But the mechanical bits play second or third fiddle to the outlandish (for Honda) styling of the Fury. Company reps emphasized that cruisers appeal to a rider’s emotions, so Honda stepped a bit outside its typically wide comfort zone to create a bike that initially appears could’ve been built in a small fabrication shop. “Welcome to the wild side – of Honda,” reads the PR materials. Its body-colored frame tubes look elegant, given extra spotlight by an artful fuel tank that exposes the triangulated headstock and horizontal backbone frame tube. The mid-tank crease that arches downward to the seat is another styling success. Fashion has its price, and here that cost comes in the tank’s modest 3.4-gallon capacity. You’ll note the lack of Honda badges on the bike’s flanks; the bike’s origins will remain a mystery to the general public. A lovely front fender wraps neatly around the skinny 90/90 front tire, highlighted by a handsome 21-inch front wheel. A 200/50-18 rear tire resides under a traditionally shaped rear fender with a tidy brake light slid under its tail. Blame pesky federal regs for the large turnsignal lamps that look bulky alongside the bike’s lean design. More appealing is the shape of the chrome headlight arching forward from between the 45mm fork tubes. As for how the Fury will ride, Honda reps assure us the bike isn’t at all awkward to handle. A 38.0-degree rake angle is quite chopperish, but it’s balanced by a modest 3.5 inches of trail. At 71.2 inches, the Fury’s wheelbase is the longest of any production Honda. The view from the cockpit is clean. Throttle cables and brake lines are exposed, but every other wire is hidden inside the bars. A scooped saddle placed 26.7 inches from the ground blends nicely into the tapered gas tank. At a listed curb weight of 663 lbs (full of fuel), the Fury is about 6 lbs lighter than the $9,899 VTX1300C. We’ll know more about how the Fury performs after we ride it in the latter part of February. The Fury will be one of the first USA-bound bikes to be produced in Honda’s extensive new factory in Kumamoto, Japan. It is scheduled to hit American dealers around the latter part of March and will eventually be sold in Europe. We’ll finish up here with a snippet from the Fury’s PR materials, which kind of sums up how Honda perceives its newest bike. “Destined to become a milestone machine, the Fury captures the pure, undiluted chopper essence, places it within easy reach of nearly every rider and then backs it up with the same quality and reliability built into every Honda.” See more at http://www.furyisunleashed.com/. There’s irony in the fact that Honda, the “nicest people” company, is now building what in our modern vernacular is a chopper, a genre previously associated with ne’er-do-wells, tattoos and hard living. Honda is known globally as an engineering powerhouse whose R&D efforts are second to none in the motorcycle world. But a chopper-style motorcycle, with its extended wheelbase and raked-out front end, forces dynamic compromises not present in other classes of bikes. So the question is: In a market segment with a heavy accent on form over function, can the 2010 Fury find the right balance? After a day of riding this outside-the-Honda-box creation, we can reply in the affirmative. Millions of TV viewers have been exposed to the world of custom bikes via shows such as American Chopper and Biker Build Off, firing the imagination of those who reside in Middle America and speaking to an audience beyond the outlaw biker crowd typically associated with so-called choppers. The Fury presents an opportunity for Joe Six-Pack to enter this rebel genre backed by a highly reputable company. If you’ve read our report from the Fury’s sneak preview, you already know the stretched, flowing design is an eyeball popper and quite a departure from the normally conservative Honda. This sleek beauty gives appreciative eyes dozens of areas to ogle. You already know if the Fury’s design appeals to your taste buds, but we’re now able to share with you how the bike works as a vehicle in motion. We spent a day cruising around the Pacific Coast in northern San Diego County, putting the Fury to the test in a variety of cruiser-type environments. Straddling the Fury for the first time, a rider is greeted by surprisingly hospitable ergonomics. My 5-foot-8 bod appreciated the modest reach to the handlebars and the secure footing provided by the low 26.7-inch seat height. Amazingly, the ergos were also well-received by the 6-foot-5 Barry Winfield, another journo on our ride. He praised the Fury for having “one of the better cruiser riding positions” and liked its well-padded seat. Fuel-injection ensures immediate ignition, and the rumbling lope of the 52-degree V-Twin pleasantly shakes a rider; dual counterbalancers keep vibes from becoming objectionable. The 2-into-1-into-2 exhaust produces an appropriately butch note, louder and meatier than the three carbureted bikes in the VTX1300 series which use a similar motor. One of the Fury’s big tests comes early – maneuvering such an elongated bike around the confines of a small parking lot can cause some anxious moments on some choppers, as they are often afflicted with unexpected responses at low speeds. But Big Red’s chopper is remarkably balanced and agile for a bike with the longest wheelbase (71.2 inches) of any Honda ever created. A moderately fat 200mm rear tire doesn’t make the bike reluctant to turn like a silly-fat tire does, and the bike exhibits nearly zero front-end flop that is present at low speeds on many other raked-out cruisers. Even feet-up, full-lock U-turns on a two-lane road don’t present much of a challenge. Indeed, the Fury generally functions as a proper motorcycle. Clutch and shift efforts are quite light and smoothly operating, and the injected the 1312cc mill has immaculate throttle pickup. Being shaft-driven, a rider feels some jacking of the rear end under acceleration, but it’s only really noticeable when you’re riding like a jackass. I occasionally forgot to remember I was on a cruiser, thus I have this info. Suspension is a good compromise of comfort and control, considering the dynamic compromises forced by the slammed look and low seat height. The hidden rear shock benefits from an easy-to-adjust hydraulic preload knob and rebound-damping screw concealed beneath the bike’s right-hand sidecover. Though the initial setting was fine for the 200-pounders in our group, it proved too stiff for my 145-lb weight. It took only about 20 seconds to back off two positions of preload, and the smooth ride I’d hoped for magically appeared. In recent times, we’ve seen motorcycle engines pushing the 2-liter mark and beyond, and so the size queens out there might be underwhelmed by the Fury’s 80 cubic inches. And yet its moderate amount of power isn’t disappointing in this application – there was an era not long ago in which 1300cc was about as big as it got, and there’s plenty enough power on tap here to easily scoot away from cager traffic. During the Fury’s gestation period, Honda had considered using the VTX1800 engine, but it presented many styling and packaging problems. Airbox and exhaust volumes need to be larger, as does the radiator. “The 1300 fits the personality of the bike,” Conte says, noting its single-pin crankshaft that provides a loping vibration which adds to the rumbly character. The VTX-18’s motor would’ve also added considerable weight to the project, currently a reasonable 663 lbs full of fluids and fuel. Packaging is still a bit of a compromise with the 1300cc powerplant. The space for a rider’s right knee has to be negotiated with the large airbox and the rear cylinder’s offset position and its exhaust header. In stop-and-go traffic, the radiator’s fan will click on quietly buts sends only minimal heat toward the rider. The Fury’s horn is hidden neatly behind the shifter and footpeg. A cruise up the freeway to our lunch stop gave us time to admire the Fury’s clean looking cockpit with an attractive but minimal gauge pack; the view is spoiled only by the mess created from the exposed throttle cables, brake lines and electrical wiring. Despite short stalks, the mirrors are quite useful and free from blurring. The fists-punching-the-wind handlebar position feels both aggressive and comfy, and the bike is happy enough bombing down I-5 at 80 mph. A pair of disc brakes proved to be adequate for the Fury’s intended use. The front rotor, despite looking diminutive inside the large 21-inch front wheel, is a considerable 336mm in diameter. However, the lever needs a good squeeze in order for the twin-piston caliper to bite strongly. Adding input from the rear brake on a long-wheelbase bike like this significantly reduces stopping distances, and the Fury’s 296mm rear disc proves to be powerful while nicely resistant to locking. Honda’s market research says customers want anti-lock brakes, so beginning this fall an ABS Fury will be available at a $1,000 premium. The system also includes Honda’s Combined Braking System of linked brakes, but the crossover happens solely through the rear-brake pedal; the hand lever applies only the front brake. If you like the ABS option, hopefully you also like the black Fury, as that’s the only color on ABS-equipped bikes. Non-ABS Furys will be available this April in five colors, and we’re impressed by an MSRP that seems reasonable considering the bike’s dramatic styling: $12,999. Unfortunately, this rational price tag comes at the cost of some componentry that is below the standard of high-end choppers that Honda draws comparisons to. Many of the bikes bearing Soichiro-san’s name have switchgear a step above its Japanese competitors, but not so here. The turnsignal switch borrowed from the VTX1300 series feels cheap in relation to the apparent high quality of the rest of the bike; the VTX1800s have a higher-end component that would’ve been a better choice. Also, the polished switchgear housings look dull next to the brightly shining chrome handlebar. But the most glaring deficiency in the Fury’s finish quality are the sloppy welds visible on the exposed frame tubes around the steering head. Even the hammer-handed Teutels of American Chopper fame would’ve done a nicer job. Where the Fury matches up with the typical custom-builder crowd is its regard for a passenger’s comfort. The Fury’s pillion saddle is either a disaster or devilishly clever; its rearward slope offers little resistance to sliding off under acceleration, forcing a passenger to hold on tightly to the rider. An optional backrest, part of several Fury accessories available at the time of launch, will be a prudent investment. Some may baulk at Honda’s description of the Fury as “radical.” Sure it’s not mind-blowing in the way a $60K custom can be, but it’s worth noting that not even Harley-Davidson has produced a bike with a rake angle so stretched or a wheelbase as long. So let’s admit that, for the normally staid Honda, the Fury is radical. And to get a radical chopper with Honda levels of quality for just $13K seems like quite a bargain. See you at Sturgis! It seems the reactions to Honda's What remains, regardless of your particular bent on bikes of the long, skinny persuasion, is that no other major manufacturer has really "gone there." And not for any particular reason either. It's not rocket science to make a bike with a big rake and tall steering head handle; though many "master builders" fail to make bikes that perform to minimum safe standards, there are several garage mechanics who have worked out decent geometry numbers and produce very rideable customs. So it's no surprise that Honda's engineers worked out that a 71.24" wheelbase bike (longest in Honda history) with 38-degrees of rake (32 at the neck plus six through offset trees), and 3.5 inches of trail. With these numbers, it manages to score 4-inches of wheel travel up front and 3.9 in the rear, for a fairly plush ride (other than on sharp-edged bumps and freeway expansion joints). Much of the rear wheel travel is taken up in static sag, which helps to keep it on the smooth side if it's not overwhelmed, but choppy if it is.  According to multiple sources inside Honda's R&D department, there's a big book of engineering guidelines that must be met by every Honda product. Way back 11 years ago when the 1100 version of the Aero came out with Honda's very first floorboards, they brushed up against some ground clearance guidelines and had to be altered. Just a couple years ago the Rune actually caused the lean angle number to change (decrease) to be able to be built, and thanks to that reduced requirement, the Fury was also made possible. Unsurprisingly, the result is that, an aggressive rider will drag the peg feelers in any corner he wants to, as a long bike needs more lean angle to complete the same turn as a shorter bike. Simply leaning one's body into the turn creates more clearance, but this is a chopper, not a sportbike, right? The Fury is extremely stable, both leaned over and in a straight line, yet retains acceptably light steering and easy handling. Turning around at a standstill takes some back-and-forth, but when rolling it's got a pretty decent turning circle.  While the overall concept of the bike was foreign to Honda, making the behemoth company stretch in ways they hadn't stretched before, in many areas they reverted to form, going conservative on some notable things like rear tire size (200mm is wide but not wide), and going with its midsized 1300cc version of the VTX motor, not the 1800. The engineers had trouble reconciling their (stated) basic perception that the Fury "guy" isn't going to be a hardcore rider, while making several nods to rideability (like the 1300cc motor, over the more lurchy 1800). In fact, this perception was reflected in the ride we were taken on at the press launch. We rode a total of under 100 miles on the day of the launch, though we've managed to clock quite a few more since then. Much of the ride was along the coast highway, down the freeway, and through urban areas, ""bar hopper" style. While we don't doubt that most Fury (or chopper) owners will do just that, it isn't a good start to have obvious contempt for your customers (or their own bike, for that matter) like that without regard to their potential riding aspirations.  There were some straight expense things that got glossed over as well, hand controls are still standard Honda buttons circa 1990. But in their defense, they're mounted to sinuous pullback fatty (1") bars. Some might also complain of the thick, messy MIG weld (thanks, Mark) at the exposed steering head, but you could say it adds an element of rawness, or that if you're a real chopperista you'll grind it down yourself. That said, they did paint the frame to match the sheetmetal. Speaking of the sheetmetal, with it, Honda has raised the bar for what we can expect from an OEM in this department, with a full, tire-hugging fender up front, a pretty good rear, and that devastatingly complex tank flowing up the frame rails, then around them at the front.  The 1312cc 3-valve VTX mill should be familiar to fans of Honda's lineup. However, this one is the first to come with electronic fuel injection. Having just tested an '09 VTX for our cover story, there is no doubt that the addition of EFI is a huge deal for this motor. Not only does it carburete flawlessly, it gives a decent boost to bottom end power. The tucked-away radiator is beautifully executed, but not only for going between the framerails, but also for not distorting the frame to house a standard rectangle up there. The wedge shape looks like it belongs there, and the (patented) hidden radiator hose is a nice touch. The same could be said about the shaft drive. Without all of the ugly bumps and shapes of a traditional shaft, this one (rightfully) fades into obscurity. The transmission is standard-issue Honda with a satisfying "clunk" into first gear and buttery-smooth engagement elsewhere.  Gear:
Helmet: Shark Evoline Jacket: Vanson B Gloves: Shift Torrent SS Boots: Redwing Lace-Up Overall braking power is slightly lacking, but with a concerted effort from front and rear it'll stop where you want it to. The front's wooden touch is probably out of a desire to keep the skinny 21" tire from locking up, while the rear is about right for a bike with a significant rear weight bias. All that said, compare how it works to anything called "chopper," that came before it, and it completely kicks a--. It's smooth, satisfying, makes all the right noises, and with adequate thrust to boot. The Fury does the thing that a chopper or a custom is supposed to do. It's a thrill just to gaze upon. It makes the heart race at first glance. Throw open the garage and you are coaxed to go for a ride any time day or night. And when the price of admission to chopperville has always hovered somewhere north of $20,000 that's saying a lot. Is it the only bike that will do this for this price? No, there are bikes in other niches that could pull it off as well. In style or not in style, this is a basic, classic design in many senses, which was just not available anywhere near this pricepoint ever. For that matter, we don't know of anything even vaguely chopperlike that has ever been offered with ABS. High style with supreme practicality...maybe it is a Honda. 2010 Honda Fury  Engine Chassis Dimensions
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