2010 Honda Fury Preview

Introduction

The Fury gets the wild side of Honda out for everyone to see and enjoy. No VTX or Shadow model has ever featured fuel injection and this mean machine takes the best (the engine) off its favorite sibling – the VTX 1300 – and feeds it through an advanced PGM-FI system.

Apparently that’s all that should surprise us, but something doesn’t fit the eccentric scenario created by Honda. You take a look at the bike and enjoy finally seeing a veritable Japanese custom motorcycle in front of your eyes and there’s that shaft final drive ruining it all. Why? The only explication is the fact that Honda people couldn’t abstain themselves from delivering a product that is as reliable as they know they can deliver and simply said “the hell with belt drive” and the result isn’t bad at all, just a little hard to get used seeing.

2010 Honda Fury

The transmission is a five-speed unit, like on all veritable custom bikes, making the Honda Fury ideal both for boulevard and highway cruising although you can improve it with a short incursion in the Honda Genuine Accessories department.

What’s probably the best of it apart from the bulletproof engine and tranny package is the 38-degree rake. This makes the exposed frame and slim fork to suddenly look good, but there’s plenty more to this bad boy and it involves style and attitude.

Competition

2009 Star Raider S

Honda’s move was a very calculated one and they entered the category in which they had the least chances to fail. For example, if they would have taken the VTX 1800 engine, fuel injected it and have it power a custom bike, the Star Raider and Raider S would have still enjoyed a big share of the market although I don’t doubt Honda’s abilities to make a change in that concern. On the other hand, the Shadow engine was simply too small and the Vulcan 900 Custom already present on the market.

2009 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom

Benefiting of the “class leader” statute even before being introduced, the Fury could have very easily been Fury 1300 as we reckon that an 1800cc and 750cc (or maybe 900cc) models will soon follow.

Exterior

2010 Honda Fury

If technically the Fury doesn’t radically stand out, stylistically, it is a trendsetter for the Japanese crowd. No other manufacturer before Honda has created a motorcycle that looks like custom made and yet be mass produced (and don’t think at Yamaha and Kawasaki because they deliver cruiser derived models, not choppers). Actually, I’m wondering if chopper builders in the United States would have pulled it through in such an outstanding manner.

As seen, designers had the simplest approach towards it and the Fury seems like being stripped down to its bare necessities although it isn’t a modified cruising motorcycle, but an all-new chopper. Like on all such motorcycles, the engine is the centerpiece. In this case, a 1,312cc liquid-cooled 52-degree V-twin fully covered in chrome shines beautifully at the middle of the 71.24 inches wheelbase, the longest know of any production bike ever.

The right side two-into-two exhaust is nicely contoured around the engine and gearbox while the silencers try to create that illegal look while still meeting EPA (CARB in California) emission regulations. With the radiator positioned in between he frame’s A-shaped pipes, the Fury looks like featuring no space left unexploited, but what’s with that gap between the front cylinder and gas tank? Not sure what to think, but as long as it makes a point for the 38-degree caster angle, I totally dig it.

2010 Honda Fury

Everything from fenders and gas tank to the custom wheels, headlight and instruments as well as the seat feature incredible fit and finish, taking a little off the bike’s 663 lbs wet weight.

The shaft final drive doesn’t look that bad after all, but how could it when it powers a custom 18-inch wheel requiring a 200 mm rear tire? Up front, you’re working with a 21-inch custom wheel supported by a long fork with 4.0 inches of travel. The headlight is anything, but outrageous and the handlebars are brought close to the rider even though they look damn short. Furthermore, the LED taillight is perfectly integrated into the fairly wide fender creating a unified look.

Featuring a variety of colors available – Dark Red Metallic, Metallic Silver, Ultra Blue Metallic, Black, Matte Silver Metallic (2010 special color—limited production) – the Honda Fury is hard to pass unnoticed wherever you ride.

Price

Unveiled last Friday, January 16th, at the New York International Motorcycle Show, the 2010 Honda Fury price and on-sale date are yet to be announced.

Conclusion

2010 Honda Fury

Honda sure knew how to keep the motorcycle press and enthusiasts blown about the Fury launch and in the end the bike didn’t disappoint in any matter. With a chopperesque look sustained by a potent engine, Honda is in with a winner which will most likely rule the streets until the other Japanese manufacturers will completely figure the recipe out.

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