Honda Fury vs. Yamaha Raider: Perfection Meets Grotesquerie
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Although much of the news coming from Honda's motorcycle operations in the past couple of years has been a bit of a snoozer, as the company seems to have been happy just rehashing last year's bikes and calling them "all new", it seems that the Spirit of Soichiro still lives at Honda: as is witnessed by the 2010 Honda Fury.
The only possible way to describe this chopper-styled bike is "Honda Pulls A Saxon / Big Dog / etc." Prior to the Fury, to get this kind of righteous styling right off the dealership floor you'd have to write a check to a relatively small "cottage industry" manufacturer which not only used an off the shelf engine (usually S&S or RevTech) but also couldn't begin to compare to the R&D and engineering finesse of the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer.
The "spot on" styling of Honda's first foray into "real choppers" begs comparison with last year's premiere of Yamaha's interpretation of the same theme: the Raider.
In some of my other Hubs, I've questioned whether Yamaha has completely lost its marbles lately when it comes to styling. Have they turned over their entire styling department to some 13 year old buzzed on Ritalin and meth? Some of the designs that have come out of Yamaha in the past few years boggle the imagination and defy the vocabulary: hideous, repugnant, disgusting, grotesque, vile... all those words just don't seem anywhere near strong enough to describe aberrations such as the VMX17, Stratoliner, MT-01, and other "ematogenic mutants."
When it comes to "righteous choppers" it seems that the Honda Fury teaches the Yamaha Raider how to "git errr done" with every angle and curve. The overall look of the Fury is everything that the Raider should have been but sadly isn't. The Fury is not only a single harmonious piece from front to rear, but it has precious few features that are "out of sync," while the Raider has only its Road / Wild Star engine to compliment it, and the rest of the bike belongs in the junkyard.
The Fury is not perfect, although it may come pretty close. There are a few elements that don't work on the bike and compromise the overall superlative flow. The headlight has to be thrown away before the bike ever leaves the dealership's parking lot. Picture this bike with a traditional Sportster / Super Glide round headlight with that gorgeous upper "eye brow" and you'll see just how nicely that styling element balances out the frail-y triangulation on the frame neck (which really should have been plated solid as it looks like it might crack in half if you hit a large pothole). The jewel-like instrument cluster would be better featured in the center of some buckhorn handlebars (although I have to admit that is a very personal preference). I've always had a problem with Honda's Rune-style deep lower front fenders and the fact that they wrap far too much around the front tire, eliminating that "light, ethereal quality" of a chopper's traditional skinny front. The air cleaner cover seems to slice off the cylinders' inner fins and would look much better if it were styled to match the round, riveted look of the two covers on the crankcase on that side. I'm not crazy about the conjoined mufflers, but I understand that meeting noise and emission standards can be difficult with standard small, separate slash cuts.
Another styling problem only presents itself in versions where the frame is body colored, and that is that "sideways M" which forms the rear cradle of the frame and is particularly evident on the shaft drive side strongly detracts from the flow of the engine's chrome and metal macho-ness onto the rear wheel. As for the rear tire, herein lies the Honda Fury's biggest lunchbag letdown. It's way way waaaaaay too skinny. Although it's only one size smaller than Yamaha Raider's 210, the style just simply begs for a 240 or even much larger rear tire! Imagine what that Fury would look like with a monster 300 mounted on the rear wheel! Yes, I know that it was an engineering decision made due to the virtual impossibility of adequately mounting the shaft drive system that far out of the case, but we can dream, can't we?
After you factor in those relatively minor styling blemishes, the Honda Fury still simply eats the lunch of the Yamaha Raider in every imaginable aesthetic parameter. Only when you place them side by side you can absolutely determine that the Raider is a conglomeration of spare parts that were left over from a 1979 Bulgarian aftermarket chopper catalog. This is motorcycle styling that even the Soviets would have recoiled from. As I have stated before, the Yammy's engine still shows some elements of its beautiful Road / Wild Star roots, but the rest of the bike is a direct trip to the Vomitorium. I could easily write an entire book about every single aspect of the Raider and how it has taken ugliness to a whole new level, but I'll spare you the excess verbiage. Let's just state the obvious: This bike is the two wheeled equivalent of Rosie O'Donnell's butt with some extra cellulite thrown in from Roseanne Barr.
The Honda Fury would be absolutely and completely perfect not only if it incorporated the changes I suggested, but if it were available in an engine based on the late and much lamented VLX 600. Although I can certainly applaud Honda for forging its first real chopper from the relatively restrained 1.3 litre VTX series rather than getting in a "massive member" contest with the outlandishly overdisplacemented nearly 2 litre Raider (why a motorcycle needs an engine bigger than a compact car is beyond me), the company could demonstrate its commitment to the new sensibilities of this greener and conserving age by allowing a far preferable choice to riders who don't need nor want tire-shredding power and semi-guzzler gas mileage.
A 600 Fury would not only be the perfect blend of convenience, economy, greenery, and restrained performance combined with killer chopper styling, but I absolutely guarantee would be immediately granted a place of honor in my garage.
Even with a few small detraction points, the current Honda Fury not only wins this styling comparison, it trounces the Yamaha Raider in each and every respect. Do you have eyes? Judge for yourself and tell me in the Comments section if you can possibly defend the Yamaha side!
The Honda Fury Rules!
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Don't miss the other incomparable Hall Of Ugly Fame Yammy:
Yamaha VMX17: The Wrong Bike At The Wrong Time
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Top 100 Ugliest Motorcycles In History
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Comments
Given that the engine seems to be a direct lift from the VTX series, I would say that it would have the same 76 HP at 5000 rpm. Honda may have tweaked it for a bit more torque which would then have dropped the HP figure, but I don't believe that information has been released yet.
Nice bikes... and so out of reach...
Raider all the way... More horsepower, more torque, bigger rear tire, more braking power & belt driven. The Honda does look nice but that's it. Common Honda, if you are going to do it..... do it right.
needful things, the motorcycle manufacturers are coming up against the same brick wall that car makers are, but even worse for most bikes as they are generally considered discretionary purchases, not basic transportation. Yamaha, Harley, Suzuki, and many others are bleeding red ink. Honda is holding its own thanks to small displacement Third World motorcycle sales, but don't expect those to hold for long either, unfortunately.
Raider rider, I have agreed with you on the rear wheel. I think that the greatest failing of the Fury is that with a 240 rear it would eat up the planet, but with its current wimpy rear it really loses a lot of appeal. As for horsepower and torque, I think the Fury is over displacemented as it is! Gimme a Fury 600! :)
This is the USA and this is where choppers prevail, Japan companies know it and that's the sparked interest in production like choppers. A reliable chopper. Now with that said, displacement is a key, like I said the Yamaha Raider is on top. Let's look at the facts, 1)2008 Best in Class (Cruiser), Rider Magazine, 2) 2008 Metric Cruiser of the Year, 9th Annual V-Twin Expo 3) 2008 Best Cruiser, Cycle World's 10 Best, Cycle World Magazine. The Raider is also priced right. Look at the numbers. Harleys can't touch it and neither can Victory. Sorry Honda, not even close, you need more than looks. Need more try this site http://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/mainstream-ch or better yet watch the video at http://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/mainstream-ch Honda needs to pay attention to the real demographic. A 600.... Common let's get real, leave that for street bikes not the cruisers. I'm not trying to change anyones mind but give credit where credit is do.
The Fury looks great, that I'll give Honda, but that is it. Question for Honda, you were half way there, why didn't you guys go all the way? I agree with Raider rider. The Fury needs the 1800, a bigger tire, belt drive & throw in another front disc. Either go hard or don't go at all. Fury?.. What fury, not with a 1300. Other than looks, the proper name should have been Mundane. Fury vs. Raider........ no question, just look at the numbers................... Raider all the way! Don't bring a knife to a gun fight.
I couldn't possibly disagree with you guys any more if you were advocating holding kindergarten recesses in minefields. But it's your opinion and you're welcome to it! :)
The Fury is ichibon!
Domo arigato! :)
ok I have been a Harley dude for many years. I bought a Raider and all but stripped it. New fenders, front and back, mirrors, shift linkage, grips, handle bars. and more. The Fury starts out looking close to the way My raider now looks. But performance, power, reliability and Price? from what The dealer told me the fury will be more than the Raider....for looks I say the fury out of the box, but the fury will be everywhere soon and it will not be custome. I like my Raider, I have changed much on it, but not the integrity of the ride.
I'm not yet clear on the MSRP of the Fury but if Honda WAY overprices it, then they will suffer the consequences. By all rights the Fury should sell for at least two thousand dollars less than the Raider. I am, however, quite happy to hear that you share my opinion of the Raider's cosmetics out of the gate. They are pretty revolting, and I'd love to see a pic of the way you have cleaned up the appearance of your bike to make it look more Fury-like!
I have never laughed so hard in my life, You are either on halucenigens, fell on your head, or write for kindergartners are you, don't know who you are but you obviously don't know the first thing about style, aesthetic lines and beutiful form. Keep writng i really get a kick out of your infatuation with what looks like a " Big Dog" mattell toy.
Yup, doug, your comment was hilarious too. Glad we're making each other laugh. Your provision of entertainment, however, is in your atrocious misspelling and obvious illiteracy. It must be blissful to be that ignorant... and blind to boot! :)
Didn't know "YUP" was in the dictionary, shows your lack of intelligence, or do you use that kind talk bak theyr wer yu cum frum. you intellects kill me with your 2 facedness, how's that for a word. If blind is opposing your kind of reviews I wish I never see again!!
Enjoy your blindness. Now go back to playing tiddlywinks in the fast lane of the freeway. :)
Jagged disharmony? It's those straight lines I love about the Raider. The line from the tank down to the rider seat, and the fender and struts that parallel that line. The engine has much more detail than the Fury's.
The Raider has a bad a** bison sort of vibe, you know, a beast of sorts. The Fury is out of a Salvador Dali painting. That's nice too! Comes down to what you want to sit on. Speaking of sit on and ride, the Raider is a 'hell bent for leather' machine and comfortable. Needless to say I love mine.
Only two things I plan to do, lower it and put some reaper slip ons to enhance the look of the pipes.
saw the fury and sat on it at the bike week here in daytona bch (smiled, but smile went away)...DOES LOOK GREAT though! Got a test ride on the Raider (still smiling) The main grab for me is that the Raider has less "plastic" than the Fury. I sat on the fury, and noticed the detail on all the chrome (too much for me) and tapped it, once...NO way, plastic chrome!...Sat on the Raider, less chrome, but still i tapped on the side covers, NO plastic, nice reinforced aluminum... That to me is the selling point, if i am going to pay "teens" for a harley knock-off, i at least want the parts to be metal, NOT plastic, that is a huge turnoff for me. Seeing as how you can manufacture and fabricate plastic a lot easier than metal, why then is the plastic bike, worth as much as the metal one? if i had a price line, and 13000 was fare for the raider (which i think it isn't, should come down 1999 in price) then i would put a slower, smaller, skinnier plastic bike at 8999, otherwise paying way toooooooo much for easy plastic ride, that looks tough, but isn't!
Enrico, you are most certainly entitled to your opinion. After all, although I personally find her repugnant, I'm sure that there is someone out there who thinks Joan Rivers is sexy.
ashman76: I have to fully agree with you that placing the MSRP of the 1300 Fury at a thousand bucks below that of the 1900 Raider is absurd. However, with the economy doing as horrifically as it is, I'm sure that many local Honda and Yamaha dealerships are cutting some serious deals to get some bikes moving off their floors.
Hal,.......Joan Rivers? It was Ashman76 that mentioned plastic.
That is what beautiful is all about....
Enrico, you have a point. Joan Rivers is now mostly made out of plastic. :)
Monchester, what's beautiful? The Raider? The Fury? Joan Rivers? :)
It's definitely the Honda all the way. No offense to those who don't think so.....
Glad to see you have a finely developed sense of aesthetics, Proud Mom. Just like me! :)
Pull the engine/drive train out of the Yam and graft it all into a clean, dual-rear shock custom frame. Do a few engine mods. A clean-looking 2 into 1 exhaust that extracts hp (one that's quiet!). A cleaned-up H-D 41mm. fork with "gator" fork boots. 13-spoke cast aluminum HD wheels (19" front/16" rear). Short "apes" on early-styled glide risers. A "frisco" mounted gas tank would look great. A "cobra" seat. No chick stick. A Lucas-styled tail light.
That's a pretty radical rebuild and I don't agree with your styling choices as they're too "bobber" for my personal tastes, but, heck, go for it! :)
I just can't imagine that anyone could actually bash this effort by Honda. OK, so maybe the back tir could be wider, maybe it could have more displacement, maybe bla bla bla. Is there another Japanese manufacturer with a bike in their line up that has lines this clean, and a rake like the Fury? Nope. It's a top-notch effort, and let's remember that you don't buy a Harley off the shelf and simply leave it alone, you inevitabely end up customizing it to your personal tast. I think the honda is a great starting point at a price that is tought to beat considering the reliability, engineering, quality etc.. you get from a Japanese manufacturer. I'm not bashing Harley, I have two, but having worked as a manufacturing Engineer in automotive for 15 years, I ahte to say it....but North American quality just isn't QUITE as good. I know there will be backlash from that comment, but it's simply fact. the yamaha is a great bike, but keep in minde this article was comparing styling, and I have to agree the Yamadog could use an overhaul on the looks.
I found some nits to pick on the Fury, most of them surrounding the scrawny rear skin, but other than that, I'm perfectly happy with it. Sure, if I owned it, I would swap out the handlebars, air cleaner, headlight and front fender as well as weld a solid plate to cover up that stupid hole behind the frame neck, but that all fits within the parameters of personalization. As a Harley rider since 1978 I can certainly agree with you that a Honda is clearly going to reflect a higher standard of manufacture and engineering than a Harley, and that is a huge plus, although there are reports coming out that the hand welds on the Fury suck. As for the Yamadog, as you've named it... IT'S A REAL MUTT! WOOF! :)
The Yamadog? That's funny!
I love it! Straight out of the Dawg Pound: The Yamamutt! :)
How many of these can you come up with? :-))
Japan in a real styling rut
Designed a vile Yamamutt
And the world gaped in awe
At this mongrel Yamaha
A bike 'bout as sexy as my butt!
:)
Clean bike, looks like room in that fender for a 240 right now, i heard 12,999....
Hal, I didn't realize you were a poet!!!! :-)
beau, there is no way you're going to squeeze anything bigger than a 200 in there without repositioning the shaft, dude. And that would cost you around ten grand IF you could find somebody masterful enough to engineer it. :)
Proud Mom, yes, I'm a poet and I don't know it! :)
C'mon guys! How can you compare the Fury with the Raider? That is like comparing a beautiful piece of art with a Gremlin or a Pinto...LOL!
Nah. Both of those cars were better than the Raider. The Gremlin's name at least warned you of what you were about to witness, and the Pinto had the common courtesy to explode when impacted. :)
wow great hub...great bikes...they look amazing..the information provided is amazing...great job done....all of them looks great and amazing...i cant decide which would be the best one....anyway thanx for sharing it.....you always brings great stuff to hubpages......you are the best....have a look for this one....you might like it.....http://hubpages.com/hub/Conduit-Concept-phone-Thre
thanx
Wow nice motorcycle...i have my own big bike here in philippines..motorstar...
atleast the images are cool
Lovely Motorbike. I seriously need to crack on with getting my Motorbike license sorted!
WOW this bikes looks amazing !!
I have 250cc china bikes that look for great sources to run modifications,, but the engine-blocks too small although it have v-twin
britneydavidson: If you are in the market for a Japanese maxichopper, take my advice and go with the Fury. You won't regret it.
Secured Homeowner Loan: Motorstar is not exactly a "big bike" as they are Chinese engined motorcycles with the standard Chinese engine of up to 250cc. That's even too small for my tastes, and I am longing for a 600 Fury! :)
howardchase7669: Especially of the Fury! :)
skydiver: There is nothing like motorcycling. I find it even more exhilarating than skydiving! :)
javatips: I'm not exactly clear on what you're stating, but if you're referring to the Lifan style 250cc V-twins, I wouldn't wish one of those cheaply built engines on my worst enemy. :)
My vote goes to the Raider, hands down. I've loved the bike since it came out, and I've been saving up for it ever since. I was excited when I heard Honda was coming out with a "custom chopper-like" machine, but after comparing both bikes, I still like the raider. I think it's a lot more badass, especially with some different pipes and a different seat. I ride a shadow spirit 1100 currently, and I'm not out to insult those of you who like the fury. To each their own :)
WHAT? I like the turn to customs. The Raider is a little too Japped up style wise but
it has an engine to die for. Pure GRUNT! To me that's what it's all about. It could be a little plainer but that is easy to fix.
A 600 Fury? Why take a giant step back. Neither bike is bare bones enough for me...A 600...what's that about...like buying a 4 cylender 'Vette.
Rafter: Fair enough. You're welcome to your opinion even though it is in the minority! :)
Whitemouse: In case you haven't come out of your mousehole in the last few years, we're in the middle of a global economic meltdown, which combined with the ecological spasms of climate change, has drastically affected the entire planet. The day of massive engines generating racetrack horsepower for the street is long gone. This is an era of conservation and sustainability.
There were no Big Wheels around when I grew up. Why would I want to buy one now?
Because I assume that you are a human being rather than a rodent, and thus have a responsibility to your 6.7 billion peers to not be a resource-hogging pig. If you and your fellow egotistical, self-centered, "let them eat cake" greed-addicts had been stopped a decade or two ago, we would not be facing the current social, economic and ecological meltdown.
Hal...don't lecture me about what's happening with the economy and "global warming". Why ride a motorcycle at all. Jump back in your hybred till ya grow up. Want to ride...go all the way and get a KLR...put on your back pack...strap your breifcase on the rack and leave the real motorcyles to real men.
You're such a fool, you don't even realize that any midsized motorcycle will get better mileage than a hybrid car. Just another fuel burning idiot loose on our streets.
nice hub
Thanks!
The Raider will eat that little Honda for breakfast.
The fury looks like a little chick bike. Too dainty, what a weak attempt.
The Raider rules.
Wow. You're kidding me! I would never have guessed that a 1900cc could beat a 1300cc bike! You're such a sage! I would truly appreciate the opportunity to lay at your feet and learn from your infinite wisdom, but since you missed the fact that the whole point of this article is to discuss the styling of the two motorcycles, I think my time would be better spent cleaning my oven. :)
This hub sucks. All you do is slam anyone who likes the raider over the fury. I have owned a raider for two weeks now and absolutely love it. If honda ever gets their bike out on the showroom floor, maybe then I can compare them closer.
Yup. I'd slam anyone who had a choice between dating Jessica Alba and Phyllis Diller and picked the latter. If you pick the Raider over the Fury, you're doing the same thing. The Raider is uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugly! :)
I'll give Honda one thing, they panted the frame. After that...
1) the engine is too small.
2) Who ever heard of a chopper with a radiator... please
3) Rear tire is too small
4) The stock rims look cheap
5) After making a nice frame with a true chopper back bone (which Yammy fell a little short on I'll admit) the rest of the bike looks under-developed and short-cutted.
6) Did I mentiona chopper with shaft drive?
You wrote, "the Honda Fury still simply eats the lunch of the Yamaha Raider in every imaginable aesthetic parameter." and you are simply wrong.
And who wants a motorcycle with a small engine and weak horsepower? That makes me question whether you actually ride or not. Anyone who rides regularly and hits the hiways knows how important power and throttle response are, especially when crisis situations arise.
Overall, your article is why people should not put much credit into what they read on the internet... it's biased, and written by someone who would rather admire pictures then get out and ride before making judgments.
don't quit your day job Hal...
Oh yeah... you got off on the wrong foot with me right off by questioning my three decades of riding, most likely started before you were a glint in daddy's eye. I agree with your #3 and #5. On your other points, what's wrong with rads and shafts? Honda has done an excellent job in incorporating them in the design. The biggest problem is that if you think 1300cc is too small, you definitely have a private parts deficiency you're trying to make up for. See ya, teeny! :)
You know what happens when you assume.... that's right, you're an ass as I am probably older than you... by the way, that wrong foot is now up your ass.
How could you agree with me on point 5 and still say this: "the Honda Fury still simply eats the lunch of the Yamaha Raider in every imaginable aesthetic parameter."???? Did you crash and land on your head once? Seriously...
In regards to point 1 - In comparison to the engine they could have put in there, this looks more like a bike build for the female demographic. No wonder you like it.
Chopper... radiator and shaft... bitch please! Choppers are all about air cooled V-Twins. Muscle pounders... and you think a radiator and shaft drive are cool.
Enough said... you can't handle the truth. You're obviously a Honda fan boy. Can't wait to see your comparison of a Fury with an HD Rocker
Rafter: Fair enough. You're welcome to your opinion even though it is in the minority! :)
Actually Rafter, you're not. The Raider has won:
2008 Metric Cruiser of the Year, 9th Annual V-Twin Expo, Cincinnati, OH
2008 Best in Class (Cruiser), Rider Magazine,
2008 Best Cruiser, Cycle World's 10 Best, Cycle World Magazine
And in regards to performance... here is some independent research that demonstrates how the Raider stacks up against the competition (all bikes stock).
Bike1/4 mile E.T.Yahama Star Raider12.09*Suzuki M109R12.08**HD Rocker13.30*HD Night Rod Special12.47**Honda VTX1800F12.90**Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 Classic13.30**Victory Hammer S13.17**Yamaha Star Warrior13.01**
*CycleWorld, March 2008, **Popular Mechanics, May 2007
Just keeping it real here... :-)
You got me on one point and only one point. I typo'd when I typed #3 and #5. I meant #3 and #4. Otherwise, you're showing that you're a buffoon and a blind one to boot. What kind of insatiable power freak needs two litres between their legs to get between point A and point B on a public highway? Where do you go to wring out these bikes, on the Bonneville Salt Flats? All the bikes you've shown in your little cut and paste are excessive, over powered and complete dinosaurs in an age of conservation and economic as well as ecological consciousness. There are a whole raft of cars on the market with engines smaller than 1900 cc and you're having a fit because I'm calling it as it is? You are a perfect example of the type of addict to conspicuous consumption glutton who got the world into the position it's in today. You don't work at AIG do you?
Here's the bottom line Tommy, since you've managed to derail this Hub from the styling critique that it is... and you might want to fasten your seat belt as I'm about to throw an entire Roget's at ya: The Raider (like almost every other Yamaha styled in the last few years) is abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, distasteful, dreadful, foul, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, loathsome, nasty, nauseating, noisome, obnoxious, obscene, odious, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, scandalous, shocking, sickening, and so ugly that any self respecting rider would rip out his eyeballs rather than spit on it. And for your information, out of the 33 motorcycles I've owned, more of them were Yamahas than any other brand. Yamaha lost its collective mind on design sometime early in this decade and what has come out of their styling department since has been nothing more than huge steaming piles of compost, and the Raider is by far one of the most vomit-inducing.
Hey Hal, good use of your computers thesaurus. Ill be glad that my Raider doesnt look 100% like a chopper when everyone and their brother owns a chopper design.
Yup. Be proud. You're riding a 1900 cc eyesore! I bet all the blind chicks find you and your hot ride absolutely irresistable! :)
I eat raiders for lunch with my VTX 1800 why go raider when with the VTX YOU have better looks and with a few performance mods you have lots more power
Er... well... the only problem is that the VTX1800 is also an excessive motorcycle with WAY too much power in the street. Ya... all that bike needs is performance mods... so you can hit 160 mph on public highways and take a whole bunch of innocent motorists and bystanders with you when you check out. Sorry. Nope.
For such an ugly bike it is getting alot of attention. They used to say bad things about choppers too. When guys used to chop there bikes up, no one like them either. Both are great looking bikes, there is something there for everyone. I prefer the Raider, that is why I own one, but the next guy might like the Fury. Different styles is what keeps the roads interesting. Let's just see how the after market accessorizes them. Just make it your own. That's the whole point!
VTX, please!...... That bike is not even in the running. Why would you want that, more expensive and on top of that you want to add more $ by adding mods, just to try an out perform a Raider. Very smart. You need more than a few mods. You can keep your liquid cooled bike, big ugly radiator! Ha! ha! Now let's get back to the subject at hand, Fury Vs. Raider. Both cool bikes, just glad that Honda is finally thinking outside the box. I'm a Raider fan but the Fury is very tempting.
VTX is just a Fatboy wannabee! VTX gets lost in a pack of bikes, unnoticeable & invisible! Honda did a nice job with the Fury. Looks great. I agree with Ha! Ha!, finally away from the norm. ---------- This is for VTX1800 Rider, You eat Raiders for lunch, come on guy, can we be adults about this. Oh yeah, I don't think so. The only thing you'll be looking at is the 210 Metzler. Let's get real.
GM -backrupt, Chrysler -backrupt, etc, etc. Why? Lack of innovation. Hat's off to HD, who initiated the first design. Hat's off to the innovators. Critics who resist change do not count. Innovation counts.
In the words of TDR:
"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of great achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
- T. Roosevelt (Panama, 1906)
That Teddy quote is one of my all time favorites therefore, thanks for that. The only prob is that HD is in big financial trouble and it is not entirely inconceivable that there be a major restructuring (although not likely full bankruptcy) in their near future. :(
Innovation has no alliance to branding, has no sentimentalilty to the past; I favor all innovation and willingly accept all that comes with it because I know the first design leads to reiterative designs, which lead to success in the future. alXr
Let's just pray that the motorcycle manufacturers are able to keep their heads above water and keep innovating. Suzuki especially is in a huge financial hole.
Here is the issue with the article above. To truly be a review or considered journalism of any form, opinions are to be unbiased and based strictly on a stated criteria set. I am sorry you cannot control bikes larger than 600cc. I hear Vespa is making a chopper, maybe that is your speed. The Honda Fury is not a chopper, it is a stylized rendering of the sleek glitzy fashionista choppers, although more practical, of OCC and their ilk. Motorcycles and their beauty lie in the mechanicals being exposed for all to see. You make no mention of the short range of the Fury based on it's miniscule fuel tank, the lack of stopping power from undersized brakes, the inability to modify the rear of the bike due to it's shaft drive configuration and it's inferior cornering clearance. Design issues with all the included rake of the front end in the neck making the front end ride harsher. The Raider you disparage so much exceeds the Fury in every one of these categories offering more amenities and performance for 1k more. If the Fury is Gisele Bundchen then I will take the Raider. Less flash but more substance.
Dear Sir. As a former holder of a Superbike racing license, it is obvious that you know as much about me as you do about motorcycle aesthetics. You are more than welcome to your opinion, as laughable as it is. :)
I appreciate your mastery of the internet insult. In lieu of intelligent banter resort to hyperbole and any other distraction so you don't have to respond. I care not that you once held a Super bike license. If you are referring to the 600 cc comment, you said it. My comments stand as written. Have you ridden either bike?
Of course I said it and I stand by it. In case you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a global economic and ecological meltdown. The days when we could cruise the continent coast to coast on huge tourers at 89.9 cents a gallon (as I have done many times) is long gone. We have a responsibility to ourselves, our descendants and our planet to call a halt to the resource-gorging party that's been going on since the end of WWII. The riders who insist on wrapping their legs around two litres of displacement in this day and age are every bit as responsible for our problems as the AIG execs or the massive polluters. I too have wailed enormously powerful motorcycles at full throttle on public roads, but those days are long gone and never to return. Responsibility, sustainability, conservation... do any of those terms sound familiar? :)
Hal, it appears that your love of the Fury is purely on an asthetic basis. Have you ridden either bike? Or are you opinions based sole on visual cues and reading up on the specs?
I have yet to ride a Fury, but am eagerly awaiting the chance. I have ridden a Raider and the raider gave me a certain visceral feeling that is hard to describe, cool and bad ass come to mind but neither is quite right. Sure there are styling things that need to change and it just looks too damn busy, but its a fun ride.
From a econimical and environmental standpoint Hal, your problem should be with all V-twins, not just the oversized beasts being used today. The only way to get the performance (today's riders want)from a v-twin is to make it bigger, otherwize it blows up. All the compaies are going with v-twins cause of the "sound" the todays riders want, and that they are a fairly simple design.
Aren't motorcycles a way to save fuel in the first place? If you want to bash someone for polluting our environment and wasting non replinishable resources then go talk to the people you see driving giant SUV's and lifted trucks that get under 10 miles per gallon. My Raider gets 45 to 50 miles per gallon. If that isn't conserving fuel I don't know what is. I'm sure your precious Fury will be somewhere around the same efficiency anyways. You have also de-railed your own hub by lecturing about the economy.
You seem to think a chopper is 100% about the look of the bike. Choppers are about look and performance. Looks are subject to opinion. However, Performance can be backed by hard evidence. I think the Raider takes it in the performance category.
As far as the guy that made the VTX 1800 comment. Both the Raider and the VTX are so closely matched it all comes down to the caliber of rider you are. So, you must have been going up against rookies. If you want to put your money where your mouth is come down to Texas and "Getcha Sum" as we like to say.
Have a nice day everyone! =)
Guys, you're all entitled to your opinion as I am entitled to mine. Yes, this is an aesthetics critique which is supplemented by the overdisplacement of the Yammie. Of course we can't compare the MPG of a V-twin bike to an SUV or a Kenworth for that matter. It's simply that every bit helps, and I have yet to have anyone make a compelling argument as to why anyone needs a motorcycle on public roads in 2009 that hits 160, 170, 180 mph. Just dangerous egotistical individual overkill that we, as a society, can no longer afford.
It's no necessarily the need to go that fast. If I wanted to go 160 I would purchase a sportbike. It's the grunt to do things like pass a car on the highway. With a 600 you would be straining the motor to pass a car at 75 or 80. With a 1300 your'e pushing the envelope somewhat as far as passing at highway speeds.
Let's say you sitting at a red light one day and you look in your mirror to see that a car is fast approaching you from behind. The driver is putting on make-up, talking on the phone, or looking in their rear-view mirror. At that point you need some power to leave the red light and escape being rear-ended. If you were to be on a 600 I would say that your chances of escaping are much less than if you have something with more displacement.
Could not disagree more. You obviously are getting your 600cc figures from the road test of the Ural in Soviet Motorcycles Monthly. :)
There are several 600 cc motorcycles that box stock will crack into the 10s in the 1/4 mile. A Raider would be lucky to crack into the 11s with an expert rider and a tailwind. The acceleration is there to get you out of any public road problem that would flatten a Raider. What isn't there is the extreme top end speed. Not bad for something one third its displacement.
Again... why do you need 2 litres between your legs?
When I said V-twin I wasn't talking about only the Raider...or the Fury, but all V-twins. What an outdated technology. Poor emissions, poor HP to displacement ratio, but its what the majority of the American bike riders want, so its what the companies provide.
Maybe that should be your next hub, comparison of motorcycle engine options out on the market today.
Back to the comparison: I don't have a Raider, but wish I did, it was a great riding bike. If the Fury is priced competatively and is 75-80% of the fun that the Raider was for me, Honda is going to have a smash hit on their hands
Published it two years ago, comparing the maxiest maxicruisers:
http://hubpages.com/hub/_Which_Cruiser_Engine_Layo
:)
Bike1/4 mile E.T.Yahama Star Raider12.09Suzuki M109R12.08HD Rocker13.30HD Night Rod Special12.47Honda VTX1800F12.90Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 Classic13.30Victory Hammer S13.17Yamaha Star Warrior13.01
http://www.raiderperformance.com/bragging.htm
Pretty damn close numbers, looks like the rider decides. Hal Licino, a 600cc streetbike might get those numbers in the 1/4 mile but I thought we were talking about cruisers?............. I have a Raider and no matter where I go people just flock to my bike. I did have a Honda Shadow but it got lost in the crowd of other bikes. I get so many compliments on my Raider, you know why, it's different and it looks great. Looks & performance, you can't beat it, the price is just right. I bought an '08 a $1000 cheaper than the '09. Wonder why it went up in price, must be good sales, high demand, sorry Hal. For the Texas guy, you are so sure of yourself, why don't you put your money where your mouth is and come up to New York and "Step!" that's what we say. Wouldn't want to take your money, I'll do it for free.
Nah. I've outgrown beer fueled slapdowns. I won them all and it got boring. :)
SINCE THEY ARE IN TROUBLE NOW.
GM, Ford, & Chrysler
INTERESTING...maybe the country should consider bailing them out to some degree(~$10 MM Max! :))Nothing needs to be said... Ford, Chrysler and GM's contributions after 9/11An interesting commentary...You might find this of interest:CNN Headline News did a short news listing regarding Ford and GM's contributions to the relief and recovery efforts in New York and Washington.The findings are as follows......1. Ford - $10 million to American Red Cross matching employee contributions of the same number plus 10 Excursions to NY Fire Dept. The company also offered ER response team services and office space to displaced government employees.2. GM - $10 million to American Red Cross matching employee contributions of the same number and a fleet of Vans, SUV's, and Trucks.3. Daimler Chrysler - $10 million to support of the children and victims of the Sept. 11 attack. 4. Harley Davidson motorcycles - $1 million and 30 newmotorcycles to the New York Police Dept..5. Volkswagen - Employees and management created a Sept 11 Foundation, funded initial with $2 million, for the assistance of the children and victims of the WTC.6. Hyundai - $300,000 to the American Red Cross.7. Audi - see VW8. BMW - Nothing.9. Daewoo - Nothing.10. Fiat - Nothing.11. Honda - Nothing despite boasting of second best sales month ever in August 200112. Isuzu - Nothing.13. Mitsubishi - Nothing.14. Nissan - Nothing.15.. Porsche - Nothing. Press release with condolences via the Porsche website.16.. Subaru - Nothing.17. Suzuki - Nothing.18. Toyota - Nothing despite claims of high sales in July and August 2001. Condolences posted on the website .Whenever the time may be for you to purchase a new vehicle, keep this information in mind... You might want to give more consideration to a car manufactured by an American-owned and / or American based company. Apart from Hyundai and Volkswagen, the foreign car companies contributed nothing at all to the citizens of the United States ... It's OK for these companies to take money out of this country, but it is apparently not acceptable to return some in a time of crisis. I believe we should not forget things like this. Say thank you in a way that gets their attention.. ++++ Pass it on, I just did. ++++
I'll let that comment stand, even though it sounds a bit too much like a cut and paste spam job. But the points it makes are interesting.
G'day Hal. In the seventies my shop built a lot of choppers. I do not like the ride position on most choppers personally, but did not mind belting out a chopper if a customer wanted one. Some even looked pretty good with all the sharp frame bits filled and moulded. I often used BSA bantam tanks cut and shut to get a smooth look.Shame I could never get the look as good as the Fury. The Honda is so beautiful, it looks like art, the lines flow like water, and it is so smooth looking I would almost buy it for it's looks alone.
I couldn't type this fast enough once I read the pages.Although I have to say I do like the looks of Honda's new FURY one thing is for sure on a couple of things that will kill this bike if they are trying to compare it to the Yamaha Raider.First ThingA 1312 CC VTX engine verse a 1854 CC Raider engine.Second ThingPlastic everything, That's right guys plastic.Plastic fenders, plastic chrome engine covers, Plastic LOLI still can't even believe it but plastic doesn't belong on a bike as far as fenders and chrome.Third ThingShaft Drive with liquid cooled motor.I am not ready to give up a belt drive or have a bike with a radiator on my bike.Far far away it does look like a cool bike but up close when you realize that everything is plastic it is just plain funny.Nice try whoever wrote that story but "GET A CLUE DORK".I can't stop laughing so I better stop. LOLLaterSwomack SoCal "RAIDER" Rider
earnestshub, as you well know this is a Hub that critiques the aesthetics of the bikes, and I couldn't agree with you more on the Fury. It really does work together beautifully.
swomack etc., not more than four days ago, I had an opportunity to check out and ride the Fury and it is one impressive scoot. There is no escaping that there are a few parts which are not made out of metal, but so what? It still has far less plastic than any other Honda in recent memory. The elements look great and work to decrease the weight of the motorcycle. So, pfffft. And I have a clue, and the clue is that you couldn't find your butt with both hands and a flashlight if someone stuck a flagpole in it. :P
Read all the comments on the Fury and the Raider....
Hal....man, you need help....seriously.
The Raider and the Fury.....Well, performance wise, there shouldn't even be a discussion on that subject in this comparison. The bikes are in two totally different classes in the performance department. From a visual standpoint I will take the Raider. The Fury does look good in pictures, but with all the "shiney" plastic I will bet it won't look as good in person.....Shaft drive and a radiator on a crusier......ehhh. I will say that that pictures do not do the Raider justice at all. When it first came out and I saw pictures of it I thought it was kinda butt. BUT, the day I was going into the stealership to put my $1000 bucks down on a '09 V-MAX, there was a blue Raider S in the showroom......wow in person that bike was beautiful. Needless to say I rode it home that day.
Just another guy: Thanks for the offer of help... would you like to mow my lawn, or how about cleaning out my cat's litter box? :)
bomoses2283: I certainly can't blame you for going for the Raider over the Vmax 1700. It's kinda like choosing to go out with Rosie O'Donnell when you originally intended to date the Half Ton Woman. Good choice. :)
Sorry but honda lost my respect on this one. At first I thought it was a nice bike till relized it was a 1300 and made of plastic. Might as well be called a pocket bike. They should thrown in their 1800 motor and added a 300mm rear tire and then it would worth talking about and comparing to the Raider or Victory or HD Rocker. Till then most who know bikes will laugh at it. You may get some attention from neighbor hood kids who think it was built by OCC but thats about it.
You're entitled to your opinion, even though calling the Fury a pocket bike betrays the fact that you're an ignoramus. :)
I had a '95 Suzuki 1400 Intruder that was one he** of a bike. I wanted to make it more chopperesque with a rolled rear fender and a fat tire kit. However fat tire kits on driveshaft bikes are way too expensive, $4000 to $5000.Based on that alone I sold the Suzuki and bought a Yamaha RoadStar Warrior. With the belt drive I was able to slightly modify the swingarm myself, have my rear wheel widened and purchase a 240 for about $800. Honda could have hit a homerun instead of a double by going the rest of the way with this bike. The front of the bike is awesome as is the frame, but that's about it The skinney rear tire, the crappy VTX 1300 motor, and the driveshaft make this bike a "wannabe" chopper. I just don't understand why the manufacturers don't listen to their potential customers.
If Honda is serious about selling this bike for around $12000, there will be some fools out there that will buy it, but should another metric manufacturer take the finer points of this bike and take it the rest of the way, the Fury will be obsolete so fast it'll make your head spin and leave those who chose to buy it "stuck" !
So Hal, I will agree that "out of the box" the Honda is a bit more appealing than the Raider but that's where it stops. For a rider of over 40 years like me, there is so much more to a bike than looks.The Raider offers power, ride, and modability at a price that's not much more that the Fury.
One other thing. If personal attacks on spelling, and alleged illiteracy, is the best you can do when responding to an opinion opposite yours, then perhaps you should find another profession. Maybe you could venture into the fastland of the freway and pick up the remaining Tiddlywinks.
PS: The misspelled words and bad grammar were for your benefit. Have at it!
I do agree with the first half of your first paragraph, after all, I stated as much in the Hub itself. As for the rest, (other than the "'out of the box' the Honda is a bit more appealing than the Raider") I would respectfully appreciate the opportunity to plead for your courteous and generous forbearance in allowing me the wholly undeserved and completely rarefied honor of humbly informing you that you're out of your ever lovin' skull. Now I have to go pick up the Tiddlywinks. :)
I forgot to say that the paint jobs on some built choppers were bloody unusual. One guy got us to use his artist to paint the whole machine so that it appeared to be his girlfriend he was riding!
Wow, I would absolutely LOVE to see that! I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like that! Thanks!
Well, I don't know if this is the Hal from Honda direct line...I don't think so because that Hal seemed to be quit a bit more savy about the soul of a motorcycle. I customized a VTX to the max, extended the rake and forks, stretched the tank, RC rims, air brushed paint and more. I just ran up against the custom wall with the radiator and drive shaft. It ran ok but the cooling system was not really something you wanted to work on in your shop and the lash in the driveshaft drove me crazy. Put a lot of miles on that bike and then drove a raider....wow, I sold that vtx so fast because I found a bike with reall motorcycle soul. I could never go back to that limp feeling of a vtx. The fury looks ok untill you get close. I will be interested to see it after guys customize it but right now it's all just talk from a guy that really doesn't seem to care or really know what it is to have a really fine piece of machinery under him becuase even though a honda will still run out ok, all it takes is one good ride on a Raider to know what I mean!
Never heard of this Hal at Honda Direct Line, so he must be an usurper. Hey, I'm not arguing for one minute that the Raider is not a competent, albeit ridiculously over-displacemented motorcycle. It's just that it's plain butt ugly! :P
Now, children, children... you keep using four letter words and I'll keep deleting your comments. Play nice, or watch your comments vanish! This is a FAMILY SITE! :)
Hal said:Now, children, children... you keep using four letter words and I'll keep deleting your comments. Play nice, or watch your comments vanish! This is a FAMILY SITE! :)
FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY FURY
how many more four letter words do you want? :)
Touche! You got me fair and square! :)
" It still has far less plastic than any other Honda in recent memory."
That's like saying... this paint is ok because it has far less lead in it than any other paint in recent memory"...
Stupid Comment....
Since when is plastic not allowed on motorcycles? And you think I can't find at least 50 plastic parts on any Yamaha, including the Raider? This is nonsense.
Hal, did you know that the Honda company motorcycle racing team in Japan used to be called "Team Escargot"? I wonder if they still are? I used to teach at their headquarters in Hamamatsu.
"Hal Licino says:
20 hours ago
You're entitled to your opinion, even though calling the Fury a pocket bike betrays the fact that you're an ignoramus. :)"
So tell us, what kind of bike do you currently ride and have you ever rode a Raider? Or is it to big for you?
The Fury is a sad excuse for a "Chopper" and I an not sure your qualified to make any other judgment. Your the freaking idiot. They should have called it the McFury and sold it out of a Happy Meal Box.
Teresa McGurk: Yes, Team Escargot is still around and has been for many years. There are various theories surrounding the name, but some people insist that it relates to that old joke: A snail got tired of sliding around slowly, so he bought himself a fast sportscar. So everyone in town would know it was him driving it, he put a big red S for Snail on the side doors. Then when he zoomed around town, everyone would say, LOOK AT THAT S CAR GO! :)
TysonTy1: Y'know what? I'm really sick and tired of you junior sized ankle biters disputing my motorcycling background. For your information, Tyson whatever the heck you're called, I have owned 37 motorcycles, have been the editor and/or publisher of several national motorcycle magazines, racked up tens of thousands of miles in road tests, and almost a half million miles on motorcycles in every possible displacement category up to 2053cc, toured coast to coast and back again eight times, ridden on four continents, and held two motorcycle racing licenses, including one for Superbikes. The next people to dispute my expertise and experience will get their comments instantly deleted. Disagree with my opinions with reasoned opposition all you want, but try to belittle me with ad hominem disparaging comments once and you're out. So shut the hell up and go back to riding your monkey bike.
With such impressive credentials, a person might think that you knew what you were talking about. It's to bad that you don't. You say you have had 37 mtorcycles. I guess that you have not ridden the one you are bashing because if you did you might just shut your trap and pull all your BS comments.
The Fury is a lame duck and sad excuse for a motorcycle. Ride a Raider and then dare to speak against it again.
Wow -- and ouch -- it's like the religion forum in here. . .
The guys at Honda back in the 80's laughed and told me they were called Team Escargot because they were not very fast. . . but they were joking.
Hal I think people are questioning you background because they can't understand how you could talk so negatively about the Raider. Everone has an opinion but, to call it ugly...well I just don't see it but, it's your opinion so I respect that . Why would you down play the engine? Saying it's too big. Your right it's more power than you need in a street bike but you can say that about a lot of bikes and sport cars. That's what people want in America power power power, it's good marketing Did you ever ride the Raider? If you did you can't knock it's preformance. It's actually a really easy and fun bike to ride.
Now I don't have the background you have, not even close but, I love the Raider it's the best bike Ive ever rode JMO. That being said I like the Fury it looks pretty cool and wouldn't mind taking a spin on one.
n20Raider, just another loudmouth shooting off his yap since he can't even read. What part of THIS IS AN AESTHETIC CRITIQUE do you not understand. Or maybe you thought it was ANAESTHETIC? Seems like your brain already had enough of that! :)
Teresa McGurk, nah, it's worse than the religion forum. At least there you have debate based on scripture and faith. Here it's mostly beer fueled bravado flaming by hyperthyroid tweenies who can't get a date. :)
Rich in ct, I've ridden the Fury and several Yamahas such as the Warrior which are essentially the same mechanicals. That is entirely irrelevant. My point is simple cosmetics: RAIDER = UGLY. That's my point, I'm sticking to it, and that settles it.
Your just an A** that likes to belittle people to make yourself feel better. Get back on the porch and sit in your rocking chair because you are obviously off your rocker old man. You want to hype up the Fury, go right ahead, just leave everything else alone.
No, I'm obviously an intelligent person with excellent eyesight and a reasonable sense of aesthetics who is free to express his opinion when he sees something that is absolutely revolting: like the Raider. Now come over to my porch and let me show you what we do to whiny little punks with rocking chairs around here. :)
It is obvious that you are truely a Honda fanatic. I too like Honda, mainly their 4 wheelers, but I Love my Raider. Styling between the two is not even a question. The Fury is a cute little bike that someone who has ridden a scooter may think is a cool bike. The Raider on the other hand is a real motorcycle in every since. Yamaha definately outpaces even Harley with this bike. I know this is your little blog and you can slam me if you want but Get Real, The Fury is going to cost nearly as much as the Raider and won't do half of what the Raider can. I have a solo seat option, and I can put my Corbin 2 up seat on my Raider in under 3 min. Not that I like the way my 2up seat makes my Raider look, prefer my solo with Mustang fender bib. Don't get me wrong, I am just mad that you said the Raider, aside from the engine, belongs in the junkyard. Are you insane. You can't possibly look at the Raider and tell me it is not a sweet looking bike. Unless while you were riding you moped a Raider happened to go by in a Bluurrr, and it just looked like it was ugly!
Later
I appreciate your comment and hope that you enjoy your new bike for many years and have lots of great times together. Unfortunately, the indisputable fact remains that it's UGLY. :)
You should check out RaiderPerformance.com and look at what the guys on there can do with a Raider. I bet there won't be half the aftermarket parts made to trick out the Fury as there already is for the Raider. I grant you your opinion but as much as I love my Raider, I will give you the little Fury is a decent looking bike for a Honda. It's just a rip off for the price. Come on, a 1200cc bike for 12,000. If it were a Harley, I would say OK, just buying the name. Can't pay that for a small bore, water cooled, wanna B a V-twin bike like the Fury. If you are going to Bob-out a bike, it needs to be longer than 5 1/2 feet. Rake it, Don't Fake it! They should have just put training wheeles and a seat belt on the Fury and sold it at Wal-Mart in the kiddy section!!!!!!!
I have already agreed that the Honda is overpriced. So now you can agree that the Raider is ugly and all will be well with the world! :)
"Tyson whatever the heck you're called, I have owned 37 motorcycles, have been the editor and/or publisher of several national motorcycle magazines"
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I am not sure how you could edit and publish for any respectable motorcycle magazines with the kind of opinionated journalism you have expressed here. Show us one other objective article that thats side with your opinions of the Raider. The one reason I keep coming back here is to read your ridiculous replies. I will now go back to riding my "Monkey Bike" as you suggest and I'll be sure to run a few circles around the first McFury I see.....
Here is full objectivity for ya: The Raider has a wonderful drivetrain if you are in the market for an excessively over-displacement engine. It is derived from the Road/Wild Star powerplant which is a high water mark for Japanese V-Twins. This exemplary engine is wrapped up in a package whose styling can only be summed up as an emetic.
I can't believe that you people are comparing a plastic weak, chick bike like the Fury with the Raider. There really is no comparison. It looks like a toy, it's powered like a toy, and in most areas that it actually gets it right ... it's obviously form over function.
My honest review on the Fury ...The fuel tank is impracticle, Riding it to a Rally, you'd never have to worry about "Monkey Butt", you'd not be on the road long enough at any given time. Aside from that aspect, I find the tank to be rather ugly from the rider's position. Looks stylish from the side, but even then, it looks like a bike built for looks and hanging out beside it, instead of on the saddle. If you look at a pic fromt he Honda site, looking down upon it from behind... The bike looks anorexic.The Honda Water Cooled V-Twins, while a nice efficient mill just lack a lot as far as aesthetics. The engines look like they belong on a die cast model motorcycle. While Water Cooled is better for things like being stuck in traffic and emissions, and they did a decent enough job of hiding the radiator, it just doesn't do it for a "Chopper/Cruiser".The exhaust looks like it came off of a model's plastic chrome tree and literally looks glued on. The Frame ... I give it high marks on the design ... it works into the rear wheel/fender nicely, with a very nice rigid/softtail look. It had plenty of Rise and the Triple Tree is up where you would expect it to be on a chopper.The guage package... too modernesque for a "Chopper/Cruiser".Front Lighting ... They did a nice job on the headlight and signals.Rear Lighting ... They did a nice job on the headlight and signals.Lighting in general ... Good that they used Chrome... as it should be.Rear Fender, looks great from the side, looks silly from the rear, because of hte rubber band that they wrapped it around. A fender that wide needs to 1) have the tire to fill it.... 2) It sits a little too high above the wheel/tire. And just like all the others from just about everyone, get rid of the damn beaver tail behind the fender. This bike should have come from the factory with a side mount license plate. The Rider and leg position looks to be good, but there is no way it would be as comfortable as a Raider when it comes to 700 miles in one day. Perhaps the small tank is purposely there to force you to get off of the bike so often that you don't notice that.Looking at it from dead-on in front ... EXCELLENT LOOK! it LOOKS like a chopper from that position... as it should. From behind ... who stole my tire and put on this Space Saver Spare? I like the wheels, especially the blacked out ones on the Gray version... but the Wheel SIZE and Tire size at both ends is very lackluster.The bars, while unique, just don't do it for me. Power ... just don't have enough THUMP to be a "power cruiser/chopper"... I still contend that in it's factory configuration, the person I see most likely to ride this bike is you average hot "wants-her-own-scoot" chick. The bike is priced out of the high school kid range, and it doesn't have the cajones to attract the Harley Rocker or NightTrain buyer. I can't think that anyone that has ridden/owned a Raider would possibly trade for this one... The entire bike is COMPROMISE, FLUFF and some LIMITED FORM over function.On a A-B-C-D-F scale ... in general ... I say C ... if they are meaning to take on the Raider, Rocker, and Vegas Jackpot... FNot a brutal review of it, but honest...ps... SHAFT DRIVE? C'MON, where's the damned belt?
Interesting review. :)
Apologizing for the formatting... as I pasted it in here, it had plenty of line breaks... when the site renders it, it fubars it.
And ... for what it's worth ... while I'm not fond of the factory exhaust on the Raider, the rest of the bike is beautiful! After seeing my Raider, two HD riders have actually purchased Raiders for themselves. (Ironically, their HD's were in the shop)
Take a Raider to places like Stroker's Dallas, Loose Wheels in Sherman TX, Wlhoites in Grapevine TX ... nothing but compliments and questions from the HD crowd.
Kinda tells ya that Star got it right in the Power Cruiser market!
Again, I respect your opinion, although I find aspects of it counter to my own viewpoint! :)
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It's obvious what your opinion is Hal, but sad that you feel no-one should hold a different one. How blase the riding world would become if we all let you shout us down on our choices of bikes to ride. An endless stream of Honda Fury's streching out to the horizon, everyone so pleased in the aesthetic superiority of their rides. Won't that be the day.
Although the Fury is a cool looking bike, it is only cool in that it is a homogeneous amalgamation (you seem to like big words Hal) of a thousand "west coast choppers" that have come before. Nice looking, but hardly unique. The same can not be said about the Raider. Whether you like it or not, it makes a statement and stands out in a crowd. That's cool regardless. It's the expressions of individuality which make the riding community what it is. Too bad you don't see that. You must go on a lot of lonely rides.
I look forward to your banal response.
Y'all a bunch of shirley temples. "Where's the belt?" Belt!?!? Are you feeble? I don't want any sissy rubber band running my bike -- all my bike have real metal chains, the kind real men ride. And it puts that hp down on the road in a hurry, not stretching like all these tidy whiteys that apparently up in yer cracks. Y'all argue like a buncha old ladies.
JDubya, the Raider is a brobdingnagian, Rube Goldbergian, excrable, and barbarous ambuscade on the aesthetic senses of the populace. ('Nuf big words for ya, big boy?) :P
Vic Jacoby, the three major final drive methods used on modern motorcycles all have their pros and cons. My personal favorite is the belt, as it doesn't have all the horrific maintenance and grease-slinging of its metal ancestor, and doesn't power pogo like the shafts. But, hey, that's just me. :)
OK i own the Raider. I love everything about the raider. The Fury is a beautiful bike also. But why only go with a sissy 1300?? I traded my VTX 1300 in for the raider and i would never downgrade to a bike with that lil of power again. If Honda put an 1800 or bigger motor into that fury i would trade my raider in as soon as one hit the show room floor. But again with that tiny engine in a big bike, y even bother with it!!
Tiny engine? The displacement in the Fury is about twice the size as the one used in the Smart Car. Your statement is completely absurd and reflects the viewpoints of the power-hungry insatiable motorcyclists whose time has come and long gone.
yes and the engine in the raider is twice as big as that in the fury. IF your going to go big. do it right. If you buy a muscle car you dont buy V-6 and try to keep up with everyone else. you look retarded which is what honda is going to this fury. GO big or Go HOME!!!
Wrong again. The Fury is a 1300 and the Raider is a 1900 so less than 50% larger. Like I said, you're a power-hungry egotist who doesn't have a clue about the ecologically and financially conservative age you're living in. And don't use the R word or I'll delete your comments. Keep it clean.
sorry to offend you. But what does this conservative age have to do with buying a motorcycle?? again this is my opinion and you can have yours. I have a raider and its been the best bike i have ever owned. The Fury is a beautiful looking bike but i am dissappointed with only the 1300 motor. Because in fact my 1900 raider gets better gas mileage that the VTX 1300 i had. And again yes i am power hungry. Nobody i know buys the raider because it puts around town. They built the bike for people who want a chopper look and styling without blowing 30,000 dollars. Are you just on here to argue with anybody you can??
No I'm not arguing pointlessly, and I'm not offended. I am making the point that motorcyclists should stop acting selfishly and with little regard to the conservationist tone of this age, based on my lifelong experience as a motorcycle editor, rider and racer. I believe we can ill afford to keep being profilgate showoff immature consumers at a time when those traits are severely frowned upon by society at large. Nobody today needs two litres between their legs to enjoy the pleasures of motorcycling in a sustainable, and socially-acceptable manner.
Ok, very understandable. But what about the people that do enjoy their ride whether it be a big engine or little engine(Im not a conservatist)?? I bought my raider 1 month last year after they were released and i couldnt get one in iowa, ANYWHERE!!! they had to trade two bikes to a shop in illinois just to get one. These "big" bikes are selling right now. the raiders cant be found in stores right now here again either.The facts are there for the Raider, We have yet to see anything for the Fury. I believe the same will be with the Fury, it will sell good. Again, just me talking here, but i believe they should have went with the 1800 tuned up. The reason i heard, and dont not know for sure, that they stopped the 1800 is because the VTX 1800 wasnt selling as good as the 1300 right now. and i believe that it wasnt selling as good because the 1800 was an enormously bulky bike and sucked at handling. If they put it into the wide open frame of the fury i bet it would sell like crazy. Which im sure it will anyways. Your right too, nobody needs that much power between there legs to enjoy riding. But everyone has their own choice and can ride whatever they so choose and just hope they come out with something that fits their personal wants and needs. When and If Honda does that, i'll probably go back to there bikes, but as for now, The Fury only has 1 positive going for it and that is it looks Great. Everything else is so-so.
Actually, motorcycle sales for all Japanese companies are way down.
Honda 23,562 -69.9%
Suzuki 17,519 -58.0%
Yamaha 19,202 -43.4%
Kawasaki 12,431 -65.8%
So not much is selling, either big or small. These sales figures are absolutely disastrous. There has never been a drop anywhere near this big in decades.
The designers of the Fury say that one of the reasons that the 1300 engine was used is because the 1800cc engine would have required a larger radiator and smaller radiator of the 1300cc engine is less obtrusive...Personally, I feel that the 1300 engine is plenty big enough. Although, I think that the gas tank could be wider!
Also note that the VTX 1800s are not in the 2009 North American lineup so it does make sense for them to stick to the 1300 engine. Heck, I'd like a 600-650cc Fury, so I still think that the 1.3L is excessive. I can see what you mean about the fuel tank, but since Honda is creating their version of a particular common style of chopper, that's the tank de rigeur. I'm always a sucker for a Sportster Peanut Tank! :)
great bikes~lots of potential,the fury looks cleaner and more like a custom
Right on, dude! Glad you agree! :)
If this is what I think it is, I find it very humorus. Everywhere I go, people tell me how attractive my Raider is. If this bike was so UGLY, why have I not found one person to express this? This is about how ugly the Raider is? I wish it was ugly so people would leave me alone at the gas station, the mall, stop lights, and every where in between. Dont these people realize that I have places to go, people to see? I cant help it if my bike is drop dead georgeous, but please, quit telling me this every time I stop the bike. If this continues, I swear to god I will sale it and buy a FURY. For the sake of my sanity people. LEAVE ME ALONE! I cant take it any more.
I posted this on our very popular Raiders Forum: To each their own. Show how smart you really are by brand bashing to promote what you like. Your opinions are your opinions, but your not going to win the Fury is pretty and the Raider is ugly game. Every one likes what they like. I hope Honda is sucessfull with this model. But I am not going to say it is ugly just because I like the Radier. If people like the Fury and buy it, god bless them. I will ride with them and we will have a good time. This is total CR-P. And the gas saveing issue. Give me a break. Not enough differance to even discuss. People, kill this issue. It is not worth it.Number one- I wish this thread would die and go away. Number two- Honda only did this because Yamaha was so successfull with this style.Number three-Any one that would totally bash another motorcycle to promote their own desires is a moron.Number four-Like what you like, but dont sit there and belittle another brand just because you like something else. What are we, children?
Like to ride one bike....lol
KeysRaider: I assure you that if you got a Subaru Tribeca, adorned it all over with flashing Christmas light strings and strobes, painted it zebra stripes of chartreuse and mauve, and plunked big speakers on the roof playing Moldovan Folk Songs at ear splitting volume, you could drive it around town and get lots of attention too. The question is, are the passersby looking at your creation with awe and respect, or because they can't believe that something could be that friggin' ugly?
(The other question is that I have purchased my 33 motorcycles because of the way they appealed to me... not the shallowness of how bystanders perceive it, as I couldn't give a good damn about them... I don't have small penis issues and have to replace it with a motorized doppelganger.)
It's obvious that you didn't read the part where I stated:
"out of the 33 motorcycles I've owned, more of them were Yamahas than any other brand."
So don't throw out baseless accusations of fanboism. I loved my many Yammies. But that was before the company lost their marbles and started producing... here comes the Thesaurus:
Abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, distasteful, dreadful, foul, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, loathsome, nasty, nauseating, noisome, obnoxious, odious, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, scandalous, shocking, sickening, ugly, objectionable, disagreeable, unpleasant, contemptible, despicable, detestable, hateful, execrable, miserable, atrocious, heinous, unspeakable, barbarous, BUTT UGLY BIKES LIKE THE RAIDER.
Thank you. Have a wonderful day. :)
Hal,
Thank you for answering my final question.
Nope. Forgot one thing:
Yo Yammy Soooooooooooo Ugly... (How ugly is she?)...
Yo Yammy so ugly when she joined an ugly contest, they said "Sorry, no professionals."
Yo Yammy so ugly she made an onion cry.
Yo Yammy so ugly even Rice Krispies won't talk to her.
Yo Yammy so ugly the NHL banned her for life.
Yo Yammy so ugly if ugly were bricks she'd have her own projects!
Yo Yammy so ugly that when you park her on the sand on the beach, cats try to bury her.
There. Childish enuf for ya! :)
Sorry KeysRaider. You should know that I have a longstanding policy to never publish comments by people who use different names but the same IP address. You're cut off. Bye! Enjoy your Yamugly. :)
Come on Hal buddy, I was just kidding around. Your not upset with that whole doctor thing are you? I knew you could see the IP address. I was just haveing a little fun at your expence. Hey, if you let me hang wit cha, I will tell you how pretty the Fury is, and, and, I will tell everyone I know how smart you are. Come on, pretty please. Hook a brother up.
Oh alright... I'll make an exception just this once because I'm in a good mood.
So, repeat after me:
Fury pretty, Raider ugly.
Fury pretty, Raider ugly.
Fury pretty, Raider ugly.
And you don't have to tell everyone you know how smart I am. They already know. Everyone knows. I'm so brilliant from now on my Hub readers will be issued sunglasses so they don't get too dazzled by my luminous prose! :)
Thank you. That was a close one.
I do enjoy reading your hub. You sure know how to work it. You have been doing this for awhile and you are really very good at what you do.
Thanks, KeysRaider. Flattery works wonders. Keep it coming until I tell you to stop. :)
You actually remind me of Rush Limbaugh. He is very articulate and there are a lot of people that hate him. He owns the show, so he is right, with half his brain tied behind his back. I don't know if you are a Limbaugh fan, so this may or may not be a compliment. Any who, this is just an analogy that I presumed you may appreciate. For me this is not about motorcycles, this is raw entertainment and I am bored out of my gourd.
Actually, I look like Rush. Heck, if it wasn't for the fact that I don't touch drugs, I might as well BE Rush.
It's a wonderful world, and there is no reason to be bored. Just think: if the economic crisis doesn't get us, and we're able to escape climate change catastrophes, there's always the Taliban about to take over 100+ Pakistani nuclear weapons, and the rampaging Mexican Swine Flu which is spreading like wildfire and is getting ready to kill us all. How much more excitement can anyone want? :)
Good point,
I hear you skydive. Lets talk about that.
Only without a parachute, and then only when I've just inaugurated some young lovely into the mile high club and her boyfriend takes exception. :)
Nice bikes! I would mind having either of them!
I'd love to have the Fury and I'd also love to have the Raider, but with it I'd need at least $10,000 to be able to customize it so that it looks like a real righteous chopper instead of a Japanese Manga Ghost Rider Nightmare. :)
Come on Hal, just when I thought I got you all calmed down, you go off getting worked up again.
Now I don,t mean to be critical hear, but Mike did say he WOULD mind, not, WOULDN,T. So you see, He was on your side, kinda.
Also, maybe Mike had not spent the several hours I did reading every last word of this hub. He may not get your reply, because you stated Japanese Manga Ghost Rider Nightmare, but did not make referance to which bike you were talking about. Honda is still a Rice burner isn,t it? Breath, breath. Feel better? Good.
Dear Mr. You Know Who KeysRaider, I think that Mike meant wouldn't anyway, and I'm definitely not worked up. When I get worked up you see smoke coming out the side of your HubPages browser window. And I think it's quite clear which bike is the JMGRN. The Raider. :)
Your absolutly right. Again. How in the H-ll do you do that? You know, I have a very small degree in Psychology. I would love to do a Theses on you.
By all means go ahead. At my advanced age I have half a dozen neurons that are still firing and my IQ is equivalent to my shoe size. So your small degree will be perfect for a very small thesis. :)
Thanks Hal,
I have already started but I am running into a little trouble. What Pen name did you use for all of your magazine publishing's? I have a pretty extensive data base and your Hub name Hal is only limited to Hubs of your making. The only information I can get starts at 2007. I am really excited about this because now I have something to do. I was looking for a subject, and you fell right into my lap. Thanks again for this opportunity
I could tell you that, but then I'd have to kill you. :) Actually Hal Licino was the name on many of the mastheads of those magazines, but that was all in the pre-internet age of the Exhilirating Eighties. That was when magazines were (gasp) on paper! I haven't gone through the quarter million references to me on Google to see if any of those mastheads have been turned into electronic form and plunked on the Net, but you're welcome to go check it out to see if you can find any of them.
Hal, this is great. Since I started a study on you, I have learned a little about hubing. There is a great article by Shailini that explains how hubing works. Its called " Write hubs to generate traffic-money will follow". It goes on to explain different methods to generate public input. Very fascinating material. When I am complete, I would love to send you a rough draft.
Hubbing is great. I look forward to your report. Have fun!
Thank you for these bike pictures a love bikes like these models anyhow i cannot buy them but save them in my PC.
Enjoy! :)
Road trip from New York to North Carolina (800 miles) - Bike week. 1 Honda VTX1800 - Shaft problems, nothing big $12 bucks, 2 Harleys - leaking oil, flat tire, 1 Victory Vegas Jackpot- Popping all the time. My Star Raider S, no problems. We stopped at a Honda/Yamaha dealer along the way for the VTX1800 repairs, I was interested in seeing the Fury so I spoke to a sales rep. I asked him what he thought of the Fury, he said it looks nice, I agreed. Sales rep conitnued by saying why would you want to buy that when you can get the 1900 Raider S. Alot of people were complimenting me on my bike and when they asked the numbers, they said "WOW!". In a sea of Harleys & Goldwings the Raider stood out and yes, there was alot of gawking. Nuf said!
Hey, what can I say? Rosie O'Donnell would really stand out on a Milan fashion show runway amidst the supermodels too! :)
This is it in a nut shell - regardless of what you like best (Fury vs Raider): The main technilogical feat of the Fury this: it is the first production water cooled custom with the clean lines of an air cooled powertrain powered custom. This is a first and very well done by Honda even if it would be nice to have the larger 1800 which just might be in line for production in the future.
I'm not so sure about the future for the 1800 v-twin engine as it's missing from their current lineup, but who knows?
what a bunch of girls arguing about styling, blah blah blah hal licino we know your point you dont have to tell us you disagree with everyone that likes the yami better, we get it already! At minimum the fury the needs dual stoppers on the front, the single disc just looks cheap IMO, i would also like a wider rear rubber but im sure someone will make a conversion kit like was made for the vtx series. I would also like an option on the motor, while you may not have what it takes to handle a large displacement motor some of would like a larger platform to start with and then modify.
techsan, I was riding and racing superbikes when you were a zygote. I've forgotten more about riding big bikes than you will ever learn. As for the brake, I think that the dual disc on the front is not necessary for a cruiser of this size, and would weigh down the aesthetics of the front end.
Goodbye thornsby004. Go play in the freeway! :)
Hal, It's too obvious that you don't know much about bikes. The Fury has only one positive attribute, well maybe two. First Honda did design the bike with a cleaner look hiding much of the wiring harnesses and cables well. Second, they may be able to move them at $13,000 but very slowly, cause for $13000 you can get a real engine that has some power.
Now for the bad stuff you didn't get. The bike is a plastic piece of garbage. The welds are horrible, reminescent of bad Goldwing recall days for frame failures. You'll always be left behind by those Damn Raider riders, with that damn powerful engine.
BUT, you can purchase the best plastic model of a real bike. Oh, and the VMax is sooo damn fun to ride. I own the new 09 VMax and the Raider and another Road Star. The dealer called me in to check out the new Honda Mundane(aka Fury) in hopes I might buy one of them...but alas, I'm not that easily impressed.
Figures you're a Vmax nut, and have a Raider to boot. Proves you're blind and have too much money. You'd feel much better about yourself if you sold all but one and donated the money to poor children. But then again Vmax and Raider owners are usually egotistical power-ravenous wankers so there's no hope for your soul anyway.
The welds have been a bad rap. On the Fury I rode the welds were borderline messy but absolutely nothing that seems from a precursory observation to cause a frame failure. So you're talking out of your hat. Go back to ride your despicably ugly Vmax and Raider. I'll laugh and point if you pass my house. :)
A friend of mine stopped by with his new Honda fury. He needed a hand changing the oil and it gave me a chance to give this thing a good once over. First off the bike looks tons better in person. The pictures just don't do it any justice. The maroon red paint is gorgeous and flawless. And it is extremely well made. Typical Honda fit and finish. The down side it's all plastic. Even the chrome covers on the heads are chromed plastic. I mean its plastic everything, even things that you wouldn't guess are plastic are. It has a cheap Barbie dream bike like feel to it. And the back end shaft drive just looks unfinished. and a cheap after thought, it's just blah and bland. I took a small ride around town and it's a well balanced machine and very smooth shifting. But it had no soul. Kind of too smooth and electric motor feeling. After a quick blast around town. We loaded it on the dyno and it pumped out a stout 54.3 hp. Not a barn burner and a bit down on what 1300 cc's should have, in my opinion. He wants to do pipes and a PCV later maybe this will wake it up a bit. While this is a good looking bike I don't think I would ever want one. And for the price all that plastic seems wrong, Again Honda doesn't get it, this is supposed to be a "chopper inspired bike". "CHOPPER" means an overipriced custom that uses grossly exaggerated styling using steel and aluminum for a not so comfortable ride, along with an engine with too much power that connects to a huge rear tire via belt or chain, all to get the "ATTA BOY" from custom motorcycle enthusiasts (majority americans). the fury only gets the styling note. while the yamaha's styling is subjective at the least, but it does have the power, metallic parts, belt drive features over the fury. AND THEY'RE ABOUT THE SAME PRICE! C'MON! If honda kept the styling, used all metal parts, used belt drive, put in the 1800, & kept it under $15,000 i'd buy one, because then i feel like i could get at least a couple "ATTA BOY'S" at the laughlin river run.
You are entitled to your opinion, and for the record once again, I do not feel that the amount of plastic on the Fury is excessive, and certainly not more than many other modern bikes.
I like the thirteen hundred engine. It seems to lighten things up a bit.
Hal, what do you think of the Victory Vegas compared to the Fury?
Well, it's quite obvious that the VV is the "inspiration" for the Fury as the tank, exhaust, and other parts seem almost interchangeable. I have always loved the Victory's cylinder heads as they fill up the engine bay so well. However, in this day and age, I can't justify a 100 cu. in. motor. What is rather amazing is that with the current economic squeeze you can probably walk into your Victory dealer, twist his arm until you hear cracking and ride out on a Vegas for maybe a grand more than the Fury's MSRP.
An additional thought: I don't mind the Raider quite so much as you do, Hal, but the generally negative aspect of it to me, the aspect at which the Fury excells, is the generally cluttered, over busy appearance. The FUry is more attractive because less is more, as it always has been in motorcycles.
You're right about less is more, especially in chopper design. It's almost as if the Raider is a Teutul cake decoration gone wild while the Fury is a minimalist Arlen Ness design. And we all know that comparing the Teutuls to Ness is like comparing a six year old with crayons to Michelangelo.
This is what I would like to say.I think the Fury looks quite tiring after miles of riding on twisted road, doesn't it? I own a Raider and for the past few months this is my main form of transportation. Just love the way it handle corners, and its braking power is just awesome. I like how the Fury's look especially the Grey one, but will it handle corners well with that raked out front end like the Raider does? Well, I don't know because I never ride one. The Raider was built to look like a chopper without compromising the handling characteristic. So for me, it's more like a cruiser than a choppper. While Fury was built so that it looks more like a chopper. In other words I will not compare The Fury with The Raider for that reason. Like you always said Hal, you are entitled to your opinion. And this is just my opinon. ~Cheers~
slay battousai: ... and I respect that opinion.
lemon/tom5: Don't use different names and the same IP. I block that automatically.
I love bikes, but also I'm a little scared of them... But meybe i'll buy one in a future :)
Personally I think this bike looks like a toy more than anything I would want to sit on. Again that is my personal opinion. One of the posts here said the Raider is like a bad a** bison, I agree. It is a large heavy bike and commands road presence. And again, I agree that it is all about what you want to sit on. This bike, looks like what my baby sisters Honda Shadow would look like raked out and in chopper format.
As for the exhaust, I am not a fan of this style exhaust, I like a unique design, something that stands out. This exhaust again is like most other exhausts... again very similar to the shadow.
For both of the bikes it honestly comes down to actually seeing it and sitting on it. If everyone had the same tastes the world would be boring. I can personally tell you I hated what the Raider looked like in a picture. That all changed when I saw it in person. That may be the same for this bike. For right now... I don't really like MOST of the styling in this bike. I like the gas tank, and the front fender :) That's about it. But thats me... you like this bike, more power to you, hope to see you on the road.
Stay safe
i know your worried about gas and the global situation. yes the raider has an 1854 but it gets about 1-2 mpg worse than the fury if not the same mpg
Avare: Take a qualified motorcycle riding course, be careful, and then you can be just as safe if not safer than in a car!
Raider08: Thanks for your comments!
Naz: Yes, but it wouldn't get anywhere near the mileage of my dream Honda Fury 600cc! :)
I'm very happy that you love your Raider. I don't know if I'd have the gall to ride that "thing" around in the middle of Harley country, but to each their own! :)
This Hal guy is a big IDIOT. any body see what he riding in the picture? looking like he is riding an amusement park "toy bike" at Six Flags. The Fury looks fine in pictures but for ladies. I have sat on that bike and feel like a knock-off bike shipped from China.
"Let's just state the obvious: This bike (Yammy Raider) is the two wheeled equivalent of Rosie O'Donnell's butt with some extra cellulite thrown in from Roseanne Barr." My GOD... that was funny!
"The main grab for me is that the Raider has less "plastic" than the Fury. I sat on the fury, and noticed the detail on all the chrome (too much for me) and tapped it, once...NO way, plastic chrome!...Sat on the Raider, less chrome, but still i tapped on the side covers, NO plastic, nice reinforced aluminum..."
+1 Also belt drive vs shaft....belt!!!!!! Long live the Warrior though!
Wow, these are some of the most childish comments I've ever seen. Everyone has a right to his opinion. Why bash someone just because he holds a different one than you? There's really no need to get personal. Just my 2 cents.
Biker, you're a moron. An FXD is a toy bike? I have a revoltingly malodorous body cavity you can kiss. :P
Mark, glad to make you smile! :)
Jerrydlish, I think I've said it a dozen times. The Fury has no more plastic "chrome" than many other 2009 motorcycles. But all the plastic in the world is not enough to make me appreciate the Raider's atrocious jagged crap styling.
Hmm, yeah... you're right. Why get personal? Read
http://hubpages.com/hub/Writing-Hubs-For-Fun--Prof
to see what happens here on HubPages when it DOES get a bit too personal. :)
Choppers are renegade bikes. They're not supposed to look neat and sophisticated. Honda got it all wrong with this bike and it amazes me that all these Honda-faithfull fans don't see this! CHOPPERS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO LOOK SOFT!!! Honda CLEARLY got so caught up in trying to make whatever type of bike Yamaha (STAR) was making, that they missed the point. Honda has lost their edge in recent years and I don't see why they are still listed above Yamaha in popularity. Surely I'm not the only one who can see that Yamaha has surpassed Honda in the last decade. I smell dirty politics here from Honda!
Ah, yes, you got me fair and square. Now I have to confess. I'm actually Soichiro Jr. and I'm out to avenge my family name! Honda Forever!
DUH! :)
If that is what interest you, I guess the winner is the Mini-Bigdog aka. Fury. The snowmobile folks hit it right. The Victory Vegas lines IMHO are the benchmark for all to try to achieve.
The Victory Vegas and some other bikes such as the Big Dog and most specifically the American Iron Horse Texas Chopper have undoubtedly inspired the Fury. However, when we consider the fact that this bike is built with rock solid Honda engineering, rather than some off the shelf S&S (or even worse, RevTech) powerplant, I'll take the Fury every time.
Hal, you're looking for a 600 cruiser, or wish the Fury was. How about this one ? http://www.hyosungmotorsusa.com/newsNservice/servi
Don't get me wrong, I think that the Hyosung 650 V-twin is rather maligned and it might be a bit better than generally believed, but that GV650 next to the Fury looks like a cockroach. Sorry! :)
Honda Fury is nice looking in a minimalist sort of way. I've looked at and sat on one. I didn't impress me like the Raider. I'm not saying it's a bad bike or bad design, it has it's place in the market. The size of engine to the size of frame it's coupled with seems to be a good choice. Kind of like comparing a Scion tc to a Dodge Challenger, both nice cars in their own right, and both had lots of R&D that went into them. As for this lil monster http://www.hyosungmotorsusa.com/product/introducti nice looking lil cockroach.
Well, I think that the Dodge Challenger is a drop dead gorgeous design (I loved the '71 version, and this one is a good copy) and think the Scion TC looks like a roach next to it as well! :)
the reason the fury is good is because they got west coast choppers to design it for them.
I don't care if The Donald isn't too keen on Jesse James, I think he RULES! :)
Hal, I chose not to respond any further until I had an opportunity to see the Fury firsthand.Well, that happened today and here's my fair and impartial opinion of the Fury. I will say that the photos don't do it justice
What I liked:
1 The bike is beautiful. It looks great from every angle except the left side but that is much the case with most bikes that have exhausts on the right side only.2 The bike's riding position is near perfect. The seat is very low and the bars position the rider in a very comfortable spot.3 The bike looks like it would be an absolute blast to ride.4 In the photos I didn't care for the rear fender, but in person it looks pretty nice.5 Other things I liked were the headlight, the rake, the tank and the high neckbone area and how it transitions nicely down to the seat. It say chopper loud and clear.
What I didn't like:
1 The VTX 1300 engine and tranny. I rode a VTX 1300 from Bristol, TN to Indianapolis, IN and couldn't wait to get off. The bike was a dog and the tranny was clunky. The should have designed a new powerplant and tranny for this bike.
2 Too much plastic. When I spend nearly $13K on a bike I'd like to have something substantial and durable. While the plastic does lower the weight and thus give the bike a bit more pep (pardon the pun), it's cheap.
3 Fuel capacity. The tank could have been made a bit longer to cover a bit more of the front section of the frame and a bit wider at the front. This could have easily been a 5.5 gal tank while retaining the same classic chopper appearance.
4 Dumbo Ear Turn Signals. This isn't a problem unique to this bike but you'd think when designing such a classic looking bike they could have come up with something that didn't look like an after-thought.
5 Frame welds. The frame welds on these bikes are horrible. Here you have a biek that is supposed to be somewhat of a showpiece and the frame weld look like that of a first grader. The bike I saw was Dark Red Metallic which meant the frame was that color "in gloss" as well in. If you've ever seen a sloppy weld with "gloss" paint or chrome on it you know what I mean. The way the light reflects on it just grabs your eye. The most obvious areas were near the top of the down-tubes and just under the seat on the side rail part of the frame. Bottom line: the welding sucks bigtime.
6 Shaft-drive. This is the one thing that would be the "stopper" for me. There is no reason why a chopper couldn't have a driveshaft, but it sure limits the ability to perform a modification to accommodate a "fat" tire set up and that's the one thing that would set this bike off! To do a fat tire on a driveshaft bike you're looking the neighborhood of $5000, while on a belt-drive you can do the conversion for as little as $1700, tire included. If you care to do a lot of the work yourself it can be as little as $1000.
Summary: I hope Honda sells a lot of these and I think they will to the novices who want something that says "custom chopper" for about $17k less than the real thing, but it's a poser. However, if they do sell a lot of them we'll have lot more choices in the very near future. The Fury is no "homerun" (possibly a triple) and definitely not worth $13K.
If Yamaha comes out with something similar with a 1700 or larger powerplant, belt-drive at a similar price point the Fury will die a quick death.
Now, as far as the Raider is concerned, the Fury looks better without a doubt, but judging from the suggesgted retail of both bikes, the Raider gives you a bit more bang for the buck than the $1000 difference:1 More torque & hp from a motor that's over 500cc larger and was specifically designed for the bike.2 A rear wheel that comes with a 210/40-18 tire, but will accommodate a 240/40-18.3 Slightly larger fuel capacity. (both companies could learn somthing here).4 Alunimum frame which helps in the HP department.
If Yamaha comes out with a Fury look-a-like with a big motor, belt drive, and a fat tire . . . . I'm there!
I agree with most of your comments and I appreciate your indepth response. The Fury I rode had ugly welds too but at least on the particular example I had they weren't THAT horrible, but perhaps Honda's QC has been slipping.
http://www.furyforums.com/ http://www.vtxoa.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=83 Couple of forums up and going on the Fury. Maybe should have one called the Hissy Fit.- lol - Nice bike that's way over priced for what it is. I looked at it again last Saturday, still same dull bike.
Y'know wot? I'm not gonna slam you because you did write one phrase that I do essentially agree with:
"Nice bike that's way over priced for what it is."
Yeah. It is. Now if Honda were to produce a Fury 600 at $4995, they'd have a real winner on their hands, not to mention the first one would land in my garage!
Hal, What was the color of the Fury you rode? If it was the dark grey (I believe it's the limited edition) the welds don't show up nearly as much.
Dark burgundy, but maybe since we Canadians are so wonderful, Honda provides us with special, cleaner welds! :)
If Honda would put a belt drive on it, it would go a lot further towards the image it's trying to project. Drop the price by a 1/3 and have a winner on their showroom. Slip a 600 - 900 in it and maybe up a model to a 1100. If they decide on a 1800 version, there's lot more work to be done before that happens. Really, you can't even call it a economy model with the price that's on it. It's not beating the raider in MPG by very much at all either. Honda has over reached and came up short on this one. There is a market for it, people that just haven't looked around at all the rest. Does it look good? Yes, til you walk around to the left side. Go into the dealer's showroom and you'll see it sitting right side to you for your 1st look at it. I'm not slamming it, because it does look good and I'm sure it's a hoot to ride. Besides, " You Meet The Nicest People On A Honda" which by the way has taken Honda to the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. So in a nut shell, I know they can do better than this.
You are definitely entitled to your opinion but I personally don't agree that either side of the Fury looks bad, especially when compared to that magnetic junk pile the Raider is. I'd love to see a full range of PROPERLY PRICED 600, 900 and 1300 Fury models, but I doubt that we'll see an 1800 as Honda has read the writing on the wall with super high displacement engines and I think it's very telling that the 1.8 l Vees are out of the 2009 lineup.
The 1800 writing on the wall that you refer to, could be because the Honda VTX1800 is a butt ugly boat. Again another shaft driven mistake. The Honda Valkyrie had it spot on, better than that boat. The frame is there, the desire of people that would like to see something come of Honda's 1st shot at a making a chopper, hopefully will come to pass with something more than the Fury. I watched a very good show the other night on Mr. Honda. I bet he'd bitch slap the designers of the Fury. They got started in the right direction. But, somewhere for whatever reason they stopped about half way through in the process and decided to slap it together on the cheap. Then to top it off they want to put a premium price tag on it. Thinking about it, they would have saved build money by getting rid of the shaft drive, and could have lowered the MSRP to begin with and have a platform that could be used for other models.
I completely agree with you about the VTX1800 and its many permutations ("Let's stick on a chrome thingy and call it a WHOLE NEW MODEL! YAY!") have all the profound gutteral appeal of a compost pile of armadillo poop. I can't argue with the Fury's design and as I have said the welds on the burgundy Fury I rode were sloppy but not unacceptable. The price IS high. No doubt about that! :)
CYCLE WORLD July 2009 issue - Honda Fury vs. Yamaha Raider - "So when you want to hit the road to freedom, the Raider is the chop of choice". Read it for yourself.
Cycle World July '09 issue - Honda Fury vs. Yamaha Raider. Read for yourself.................. hint "Raider!". I like the Fury, but it has to much plastic for me. It's like riding a Power Wheels.
So? The last time Cycle World stated anything authoritiatively was in the last issue that my ol' friend Joe Parkhurst had anything to do with it. These days they're a bunch of hapless hacks over at Cycle World! I'd rather get my motorcycle test results from my grandmother. :P
Wow, that's real professional of you, can you even back up any of your comments. No, I don't think so. I listed just a few. Bike did so well in '08 that it goes unchanged for '09. You should get your test results from your grandma, she will probably make your hub make more sense.
2008 Metric Cruiser of the Year Excellence Award, 9th Annual V-Twin Expo---2008 Best in Class (Cruiser), Rider Magazine-----2008 Best Cruiser, Cycle World's 10 Best, Cycle World Magazine-----
ZZZZzzzzz... there has been NO motorcycle test journalism since Joe Parkhurst, Frank Conner and their peers stopped writing. Now, that was motorcycle test writing! If you need convincing, go check out some old back issues of Cycle World, Cycle Guide, etc. and get ready to get blown away. They weren't motorcycle journalists... they were Literature Gods. What passes for motorcycle test writing right now is nothing more than a jetspinned regurgitation of spec data and of "the controls fall readily to hand" ad nauseum. I wouldn't take the recommendation of any of the current "major motorcycle journalists" on where to get a cup of coffee. :P
i got my fury last week and i love it i think the motor size is just right and the rear tire at 200 is perfect i dont see a need for a tire any bigger and i love the plastic parts keeps weight and cost down the raider has to much going on the whole style is to busy for me the fury is clean and with a MSRP of 12,999 u really cant beat it cant wait for my power commander and new pipes unlock some hidden horses i say ride what u like but the fury wins my heart HONDA RULES !!!! see ya out there keep the rubber side down ..
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Sounds like someone bought this new Honda. But I just can’t seem to find an opinion…how do you really feel?
Take this for what it’s worth, but I don’t own or want either one of these cartoon characters of a chopper so maybe this carries a degree of objectivity. I ride a real chopper, meaning I ride a motorcycle that began it’s life as a Harley Davidson, which I chopped about 80 lbs worth of useless garbage off of, and which was raked and not wasn’t an off the shelf “custom” part on it:
http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/pp76/Byrdster/B
That is one of my bikes, built by me in 1989. That is a “chopper”.
Here is another Sportster based chopper I’m building now:
http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/pp76/Byrdster/1
Neither the Yamaha nor the Hondais a “chopper”. Nor is any motorcycle manufactured and sold on a showroom floor. Be that as it may….
In my opinion, the Yamaha is a vastly better looking machine. I’d build a real custom out of it’s basic frame and engine. I wouldn’t touch the Honda with a ten foot pole. There IS such a thing as TOO MUCH “harmony of line”, and the Honda exemplifies the problem perfectly; there is no mechanical beauty whatsoever. The slab sided engine looks like it came out of the chrome section of a Revel plastic model kit, and in fact the whole bike looks like a TOY. Nothing catches the eye, everything molds way too smoothly into everything else like a bunch of jelly beans melted together. A well executed factory design RESEMBLING a real chopper, would have an OVER-ALL aesthetic of harmonious lines at a distance, which disappeared into points of mechanical interest when viewed more closely. The Honda utterly fails at this. The Yamaha has a more interesting engine, a classic fuel tank profile, and a nice stance. The Honda looks spindly, cheap, and the tank is every bit as hideous as every other “new school” “stretched” tank. Both bikes have hideous wheels, but the Yamaha has potential.
If you actually LIKE the so-called “new school” look of bikes by Arlen Ness, and OCC and the innumerable HD based “production chopper” style bikes, I imagine you might like the Honda better. That lack of taste only shows a complete ignorance of tradition: I’m guessing you’re probably too young to know much of anything about the tradition and history of custom motorcycles. The truth is, there IS NO SUCH THING as a “new school” chopper; only pathetic facsimiles of an original aesthetic arrived at by people who wouldn’t be caught dead riding a stock bike from any company. The whole thing is a joke. And as jokes go, I think the Honda is far funnier than the Yamaha. Sorry.
P.S.:
Who in the hell would EVER pine for a "smaller engine"? Are you a girlie-man? A 600 v-twin is an under powered JOKE.
Wes: I agree with your evaluation, but I do have to admit that it's still a bit pricey at 13 grand.
Byrdster: I have three comments for you:
1) You're entitled to your opinion and I do agree with you on several points. I have already stated that I love the Road / Wild Star engine and would love to have it on a bike. It's the rest of the junk on the Raider which belongs in the scrap heap, but you've essentially stated the same things, so no prob.
2) Your first Sporty chop bears a remarkable resemblance to my original XLH with 6" over forks, etc. Therefore we do agree on the essential and unparalleled righteousness of HD bikes as the basis for chops.
3) Don't be a chauvanist pig and make sexist remarks, or I'll delete your comments.
Wes: I've owned both Honda and Harley choppers and although I have certainly found that Honda's rock solid reliability does give it the edge over the Hog in that respect, I'll always go for Milwaukee product! I've been a lifelong fan! :)
Byrdster: No, sexist chauvanist pigs DO NOT have a right to exist. Not on my Hubs.
1. Yes, overpriced. No dispute there, as I have already and repeatedly stated.
2. I've already and repeatedly stated there is no more plastic on the Fury than on other modern Japanese bikes.
3. You can't compare Honda quality and reliability against Victory.
4. I've ridden the Fury, and it proves that you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
5. Is it possible for you to buy a clue? The Intruder 1400 is "still in production approaching it's 3rd decade unchanged"??? On what planet? It was discontinued years ago! All large Suzuki M and C series bikes are now Kawasaki engines! DUH!
6. This comment is so stupid and wrong that it doesn't even merit reply.
7. I've also addressed the welds issue ad nauseum.
8. Vous avez le cervau d'un sandwich au fromage, tabernac.
You, sir, have proven that you are a neanderthal, sexist, ignorant wanker without the slightest clue as to the century you're living in. This isn't the Fifties with 29 cent a gallon gasoline, and I have spent much time on this comment thread explaining why huge motorcycles are dinosaurs in this day and age. As a former superbike racer, I have far exceeded my patience with your attempts at belittlement and barbs and therefore, I bid you adieu.
WOW!! What a blog. Maybe we should just understand that people like me wouldn't buy either one of these bikes to have a chopper. I know what a chopper is, had one, and they are great second bike. I personally was looking for a better price for a Softtail custom looking bike that handled well and I could ride 160 miles without needing an ass transplant. I ride a Raider and as far as I'm concerned it delivered that. I think the Fury is gorgeous and just like my old Honda Shadow mostly plastic which keeps the weight down but is unappealing to some. As for bad mouthing either of them, who cares what you think, they are the first V-Twins in from Japan that finally don't look like a dump truck and I for one am happy that there is a price performing good looking bike to offset the American made market. My Raider handles great, the power plant powers me single or double, the seat is a welcome addition over my Honda or Harley and I do like the fit with me on it, I did however rip the exhaust off at the 5 mile mark, shed about 40 lbs I think.
So for you guys and gals that don't appreciate both bikes for what they are and poo poo them because of your own personal hang ups, GET OVER YOURSELF and just ride, you'll be happier trust me.
Added note, my wife is looking at the Fury to replace her Shadow, I hope one of you don't shoot us on the road for having the misguided thought to own one of each!!
Thanks for your comment. As for getting shot... Nah, around here we don't shoot Raider riders. We just point and laugh! Occasionally we throw a rotten egg or two. :)
You are a nut job! I have 4 Hondas but bought the Raider
So? Kristie Alley weighs 600 lbs. and somebody sleeps with her. You're in the same category: Men who love flabby, revolting hideousness! :)
Well Hal, we went down and rode a Fury and I have to agree with another opinion on the site, this bike is beautiful until you get on it, it's not real appealing from the drivers seat, I know you're all about looks but I also have to tell you I didn't much like the way it handled or the power to pass on the mountain roads of Colorado. It is pretty though so for those of you that want a garage ornament THIS IS THE BIKE!!! I know I'm one of those misguided soles that like the Raider for it's complete package and my wife gets what she wants but I am going to get her on my Raider one more time before we make the final decision. One other note, the guys at Honda seem real eager to make a deal, not sure if this is a reflection of how the bike is selling, the economy or they figured out that they missed on the pricing.
There are various statements that I can't argue on, and they certainly include that the Fury is overpriced, and that motorcycle dealers in general are desperate for sales as the turnover has plummetted as the economy sinks. What I can't agree with, unfortunately, are the comments that the Fury is in any way underpowered (1300cc and doesn't have enough power for ya... sheesh!) and that the Raider has any measure of aesthetic appeal. I have to stick to my guns and state that I would rather gaze upon Amy Winehouse's skanky, diseased, horrific face than the Raider. And that's SEVERE! :)
Both of these bikes are fine if all your going to do is ride five miles to the starbucks bike night to high five your friends and talk about how cool you are.
And the Fury is not a chopper, it has never been cut on raked or nothing so it is not a chopper it is a Fury (even the name makes you think your cool don't it)
I will at least give it to yammy for trying to copy a Harley, and got some thing right but got a lot wrong like the exhaust and rear fender but at least is rideable for a days wroth of riding
But the honda is a abortion gone bad, by a group of guys that watch to much OCC and reruns of biker build off it is made for the bike night yuppies
But remember motorcycles are made to ride so looks are nothing if it can't handle.
What do you describe as "handling"? Carving corners at 180 mph? That's not handling, that's race track qualities suited only to pro racers. As for "handling" on public roads at posted speed limits, there is no modern Japanese motorcycle of any kind which fails to provide more than adequate "handling." Therefore, John-Boy, you have missed a golden opportunity to keep your big mouth shut and make people mistakenly assume that you're intelligent. :)
Well hal licino
I do not belive for a second that fugly thing can handle the swithback of tenn. or wv at the posted speed limit
And it amazes me you skiped over every thing else i said you would think you had plenty of time to think of something and any time you want you can take the opportunity to try and shut my mouth cuz i've saw you threads and your avitar matches you to a tee
Cuz some of us that ride like to be able to ride our bikes farther than starbucks
Good. You have your opinion based on the fact that you've ridden a Big Wheel across your daddy's driveway, and I have mine based on three decades of professional racing and riding. Therefore, your opinion is worth about as much as the aesthetic sensibility of a Raider, which is somewhere less than zero. Have a lovely day.
Wow such witty comebacks, And if you did race for three decades then why are you such a winning sensitive little thing, the fury is a joke so please buy one cuz it matches you pretty good
And i love the tuff guy act it's enjoyable lol
Dude, learn to spell, then learn to ride, then grow a brain cell, then you can come back here.
Looks like Hal Licino is on Honda's payroll. Good job, Hal!, Mr. professional. I have many years under my belt as a professional rider & racer also, and I am so surprised on how you are so closed minded, it is unreal. Both bikes are very nice machines in my opinion but that is just my opinion. I prefer the Raider, it's just my style. Handles great, lot of power, lot of chrome, very comfortable & just the right size tire. I just came across this hub by mistake, unlike Mr. Professional, I don't have time to be on the PC, I ride! From the looks of it Hal, your PC gets alot of use, What about riding?............. Now I know you are going to bash me, it seems that what you do, Mr. Professional, but no worry, I will not know because I won't be visiting this hub again. Be safe everyone.
If you had been able to master the art of reading, you would know that out of my 37 motorcycles the brand I've owned the most of were Yamahas. DUH! You're not coming back? Aw... I'll miss you. NOT! Bye! :)
LOL, you guys are great, I agree with with John Boy about the 5 mile ride but I have to tell you that I just went about 600 on the Raider and it was a pleasure, I know Hal it's ugly and that matters to who on a long trip??? If Honda does call me one more time though I may let my wife buy a good looking uncomfortable bike just to save money. As for the power your a little touchy so I'll clarify, it's not that the Fury had limited power it's that I liked the monster my Raider became when I needed it!! As for what you think it looks like I'm riding it so it looks fine to me, if you don't like it wait a minute I'll be far enough in front of you that it won't hurt so much. I am starting to wonder though, do you get a cut from Honda? Keep writing, keep riding.
Forgot one thing Hal, I don't have time to go through the whole blog so I need to ask. Do you actually own a Fury or are you the kid in the rain looking in the candy store window? If you answered this before, my humble apologies!! Also, you may have some new friends Hal I turned the guys from the Raider Performance Website on to your little Raider witch hunt, no need to thank me it looked like everyone else was growing weary of you.
Wow, wingman, never had anyone actually admit that something is butt ugly but they want to ride it around anyway. Certainly have to compliment you for your... uniqueness. :)
No I don't own a Fury or any other Honda at this time. Tell ya what, you guys call up Honda and tell them that they SHOULD FRIGGIN' PAY ME and I'll be more than happy to accept their money. This Hub is right at the very top of both Honda Fury and Yamaha Raider Google SERPs, so I'm probably driving some serious traffic to their depleted dealerships. Heaven knows, Honda compensates a whole bunch of doughhead illiterate wannabe journalists, they might as well send a few Hondabucks my way: I deserve 'em! And I'll even live up to the upcoming FTC regs and put a disclosure the size of the Raider's ugliness on this Hub! :)
Raider Performance Website, huh? The forum frequenters there must sure be one motley lot. Probably all emigrated from Chernobyl, have green skin, three eyes, hooves and a tail, so they figure that the Raider is the perfect aesthetic match for their own mutant selves! :P
I tried to read as much of these as I could stomach. I didn't get to the end. Owning a motorcycle, infact, riding a motorcycle, is a personal experience. By that I mean that if YOU are enjoying what YOU are doing, then you are on a nice bike. If I can ride a Huffy with a weed whacker engine and be happy, then why can't you just watch me ride my Huffy and be happy. I have read, Hal Licino, what you have written, you put down the Raider over and over and over again. In some circumstances you went so far as to put down the intelligence a person who just wants to say nice things about a motorcycle. As far as I can tell Hal, you do not own a Fury. Maybe instead of bashing someone elses happiness, you should spend more time trying to find your own. Whatever a person rides, it should make them happy and I truely hope that anyone riding a Raider is happy enough with their bike to ignore anyone ignorant enough to tell others the greatness of that he does not know.
Hal, glad to see your objectivity is still there or does it just appear you made a judgement call about something without knowing anything (again). It's too bad you have such issues with the Raider and the people who think it's a fine bike. I've been reading a lot of the rags comparisons, I know you know more than them, and they agree that the Honda is closer to a chopper without really being one and it's great looking however when it comes to riding something the Raider seems to shine. This once again leads me to my prior conclusion, if you want a floor ornament buy a Honda however if you want to ride the damn thing sorry buy that other bike you have so much trouble talking about. But I do love the verbal exchange Hal even though I think your missing the point for someone who has riden since the creation of the motorcycle and owned more bikes than most people have owned socks, but I do love the noise. By the way what do you ride???
Amazed Rider: I'm not only perfectly happy but also perfectly convinced that anyone who defends the aesthetic appeal (notice I'm only critiquing styling, not the superlative Road / Wild Star derived drivetrain, etc.) is a nutbar, and a blind one at that. It's as if there were two somewhat similar performing, etc. cars available for around the same price: One was styled along the lines of a Bentley and the other like a Trabant. I'd be standing outside the Trabant dealership with the guys in the white coats and butterfly nets dragging away the prospective Trabant customers to an insane asylum... which is pretty well where anyone who thinks the Raider is a beautiful motorcycle belongs. :)
wingman: We're going around in circles here and you're starting to bore me. If you don't concur with my objectivity or point of view, take a hike. I'll miss you as much as a toothache. Go read the "ooooh we love this bike because the manufacturer has just placed a double page ad in our magazine" rags written by mercenary ignoramuses and get yourself brainwashed into war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is power, and Raider is beautiful. I ride lovely young chicks. Hard. What do you ride?
Real sorry and yes we are getting circular. I did like you're comment about what you ride, I think it confirms something for all of us, you don't ride and your dribbling is nothing but just that. The mindless dribble from a non-rider, LOL so you're right ignorance is power, and as for lovely young chicks I'm really confused how can you be so old and nasty and still think you can get young chicks? Posters don't count!! Hal you are too much. But since you have no clue and I'm not interested in your hub getting anymore Google attention because you're running good Raider sites off the first page I must say goodbye. Keep writing and try to get on a bike someday, you'll love the rush. Sorry for the personal attacks but you should be OK, you hand them out enough.
Bwahaha Hal !
Talking using vocabulary youre using: Honda would have made Fury ideal by your standards if they equipped it with hydrostatic transmission - placing one end of the tube in the seat just where your brownie sits, so you could put your 600 ccs of fart to good use...
On a little more serious note - comparing bikes looking at the CAD pictures with resolution of 0.15 Mpix (which is FIFTY TIMES LESS than that ordinary digicam nowadays produces) is... not ignorant ?
Regards
wingman: You're an idiot. Questioning my riding is just stupid. Go away. You bore me.
vmaxer: I've ridden both Fury and Raider. Have you, or are you even old enough to have a driver's license? DUH!
Both of you are just wasting my time. Come up with something original and worthwhile to add to the discussion or I'll stop publishing your comments.
I agree that the Fury is the better looking bike between the two. However, the negatives for the fury are enough to make me prefer the raider. If Honda listened to the people and changed a few things, they would have a real winner on their hands. As it is right now, the Fury isn't in the same league of bike as the Raider is.
I understand the argument about the Raider having too big of an engine. The simple fact is that accelleration is fun! Blowing past some guy on a harley at a stop light is fun! (All you metric riders know this.) I have no desire to ride past 90 MPH, but I'd like to get there quicker than anyone else! You know what they say, there is no replacement for displacement.
Mini-bikes look cool as hell too, but I don't want to own one.
Honda should change what? Add another half litre so that it can be another overdisplacemented sow of a bike that only appeals to riders trying to compensate for their penile shortcomings? Acceleration is fun! Especially when some three year old on a tricycle darts out from behind a parked car and your front wheel tosses him twelve feet in the air! It's so much fun! We should all do dragracer takeoffs at each stop sign! Fun!
YOU! OFF MY PLANET! :)
LOL. I was thinking more along the lines of changing out some plastic for metal, widening the rear tire, going belt instead of shaft, and possibly dropping the price $1k or so.
Blah blah blah on the plastic. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I should have a text macro set up so I can just click an Fkey and get "The Honda Fury does not have any more plastic than most modern Japanese motorcycles." As for the rear tire, you'll see above that I agree, as well as I have agreed that the price is waaaaaaaaaaay too high. It should be dropped a lot more than a grand! As for shaft, I'd rather have it than a rubber band, so it's a matter of taste! :)
My husband owns a Raider, which I enjoy riding. I have the Vstar 1300. When I first saw the Fury, I immediately fell in love. When we went back to test ride, my husband rode it first. When he got back, he told me not to waste my time, as it doesn't have near the power of my 1300. So now, I'm looking to trade up to the Raider. As with people, outward beauty isn't nearly as important as inward strength.
You're entitled to your opinion, even though it's completely the wrong choice! And anyone who states that the performance of the 1300 Honda doesn't compare to the 1300 Yammy is insane. Time to divorce him, change your name and move yourself and the kids to another state where he can't find you. SAVE YOURSELF NOW WHILE YOU STILL CAN! :)
Fury vrs. Raider? No contest. The Raider wins hands down. The best thing that can be said for the Fury is that it looks clean. Past that, no guts, no heft, no class, not a real cruiser. And I've owned Harleys, still like them, but there's no substitute for power. And I'll confess to enjoy blasting past 'hogs' with numbing acceleration; 60 to 120+ mph in seconds. Lord knows where the top end is on this beast. Style, power, handling, dependability, cost; you gotta be in the Stone Age wearing a blindfold not to realize who's the Big Dog. Raider S all the way.
Where do you ride with all that power? If you're doing 120mph + on the street I want to see you spend the rest of your life in jail. Talk about overcompensating. Dang, dude, you must have a penis the size of a pencil eraser! :)
LOL for the last comment, some things will never change.
I like to look of the Honda, real sweet, but have a moral problem. The cruiser and the chopper is an American Icon, go get a Harley, Victory, Indian, live with noise, the vibration, the oil leaks and the cool fashion that comes with all of this. You wan't to ride a real metric bike, then get a real metric bike, either with or without all the plastics.
For me, riding the Honda will compare to drinking a fine French red wine out of a pee-pot.
... and you're entitled to your opinion, as wrong and as outdated as it (and you) are/is! :)
Hal, are you one of those dainty San Francisco city boys who just loves a traffic jam on his way to Starbucks? There are still some wide open spaces in this land of the free where a man can cut loose. And if a man does pour on a little freedom he should spend the rest of his life in jail? Gees, put down the Kool Aid, grow a pair and realize that FREEDOM MEANS FREEDOM. And don't worry about the size of my penis; I'm strickly hetero.
I think you are comparing apples and oranges. I currently ride a Honda and have ridden and owned Harleys. The Fury is Honda's attempt at a production Chopper. The Raider is Yamaha's Sort-of-Pro-Street-Curiser. Choppers for the most part have good lines but are Spartan as is evident in the Fury's design. And you had to drive the old chops rather than ride them. The pro-streets are drag racing based, low and streched. These two bike are not really in the same class. IMHO the Fury is over priced, shaft drives suck and yes they lack meat in the back, and the plastic needs to go!. The raider has POWER and a more comfortable stance and there are plenty of mods (including a 300mm Fat Tire Kit, exhaust, fender and lowering) available. However it has to have the UGLIEST wheels ever made. If I had to purchase one of these two bikes I would choose the Raider for performance and mod ability. But it looks like I'm going to spend the extra cash to buy the HD Rocker C.
Hey, my 2 cents.
David S.: Yeah, I live in the TORONTO part of San Francisco. And you may be hetero, but you still have a tiny weenie. :)
Kagejin: You're entitled to however many cents you want, but at least you did state that the Raider has the Ugliest Wheels Ever Made, to match the rest of the Ugliest Bike Ever Made styling! :)
No doubt...a 200 rear...why not a 400 rear, or 500? And some ape hangers...now that would be a useless bike....
A 500 rear with apehangers... hmmm... it has possibilities... :)
Well for the "ugliest" bike ever made I guess that's why all the cycle mags that have compared the two bikes and have given the raider all the awards (Style, power, ridability, etc.) and the Fury got S*@t. Face it, Honda had a great idea but F'd it away by being CHEAP. If you want a production chopper or cruised-rod that's cool. The fun is what you can do with the canvas you are given to make your ride personal. The Raider has all the potential where the Fury has none. The cost of modifying a POS shaft drive alone comes close to the price of the Fury. That's if you can find someone skilled enough to do it right.
Ok now you've lost me on the serious side. 400-500mm rear end. Maybe you Frisco "guys" should leave the bike stuff to big boys and stick with things more your style like Project Runway and America's Top Model (shows my wife watches).
What the hell is it with you people and San Francisco? GOOGLE MAP: "TORONTO" FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD!
And why would anyone want to buy a shaft drive bike and change it to a chain? That would be the single most ignorant modification anyone could make. But then again, I am talking to people who think that the Raider is actually appealing. YUCK. I've seen better looking aborted porcupine fetuses. :)
Just my 2 cents.....A buddy of mine just bought a Fury and look really close at them. They are very cheap in workmanship. Kinda sucked for him when we arrived at the motel and he was missing a couple pieces off his bike. Another weakness of the Fury, don't ride in the rain. The electrical system is far from waterproof. That is my first cent. Here is the second...
Been entered in two metric bike shows against the Fury, both times my Raider placed above the Fury. I personally agree with the judges too. I don't think the Fury looks that good. Honda has a long way to go before being classed with Big Dog, Big Bear, etc
Dude, that is EXTREMELY un-Honda-like behaviour. Hondas have been bulletproof since the CT90. I've ridden the Fury and I'm not seeing all this "massive cheapness" that's being bandied around by the Raider faithful. So I'm not calling you a liar, but just about one quark short of that. I have some great advice for all you Raider fans. Your bike sucks as bad as the Oakland namesake will this season! :)
Where are you getting your quotes about the popularity of the Raider? From the side of a box of Yammy Flakes? :)
Hal, I was just wondering how much Honda is paying you to build up their plastic chopper wanabe? No one wants plastic where metal should be, so let us in on you Honda pay scale.
Ha. What a lunatic. I WISH Honda or anyone else was paying me. Do you wanna send me a check? I have some overdue bills to pay!
I just can't believe anyone can be that dumb, 96mph top end so the plastic doesn't crack or break all for 12,999. Dumb I guess huh Hal. You win.
Raider all the way, even the dealer said so. I went in to buy the Fury when it first came out, the dealer told me I was nuts. Side by side (which they were) I compared them. I liked the raider's style better, the dealer who is a friend of mine agreed. He said I could sell me either bike, but the raider is far better. Those were his words. I'm glad I got the raider. Before you make a comment know this. Styling is an opinion, that is why there are so many different bikes outs there. You seem to think your opinion is all that counts. It is, but only for you! BTW, your should post everyone's entire comments, not just what you feel is relevant.
Honda needs to pay me for rescue services. As I stated above don't ride this Fury in the rain. I had to haul a buddy of mine 80 miles ot of the mountains to a Honda shop after his scrap got wet!!!!!!!! Should have just pushed the pile of _____off the mountain, collected insurance and he could have a new Raider..........
Sorry Hal, while you are entitled to your opinion, I'll defer to the writers at Cycleworld for the reviews between these two bikes before I take advice from a blogger like you any day.
Actually, I quite like the Yam.
It's reminiscent of a tribal design and isn't unpleasant to look at.
However, that's where the likes disappear for me - on both counts.
I want a cruiser for comfort, not solely for looks. The comfortable seats seem to have been thrown away on both for thinner, less accommodating 'pads' that I can't see being comfortable on the long run. If I wanted function over comfort, I would buy a sports bike.
The appearance of both is head-turning, though I think the Honda has the edge. However, Yamaha don't seem to want to export to Europe and that's a shame.
For some reason, they seem to think the Dragstar is popular to the point that the Raider isn't going to figure, yet I disagree.
Nevertheless, I think I will be going for something that has about it, a little more comfort rather than out and out style.
golpwr8r: Yes. I win. I always win. You know why? Because I'm right and the nincompoops who come onto my Hubs to prove I'm wrong are just that... nincompoops. :)
Rakster: Dude, I aint now nor never going to publish any comment which:
a) Includes words that are not suitable for the family friendly standards of HubPages
and
b) Involve threats to me personally. I just had some moron on this Hub a couple of days ago state that he wanted to hit me in the face with a hammer and then rub his penis all over my bleeding face. I'm not going to encourage his sick SM homosexual fantasies.
So keep it clean & legit or end up in the electronic trash bin! :)
RavenRaider: Did you know that I was out riding my 50cc moped when I passed a guy in a Maybach 62 that was stuck on the side of the road and wouldn't start. He told me he'd give me the keys and ownership to the car if he could take my moped to the meeting he was going to be late to. So I got the car, sold it, bought a house and now I've got my face in a big pile of coke and I have a hot blonde ho waiting to do me.
Don't believe me? Well, I can make up stupid stories all day long... just like you do! :)
P.S. Cycle World hasn't had a decent writer who knows the difference between a crankshaft and their own cranks in their undies since my good old friend Joe Parkhurst left. And you can call them up and tell them I said so.
NickB: Again, I don't want to argue that the Raider is not a COMPETENT motorcycle. I've stated earlier that I adore and lust after its Road / Wild Star roots. But aesthetically... yes... it IS the zit on the butt of the half ton woman!
Well Hal, I am sorry to have been so honest with my "story". Swallow it, I don't make $h!t up!!!!!!!!!
You don't have to defend a good product, That's why I went with a nother Yamaha. He can rant and stomp his feet all day long, but the reviews on the Raider should speak for themselves and his defense is that a magazine went to crap because his friend left (who obviously would be biased on his account). I don't know about anyone else, but its a weak argument. Not knocking the Fury as it is a good looking bike, but I opted for the good looking bike with fortitude.
RavenRaider... uhuh...
JudgementDay: My "friend" wasn't a staffer. HE ORIGINATED THE MAGAZINE. Joe Parkhurst was one of the primary pioneers of the motorcycle magazine format. Unfortunately since his departure the lunatics have taken over the asylum. Which is where you belong if you think the Raider is attractive! :)
Hal, just out of curiousity, (other than 50cc mopeds) what do you ride anyways? Like I said before I have rode Hondas for years, maybe we can agree on something???
I've owned 37 bikes. Want me to list them?
I think we should all stop confusing Hal with facts and figures. If he has something against the Raider, fine. Not everyone can handle a SUPERBIKE. Or maybe his age cought up with him and he wants to throttle back a little; to each his own. But like I've said in the past, I've had Harleys and several Jap bikes, but the Raider I have now simple tops all prior two wheelers. In the Summer of 08' I was all ready to get a new Harley Superglide Custom. I was 58 then and figured this would be my last bike. I just happened into a Yamaha dealership to look around and WOW, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? It was the Raider S. So, having an OPEN MIND, I did a little research and soon realized what made sense. No buyers remorse here. The styling, handling, POWER, reliability, cost, it's got it all. And I just love blasting past every other two-wheeler on the road. Love it, but that's me. One good article pretty much says it all, check it out if you can stand the facts. http://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/mainstream-ch
Well, dude, I guess you're even older than me and blind so that justifies your statements about you loving the styling. As for superbike riding, how does a 1:40:12 (4 seconds off the track record) on Rome's Autodromo Vallelunga on an MV Agusta F4 1000 Ago suit you? Or do you need 1 minute and 40 seconds just to properly fasten your Depends? :)
I just love it when morons come onto my Hubs and not only don't know what the fork they're talking about, but also try to build up their own pathetic little nothing lives and egos inflated by wet dreams by painting me as some sort of junior pit bike rider. Yeah, David, I MEAN YOU! Take a hike, idiot!
Honda has a small engine, shaft drive, liquid cooled and its dam ugly. Everything you dont need to make a cool bike Honda has it. Ride a raider and youll realize what a great bike it is, I rode one for a month as a demo bike and let me tell you that bike rocks. I wasted evry Harley out there and this was a bone stock Raider. No wonder Yamaha has the over 50 percent of the market share when it comes to Metric cruisers. By the way I have yet to see any Furys on the road, must not be a good seller.
Dude, let me correct your first sentence. What you really meant to say is:
I'm Roadstar Ray, I have a small shaft and I'm damn ugly. And so is the Raider demo that once the Yamaha dealership manager finds out I've been riding for a month is gonna fire my ass and I'll have to find a job cleaning someone else's toilets. :)
I have never seen this page or forum, and never responded to anything like this, but after reading it I can't beleive the hole thing. As far as the comments on the honda, it seems as though you may be the one who is not open minded and a 13 year old buzzed on ritalin and meth. The honda looks ok if you are a child and do not know what a bike looks like, and it's performance, I can't speek about, never rode one. Realy man, it looks like one of those bikes you get from a discount tool store. (and I like honda)Just looking at the raider you can see its high quality and once you ride it you know! I've owned many bikes and am happy to be on two wheels in the wind! I wonder if this is realy a adult site or a video game page. How old you are doesn't matter, if you are a true biker and not a week warrier you know a good bike no matter who makes it! Try to grow up and write a respectable article that people will take serious.
You know what I "Can't Believe"? I can't believe that you have the sheer unmitigated gall to lecture me when you write like an 11 year old refugee from grammar school. Go get educated and then maybe your opinions will carry weight. Right now you just sound like a moron.
Thanks, as to my last note. It's a pleasure knowing that I got a response from you!
I entered a dealer which sells both honda & Yamaha, I asked the salesman how he liked the Fury, he said it is alright, but why would you want that when you can have the Raider. I told him that I was just curious, and that I own a Raider S. If Playskool were to make a honda, it would be a Fury. My kitchen cabinet has less tupperware (plastic) than the Fury. Honda, A effort, F for execution..... sorry. Hey, idea... maybe Fisher Price can put the Fury in there Power Wheels catalog. Ha! Ha! If your gonna make a chopper like bike, make sure it has power, belt, bigger rear tire & less plastic. Remember bad ass boys ride bad ass toys!
can't believe: Sir, the pleasure is all mine. Now go make a nitroglycerin milkshake. :)
LOL: Yeah, and you have a bad ass that stretches clear to your forehead. :)
Hal The only thing uglier than that futile Fury is another
Fury. It reminds me of a plastic play toy that any kid
under 8 years old would tire of very quickly. The handle
bars look like a couple of bent golf clubs tossed in anger
after your scorecard was triple digits. A stolen drawing
from the dumpster behind OCC thrown away by Mikey was the
Honda answer to the RAIDER S. The ride I would imagine would
be like riding a moped with bent fork tube. Harley had to
drop that ugly ass Buel.Scrap the Fury for redesigned VTX and avoid a bunch of NO SALES.
Plastic, plastic, plastic... all these repetitious stupidities about plastic are getting boring...
I love how my comment which quoted you being a total jerk to some one without proper reason got deleted. You just can't stand to lose can ya?
Enough already. If Hal prefers a little pocket bike over a SUPERBIKE (Raider), what's wrong with that? To each their own. 95% of the folks in here know better and disagree with him. Facts and figures only confuse him as he goes off on another name calling rant. He reminds me of Obama offended by Fox News facts. OK, Hal, start squeeling.
Hal, your right, the repetitive comments on the plastic are getting really boring. But, that is the Fury.......BORING
All I have to say is ...LINE EM UP...FROM TRAFFIC LITE TO THE STATE LINE, CALL IT WHAT U WANT BUT THAT RAIDER WILL TARE THAT HONDA'S ASS UP!!!!!!!!!
Y'know, your little kindergarten wannabe ankle biter mob is really starting to make me yawn. From now on, say something of value that adds to the discussion either pro or con, or I'll just start a deletion party.
The post 9/11 foreign contributions list IS MOST DEFINITELY SPAM. The truth is, much to the surprise and discontent of the "Ride/drive American" camp (who obviously must have mid-1980s or earlier vehicles since everything after that has enough foreign content to warrant the loss of the coveted Made in USA label), the North American offices for all of those companies donated funds in league with the American marks.
But back to the article and resulting comments relating to it. As far as what folks are claiming a chopper has to be (re: liquid vs air cooled, chain vs shaft, open primary, whatever)...well, bone up on the history of choppers and bobbers. For starters, a chopper begins life as a stock bike. What kind of stock bike is irrelevant. That makes the Raider, Fury, Rocker, Big Dog, etc factory customs, so what a chopper "has to be" becomes a moot point.
Even so, the factory customs also have no ruleset (re: engine and final drive configurations or any other requirement one may see fit to offer). If Honda was to offer a bobber-styled Gold Wing, it would be a factory custom, just like the Rune was a factory custom.
But the Fury vs Raider comparo? I think the Fury nails the look best of the current crop of factory chopper-esque customs, despite the shaft drive (I just prefer the efficiency of the chain or belt) and the 80s styled wheels and pipes. At least the shaft looks good though, instead of the usual starboard void that everyone avoids snapping pictures with other shaft drive bikes (any configuration of 1500/1600 Vulcan or 1100 Shadow comes to mind).
Which one would I want? None of the above. I prefer the smaller displacement bikes (as in under a liter). Add to that I can (and did, several times) belt out a true chopper on that platform for a fraction of the Fury's cost.
P.S. Hal said "Now if Honda were to produce a Fury 600 at $4995, they'd have a real winner on their hands"
They did. It was the VT600 Shadow VLX, 1988-2007
Very cheap and easy to modify if the stock rake isn't enough.
Shadow Shack! Finally an intelligent, erudite, motorcycle enthusiast. I respect and appreciate your comments!
CC Coleman says:
10 months ago
The Honda is sweet but now everyone will be riding custom chopper clones from the BIG 4 JAPAN makers. This is the bike that should have rolled off the production line right after the Rebel back in the 80's or after the VLX600 ended it's run. Honda reliability, shaft drive, the classic look, it is so perfect it is almost boring. What is the horsepower figures? I'll have to check up on the engine in the other Honda stable mates.