Well, Lori and I were out on the bikes today running errands, and we stopped at Honda of Houston...and they finally had a Fury for demo rides. The guy recognized me, since I was there back in April when I test rode a Goldwing and the DN-01.
Soooo....first of all, I have to say that I was pretty impressed with it. Cornering was fairly easy, since the bike is pretty light. Since it's been awhile since I've been on a stock 1300, I can't say for sure whether the Fury is quicker than a stock 1300. However, I'm pretty sure that my 1300 can take it. To me, it feels like the torque kicks in at a little bit higher RPM than my bike. The bike is super smooth and handles bumps very well. This Fury was outfitted with the small Boulevard windscreen, which may have helped deflect some wind...but I got her up to around 90-95 out on the highway, and my helmet started plastering itself to my face. This one was burgundy, with a little flake in it...almost like the Pearl Orange on my bike but a little more pronounced. Shifting between first and second (and vice versa) was noticably quieter than on the 1300. From a stoplight, I gunned it and the front end became light very quickly...I thought for a minute I had done a small wheelie...but I couldn't tell for sure. Roll-ons from about 60+ mph were smooth, but again, the torque seemed to kick in at higher RPMs...almost like it had to wait a few seconds before it would really go. The seating position for me was pretty comfotable. I was reaching forward to the bars just a hair (which is better than the reach I had with the stock bars on the X). My sleeve length is about 32" and I'm 5'10". I had no problems at all reaching the ground flat-footed. The bike seemed lower to me, but that may just be due to the slimline seat. One thing that I did notice while being stopped was that the frame rails underneath the seat began to "dig" into the underside of my thighs, but once I was moving with my feet back on the forward controls, the pressure was relieved. This particular seat had flamed stitching, which I've been told is an option for the Fury from Honda...I thought it was some type of aftermarket seat...it looked good.
Overall, I think that with a nice set of pipes, a heavy breathing air intake and a Power Commander, the beast inside will wake up and probably outrun me. But that's okay...I'm keeping the X. After returning from the test ride, the salesman starting asking me all kinds of questions about my bike. Right away, he noticed the painted engine and kept saying he liked the look of it. And he likes the rear fender, too. He's about to buy an '02 1800C and wants some type of similar fender for it. So pepsX should be getting another prospective buyer shortly.
Kudos to Honda...I think it will sell pretty well indeed.
