Photographs by Yash Gawde
I had just stepped out of our cab, and I was already sweating; it was just 7:30 am. Nonetheless, I didn’t expect a breezy, pleasant day when I signed up for Honda BigWing Adventure Camp. Battling the weather and eating dust all day was the unsaid part of the agenda and I didn’t really mind because I was going to be spending the day with the Honda Transalp 750 and the NX500 through some gnarly trails.
But before we got to the actual dirty dancing, a warm-up was a must. After all, hustling a 200-kg motorcycle through dust, rocks and whatnot wasn’t going to be a simple task… at least we were told so. A quick briefing later, we were told to pick our bikes from the mix of Transalps and NX500s, which led to a Le Man-style sprint to secure the six Transalps with 16 journalists on the ground. I was fast enough to grab one Transalp and after we hopped onto our bikes, we were led to a big patch of open land which had a big hill on one side, meant for us to learn to conquer slopes, and the other side had cones for a braking drill.
After doing multiple attempts of both, I was confident… in fact, too confident with the Transalp. I already knew this was a friendly and capable motorcycle, but that day, it was a whole new feeling. The traction control was off and so was the ABS at the rear wheel. So, kicking up ‘some’ dust every now and then was not going to be difficult.
By now, the temperature was already on the higher side of 30s, and we were yet to start the actual trail. A quick hydration stop later, we rode to the base camp from which the Transalp and NX500s were to be separated, and attack trails specifically curated for these bikes. Big, loose rocks, steep slopes, sharp hairpins… the Transalp trail had it all. Of course, this was an easy task for this bike, and me, too. Though I had my reservations about the touring windshield that my bike had, it never created any problem. The bike’s suspension seemed more than adequate for the task at hand. And the engine? Well, at places, it felt a bit too powerful, especially considering that we had to keep our speed in check since we were riding in a group.
So, the engine braking was set at level 2, the power was turned down to half, and I had the perfect setting for that trail. In fact, a couple of more journalists used the same settings, and they, too, found the Transalp to be a lot easier on that terrain.
A few runs to have fun and a few more to get some pictures had me dehydrated, hungry and tired. But now, it was time to swap the Transalp with the NX. This trail wasn’t as hardcore or demanding as the previous one. After all, the NX500 is not a hardcore adventure bike, but more of a tourer. The difference in the ergonomics, the way the suspension behaved was evident almost immediately. At 196 kg, the NX500 is lighter than the Himalayan and has more performance at disposal.
Switching off the traction control required just a press of a button, but there’s no option to switch off the ABS at the rear wheel. But I was okay with that because this trail felt like a slightly worse version of the NH66 from a few years ago. There were patches of fine sand, some rocks and a wide enough track. I did manage to go beyond the trail, and test out the suspension, though. For almost all sorts of terrain that one could possibly encounter when touring, the NX500’s suspension could take it… as long as you are a bit cautious with the throttle. But despite my best attempts, it didn’t bottom out on that trail.
The temperature was well beyond 40°C now, it was time to pack up and head home. My riding gear was drenched in sweat, my mouth dry and face full of dust but I was still yearning for more action. The Adventure Camp was tough, sweaty, and relentless — but every bit the adventure it promised to be.
