HONDA FURY

ROAD TEST HONDA FURY

WORDS & PICS: Big Dave

Custom-style cruisers don’t come any cleaner than Honda’s all-new Fury.

But how does such a single-minded style statement handle the humdrum of everyday riding? Very well says Big Dave.

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ROAD TEST HONDA FURY

Stance & style make sure Honda’s new Fury stands out from the crowd

W

hat’s in a name?

I picked up the Honda Fury from distributor Blue Wing and was immediately taken by the appearance of the machine. Pleasantly surprised in fact.

For an off-the-shelf Japanese ‘Custom bike’ this is a great looking unit.

Fury still does require some concessions to be made for its cornering clearance as that raked-out front end and slammed rear combine for a 1809.5mm wheelbase.

GETTING THOSE PEGS DOWN!

The spaced out tube frame, wild rake and chrome engine make for a feel-good ride.

It’s pretty easy to get a foot peg on the tarmac, particularly at low speed, but that said, it is equally easy to negotiate open road corners at the posted advisory speeds, or better.

Fortunately, however, the wild styling doesn’t compromise its road manners too much and it delivers real world, middleweight ‘metric cruiser’ performance.

It tracks beautifully and holds a line very nicely, unlike the old days and when a wild front end meant riding was like steering a Bedford truck with a busted spring.

That’s the first question just about everyone who met the machine asked. ‘What does it ride like?’

Whenever I talked about the bike it always came back to how ‘real-worldly’ the Fury is.

Answer!

It rides like a modern 1300cc cruiser.

Twenty years ago, riding a bike with the Fury’s wild rake and slammed rear end would require some ‘allowances.’ The

Although some might be tested by the far-forwardness of the controls, I found the riding position very comfortable. The machine is narrow and feels quite lithe when aboard.

FIRM RIDE The ultra-low saddle height and slammed rear end means that there is about 100mm of rear suspension travel and subsequently it’s quite a firm ride, but the seat is well padded and you become versed in riding around the worst of the potholes.

‘Yeah, it rides like a modern bike’ was the standard patter.

The rake and 21 inch front wheel do make the steering slower than a sportsbike, but it’s also not hard to give it a shimmy to avoid the man-hole cover that appears unexpectedly in your path. The 18 inch rear, with 200 section tyre looks the part too.

The seat height is 685mm. Yep, the saddle is just over two feet off the ground.

This will serve the shorter of leg well.

Actually, the whole rear end is nicely integrated and stylishly sparse, with the array of LED lights integrated into the bodywork.

Ride the NEW Fury or any of our full range of current demo Hondas at Cyclespot Honda $25995

Cyclespot Honda 63 Barrys Point Rd, Takapuna. Ph (09) 486 1136 sales@cyclespot.co.nz www.cyclespot.co.nz

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ENGINE Type: Liquid-cooled fuel-injected SOHC 52° V-twin Displacement: 1312cc Compression ratio: 9.2:1 Bore x stroke: 89.5 x 104.3mm Starting system: Electric Engine management system: Electronic Fuel system: Honda PGM-F1 fuel injection w/ 38mm throttle bodies Clutch: Wet mltiplate Transmission: 5-speed Final drive: Shaft FRAME Type: Tubular steel Swingarm: Steel Front suspension: Telescopic forks Rear suspension: Single shock Brakes: Disc front & rear Wheels: Cast aluminium alloy 21 in. dia. front & 18 in. dia. rear Tyres: Dunlop Elite 90/90-21 front & 20/50-18 rear DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 1805mm Rake: 32° Trail: 92mm LxWxH: 2575 x 900 x 1150mm Seat height: 685mm Curb weight: 303kg Fuel tank capacity: 12.8L RRP: $25,999 Test bike: Blue Wing Honda GEAR Helmet, jacket & boots: RJays Pants: Draggin Jeans (Gear courtesy MotoMail)

The 52º V-twin engine is dressed in an assortment of covers and plates to give a more traditional appearance to its liquid cooled, SOHC engine, which features three valves and two spark plugs per cylinder.

ROAD TEST HONDA FURY

SPECIFICATIONS HONDA FURY

PERFORMANCE & CHARACTER At 1312cc, with an over-square 89.5mm bore and 104.3mm stroke, it doesn’t have the same stump-pulling torque as the heavyweights in the Honda range, but it has performance and character in proportion to its cornering clearances and road manners.

Brakes are single disc with twin-piston calipers front and rear and do a pretty good job of hauling the ‘ready to ride’ mass of 303kg to a halt. They aren’t the one finger affair of the VFR1200, but they are commensurate with the rest of the machine’s demeanour.

The multi-plate wet clutch is cable operated and light and one-finger-easy to use. The 5-speed gearbox (all it needs) is precise and clicks easily into gear – even neutral when stationary.

The shaft drive is rather neatly integrated into the swing arm and is typical of modern shaft units. If you create an artificial set of circumstances they can be made to develop a tiny bit of slop, but in normal riding it’s un-noticeable.

The instrument pod is also somewhat spartan, in keeping with the whole front end of the bike. Speedometer, LCD odometer and an array of warning lights give you the basics.

VERY PLEASANT The outlook from the rider’s seat is very pleasant. The headlight enclosure reflects the passing world in lustrous chrome and the handlebars pull back and are quite flat, which all adds to the presentation.

The paintwork and finish is standard Honda quality and I had trouble finding a blemish.

The exhaust system is quiet, in line with current regs and the standard note is quite subdued. The guys at Blue Wing tell

us that the inventory of aftermarket accessories will be extensive.

The first thing that most couples will want to address is the pillion seat.

Co-pilot looked at it when I asked for her evaluation and said ‘no thanks’, but there are backrest and other comfort options available when ordering – otherwise I found it pretty comfortable. You do feel some heat from the engine; ‘the tackle’ is only a frame rail away from the action, but it’s not uncomfortable – just slightly noticeable.

OFF-THE-SHELF I think that’s a good word for the Fury.

Comfortable. It’s a comfortable, off the shelf custom bike that feels great, goes nicely and looks as pretty as a picture.

Demos are at your Honda Dealer now.

Nothing to be Furious about at all. KR

New-from-the-ground-up-model combines trend-setting look with rock-solid feel and all the technological mod-cons (PGM-F1 fuel injection/ ABS brakes etc) Honda has become famous for. Bike is bigger and brawnier in the flesh than it appears in photos, offering an authentic cruiser experience without the compromises you’d have to put up with a limited edition model from a custom builder.

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