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2010 Honda Fury 1300 Test Ride Review

I had the opportunity to test ride a 2010 Honda Fury 1300, here’s my full review of the Honda Fury, which has gone relatively unchanged since it was first introduced as a “factory custom” in 2010. Over the past decade, the only changes to the Fury have been paint changes to the bike, frame, and rims. In this Honda Fury review we’ll be looking at first impressions of the motorcycle, what the Fury’s performance is like, how the Fury handles in the city, whether or not the Fury is a beginner-friendly motorcycle, and more.

You can read the review or simply watch the test ride of the video below.

Honda Fury Test Ride / Review

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How heavy is Honda Fury?

The Honda Fury weighs between 663 lbs to 681 lbs wet. Honda claims different wet weights depending on the model year you look up. What’s amazing is how light the Fury feels. The Fury seems to be a master of trying to overcome its shortcomings.

The wet weight of the bike is substantial, but the long weight is spread over such a long wheelbase, with such a low center of gravity, makes the chopper feel deceptively light. Having previous ridden a top heavy Triumph Thruxton, I can tell you that the Fury felt lighter to lift of it’s side stand than the Thruxton did, despite weighing over 100 lbs less.

How does the Fury’s clutch and transmission feel?

The Honda Fury has a super smooth clutch that, when compared to a Harley-Davidson, feels super light and easy to handle. My daily driver is a 2006 Harley-Davidson V-Rod, and the V-Rod, while still having a light clutch by Harley standards, still requires a lot more hand strength than the Fury.

Shifting gears is also buttery smooth. The Fury doesn’t come with a tachometer, which is a good thing because it wouldn’t suit this style of motorcycle, but it’s always easy to know exactly when to shift through the motorcycle’s five-speed gearbox.

How does the Honda Fury handle in the city?

If you live in an urban environment, your first question when looking at this motorcycle might be, how does the Honda Fury handle in the city? It has a 71” wheelbase (one of the major points of our Sportster vs Fury comparison), and the overall length is roughly 102”, roughly 8’6” long. It stands to reason that the motorcycle’s inner-city handling from tight turns navigating residential streets or parking lot might be a concern.

Cruising in an urban environment, you’ll seldomly need to go beyond second gear on the Fury. The chopper feels surprisingly happy being leaned over. While you do have to grab the bull by the horns on a bike this size, this bull is willing to confirm to a determined rider’s wishes, and the light clutch action helps riders maintain control.

One upside to the Honda Fury’s size for city-dwellers, is that the long wheelbase and low center of gravity makes for very stable starts. It also means coming to a stop feels like the bike is rails, not wobbly or wiggly. It’s steady as a train.

What is the Honda Fury’s performance like?

I was curious to see what the Honda Fury’s engine performance would be like. At 1,312cc, the Honda Fury might have a lot of displacement size, but it certainly doesn’t rev up fast. In fact, the Fury only delivers 53.7 horsepower at a low 4,300 rpm.

Dropping smoothly into neutral and letting out the clutch, the rolling on of the throttle comes smoothly. When you roll on the throttle, the Fury does an excellent job of letting riders know that there is power on tap, but it does this so perfectly that the bike never lurches forward aggressively or abruptly. Some motorcycles just want to leap forward when you let the clutch out, but the Fury is a civilized chopper, she only sprints if you tell her to.

The Fury’s naked look means on the highway riders will take a lot of wind, and with a limited range gas tank (12.1 litres or 3.4 US gal), you can expect to go about 130-150 miles (210 km – 240 km) on the tank. Power delivery is plentiful, although wannabe MotoGP racers who find themselves on the Fury will probably find themselves looking for a 6th gear around 100 miles per hour (161 km/hr) when the Fury’s speed governor kicks in.

What is the Honda Fury’s shaft drive like?

Much like everything else on this motorcycle, the Fury’s shaft drive is buttery-smooth, assuming you take care of it. With some shaft drive motorcycles, when taking off from a stop you can get a sensation of bike pushing you upwards from underneath your seat, but the Fury is a gentleman’s chopper and doesn’t seem to do this unless you really twist the throttle hard from a standstill.

The Fury’s shaft drive fluidshould be inspected every 8,000 miles (12,800 km) and replaced every 24,000 miles (38,400 km) or replaced every two years, whichever comes first. Most riders don’t even think to look at shaft drive fluid, as they are under the impression that shaft-drives are maintenance-free, which isn’t the case. Next week’s article and video will cover how to replace the Honda Fury’s shaft drive fluid yourself for about $10 in less than 10 minutes.

Is the Honda Fury a good beginner motorcycle?

While the Honda Fury’s handling is commendable for a bike of its size, and it doesn’t want to race forward as soon as you let out the clutch, it is still a very long and fairly heavy motorcycle. The Fury has excellent clutch feel, shifts smoothly, and a seat height just under 27” lets new riders feel confident that they can touch the ground with both feet. For those reasons, the Fury would make an excellent second motorcycle.

While the Fury may not be a difficult to manage motorcycle for its size for an experienced rider, a new rider will likely find themselves with quite the handful, and as a first motorcycle the Fury may be more than they bargained for. My advice: Your first motorcycle doesn’t have to be your last motorcycle, but if you start on the wrong bike, it could be! Pick a motorcycle that’s right for you, and then get the motorcycle you really want when you’re ready to upgrade.

honda fury test ride review - where do my knees go

What are the cons of the Honda Fury?

As mentioned, in tight parking lots or laneways, managing the Honda Fury’s length can be a little tricky from a stand-still, but that’s not my only complaint. The Fury makes me wonder what I’m supposed to do with my knees, especially at highway speeds. The Fury’s thin but sexy gas tank is too narrow to tighten my knees against, and at the same time, there’s an airbox sticking out on one side but not the other.

This isn’t my first time encountering this issue. It’s a problem on many choppers or even smaller cruisers like the Harley-Davidson Sportster, with a peanut tank and an airbox on one side only, tight high speed maneuvering can feel a little awkward without your knees planted tightly only something. Then again, tight high speed maneuvering isn’t what the Honda Fury was made for, so maybe it’s not the end of the world.

You might also be interested in the following Honda Fury articles and videos:

How To Honda Fury Shaft Drive Oil Change - Final Gear Oil ChangeHonda Fury Shaft Drive Oil Change (Final Drive Oil Change)

How To - Honda Fury Oil and Filter ChangeHonda Fury Oil and Filter Change

how to change honda fury brake fluidHonda Fury Brake Fluid Change

About Adrian from YouMotorcycle

I started riding motorcycles in 2007, founded YouMotorcycle in 2009, and was working in the motorcycle industry by 2011. I've worked for some of the biggest companies in motorcycling, before going full-time self-employed in the motorcycle business in 2019. I love sharing his knowledge and passion of motorcycling with other riders to help you as best I can.

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