Honda's new "Chopper"

I had heard some rumors about this several years ago. Looks like Honda is throwing their hat in the chopper world. I personally think they will sell about three of these things. They went with the 1300 motor (I have heard the 1800 is dead). I was at the stealer this weekend and asked about it. According to him (and I don't put a lot of credit in this particular stealer) they will be asking 20k for that thing. I find that hard to believe when you can grab a Star Raider or HD Rocker for less and have more motor. Honda seems to be the one metric builder that just doesn't get the american cruiser thing. Even with the current economy, when it comes to choppers, Americans belive there is no replacement for displacement.

I have owned a Honda and I personally think they should stick with bikes like the Valk, which they discontinued. They should give up the v-twin thing and stick to bikes they build well. Anything other than the Rune would be great on the 'wing motor. I owned a 94 Magna which was a great V-4 cruiser. I'm not sure why they don't start developing more bikes like that.

Anyway here is the link if you haven't seen the "Fury" yet.

[oldbikers]

Where's the link ??? ???

[timebandit]

A link would've been nice ! ::)

[emu]

Honda has been out to lunch in the cruiser market for years. They are a great car company now ... that happens to have a motorcycle division. I would advise all Honda delegates at the next convention to throw their support over to Kawasaki ...

[dkdixie]

Here's one link

http://www.motorcycle.com/

[trevwales]

http://powersports.honda.com/furyreveal/default.aspx#/intro

pretty.... ugly

[donguer]

I guess beauty is in the "eye of the beholder".
1300cc, fuel injected, liquid cooled,shaft drive. Works for me, I like it.
Except for the gas tank...too small.

[taranis]

I've read lots of comments about the fury. Most comments are about the small tank 3.4 gallons for that 1300. Can't imagine getting more than 120 miles at best per tank.

To me, the Fury is underwhelming. There's nothing different, nothing compelling about it that sets it apart from the likes of the Raider. Having taken the Raider out for an extended test-ride, I would be absolutely tickled to have one in the garage. Can't say that about the Fuy. The world "blah" comes to mind - a generic custom.

I have not heard $20K - more like $13,000. Still, that's a bit much for a stripped down bike. But I'll bet they sell like mad.

[ice793]

I like it it's different mileage might suck but for some one wanting a custom look for more than half the price thats their bike of choice as for me i like to cruise in comfort and style so ill stick with my nomad.

[bosko]

I like it.
http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo306/ARG_032/2010-Honda-Fury-5.jpg
2010 Honda Fury

But I'll keep my Suzuki S83. You could buy them new for under $10K Cdn out the door. Although I think that Suzuki has discontinued the S83 (Intruder 1400) this year, ending 20+ years of production.
http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo306/ARG_032/1.jpg

[gopjohnny]

my dealer says not official but she has been told 13k, she has a waiting list for demo rides already

[paul]

I can see it for the customer that might be fairly new to biking, wants the Chopper look, but doesn't have a lot of money and/or time. A little too generic for me, it just didn't grab me. Having had a couple of bikes now and spending some time making changes to them, I believe I'd enjoy doing a build or rebuild to get the same thing more. Then, I would feel like it was truly mine. http://s2.images.proboards.com/cool.gif

[glwilson]

The pic posted in one of the above posts looks better than I saw on the link provided. It also looks like Honda could have made the tank bigger without comprimising the overall "look".

This bike reminds me of Chrysler's PT Cruiser in that the PT was a generic/retro version of an old "souped-up" panel wagon -- it had some of the look; but lost its luster in a very short while.

In other words; at first glance; kind-of a cool bike; but when looking longer at it -- it isn't the real-deal thus its appeal diminishes fast. JMHO

[pirate]

Definitely wouldn't guess it's a Honda at first sight. Kind of cool looking, although not very practical for me.

[kenb]

A blank canvas. If the price is right from the dealer, along with several choices, the accessories should sell well. Aftermarket could have a field day as well. A person who is adept with an air brush can let the imagination go. Definitely not a bike to keep stock.

[rksaw]

My '99 Nomad is the first bike that I have owned that is not a Honda. I have had three Shadows and a '72 CL 350. That said, between this bike and the DN-01, I don't know what Big Red is thinking!!!

They definitely are having a problem defining themselves or maybe are trying to stay ahead of the market by trying new things, but I personally don't think that it will work. I, for one, am glad that I looked past Honda to Kawi and am impressed with the Nomad. I'm sure many others will be impressed as they look at other manufacturers.
Rich

Sorry I didn't get the link posted guys - really I put it in there!

http://powersports.honda.com/furyreveal/#/intro

[joker]

I was at the bike show on Sunday and got a chance to see the Fury firsthand. It definitely looks better live than in pictures. My biggest problem when I sat on it was its weight. The bike is extremely light. It feels more like sitting on a scooter than a 1300cc bike. I'm sure it'll sell though. A couple of friends I was at the show with are planning on getting first bikes. They both loved it. Looks-wise I personally would prefer the Voyager over anything else on the show.

[schoeney]

Typically most chopper riders don't ride long distances ....mainly local, tavern to tavern, short hops, and hanging out...so I don't think the gas tank size will be much of a hurdle.

The weekend warrior that doesn't like to tinker will appreciate Honda's reliability. It will is also be cheaper than the HD counterpart. 1300cc motor and lightweight should scoot pretty good...just add loud pipes and the chopper crowd will buy them by the dozen.

I see Honda does not show a 1800 VTX in their 2009 line up....and the Gold Wing is now being produced in Japan...The Wing is do to be refreshed ....could it be they are going to introduce something new? A refreshed wing and a Valkyrie type bike on the same platform?

[juan]

I like the bike but I would like to see a better set of exhaust pipes on it and a bigger rear tire

[goldstar225]

I see it as a sales hit for those who want a "custom" bike without the price tag of a custom builder. Those who buy it will go for the looks and won't be interested in riding any significant distance.

Schoeney - I agree about the Wing needing some refreshing. There are a lot of nice full dressers out there of all engine types. I wonder if they are going to pump out a bigger motor than a twin 1800, maybe a new Valk? It's fun to speculate.

[schoeney]

I hope it is a new Valkyrie....my brother would buy one in a minute. Then I would have another riding buddy nearby.

[jussmatt]

I kind of like the Fury.... it looks pretty good..specially for a "jap" bike....

What I get from the design of the Fury, is that the "jap" bike manufactures are actually listening to what is being requested from a lot of motorcycle enthuseist... a more traditional looking bike. One of the main reasons a lot of people prefer Harley's is because it doesn't look like a "rice burner"... I, for one, am glad to see that the Asian manufactures are paying attention and offering a wider style range of bikes that will, no doubt, perform with the same reliability that they're already known for!!

It's no Nomad...but then a Nomad has never really been confused w/ a chopper either!?!? I'm interested to see if Kawasaki, Yamaha, & Suzuki jump on the band wagon?!??

[dogdoc]

I like it too, good price too.

[djh]

Maybe Honda should have a chat With Arlen Ness Like Victory has and gain some addtional style points, They are on the right track not a bad start. But for me I'll stick with The Nomad Thanks DJ.

[jamiep24]

They ought to concentrate more on the cruiser marker......They should have kept the Valkyrie and now they've done away with the VTX1800, which was my first choice before I found the Nomad.
I mean, there's nothing between the 1300's and the Wing. Not much to choose from. Well, I guess that is great for Kawasaki and the Nomad sales!

[gopjohnny]

the 1800 just didnt sale, period.

[dhomoney]

I like it. Pretty cool bike. It reminds me a bit of the 900 Custom, but more stylized.

[dandolfn]

Honda seems to be the one metric builder that just doesn't get the american cruiser thing. Even with the current economy, when it comes to choppers, Americans belive there is no replacement for displacement.

The guy I bought my Nomad from says big bikes are unbelievably slow right now and what's selling are small/medium bikes.

He's got Vulcan 2000s and Suzuki M109's and C109s that he can't move.

I think those middleweights that are selling are commuter style bikes. People are buying them as a gas price beater. When the gas prices go up this summer (and they will go back up) your going to see even more of them sold. For the tried and true riders (and guys with more money than brains even if it is their first bike) they will continue the big displacement trend. To me the Fury won't fall in as a commuter bike because the price will be as high as a bigger displacement bike simply because Honda calls it a "chopper". So here you have a middleweight motor that a lot of folks are buying to commute with, but a poor handling chopper frame. The one saving grace of the bike would simply be the fact that the tire out back is a manageble 200 as opposed to a 240 250 or 260. I wonder if the rim is designed like the Raider's and able to hold a 240 right off the showroom floor.

Bottom line is this. People who want to ride a chopper want a bike that is uncompromising. And the Fury is one big compromise.

[01nomad]

They have an article on it in Motorcycle Cruiser for April. No price yet. EDIT. I see where it says the price will be South of $15,000. They just might get that! Some people use to have too much money. Times are a changing though.

Definitely wouldn't guess it's a Honda at first sight. Kind of cool looking, although not very practical for me.

My thoughts exactly. The small gas tank is really not an issue with a bar hopper. No windshield and the foot pegs with no back rest isn't really beckoning long haul riding.

[pablo]

It looks good to me; nice and clean. If it rides ok (and it probably will since it's from Honda) and the price is right, I think they will sell a lot of these.

[markusmaximus]

Looks good from a distance. I wouldn't mind having one for showing off locally. But it will never replace my Nomad.