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Spanish petroleum giant Repsol has announced that they have extended their sponsorship of Honda’s factory team for two more seasons.

The Spanish corporation will continue to sponsor the Repsol Honda team through 2024, which will mark the 30th anniversary of their deal, the longest running sponsorship backing in history.

While the announcement is hardly unexpected, it does bring an end to what has become an almost annual ritual of speculation over whether Repsol would remain with HRC or not. For the next two years, Repsol is staying put.

One interesting motivation for Repsol to remain with Honda is MotoGP’s imminent switch to non-fossil fuel sources. From 2024, 40% of the fuels used in MotoGP must be from non-fossil sources, with that increasing to 100% by 2027.

With pressures on motorsport and on oil companies to speed up decarbonization, MotoGP is an ideal laboratory to work on producing hydrocarbon fuel sources of similar performance but obtained from non-fossil sources.

It is an opportunity that other oil companies may choose to follow, with Shell backing Ducati and Petronas still heavily involved at several levels.

After much expectation and waiting, the Honda Transalp returns to Big Red’s lineup. Officially dubbed the 2023 Honda XL750 Transalp, the bike shares its 755cc parallel-twin engine with the new Honda CB750 Hornet. 

This means power comes in at 90hp (67.5 kW), with torque at 56 lbs•ft (75 Nm). That should be plenty to appease those shopping in the middleweight ADV segment, and the 458 lbs (208 kg) wet weight means that the Honda Transalp competes nicely against even the latest crop of machines in this category. 

There is a 21″ hoop at the front, which is paired to an 18″ unit in the back. Suspension is handled by Showa, with 7.9 inches (200mm) of travel in the forks and 7.5 inches (190mm) of travel in the rear. All the suspension pieces are preload-adjustment only. 

In terms of electronics, Honda hasn’t skimped. As such, the Transalp comes with a 5″ TFT, five riding modes (four preset, and one user mode), which in turn have different settings for traction control, wheelie control, throttle mapping, engine braking, and ABS. A quickshifter can be added as a Honda aftermarket part. 

With styling based on the Honda CB125X concept, the Transalp name takes on a fresh feeling, which is surely going to help drive sales. The 2023 Honda Transalp will come in three colors: Matte Iridium Gray Metallic, Mat Ballistic Black Metallic, and Ross White Tricolour. 

The big questions remaining though are what will the Honda Transalp cost when it comes to market, and when can we expect it in the USA?