There’s talk that Honda has a new version of its popular Transalp dual-sport in the works. And although it might be wishful thinking, we’re secretly hoping that Honda will inject a little retro rally racer style into it. Something like this steezy Transalp from the French custom shop Viba would be nice.
Viba’s lead designer Yann Bakonyi got the inspiration for his 1987 Honda XL 600V Transalp build during a road trip through the Joshua Tree National Park in California. He was driving a Jeep Wrangler at the time, and imagined doing the trip on two wheels instead.

The idea to build a simple, versatile and cool-looking adventure bike was born. Yann’s rework is more restomod than full-bore custom?but it’s sublime in its subtlety. Given the age of the donor, the first job was a proper tear down and mechanical once-over, and a fresh coat of black for the frame and swingarm. From there, the mission was twofold: tweak the Transalp visually, and make it ride better.

Yann started with the running gear, re-lacing the wheels with new spokes and Excel rims. They’re now wrapped in Avon TrekRider 50/50 rubber, for a mix of on- and off-road grip. The brakes were upgraded with Brembo discs and pads, and braided stainless steel hoses.
The crew finessed the suspension too. The Honda’s OEM Showa forks were fine-tuned with new oil and shims, and there’s a new EMC shock out back. A hidden custom-made ‘shock fender’ keeps things nea...