKC 80's on my TA. Decent off road tire and surprisingly good on road tire, but don't last for a damn.

Great, thanks for the info.

happy trails and Givi make racks, the Givi engine/crash guard is a wise investment with your pretty plastics. A cheaper start with dual sport tires are the Shinko 705's. the search feature is a very handy tool on this site, especial in the show us your etc page. a spare cdi is a good idea to carry with you


have fun

Keep an eye on the battery, I had 2 different 1989 Alps, and they both boiled the battery dry. Also the connections on the starter solenoid , as they tend to corrode.

Guys, thanks for the tips.

Yep, now that you mention it, mine was hard on batteries also..

mine rakes a battery every 3 years or so. If you are riding highway mostly, +1 on the counter shaft is a good mod. your tires are fine for what you plan to do. Enjoy.