Honda Fury factory chopper spied in Arizona
These spy photos, from Spanish magazine Solo Moto Treinta, clearly show a development mule for the Honda Fury, a new factory chopper from Honda that's been the subject of lots of speculation. Motorcycle.com even claims the Fury "might be a hybrid with a gas and electric motor!" It's not. Instead it's a fairly conventional motorcycle with a few neat pieces of tech that hide real functionality behind the questionable chopper style.
Update 2: The Honda Fury has been revealed early in patent drawings filed by Honda. Click here to check them out.
Update: Solo Moto Treinta was nice enough to send us patent images that are believed to apply to the Fury. They reveal details of the underseat radiator and hidden shock. They're in the gallery above.
The confusion stems from a screenshot from a video teaser for the Fury that Honda recently sent out to dealers. The screenshot was taken by one of those dealers then uploaded onto one of the many forums that Motorcycle.com owns. Since the bottom half of the bike is obscured, members of the forum are speculating that some sort of alternative powertrain is being hidden, possibly the gas/electric hybrid that Honda has said it's developing for motorcycles.
Little else is known about the Fury other than what's clearly visible in these pictures: it's got a big v-twin, probably between 1300 and 2000cc and a fat rear tire that'll spoil the handling. It is clear, however, that the Fury is Honda's attempt to cash in on the now collapsed custom chopper market, coming several years too late to catch that trend in full swing.
To us, the interesting thing about the Fury is the level of engineering that's gone into ensuring that it maintains the look of a silly, scarcely-functional chopper while endowing it with the kind of reliability, safe handling and braking abilities that'll keep the company out of the courtroom. For example, note the absence of a radiator. But wait, what's that peaking out under the seat in the side shot of the test mule? Looks like a fluid reservoir for an underseat radiator to us. Same goes for the hard tail appearance; the rear shock is hidden under the crankcase. The rear wheel looks great, free of a bulky rear disc. Where is it? Running alongside the rear sprocket for the belt drive.
It's thought that the Fury will be making its official debut at the NY round of the International Motorcycle Show. We'll be waiting with bated breath.
via Solo Moto Treinta
Wes Siler. December 04, 2008 — Permalink
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i used to really appreciate honda for so many reasons. the nsx-r is a good example. but what has happened to the passion?
so disappointing.
that guy riding the "fury" perfectly embodies what i was trying to say about honda above. this bike is arizona jeans and loafers.
I heart the NSX-R too. I even got to drive the Spoon NSX-R GT.
Well, I like the bike. I'm not sure I'd buy it, but it would be nice to have an option over buying a Harley or Big Dog.
As for the "Fat Tire" comment above. Just because the tire is wide... doesnt mean it cant handle. The pirelli diablo 240 can handle better than most tires. 2 Wheel Tuner put a pro on a sportbike with a 240 and his laptimes were damn near the same as with the 180.
Plus... this bike isnt a sportbike or streetfighter. its a cruiser.... and the best looking one that honda has made so far.
how nice, there are only 5 of them in the world....
but i honestly don't know why people hate harley so much, i think they are decent machine built with a piece of heritage, and extremely over priced, thats all
i have a problem with any company that underengineers their machines purposely to bump sales in accessories. my dad had a black cherry 05 heritage softail deluxe. it had the soft bags, and the windshield and was a pretty good touring bike. 8-10 hour rides were a piece of cake. numb, lazy, land-barge, lead-sled handling, but stable and predictable. like my dad.
but he paid almost 18k for it. no heated grips, or sound system. no central air. no thermal cupholders. all the crazy BS you get on modern touring bikes.
i wouldn't say the engine is gutless. the low RPM roll-on works for most corners. but even if it had a tachometer, it wouldn't matter because once you get about 40% thru the throttle the old butt dyno is reading "WTF". you can get the screaming eagle package, which gives a bit more top end and that typical farty roar, but that'll cost you another 4 or 5k.
i won't say anything about the looks, because that's a matter of personal preference. but the build quality wasn't what you'd expect for nigh on 20k. finished surfaces were nice and shiny, but there is A LOT of plastic and rubber on these bikes. why? so you can spend more on chrome license plate brackets and fluid reservoir cozies.
i just feel like its a sham.
I'm sitting here listening to gutless US Congressmen lampoon and publicly vilify the Big 3 auto CEO's groveling to the government for bailouts to keep on plodding along in their efforts to keep their dwindling market share from spiraling ever downward. I see many parallels to the current motorcycle market here in the US. As the US auto companies all have fine, efficient and brisk selling models in foreign markets, they are hamstrung in their efforts to bring them to the US market where they could better compete against the Japanese and Korean models. Many American motorcyclists wish that the big Japanese firms would bring their European motorcycle models to our shores with many willing buyers. Harley debuts it's latest Sportster in Europe before the US. Honda, albeit, somewhat late in the game contrives a chopper model to perk up lagging US sales. All marketing, like politics is local. I salute any company for at least trying to develop, market and compete, no mater where that market lies in the global scheme of things.
um, i'm pretty sure i saw these photos YEARS ago. (i remember what a doofus i thought the rider was for wearing the shirt sleeves and loafers on a bike). why were they republished again??
You're right. Those photos were published years ago. The speculation about this bike being a hybrid was hyped by the person who owns the forum that the author pulled this info from. There is no way in hell that the fury will be a hybrid. The person who hyped the hybrid has already taken back those statements. It will be a shaft drive bike with a 1300cc engine. The test bike photos are simply a modified VTX 1800 with a belt drive. So much for a test mule.
Shawn" Well, I like the bike. I'm not sure I'd buy it, but it would be nice to have an option over buying a Harley or Big Dog"
What about Victory?
The two AZ shots are old, the patents less so, but the leaked screenshot is new, as are all three together.
What about a real bike?
Not entirely sure what you mean, Wes. (unless I'm being thick and missing your humor)
I was pointing out another option to what Shawn considers his only options....which points to a big enough subject to warrant a separate topic.
Oh, sorry, I was being smart. I just really don't understand why people like cruisers.
That riders posture is horrifying and some people say that sport bikes are hard on your back. Yeesh.
anyone else noticing broken images in this story?
there are so many differences between the black bike and the fogged out photo that they are probably completely different engineering projects.
the frames entire geometry is different, the headlamp/trees/handlebars/forks/seat/wheels/brake lines, everything is different.
I remember seeing those demo photos as well, and thinking how much the moron in the deck shoes was doing to "camouflage" the bike.
I've got a little bit of confirmed info on this thing. Nothing spectacular, but it's something: 1300cc, Fuel injected, 200 series rear tire. 3+ gallon fuel tank. If I get any other info before the unveiling I'll let ya'll know.
Thanks Ben. I'd seen those figures kicking around and was hoping someone would drop them into the comments.
That's all right, Wes. I don't get people who don't get cruisers. So it all works out.
Going through all the comments, it looks like the black bike and the engineering drawings have nothing to do with the upcoming Fury. The blurry silhouette taken on some guy's cell phone camera that reveals nothing more than the shape of the gas tank and a lot of air above the front cylinder is all we've really got to go on.
If Ben(pi)'s information of 1300cc and 200 series rear tire is correct, then I doubt this will a "silly, scarcely-functional" bike. Knowing Honda, they'll make it work like a real bike. In fact, I'm impressed Honda decided to base it on the smaller 1300 instead of the larger (but less useful) 1800.
The black bike is an engineering mule, they're rough prototypes built with on-hand parts to test specific components. The production Fury is the bike in the crappy cell phone shot.
Cruisers are bad ass that's why. You sit up and cruise. When you put tassles, studs, windscreens, and most saddlebags make cruisers look retarded. But a simple cruiser, like a Sportster 1200 is the way to ride in style. Not everyone wants to knee drag in corners and pop wheelies at triple digits. Some people, like myself, drive fast in our cars and ride slow on our bikes.
Ben is right, the bike will be 1300 FI with a shaft final drive. Pictures are available through your local honda regional sales rep for sales managers eyes only. The pics are embedded with a background number and the number is associated to that rep. If the pics get leaked Honda will know who leaked them. Didn't see the bike personally but am fairly excited about it.
Andy's got it right, dealers are seeing pics, but can't do anything more than look at them. While the bike is scheduled to be unvailed at the NYC motorcycle show (Why not Long Beach, where American Honda is just up the road in Torrance?). I'll try to take notes of it next week, when I get a chance to see the pics, so if anybody has any specific questions that they want answered, post them before Wed. I will say that it's kinda nice for a Manufacturer to be releasing info through the dealer network first, rather than through the press for a change. It's never fun to look like an idiot to customers because they know more than the dealer.
Sorry to be a killjoy but that is NOT the Honda Fury in those spy pics. That is a very old spy shot of the VTX 1800 taken back in 2003. That VTX never made it past the R&D phase and now this pic has been brought back to life by someone claiming to have all the info on the new Fury.
It's not the Fury, the only pic of the Fury is the out of focus, poorly lit pic.
What a Joke, Another harley clone. What has happened to Honda. They were once innovators, now they are immatators. I can see every over 60, wanna be cool but to cheap to buy a harley geezer lining up to buy this piece of crap. C'mon Honda bring the cb1100r/f to America.......This is so sad for Honda.
A Motorcycle for the Professional POSER!
There is a new site now dedicated to the discussion of the Honda Fury... it is a forum website where people that have placed deposits are gathering to discuss the upcoming bike.
If you are a future Fury owner, come join us at http://www.furyforums.com
Lol your basing Honda's heritage on one bike? they are still innovators, there is no doubt about that Fury or not. Get real.
I cant even count how many posers I see every single day on Harley's. The difference between this bike and a Harley is this one is RELIABLE.
Only posers Comment about other "posers". Also comparing Harley's to Honda's is like Apples to Oranges in comparison. They both have a round shape but that's where the similarities end.
I've owned numerous Honda's in the past and will probably own more thruout my life. Usually it's old Honda iron like CB 550 & 750 SOHC's and a Honda Shadow 750 and an Ascot 500.
I do own a ride the piss out of 2 Harleys. My 1991 FLHTP Police model Electraglide had over 130,000 miles on her when I sold her in November to make room for my new Electraglide. My 2003 Sportster Chopper is dead nuts reliable with over 40,000 miles (I say because I stripped the speedo off it in the first month I bought it new) with only a base gasket leak on the front cylinder.
I wouldn't mind snapping a Fury up from someone in a year or two on the cheap, strip it down even more and make it look 'mo better.
a real chopper, so refreshing to have a real unit and not another peice of harley junk
how much does the fury costa
and will it be around in 2011
This bike will cost you 17k here in Canada. And people are saying Harleys are over priced!! The difference is someone will buy a used hog for a premium because its a HOG not a honda. The only Honda I'll buy is a lawnmower.
what a over priced pos . They put there worst mill in this bike and shaft drive get real. why bother
I bought my Fury May 4. The nearest Harley dealer is 8o miles away. The Honda dealer is 2 miles away. Both bikes start with H so I bought the closest one for $1300. I'm 59 and after putting myself in the hospital 3 times with my Yamaha 360 Enduro I decided to just look pretty and cruise. I havnt been doing any hill climbing with the Fury but it seems a fine bike and even my Corvettes never got so much attention.