First Ride: Honda VT1300CX Fury

This bike is not a Honda. I know a Honda when I see one; every component is stamped with the flying wings logo from the headstock to valve caps. A Honda is easier to spot than a 20 stone cross dressing window cleaner called Nigela. Leave the Fury parked outside and you are guaranteed to spend half your life telling aging bike enthusiasts just what this strange machine is.

In actual fact there is just one single manufactures logo on the Fury and that’s way down low embossed on the engine cover, so small it’s insignificant. Coming from a manufacture renowned for innovation and design, a brand where ownership is all about being part of the family, the decision to let the Fury leave the Japanese production line virtually unbranded must have seen heads roll in the design team. You can picture the sharp intake of breath taken by grand fromage Takeo Fukui as his product development team tell him they want to send this one out 'naked'.

The truth is Honda had to show restraint in branding the Fury. If the bike was to stand any chance of being accepted as a legitimate chopper it needed to break away from the conservative, straight lace image that goes with owning some of the most sensible bikes money can buy. The Fury was a concept design made a reality to tackle an untapped market, a market that is a country mile away from what Honda are best known for.

Whilst a brave step away from the norm the Honda Fury has not been a big seller. Priced at £12575 many say the RRP at launch was way too high to give it any chance of establishing itself. Coupled with the lack of aftermarket accessories the Fury has never sat well with those who want to make a bike such as this their own.

So the Fury is yet to make it big but is it a bad bike? No of course it’s not; it really is a Honda after all. You can feel its Honda blood gushing through every smoothly molded crevice. At first glance the chrome painted plastics and reliably predictable clocks are the first indications that this bike wasn’t fabricated by mad fish Bill from theOrangecounty outback’s.

What you get with the Fury is the look of a chopper but the reliability that comes from the worlds largest manufacture of motorcycles. It’s a comfortable bike to ride and after taking a 6 hour trip to the South-West I rarely felt the need to get off and stretch my legs. With arms out just below shoulder height, legs swung out front and sitting on a soft seat just a foot off the ground everything happens in a relaxed a timely fashion.

The 1300cc V twin produces just 60 bhp but 78.9lb ft of torque which makes it not very fast but quite a torquey. To be honest you would expect torque from this type of bike to offset its overall lack of speed but the best thing about the engine is the noise. In standard trim the twin pipes let out nothing more than a faint sewing machine like purr. Source a pair of D&D slash cute pipes (ours came from from Motoden Honda) and you will be rewarded with an earth shaking, fire spitting rasp that will turn every head within a five hundred yard radius.

It doesn’t flop into corners like its styling would suggest either. It's tight and with a range of 130 miles and a forgiving ride the Fury is a usable day to day bike. Backed up with full main dealer services and a bullet proof design many would say you can go wrong.

Buying a Fury is like buying the worlds greatest custom motorcycle. It’s not obvious what it is but it screams modern retro hardcore loveliness. Under the fasard are Honda electrics, Honda engineering, Honda reliability and Honda innovation. Is it really a Honda? You decide. But with nearly new prices now at £8000 or less it might be worth taking a look.