Ergonomics are surprisingly comfortable for one of my stout build. The seat accommodated my fairly large posterior easily, while my hands fell naturally on the grips. The simple instrument panel sits just below the rider's line-of- sight (not surprising given the height of the steering head). Speaking of which, the headlight-panel assembly offers a nice protection against the wind up to the rider's shoulders, leaving the head to endure some bearable turbulence at reduced "chopper" speeds. The narrow frontal area of the machines means reduced fuel consumption, a nice feature given the elegant but smallish fuel tank.
The Fury's light weight and low center of gravity make this chopper easily accessible to all riders, regardless of body shape or experience level. The engine feels strong and delivers more than adequate acceleration up to 100 km/h, while moving up and down the gearbox is effortless, as you expect from a typical Honda transmission.
Ergonomics are surprising and relatively comfortable.
The front disc and brake pads on my new tester lacked sufficient break-in, something a few days of hard use would fix. Using both brakes made for serious retardation -- not on the same level as sport bikes of course, but safe and satisfying nonetheless. Remember, the Fury is not designed for sporty riding.
Honda engineers worked overtime to endow the Fury with a comfortable ride as well as more contemporary handling dynamics - that meant actual damping in front as well as more rear suspension travel and damping. With 10 centimeters of rear travel, one would expect the ride to be plush, but that was not exactly the case during my ride, as the rear suspension easily bottomed out under the weight of my 115 kilos. Unfortunately, a lack of time and the proper tools prevented me from trying different rear preload and rebound damping settings. I will attempt to ride a Fury in the spring and twiddle with settings to improve handling, and then update you accordingly.
From an image point of view, one of the Fury's few faults is the Japanese origin. On the one hand, the bike's build quality, fit and finish are remarkable. But on the flip side, die-hard chopper enthusiasts everywhere will comment that it is "Not a Harley..." while secretly envying the it's qualities. In my book, the Fury is clearly one step ahead of the competition, in accordance with Honda's new motto.
Black and red models will retail for $15,999, while mat grey models with blacked-out wheels start at $16,199. The Fury will be exclusively available at Honda Powerhouse Dealers, where it's set to arrive on May 1.
Can't-miss styling and elegance Excellent mechanical components Overall quality
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