Marketplace Find of the Month: Honda Fury
Back in 2010 I was in St. Augustine, Florida, for the press launch of the Honda Fury. And I wasn’t feeling very optimistic. On my flight to Florida, I’d worried that my back, which is as fragile as a thin-stemmed Champaign glass, wouldn’t be up to the rigors of riding the Fury, the most radical-looking custom motorcycle to roll off a production line. The TV ad running at the time of the bike’s launch featuring flash cuts of earthquakes, lightning strikes, and rock bands trashing guitars, did nothing to reassure me. And anyway, I’d ridden bikes like this before and they’d nearly hobbled me. Feet-first, arms-up, compress-the-spine riding positions tormented a body that had (barely) survived a past that included hockey, lacrosse and five-years tackling fullbacks as a high-school linebacker. But 50 miles into what would be a nearly 300-mile ride day I became aware of something I would never have imagined possible— I was comfortable.
While you’ll never confuse it with a Gold Wing, the Fury remained comfortable for all but the last few dozen miles of my trip. This perplexed me. An Orange Country Chopper had nearly killed me. Any number of Harley-Davidson customs had forced me out of the saddle to assume roadside downward-dog stretching sessions on only moderate-length rides. I had expected the Fury would be much worse, but my fears were unfounded. To understand why the Fury didn’t defeat me, it’s only necessary to look at the badge on the fuel tank—oops, there is no badge on the fuel tank. Instead, look down at the tiny letters on the sidecover to find your answer. “Honda,” it reads. That’s all you need to know.
Honda is the most powerful brand in all of motorcycling. And you don’t have to own a Honda to have benefitted from how they revolutionized motorcycling. When Honda’s motorcycles arrived in numbers back in the ’60s, they introduced Japanese-level automotive engineering into the world of motorcycling. Suddenly, every other brand had to either up its game or face obsolescence. Honda was the rising tide that either lifted up your brand by forcing it to join modernity, or it was the flood that swept you downstream into insolvency and obscurity. Riding the Fury reminded me what Honda can do when it puts its mind to something.
Somehow Honda made a chopper not feel like a chopper. The controls fell easily to the hands and the feet reached footpegs that weren’t as far forward as they would lead you to believe. The clutch is easy on the hand. The brakes are up to the task. Even the mirrors show you what’s behind, which is never a given on any motorcycle, let alone one with the Fury’s outrageous attitude. All this from a bike with a huge 71 in wheelbase, a massive-for-the-time 21 in front wheel and a chunky 200 mm wide, 18 in rear wheel. And compared to most choppers with a kicked-out front wheel, the Fury felt neutral and composed, and didn’t fall into corners like there was a mattress strapped to the fuel tank.
And then there’s the look of the thing. Where are all the ugly little bits that ruin the esthetics of production bikes and that make OEM designers envious of custom builders? Where did Honda stuff all the bits? The electronics and bulbous catalytic converter and the horn and the wiring harness and everything else that makes a modern bike function?
Moreover, how did they manage to make the Fury’s shaft drive blend into the design so seamlessly? Ditto for the radiator for the liquid-cooled 1,312 cc V-twin that migrated over from the VTX series. And, because it’s a Honda, it also has antilock braking and peerless build quality. Naturally.
The ultimate test for any cruiser is this: imagine the bike—any bike from any brand—with the tank badge of that company from Milwaukee. You know, the one that’s been around since 1903 and that has, even now, a virtual lock on the cruiser business. If the Fury was a Harley and not a Honda, I’m convinced pundits would have labelled it the factory custom to end all factory customs. And the Fury solders on in Honda’s 2026 offerings (In the U.S., it was quietly dropped from the Canadian market in 2019), still relatively unchanged from its 2009 debut aside from minor tweaks and new color combinations. The Fury was good straight out of the gate, and once you factor in Honda durability and reliability, the Fury makes an excellent new or used buy.
There are nearly 200 Furys for sale on Cycle Trader right now. Some new, some previously enjoyed. Great finds can be had, like this 2016 model in Bethlehem, PA. With less than 1,900 miles on the clock, it’s barely been broken in. Or this low mileage blacked-out 2017 model in Pisgah Forest, NC being offered for only $6,500 obo. Regardless of the year or mileage, the long-running Honda Fury is the prudent choice in flamboyant motorcycles.
As for buying advice, it’s a simple machine without known vices or shortcomings. At the risk of sounding superficial, once you’ve confirmed that a bike’s mechanical condition is sound, it’s just a matter of choosing your color preference. In a world where everything is becoming more complicated by the day, the Fury is refreshingly simple.
Marketplace Inventory
Neil Graham
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