Do you remember those big mid-2000 choppers with weird names, fancy controls, a stupidly built front, ridiculous oversized rear tires and a flashy look, sold for the price of a small house? Honda Fury (photo posted later in the article) is different. She just looks like that.
It is surprising that the Honda - perhaps the most conservative of all motorcycle manufacturers - withstood the chopper-inspired Honda VT1300CX Fury, which still finds enthusiastic buyers not only in the United States, but around the world.
What's new
Launched in 2010, the Honda Fury motorcycle was different from everything the manufacturer had done before. And because this is Honda, the company spent a considerable amount of time exploring this sector of the market before offering a motorcycle that, at first glance, came straight from the tuning world.
Marketing photos of the company do not allow to appreciate the beauty of the Honda VT 1300 Fury. It actually looks much better in metal. Of course, this is not a real chopper, but still an interesting motorcycle that really rides much better than can be expected from its appearance.
Asceticism
So what does the buyer get for their money? It is clear that the equipment is very small. This is just a tuned motorcycle with a large V-shaped engine, comfortable, with a low position of the seat and steering wheel. Virtually everything.
Before it is bent at 32 degrees with a high steering column mount, which gives the Honda Fury a certain resemblance to a chopper. The narrow 12.8-liter fuel tank looks amazing, rushing down to the rider. The rear fender is shortened, and 21-inch tires and a flat black nine-spoke tight-fitting front wheel span the front. One of the problem points here is that many of the chrome parts of the Fury, including the wings, are made of plastic.
Nevertheless, the slender individual features of the motorcycle provided an amazing seat height - only 68 cm, which will allow motorists of almost any height to stop putting both legs on the road when they stop.
Single bike
The removable passenger seat on the rear wing of the Honda Fury does not recommend user reviews for distances greater than several kilometers. He has no handrails, and the passenger will not say “thank you” for the sensations received.
It is truly a motorcycle for singles. And it provides an excellent position for the driver, even if the seat seems too rigid. On the go, the legs do not stretch so far forward that shifting gears becomes difficult, and you can easily reach the rear brake with the toe of your right boot.
With a total weight of 300 kg (309 for the ABS model), one 336 mm front disc with two pistons and a 296 mm rear brake, the bike is just perfect. He is even better than we would like. Of course, you can pay a little more and get an ABS version, but the standard equipment for customers, judging by the reviews, is great.
A mysterious stranger
The buyer will have to look for the name of the motorcycle, which is probably the reason why most people have no idea what it is when they first see the Honda Fury. But if you look closely, you can find several Honda badges in the lower part of the motorcycle: one on the engine body, and the second, with the inscription "Fury", is located on the rear wing.
The long front 45 mm forks have a decent 10-centimeter stroke, absorbing a lot of bumps and bumps in the road surface, despite the Dunlop's narrow, almost bicycle front tire. Honda did a good job trying to provide a tough view from the rear, and managed to hide the only adjustable shock absorber (with five preload positions and a 9.4 cm stroke) under the large thick rear wing.
Color choices are limited to blue metallic for models without ABS or matt silver for versions with anti-lock braking system.
And the presence of a full line of accessories allows owners to make further tuning "Fury" if they want to achieve additional personality and originality of their "iron horse".
Steering wheel
In Honda Fury, tuning also extends to the steering wheel that is beautifully drawn to the driver. "Honda" tried to free in front in a true chopper style, but there were still a few cables that, according to users, could be hidden or laid differently.
On the steering wheel there is a corner-shaped simple speedometer with indicators of oil pressure, water temperature and neutral. But there is no tachometer or even a fuel gauge, so you have to monitor the mileage or constantly open the tank to be aware of how much fuel is left.
Honda Fury: engine specifications
Power is provided by the proven, water-cooled, 52-degree V-engine with a volume of 1312 cm 3 , also used in the State Line, Saber and Interstate motorcycles. About 132 kg / m of torque of this motor powerfully and evenly provide five-speed transmission and power supply to the rear wheel and 200 mm tires.
Recommended engine oil for Honda Fury is the four-stroke Pro Honda GN4 or equivalent SG grades or higher with API classification SAE 10W-30 grade MA JASO T 903 standard.
Double edged sword
If the buyer is shy, he may not even think about buying a Honda Fury. A motorcycle is not suitable for him. Wherever he appears, people want to talk about him, sit on him or photograph him.
Nevertheless, this model is a kind of double-edged sword. On the one hand, the company built a motorcycle that looks amazing, but very few have ever seen it in metal or know that it exists. And when they are told that this is a Honda, they are very embarrassed. They know that the company makes great sports and very competent off-road motorcycles. Some are simply amazed that the Honda also makes the Fury.
But, to everything else, the motorcycle is a surprisingly good bike. Users who first saw the Fury may not be quite sure about this. The motorcycle looks too far-fetched, as if someone was trying hard to make it seem like what it really isn't.
But if you just throw your leg and sit in its ultra-low seat, everything immediately makes sense. First of all, it’s easy to ride a motorcycle. Its large V-shaped engine vibrates a little at idle, as you would expect, but there are two counterweights that prevent a significant increase in vibrations.
Riding
With 180 centimeters of wheelbase, the Honda Fury has become the longest motorcycle manufacturer ever made today. In combination with a narrow front tire, this does not allow you to feel confident at low speeds, and you have to be careful when parking. Pushed forward does not facilitate low-speed maneuvering.
On the road, a thin tire and a slope do not provide the rider with a good enough steering feel at speeds up to 30 km / h. But after a while, after the driver gets used to his “iron horse” and finds out how he behaves at medium cruising speeds, which is really important, the motorcycle shows an excellent result.
It does not flop around corners, as one would expect from a chopper, and most users note that the Fury is very easy to master. Steering at high speed is neutral and without surprises, there is a good overall sense of stability. But a low landing does not provide sufficient ground clearance, which is why you can touch the road when cornering too much.
At speeds above 80 km / h, the Fury behaves as if it merges with the highway. With a five-speed gearbox, the motorcycle travels as smoothly and smoothly as one would expect from any Honda cruiser.
Rear wheel
No problem with the big thick 200mm Dunlop tire. It probably does not improve the rear suspension, but it is not a motorcycle on which someone would like to travel hundreds of kilometers a day. This is a cruiser and chopper designed for weekend trips. But first of all, this is a motorcycle designed to go on the road and have fun.
Tank
The gas tank should be looked after. In a literal sense. Missing fuel gauge. The manufacturer claims that the average consumption of gasoline is 6.3 km / l (according to user reviews, this value is slightly higher). Thus, it can be expected that the mileage between gas stations will be only 250 km.
How often the choppers mentioned at the beginning of this review looked extraordinary, but rode horrific. The Honda Fury 1300 is not such a motorcycle.
By some miracle, Honda managed to find a middle ground. As a result, the user gets the appearance of a chopper and a motorcycle that rides perfectly, predictable and will not fail at the first corner.
pros
Attractive appearance suggests that the Honda managed to create a competent and very obedient cruiser. Despite the elongated forks, he, according to the owners, rides well and is really comfortable.
Riding a motorcycle brings joy. It is not too fast, but if someone wants to have an interesting motorcycle for trips on the weekend or someone likes to just ride around the city on business, he will be a good choice.
Minuses
The owner of the motorcycle will attract increased attention, and he will most likely have to put up with people constantly asking if the Fury is Harley-Davidson.
To get a reliable, tuned motorcycle to the market, Honda had to save money and use plenty of plastic (for example, front and rear wings) and chrome plastic on the engine cover.
Appearance required sacrifice practicality. Although the “Fury” fuel tank is beautifully designed and goes well with a tuned appearance, gas stations will have to be visited frequently with 12.8 liters.
Real choppers are made of iron and steel. But that doesn’t justify the ugly welds on the Fury, especially on the frame head. They can be attributed to the nature of the motorcycle, but this is not the quality of fit and finish that users are accustomed to expect from Honda.
Price
At a fair price of $ 9.999, you can only choose metallic blue without ABS. For an extra $ 1000, you can get a version with anti-lock braking system, but only silver.
What else should you know about the Honda Fury? User reviews suggest that there is nothing that looks like a Fury. Some will say that it resembles the interpretation of the chopper by Harley and Davidson Rocket, but it quietly left the market in 2012. There is another alternative from the same manufacturer, Wide Glide, which, depending on the specification, is priced from $ 15,000 to $ 15,729.
There are many other motorbikes that ride like the Fury, but their manufacturers do not offer chopper style at that price.
What others say
According to the publication "Motorcycle USA", "Fury" as a chopper behaves well (perhaps even too well), and at a price of $ 10 thousand it is difficult to argue with that. So has the “steepness” become cheaper? Undoubtedly. And you can guarantee that many will buy this motorcycle. But the question is, who? What generation will think the Fury is cool? You should bet on baby boomers going through a midlife crisis ...
The Daily Telegraph notes that the Fury handles better than any chopper, with the most neutral steering and better stability at high speed, and in this respect surpasses many much less radical factory cruisers.
Verdict
Even today, several years after its birth, the Fury stands out from the line of motorcycles produced by Honda, as a little eccentric and out of the ordinary. And this is good.
How the Honda Fury rides well, is easy to drive and enjoys. As a cruiser, he does his job with a minimum of fuss and with a certain amount of charm. In addition, he has the famous reliability of the company Honda. For those who are looking for exactly this type of motorcycle, there is no better way to look.