Honda Fury factory chopper leaks ahead of official New York unveiling
This is the Honda Fury, a chopper-style production bike from Honda. Due for an official unveiling at the New York International Motorcycle Show on Friday, this shot and details of the bike have leaked, revealing a machine that's identical to the Honda Fury patent images we brought you last week.
At 1808.5mm, the Fury has the longest wheelbase of any production motorcycle. It's powered by a 1312cc fuel-injected and liquid-cooled V-twin -- the radiator is neatly tucked in between the front frame rails, check out the patent images for details. The 200 series rear tire is supported by a hidden monoshock, while the front tire is a seriously skinny 90/90-21. Controversially, the Fury uses shaft drive as opposed to the more traditional belt associated with custom-style motorcycles, although we suppose it had to differentiate the Fury from every custom Harley ever made somehow.
Our favorite parts are the wheels, the bladed spokes are both handsome and subtle and the red stripe offers a classy contrast to the understated grey paint on this example. While we'd prefer to see Honda developing more ambitious motorcycles like the 2010 Honda V4 or the Honda Electric Motorcycle, we suppose this is their attempt to give middle-aged men from the Midwest who never figured out that the Village People-look was actually intended to solicit butt sex exactly what they want.
We can't help but be impressed by how well Honda has been able to reconcile the style of non-functional custom choppers with the functionality of a production bike. The overall look is incredibly clean, but should be relatively safe and comfortable to ride and can even accommodate a passenger. However, we can't help but question the wisdom of creating a bike that's intended to hide rather than showoff its technology. Honda's choice to use a 1300cc engine for a bike intended to appeal to the compensating crowd is also somewhat puzzling, but could at least indicate a sub-$20,000 price tag.
If we can be bothered to tear ourselves away from setting up for our exhibition of actually innovative motorcycle design on Friday morning to head over to the International Motorcycle Show, we'll bring you shots live form the Fury's unveiling.
Publishing this story is going to be somewhat controversial. The Fury isn't scheduled for official release until the NY show on Friday. Honda failed to include Hell For Leather in its list of publications made privy to this embargoed information and therefore isn't subject to any contractual obligations or agreements to keep any of this private. Since Honda didn't enable us to compete on a level playing field with other media outlets, we had no choice but to move forward with publication once we obtained these materials. This isn't an embargo break; had we been subject to any contract or agreement we would have honored it. This is a good old-fashioned leak.
Remember, you can click the image up top for a bigger version. It'll expand to fit your browser window, but is actually 1280px wide, so you can use it as a desktop wallpaper if you save it.
Embargo break via MCN
Grant Ray. January 14, 2009 — Permalink
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lame
good leak - thanks but did you have to deface the image with that ugly reference to yourselves on the zorst?
I think it looks good. I also like how they've made a liquid-cooled engine look like an air-cooled engine. Good looks with modern tech, very sneaky.
I like.
Mighty lame.
And who cares about the tag on the photo, they released it didn't they?
They heavyly watermarked the image so it won't be taken by other sites and posted as if they found it (as many do). It's normal.
nice
GRant, the cheek of this article, in all its multiple layers, had me crying tears of joy into my cheapo laptop keyboard. It now sloshes when I type. Although the invite to upload the evil friend-and-foe alienating image of THE H*NDA F@RY onto its desktop is a no-no, I have now cut'n'pasted your words into a PDF file, took a JPEG snapshot of it and saved that onto the screen of said laptop.
I bet Ducati now feel silly about that carbon fibre frame... pity you didn't publish this naughty sneak preview before the Duke pics - I bet they would have withdrawn the concept doubletime and gone into the GP09 paddock with a cleverly disguised oil-cooled shaft driven twin. With right way up forks. Oh, but one can only dream now...
"Since Honda didn't enable us to compete on a level playing field with other media outlets, we had no choice but to move forward with publication once we obtained these materials."
Meaning you are whiny pseudo journalists mad because you didn't get invited to the cool kids party and were left standing out on the sidewalk like a bunch of tools.
Get some journalistic morals and realize your pithy blog is not in the same league.
"out on the sidewalk like a bunch of tools..." aah, the home of a true biking soul... "pithy blogs"? methinks "no one" does protest too greedily, considering the power-to-weight ratio of his polemic
"(your choice of manufacturer here)'s choice to use a XXXXcc engine for a bike intended to appeal to the compensating crowd..."
That sentence explains every peice of power "sports" junk to come out of Asia.
ouch, seems you've pissed some people off. Namely mr 'no one', too pussy to give a real name, secondly mr compensating 'rice-rocket' hater.
personally im not much for these styles of bikes, give me british steel anyday, but at least honda is trying to break into new markets; another bland 4 cylinder, emotionless sportsbike is not what we need.
It's my photo. My copyright is embedded in the photo - yes the one on your website which I've copied and examined. You DO NOT have my permission to use this or any of my photos. This might get you into trouble. But then I'm sure you know that. Leak, Schmeek, sometimes you need permission.
Its a totally cool bike, let's see the price!
Lucky me, my screen resolution is poor enough that the hflmag tag doesn't even show on my desktop!!! Ha ha!
I'll only buy one if it has that same logo on the tank. :)
You sound like a little kid...that's my photo and you can't have it.
I have the photo stored.I'll post it anywhere I damned well please.
The bike looks like a Harley Softail Standard w a fake engine in the frame.It's just another copy cat bike.
Why, why why? Why do people buy these things? At least if you want a twin, buy a new Indian or a real Harley. Honda trying to look like a custom chopper, is like Steve Jobs trying be trailer trash. Sure, he's smart enough to put on a convincing show, but that isn't what he is. Give me more varied displacement and ergonomic standard bikes, Honda. We are really going to need those soon, with the gas crunch. This thing is little more than an expensive compensation for erectile dysfunction and a midlife crisis.
Oh.. and 'No One'... Screw the 'cool kids'. Print is dying. HFL is news for bikes. Consumers want new info refreshed hourly/daily, not weekly/monthly. Get with the program, or die. Capisce?
Not enough motorcycle articles have "butt sex" mentioned. Hilarious, and apt.
@DoctorNine
Listen wiseguy. Dissregarding the BRAND, technically speaking i see no reason NOT to buy the FURY over an Indian or Harley. It looks great and I bet it works greater than any Harley or Indian ever did. If your only reason is their brand and legacy than you are nothing but a snob, a perfect sucker customer for those sweet corporations that like to buy you more with the brand than with the actual product.
If you consider yourself an intelligent person, you choose a product first because of it's qualities, not because of a notorious or less notorious BRAND/LOGO.
You think if Harley and Indian are the pioneers of this type of bikes, nobody else is allowed to come and make their own products even if they succeed to make something better?
And if i respect Honda is because one major thing: they really trully focus on improving products while keeping the prices as low as possible. Honda means PERFORMANCE and dedication to performance and technology. Harley is just a promise of an american dream. You can have that american dream with any good bike, if you are trully a biker.
RespecT!
For those of you concerned about the "small" displacement just remember that the 1300cc engine of the Honda has more HP and Torque than the 1600cc engine of used on many Harley bikes.
zzz...just another custom bike. Could be any brand..
"..Dissregarding (sic) the BRAND, technically speaking i see no reason NOT to buy the FURY over an Indian or Harley..."
That says a lot about what you think is important in a bike.
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING, here are some reasons to go for the Harley or the Indian: design, craftsmanship, quantity of aftermarket, and most important: resale value.
There are so many cruiser wannabe's these days, a guy can't even find a nice low/medium displacement standard UJM to buy for his son. Last I checked, Suzuki was the only one reintroducing one.
I'm not a Honda hater. I've owned many of them. But they are like Accords and Acuras. Sure, they perform flawlessly, to spec. And when they are designed to go fast, by God they are nearly unbeatable. But cruisers are bikes you buy to personally mod and polish. It's a different game. Aftermarket means a great deal here. And that's where these 2-5 year run cruiser replicas fall down. You invest in one, then the production run is finished, and you end up SOL.
Just my 2 coins. Peace out.
Maybe Honda is only in it for the butt sex?
I keep seeing posts on this bike and I always read it as the Honda "Furry", and think, wow that is niche market.
Maybe Honda is only in it for the butt sex?
I keep seeing posts on this bike and I always read it as the Honda "Furry", and think, wow that is niche market.
The individual that is looking for a "mid size/mid price" cruiser with a chopper configuration just found an alternative to having to pay big $$$ or having to spend all sorts of time modifying.
Its a refreshing "chopper configuration" at hopefully a reasonable price. Its the price that will sell this bike.
I would love to take the engine/tranny and let these guys do something with it.
http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2008/12/hide-motorcycle-turn-xb9s-ligh.html#more
Hmm. No one seems to have mentioned that the Fury looks a lot more like a Victory than a Harley. I suppose that's some kind of progress for the Japanese custom sector.
I love anything shaft-driven, but not when it comes to butt sex.
First of all, design (if you referred to style) is not a technical argument but an aesthetic one. You can easily have the Fury as a basis to chop/customize and obtain whatever you like.
It will be cheap and you will have larger aftermarket budget for more customizing. This is not a wannabe, is an actual motorcycle, that is closer to the american chopper concept (at least by style) than any of the harleys i see in the 2008-2009 line-up (which are all cruisers anyway, with bigger or smaller wheels). You just can get over the fact it has been branded with the Honda logo and that's a pitty.
What's craftmanship got to do when comparing two mass production motorcycles? I'll tell you for sure: Honda is better refined and assembled, has a better atention to detail and will not get stuck/rusty if you run it too much through rain unlike HD which is know to have problems in that sector. A Honda engine is far more refined and won't leave you out in the cold.
But I can see your type, indoctrinated by corporations with no open mind for real alternatives. You are definlty a brand-only person. And probably this applies in your life in other aspects. For what i'm concerned, if a bike looks great, works great, I don't give the smallest fly of who build it and what logo has sticked on the gas tank, as long as it makes me happy. I would happily buy a Fury and chop it to my taste in my garage. Peace!
ps:If OCC would give you a bike as a gift, would you turn it down if you found out it's using japanese aftermarket parts (like Showa suspension and other bits)?
ps2: until recently I had a 19 years old Honda: i had absolutely no problem in finding OEM parts and lots of aftermarket ones.
That is correct only 2 minor aspects: look at the 2 models in the links below:
http://www.motoflash.ro/upload/articles/large/1056.jpg
http://www.motoflash.ro/upload/gallery/large/1914.jpg
First is just a cruiser with a big 21" wheel, looking a bit odd because of the short fork while second, has a nicer "chopperish" line, but that is because it fools us by using a small wheel. So it's still a cruiser (nice one though). Look at the frame /fork angle&size of the Fury...is by far closest to the american chopper style than any other mass production motorcycle. And i find that pretty ironic. :)
Not a big fan of this bike, but you (Grant Ray) do come across like a pissy little queen.
Not a big fan of this bike, but you (Grant Ray) do come across like a pissy little queen with an exaggerated sense of self-importance. Good job.
I think for an ugly bike, it looks nice.
I can see it now. A gang of karaoke singing Asian cowboys cruisin' the Vegas strip. New Chinese replica Tony Lamas. Everyone will know these are not the guys to mess with.
Ignorant fool.
Grant, try to follow along:
MCN is a magazine.
Magazines get printed.
Printing takes time.
Which is why they need advance materials;
And why embargoes exist.
Including the word magazine in your URL doesn't make you a magazine. Or a journalist.
Ya know, a lot of guys running down the rice burners here probably haven't ridden one. They're very nice, you should give it a try.
Also, you should try keeping up with a Honda V-Four some day. Mostly you're gonna be a shrinking little spot in the rice burner's rear view.
"Including the word magazine in your URL doesn't make you a magazine. Or a journalist."
That's true. Hell For Leather is a motorcycle blog. And with this subjective style of writing, it will be difficul to receive support from the big constructors. Just a few days ago, Hell For Leather was calling Fury...just a Sadly Convetional Factory CHopper. See my point?
goddam, a lot of anger just over a photo!
still...amusing.
so much anger, it's....almost....."infuriating"
Keep up the anger, its healthy; kind of like an emotional version of a colon scrub.
Its derivative, its boring but it will probably be very lucrative for Honda.
The only question I have is, whats up with the passenger seat? Most of the big-ass queens I see sitting in the bitch seat couldn't fit a single butt cheek on that little thing.
Look sbetter than almost any harley ive ever seen.
But this still doesn't deal with the fact it looks like shit.
useless no stoppy no turny chopper piece of shit.
At least the engine will be quality though, not like the shitty craftsmanship and poor quality components you americans like to call harley davidson.
Why make big engines with pussy little fuel tanks. It makes no sense whatsoever.
'Look sbetter than almost any harley ive ever seen.
But this still doesn't deal with the fact it looks like shit.'
Stop it! This whole post has made me laugh so much my stomach is killing me!!
Where the hell do Honda train their designers. It's like they went on a day trip to a HD dealership, came away with a few HD t-shirts and ripped off their bikes. Dear dear...
"..Dissregarding (sic) the BRAND, technically speaking i see no reason NOT to buy the FURY over an Indian or Harley..."
That says a lot about what you think is important in a bike.
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING, here are some reasons to go for the Harley or the Indian: design, craftsmanship, quantity of aftermarket, and most important: resale value.
There are so many cruiser wannabe's these days, a guy can't even find a nice low/medium displacement standard UJM to buy for his son. Last I checked, Suzuki was the only one reintroducing one.
I'm not a Honda hater. I've owned many of them. But they are like Accords and Acuras. Sure, they perform flawlessly, to spec. And when they are designed to go fast, by God they are nearly unbeatable. But cruisers are bikes you buy to personally mod and polish. It's a different game. Aftermarket means a great deal here. And that's where these 2-5 year run cruiser replicas fall down. You invest in one, then the production run is finished, and you end up SOL.
Just my 2 coins. Peace out.
The funniest thing is that people still buy those terribly engineered, ugly, heavy, american pieces of shit. And they buy things made to look like them too. Thus, if people want to buy them, irrespective of how shit they are, there's a market to be exploited.
Riding one of these pieces of chromed idiocy defeats the purpose of riding a bike. YOu may as well just buy a crappy little hyundai, It'll stop and turn better.
I'm angry.
Time to for a blog post.
Magazines do not offer opinions, they offer advertising backed oatmeal - can't offend an advertiser too much. Fact of the magazine world where advertising keeps them going.
HFLM is a magazine in as much as any other magazine is, there are interesting articles as good as any print mag (prolly better), just not as many of them. Difference is that it lacks advertising so the lads can be as rude as they like. This fact makes people perceive it as a blog and not a legit publication. Time to grow up folks, HFLM is every bit as much a mag as the monthly drivel served up on pulp each month, this is the 21st Century and things are-a-changing.
As for the bike. Sure, I don't like it, but good on Honda for doing it. Prolly better value for money than a HD by a metric ton.
Yo Ryan, spot on my man!
i think more people would have got it if you wrote 'inFURYating' haha
Fantastic bike: this kind of image has taken
just too long to introduce! Long over-due!
Finally!
Had to satisfy myself with the 1500 Meanstreak
which also set a record for its own unique stance,
and still does: it's time we see affordable
image-making monster trucks hitting the pavements!
Asphalt Angels Rule!!! Pave your own way!!!
-virgil
Chance favours the prepared mind !
Doesn't matter what it looks like, it's still a metric.
Bike doesn't look bad, but the jackass writing this article and his employer must be extremely bitter for not being taken serious, and rightfully so.
prolly another better made bike than what hardley produces and harley ain't american no mo' parts are made in Asia.
COMPENSATING CROWD? WHO THE F*** are you? Have you ever been IN a motorcycle shop? You think I look like the f***ing VILLAGE PEOPLE because I wear leather when I ride?
Ever make it down to Ft. Walton Beach gimme a yell...I've got about 300 brothers I would like you to meet, you drawn up little pansy...
tjk
and your point is what, that you're not intellectually gifted enough to understand metric and base10??
the world stopped using imperial measurement years ago. Time for you to catch up.
Japan makes better bikes than america ever has, and will continue to.
You wrote "the radiator is neatly tucked in between the front frame rails". Those are called downtubes, schmucko. I also don't know why you felt the need to reference gay buttsex on a motorcycle blog but it sounds like you can't get said gay buttsex off of your mind. Homo.
like the look of the honda ,shame its for the states only , & with their finish it would handle our winters better than my street rod,price in states £7600 but if they considered introducing to this country you will be looking at 9-10k,
born to live, live to waste my spare time cleaning & polishing sub-standard materials
Is it me, or is that gas tank all of about 1.9 gallons in size ? Why the heck do they put gas tanks on that require you stop every 100 miles for fuel ?
yes i agree with u it's like paying for nike's and getting ked's tennis shoes. yes every men's dream is to own a harley, but i bet this honda will out run, out live and and out ride a harley any day of the week. i think this is one sharp looking bike.
Think Honda will make some money with this ride... however, they missed what the real hard core bikers types like about this style ride and thats a huge rear tire... had they put a 260 or even a 280 it would have turned the market on its ear.. and they would sell more bikes than they could have built...
Do you suppose Fury owners will have to tighten all the nuts every 100 miles or wipe up all the oil from their garage floors? Probably not.
Hahaha!! 1300 get with the program.. Time to step it up honda quit lettin us down
Grant Ray, I think the Yamaha Raider has a longer wheelbase than the Fury. The net has so much misinformation on it I try to point out some of the mistakes. Like my typing..TEHE
The Raider wheelbase is 101.3 inches. Thats 2572 mm. 764 mm longer than the Fury.
Great looking bike. The exaust totally missed the mark. I will not trade my Raider any time soon on one. But I am sure this bike will find its market. Looks like it would be an awesome first timer or ladies bike.
I like it. Shure i'd like to have a custom HOG or INDIAN but cant afford it, but I had a HONDA as a kid and can tell ya they run forever w/ little to no work. Someday I'll get my chopper or bobber but till then I wont turn my nose up at a HONDA. So everyone stop yer freakin whining and just enjoy the bikes regardless of type or make.
This is gay
Everyone is going bigger then honda they couldn't use the 1800 motoe because it sounds like shit so they stick the baby 1300 in it talk to me when your ready to ride more then 80 horse
125 cubic inches
2053 cc
I have owned Harleys, Trumph. BSA, Kow's , Yamahaha's, and now have a HONDA 1800 VTX, and I wouldn't trade it for any Harley,, mostly because of the maintaince, relialibity, performance. and guality,
I don't particulary care for the Fury design, but its a beginning for alot of people that want some resemblance to a chopper,, And probably the reason that Honda used the 1300 v-twin is because honda has discontinued the production of the 1800, bikes ,which are made in Ohio,, to retool and move production to Japan.. so possably the 1800 will be discontinued completely, who knows, but most owners of the 1300that I know and have read about,,wish they had bought a 1800 insted of the 1300,, much better engine,, 1800 is fuel injected , compared to the 1300 being carbarated.