5.29.2011

Honda VT1300-based Concept Cruisers

In the spring of 2010 Honda released a trio of new cruisers called the Sabre, Interstate and Stateline, making up the heart of the VT1300 line of cruisers.
The custom-type cruiser models share the same powertrain platform of a 1312cc, liquid-cooled, SOHC, 3-valve-per-cylinder, single-pin crank, 52-degree V-Twin – the same Twin design found in the wildly successful Fury – which has been a core platform in Honda’s arsenal for some time now.
However, each of the three new VTs received a specific design directive, thereby creating three separate models.
The VT1300 Sabre, with its long, low and unencumbered look accented by a chopper-ish 21-inch front wheel, is what Honda considers the “pro-street” VT. The VT1300 Stateline retains the Sabre’s flowing lines, but it sports a chubbier 17-inch front tire; it’s essentially a stripped version of the VT1300 Interstate that wears a windshield, soft saddlebags and roomy floorboards rather than footpegs, as standard touring equipment.
If you’d asked us before this year’s Long Beach, Calif., stop of the 2010/11 IMS whether custom-type bikes were still a strong part of the cruiser segment, we’d have guessed no, not so much. Honda thinks differently.

Starting with bone-stock models of the already-edgy-for-Honda Fury, joined by a Sabre and Stateline, Honda gave three of its designers from Honda Research & Development Americas located in Southern California, an opportunity to build customs based on where their visions would take each machine.
The designers were given free reign within a limited budget and two stipulations: that each bike remains a full-on runner and stays true to the core of the production vehicle. The designers had a scant three months to accomplish their reimagining of the VTs.
The Furious, based on the Fury, is the chopper; the Switchblade pro-dragger was morphed from the Sabre, and the Slammer is a low-lying bagger born from the Stateline. The concept models debuted at the December 17th, 2010 International Motorcycle in Long Beach, Calif., and will stay on as part of the Honda display for the remainder of the IMS 2011 show dates.


2010 Honda Stateline "Slammer"

Based on a 2010 Stateline, designer Erik Dunshee (Honda R&D Americas) sees the Slammer bagger as an ultra-low interpretation of the genre. The Slammer sports fully adjustable air-ride suspension, NAV/Multimedia, 10-inch subwoofer and 500 watts of music-pumping power. With a full front-end conversion, including a lean 23-inch custom wheel, the designer achieved all this without frame or engine modification.
What makes the baggerized Statline into the Slammer:
* Stock: Frame, swing arm, VT1300cc engine and tank
* 23-inch spec designed front wheel
* Fully adjustable air-ride front & rear suspension w/6-inch ride height to 2.25 inches lowered
* Composite coated narrow-track front rotor with 6-piston caliper
* Nav/Multimedia head unit with GPS speed display
* Three speakers including a 10-inch subwoofer & 500-watt sound system
* Full custom bodywork including a leather drop seat
* Two-tone Satin metallic black & pearl black paint
* Custom spec crossover twin pipe exhaust
* Airbox/cleaner conversion


2010 Honda Sabre "Switchblade"

Taking the 2010 Sabre as a starting point, designer Edward Birtulescu conceived the Switchblade. Racing-inspired styling cues come from Formula1 and MotoGP according to Honda. The ‘Blade sports full carbon fiber bodywork, an Ohlins front-end, a single-sided swing arm with a 535 chain conversion from the VT1300’s standard shaft final drive and dual Brembo calipers, as indicators of the concept bike’s race bike-influenced design.
Changes implemented on the Sabre to create the Switchblade:
* Stock frame, VT1300cc engine & tank
* Three-way fully adjustable sport suspension
* Carbon fiber custom bodywork & spec seat
* 535 Chain conversion from shaft final drive
* Single-sided swing arm conversion
* Racing spec calipers & rotors
* Carbon fiber 18-inch rear wheel - 21-inch carbon fiber front wheel
* Onboard GPS laptimer & data acquisition unit
* Oversize billet top and lower “bridge” (triple clamp)
* Airbox/cleaner conversion


2010 Honda Fury "Furious"

Nick Renner remolded a 2010 Fury into the Furious, a design exercise Honda says is a blend of new and old school flavor. Pounding the street with a 23-inch wheel up front and a 20-incher for the rear, the Furious concept strikes a stretched, no-b.s. pose. A 45-degree rake makes for a long looking front joined by a converted hard tail that says simply: chopper. Metal-flake, variegated leafing, and diamond-stitched seat contrast with the five-spoke hoops and Fury tank. An instant neo-classic, says Honda materials.
From Fury to Furious:
* Stock: VT1300cc engine & tank
23-inch front wheel & 20-inch rear wheel
* Exposed shaft drive
* Hard tail custom spec frame conversion (37-degree head pipe with a 8-degree fork angle offset)
* Custom oversize drag bars
* Custom paint
* Straight pipe exhaust
* Custom diamond stitched leather seat & rear hugger


Source : motorcycle.com 

Honda Gold Wing Unveiled

Today Honda unveiled the updated 2012 Gold Wing as a new model available in May 2011.
Although Honda doesn’t list a 2011 model for the Wing, we won’t discount the year-long lapse between 2010 and 2012 (even though Honda does) against what otherwise marks the 37th year since the Wing was set free upon the roads, way back in ’75.
We’re sure the new GW upholds classic Wing characteristics – like a stable yet responsive chassis, smooth, linear engine power, and Barcalounger-like comfort – that have made this Honda a favorite among the touring set. Yet this latest iteration of the Wing is well within the previous model’s shadow.

The few significant revisions the ’12 does see are devoted largely to the rider environment and styling, leaving the 1832cc, horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine untouched, with the chassis mostly following suit.
What’s new for the GW?
Revised styling is seen in the reshaped taillight, and the main fairing is slightly sportier looking with new dual vents just above the dual headlights.
A new, sleeker side fairing/radiator panel in a silvery finish creates a two-tone color scheme on the four available colors (blue, black, red and white). The restyled panel also wears a new Honda emblem that looks identical to one found on the CBR1000RR. Honda says the revised fairing improves wind protection, specifically to the lower body/legs area.

The new Wing wears a somewhat sharper, cleaner look; and we usually welcome a freshened up face. But in light of the revisions to the fairing and styling – not to mention the year off between models! – we have to ask Honda, “Why no electronically adjustable windshield?”
To this day, the Gold Wing remains one of the few big tourers without a pushbutton adjustment for the windscreen. Honda’s own, long-running ST1300 has it. Why not the mighty Wing?
Saddlebag capacity is up 7.0 liters, boosting total storage – including trunk and fairing pockets – to 150.0 liters. Non-airbag models also get a central storage pocket, presumably where the airbag would otherwise reside on so-equipped models. Finish on the seat material is updated, and the wheels are now clear-coated to ease clean up and to help maintain a like-new look.

The Honda Satellite Linked Navigation System (available on some GW models) has a brighter color screen, and offers “programmability for sharing favorite ride routes with friends and other riders,” which can be accessed online according to Honda.
The Wing’s primo sound system (on all models), featuring SRS CS Auto technology surround-sound, now readily accepts MP3 players and allows for full control over the player via controllers on the handlebar switchgear. XM radio remains an available option on the Navi package model. Honda says instrumentation is also updated on all Wings.
Other notable changes on the 2012 GW are “revised suspension settings,” that make for a more compliant ride leading to increased comfort, so say Honda press materials.
Though Honda doesn’t elaborate on specific changes to suspension, a quick peek at specs for the 2012 model reveals that, while rear suspension travel of 4.1 inches remains unchanged from the previous model, the new Wing sees a decrease of 0.7 inches from the 2009-10 model’s 5.5 inches of travel in the 45mm fork.
The new GW has also gained a few.
Claimed curb weight for the 2012 model is 904 – 933 pounds (depending on the trim level), where the most recent Wing’s curb weight was 895 – 928 pounds.

Fuel capacity seems to have increased from 6.6 gallons to 6.7 gallons. However, it wouldn’t surprise us if this nominal increase in fuel capacity were merely an oversight in the specs. We’ve encountered bigger typos on other OEM websites and materials. But, hey, if one-tenth of a gallon means the difference between refueling and walking, we’ll take it!
Sizing up the new Wing
As Honda’s flagship model, the Gold Wing has arguably been an iconic leader in the touring motorcycle segment. For decades the big GW has set standards for the potential of chassis and engine performance in full-decked touring rigs.
Nevertheless, it’s a little disappointing the Gold Wing lacks innovation in 2012, receiving only cursory updates after so many years of relatively little change. This doesn’t bode too well in the face BMW’s soon coming all-new K1600GT and GTL.
These full-fledged Beemer tourers offer a host of amenities, too, not the least of which is the familiar-by-now and useful pushbutton suspension, aka ESA II. The K bike’s new, optional “Adaptive Headlight” also sounds trick, and joins a number of other practical options like traction control and Bluetooth capability, to name a few hi-tech things, while selectable ride modes is a standard feature.

Furthermore, if you’re a bit of a gearhead, note that BMW claims 160 peak crank horsepower at 7750 and 129 ft-lb at 5250 rpm for the new K bike, as Mr. Duke informed us from the bikes’ unveiling at Leno’s place. The Gold Wing’s flat-six, while reasonably powerful, has a lot of catching up to do.
The last time we tested a Wing – 2009 Luxury Touring Shootout – the Honda spun the dyno for a best result of 96 hp at 5600 rpm and 103 ft-lbs at 4200 rpm. Factor out the average power loss for a shaft final-drive and the BMW still dusts the Wing with what we’d estimate as 136 – 140 rear wheel horsepower for the K16.
The torque span, at an estimated 113 – 110 ft-lbs, is a little less dramatic when compared to the Honda. The BMWs also weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of 135 pounds fewer than the GW.
Perhaps a lower MSRP is an equalizer for the Gold Wing? Nope. Doesn’t look that way.
Honda has 2012 Gold Wing pricing currently set at $23,199 to $28,499 depending on the options package – a marginal increase of $300 to $600 from 2010 pricing.
BMW recently announced U.S. pricing for the K1600GT, available in three package levels, at $20,900 to $24,540. The more luxurious K1600GTL is set to ring in at $23,200 for the base version, and $25,845 for the Premium model.

The Gold Wing hasn’t seen a ground-up redo in quite a while. Considering updates to the 2012 model amount to a skosh more than BNG (“bold new graphics”), we’re left to wonder how much longer we’ll have to wait until the Gold Wing is again the standard bearer for touring motorcycles.




Source : motorcycle.com

Honda Gold Wing Review - First Ride

Honda’s Gold Wing has for years stood at the pinnacle of the luxury-touring market, providing the best balance of comfort and performance in its class. But that supremacy is now under threat from BMW’s new K1600 GTL that received a very favorable review from Editor Duke a few weeks ago.
In the face of increased competition, Honda chose to arm the 2012 Gold Wing with only moderate improvements. This nonchalance begs the question: When will Honda retaliate with a full-model revamp?  Until that event, whenever it may come, “it’s the little things that count” adage will have to suffice for Gold Wing devotees.

With Honda providing both 2012 and 2010 Gold Wing models for back-to-back comparison purposes, the minor upgrades gracing the 2012 GL were readily apparent. Trivial as the upgrades may be, they do exist, and the effort at least justifies the $300 increase in MSRP between 2010 and 2012 base models ($22,899 vs. $23,199, respectively).



The purpose for this back-to-back comparo – made evident on the tight, switchback roads of California’s Coastal Range we were traversing – was to highlight the improved handling of the 2012 Gold Wing. Where the old Wing wore Dunlop tires, the new Wing is shod with Bridgestone rubber. But, as Honda was quick to point out, the Bridgestones were developed to work in harmony with the 2012’s revised suspension, so they won’t necessarily give new life to the old Wing.


Besides new top and bottom internal bushings in the fork, Honda was only able to say that there are revised front and rear suspension settings in the 2012 Wing. Front-wheel travel is stated at 4.8 inches, which is a reduction from the 5.5 claimed for the previous Wings. But Honda tells us that travel is actually unchanged, figuring the old spec was a typo and confirming the new 4.8-inch figure.
Whatever the case, there is a marginally improved aspect to the 2012 Gold Wing’s handling manners. I say marginally because the 2010’s handling is already impeccable for such weighty machine, but the new model is a little more eager to drop into a corner. And where the 2010 model requires slightly more input to hold its line navigating a long corner, the 2012 holds its lean angle and maintains the rider’s chosen arc. Cornering clearance seemed equal to the ’10 Wing, and both were equally resistant to bottoming out. 
The most noticeable seat-of-the-pants improvement to the 2012 Wing, quite literally, is its seat. Hopping off the old model and onto the new model, it was clear that the new urethane seat material and seat cover are truly an improvement. Not quite Tempur-Pedic mattress material, but the GL’s new seat provided support equivalent to that level of comfort. And any passenger will be greeted by one of the best pillion seats in the business, a much more comforting place to sit than the BMW GTL’s seat – if you don’t want whining from the back seat, you’ll hear less of it with the Wing.



Because navigating a 900-pound motorcycle through territory where sportbikes normally roam demanded my full attention, I wasn’t able to fiddle with the Gold Wing’s upgraded electronics. Yes, I did manage to find an appropriate station on the Wing’s XM satellite radio (some heavy metal to accentuate the heavy peg grinding), but Honda did upgrade other aspects of its audio and navigation systems.


New for the Wing’s audio system is MP3/iPod connectivity. Yes, the device connection resides in the top box, but its location is unimportant because Honda incorporated control of the iPod into its handlebar controls and dashboard view screen. You can access playlists, artists, albums, etc., just as if you had the device in your hand. There’s also a new surround-sound aspect to the speaker layout providing an enhanced listening experience. I could hear the rear speakers more clearly, even at freeway speeds.
Before leaving on our day ride, we were given a tech briefing on Honda’s new satellite-linked navigation system. According to Honda, the updated system provides more up-to-date information because of a quicker connection between bike and satellite. The viewing screen is also now brighter for better viewing.
A very usable new feature when traveling to unknown regions is the GPS’s lane-assist function that tells the rider in advance if the desired off-ramp is on the left or right of the freeway. There’s also a new 3-D terrain view. Next to the iPod connection in the top box is a new, removable flash card that allows Gold Wing owners to remove their route, download it to a personal computer then upload it and share it with fellow Gold Wingers.
Curiously, the new Gold Wing’s wheels come encased in a sheen of clear coating. Honda says it’s for easier cleaning and to keep the wheels in better shape for a longer period of time. For anyone who remembers the yellowy, peeling, clear-coated wheels from the 1980s, this may seem like a mistake. But Honda assured me that while the clear coat is the same recipe, the process of application has changed, and it was the process 30 years ago that caused motorcycle owners to spend hours with a fistful of steel wool stripping the baneful sealant from the wheels of their ride.



The redesigned fairing of the 2012 Gold Wing, with its color-contrasting side panels, is distinctive, setting the largely unchanged new Wing apart from its predecessors. The new look freshens the Gold Wing’s profile and, according to Honda, the fairing is slightly wider, providing improved wind protection.


While a better wind pocket was hard to confirm during the blustery afternoon spent aboard the two Wings, the restyled rear of the bike, with its relocated taillight, was visually pleasing and its functionality evident. By centralizing the taillight between the saddlebags and lengthening the saddlebags themselves, the new Gold Wing gains an additional seven liters of storage. Parked next to one another, the 2012 saddlebags appear smaller, but ‘tis only an optical illusion.
Another visual cue on the new GL is the engine cover directly above the brake/shift levers. It was chrome on the old model, but it’s now black to, according to Honda, “modernize” the look. But instead of being chrome or color-matched with an upgrade to one of the three trim levels above the base model, this unfinished, plastic, black panel comes on all 2012 Gold Wings. It looks cheaper in person than it does in pictures and is unbecoming for such a high-end motorcycle.
So the updated 2012 Gold Wing is a better a motorcycle, receiving upgrades in areas that truly benefit its rider. However, at $23,199 to $28,499, the Gold Wing is pricier than the new BMW K1600 GTL which retails for $23,200 to $25,845.



The new Beemer is faster, lighter, has Bluetooth connectivity and an electrically adjustable windscreen. But the Wing has more luxurious passenger accommodations and perhaps has a slight edge in slow-speed handling.



Source : motorcycle.com

Honda Fury vs. 2011 Yamaha Star Stryker [Video]


Choppers are as American as Chevrolet, apple pie and Homer Simpson. With lengthy wheelbases deserving their own zip codes, choppers stake a major claim in our motorcycle landscape. Indeed, American bike builders have been chopping and customizing bikes for years, and when the movie Easy Rider played on the silver screen in 1969, the long bikes etched their place in American bike lore for good.
So what are the two leading Japanese motorcycle brands doing, producing what appear to be American choppers? Good question, and the answer can be found in the economic side of the motorcycle business equation. Several years ago when cable television programming grew top-heavy with biker build-off shows, choppers regained their former stature among enthusiasts.
The rekindled interest in choppers fueled a fledging cottage industry of builders, ranging from small back-alley shops with sinister names like Darkside Customs and Wicked Bros. Choppers to major brands such as Big Dog Motorcycles, American IronHorse and Titan that offered hundreds, even thousands, of ready-made custom bikes for sale. By 2008 even Harley-Davidson joined in with the Rocker C, a model that represents the Motor Company’s version of a turnkey chopper.
We all know that the chopper boom went bust with the economy a few years ago (Big Dog Motorcycles was the last major brand to go out of business, mercifully being put down earlier this year), but by that time Honda and Yamaha were committed to their respective chopper programs. Their resources already committed to making new chopper models, they forged ahead anyway. Honda’s turnkey chopper, the Fury, was first to the market, leaving the chopping block in time for model year 2010. Yamaha Star’s Stryker was next, bowing earlier this year.
That brings us to our chop-off that pits these two Samurai warriors on American soil. Which of the two Japanese brands offers the better American chopper? We ventured to find out, and perhaps the most appropriate place to begin is with the first entry, Honda’s Fury.


2012 Honda Fury VT1300CX
First thing’s first, so let’s cut to the chase: choppers give credence to the old saying, “form over function.” Foremost, choppers are about style and being (and looking) cool. Long wheelbases, enough chrome parts to outshine a 1958 Buick Roadmaster, and laid-back ergonomics create a ride that looks oh-so cool. Handling, braking, even acceleration performance are secondary.
Based on its form alone, the Fury scores highly. Viewed from 10 or so feet away the Fury, straddling an incredible 71.2-inch wheelbase, appears to be a bike that was hand-built by someone who knows his craft.
The Fury’s sexy silhouette has all the lines you expect in a high-neck chopper: an extended front end creates a spacious void that allows the engine to be a predominant aesthetic fixture in the overall package, the exhaust system follows the bike’s lower lines such that it blends gracefully alongside the rear disc brake, and most of all the svelte gas tank’s curves flow from the frame’s backbone into a sculpted seat that practically melds with the Fury’s seductively large rear fender.
The frame rails are clean and purposeful, too, as if Honda’s workers employed the age-old trick established by early chopper builders, using plastic body filler to conceal unsightly weld joints. Oddly, though, there are a few weld scars at the top of the downtubes that could have been eliminated but weren’t.
Even the Fury’s 1312cc liquid-cooled V-Twin engine’s radiator is positioned neatly between the frame’s two downtubes so that the coolant hoses appear practically nonexistent. There is no ungainly radiator grille work, either; a small black plastic shroud is all that shields the radiator fins from road debris.
That’s not the only plastic component you’ll find on the Fury, though. In fact, if Honda ever ups the production run for the Fury, there’s a strong chance that the international price for plastic futures will increase, too. This bike has more plastic than a Lego toy. Both fenders, stylish as they are, are plastic, many engine cases and covers are made of specially chrome-plated plastic, and the chromed cosmetic side covers are made of that 20th century discovery, too.
Although the Fury’s plastic fenders are uncool for this class,” Ed-in-Chief Duke observes, “the Honda shows much better attention to detail, especially its high-neck frame, stylish headlight and very attractive wheels.”
Production costs no doubt played a factor in using plastic instead of metal, but liberal use of the lightweight material also helps keep the bike’s overall weight down. Strangely, though, while the Stryker relies on that old-fashioned material called steel to serve many of the same styling purposes, that bike weighs about 20 pounds less (663 pounds for the Fury versus the Stryker’s 646 pounds) than the Honda. The weight difference can probably be found in the drive-trains; the Fury has a drive shaft that requires abundant use of metal while the Styker calls on a lightweight synthetic-composite belt to transfer power to the rear wheel.
Styling and plastic aside, the Fury and Stryker share a common bond in terms of their engines’ pulling power, even though the Star’s slightly smaller V-Twin produces about 10 more horsepower on the Cycle Doctor’s dynamometer.
In top-gear roll-ons at 70 mph the bikes finished in a near dead heat. Not that either of these customs are road warriors in the performance sense, but their V-Twin engines pull smartly from near idle to their respective redlines. The edge in throttle response goes to the Styker, though, delivering a slightly snappier feel when rapping through the gears, but this comes with a small price of a herky-jerky feel at the throttle’s initial opening.
You can expect respectable fuel mileage figures, too, from either bike. Depending on how you treat the right-hand grip, miles per gallon figures range from the upper 30s to the low-to-mid 40s. Vibration is minimal, and the Fury’s exhaust note especially got our attention. True, the mufflers are visually thicker in their mid sections than what most real chopper riders prefer, but Honda had to deliver them to dealers as EPA-compliant cans, which accounts for their rather unsightly bulkiness. Even so, the Fury’s exhaust tone is pleasant and it gets your attention – you know, the way chopper pipes are supposed to do.
As noted, ride, handling and overall performance are secondary aims when it comes to building a custom chopper motorcycle. Same holds true with these factory specials, but after a ride across town or through the local countryside, the Fury and Stryker won’t disappoint you.
The Fury, especially, makes you feel like a bad-ass chopper bro. Swing a leg over its sculpted seat and grab the pullback handlebar grips, and first thing you notice is that your body assumes what can best be described as the “chopper slouch.”
You’ve seen it on chopper bros who have ridden by on their bikes – the rider’s back gently curves so that his head leans slightly forward, with arms reaching straight ahead, almost paralleling legs that rest their feet on forward foot controls. This posture has a magical feel about it, and you really don’t care anymore about how fast, or slow, you accelerate from the stoplight, driveway or local roadhouse. You just motor away, feeling oh-so bad and oh-so cool. You’re Peter Fonda, Marlon Brando and Sonny Barger all in one.
It gets better. When you roll to a stop and you place your feet onto the pavement, that cool feeling doesn’t dissolve and fade away. The lope of the Fury’s 52-degree V-twin engine entertains your aural senses, but you know the real show is the visuals that people curbside or in the car next to you are enjoying. You’re bad.
You’ll notice something else when you roll to a stop. The Fury requires steady pressure on the skinny brake lever and foot pedal to slow it down. Two-piston calipers (one up front, one on the rear) will properly slow and stop the Fury, but feedback is vague and uninspiring.
Now let’s talk about the Fury’s most striking feature, its extended front end. Choppers originally acquired their name because the builders attached extended fork legs to the bike’s triple trees. But doing so raised the front section of the bike, creating all sorts of handling issues. To regain respectable handling, the frame needed to be lowered at the front, and the solution was to cut – or chop – a wedge out of the steering neck so the builder could reposition (sometimes called “raking”) the fork angle.
Cutting and welding the steering head like that lowered the bike, plus it helped retrieve some of the lost trail, minimizing fork flop. This is a condensed version of what it took the chopper pioneers years to figure out, but in Honda’s case they simply determined what steering head angle (38 degrees) and trail dimensions worked best with the 21-inch front wheel, and then built the frame and fork length accordingly. Again, this is a simplified interpretation of what Honda’s engineers accomplished, but you get the idea.
“The Stryker’s 120/70-21 front tire offers more security than the pizza-cutter 90/90-21 on the Fury” Duke remarks. “The Fury’s narrow front tire gets distracted by longitudinal freeway rain grooves.”
Honda also managed to deliver a low seat height that places your butt just 26.7 inches off the deck. It’s part of the cool factor we talked about earlier, but it also should help sell more than a few of these bad-boy bikes to riders who are vertically challenged.
The lower seat height also helps maintain a low center of gravity. Coupled with proper steering geometry, this chopper is rather easy to maneuver around town. There’s no noticeable fork flop, and u-turns on a two-lane road are doable. There’s uneasiness to the Fury’s handling, though, when that long wheelbase encounters bumps and dips in the road, most noticeably while making or initiating turns. Be careful, too, about how far you lean the bike into the turn – the forward foot controls easily touch the pavement.
In terms of ride and handling, the Fury’s primary shortcoming is found in its suspension. Smooth road surfaces allow it to maintain a friendly ride, but a series of rapid bumps in the road often confuse the Fury’s damping rates, and you’ll experience some harshness from the fork. The ride won’t shake your dentures loose, but it’s not as pleasant as most cruisers. Perhaps we should check it off as part of the chopper experience and leave it at that.
And, indeed, the chopper experience is really what the Fury is all about. Its curbside appeal is striking, making you look and feel like a biker outlaw, yet this long bike will get you to and from your ride destination in relative comfort. In more than one sense, we’ve come a long way, baby!
“Both bikes deliver the requisite chopper profile, with V-Twin engines placed in high-neck frames and led by a tall front wheel,” Duke notes. “But the Fury pulls off the costume much more convincingly than the dowdy-in-comparison Stryker. However, the Honda’s pretty appearance comes at a hefty price.”


2011 Yamaha Star Stryker
Star Motorcycles took a less conventional approach than did Honda for its chopper. While Honda’s Fury favors the traditional high-neck style that’s typically associated with the great American chopper, Star applied some styling cues generally associated with pro-street choppers, a breed that has its roots in San Francisco Bay area where many custom bike builders gave their bikes long, low and lean stances.
During the 1970s and 1980s bike builders like Arlen Ness and Ron Simms honed this styling theme to create what became known as the Frisco chopper, bikes with exceptionally radical steering head angles. At about that same time the pro street class was gaining popularity at the drag strips across the country, and eventually the Bay Area choppers formed the vanguard for what became the pro street look for custom motorcycles. It’s a look that remains popular today.
The Stryker employs many of the pro street elements, but with a few modern touches added. For instance, the 41mm fork legs utilize the latest damping technology, and a low-profile 210-series rear tire fills an equally wide rear fender (like the front fender, it’s made of steel). Pullback handlebars offer a more upright seating position for the rider, and forward foot controls sprout from the lower frame rails.
But while Honda successfully incorporated American chopper heritage into the Fury, the Star designers fell short of delivering as impressive and cohesive a package.
In terms of appearance, the Styker seems disjointed and cluttered, as if the bike had been designed by committee, each designer given a single task but without being privy to what the other committee members were assigned.
To appreciate this, check out the right side where the gas tank and air cleaner box vie for attention. Viewed as individual components, the gas tank and air cleaner box offer clean, aesthetic lines, but when positioned together on the bike, the tandem comes across as an afterthought.
Indeed, the Styker and Fury share similarly shaped and sized air cleaner covers, but while the Honda’s box seamlessly integrates with the rest of the bike, the Star’s chromed triangular-shaped box seems to just dangle alongside the engine. And above the Stryker’s airbox the stylish peanut-style gas tank looks as if it were unceremoniously placed on the frame’s backbone rail.
2011 Yamaha Star Stryker
The same applies to other components on the Styker. The horn clings obtrusively to the right forward foot control, and an unsightly emissions-control can protrudes from the left foot control. Weld joints in the frame (including the all-important steering head weld joints) are concealed with black plastic covers, and the paint finish on our test bike’s rear fender showed signs of fish-eye under certain lighting conditions.
Despite these styling shortcomings, the Styker’s ride and handling is above what most other cruisers can deliver. The suspension is taut, with good feedback to the rider, and steer-in for turns is predictable and rather precise, although steering feels heavy at low speeds, probably a byproduct of the wide front tire and excessive fork angle. Even so, the fork does a good job of soaking up the bumps, and the spoon-shaped seat offers plenty of support – much more than does the Fury’s.
“The Fury’s lower seat feels cooler,” Duke opines, “but the Stryker’s broader and better-padded seat is a preferred perch for longer distances.”
2011 Yamaha Star Stryker
And after you plop your behind on the Styker’s seat and place your hands and feet on the controls, you’ll be treated to a more conventional riding position than what the Fury offers. In fact, our test riders agreed that it feels more like you’re sitting in the Fury, and on the Styker.
Each riding position has its pluses, too; the Fury’s high gas tank and steering neck serve as a windbreak at high speeds, while the Styker’s stance seems to give the rider a better feel for the bike while cornering and maneuvering through tight places.
Same holds true under braking conditions. Like the Fury, the Styker has single disc brakes front and rear, but while the Fury’s anchors felt vague, with minimal feedback, the Styker’s brakes delivered a more positive feel. Both braking systems brought our test bikes to smooth and controlled stops, we just preferred the feel of the Styker’s progressive feedback more.
“The Star’s front brake offers better speed retardation than the Fury,” Duke says, “due partially to the bigger contact patch of its wider front tire.”
Oddly, though, while Star predicts that about a third of its Stryker customers will be women, the bike is equipped with more manly Harley-like clutch and front brake levers. On the other hand (pun intended), the Fury’s levers felt small and wimpy, as if they were developed for smaller hands.
“The Stryker’s wide dogleg levers feel appropriately butch,” Duke says. “In contrast, the Fury’s narrow brake and clutch levers feel inadequately beefy for a bad-ass motorcycle.”
In the mechanical department, the Fury and Stryker are the same only different. The Fury’s V-Twin engine’s three-valve cylinders are set at 52 degrees while the Stryker’s are splayed slightly wider at 60 degrees. Displacement is closely the same, too, and interestingly they share about the same displacement as Harley-Davidson’s Evolution V2, an engine that powered Milwaukee’s Big Twin models from 1984 through 1999 and 2000 when the current Twin Cam and Twin Cam B debuted respectively.
These Japanese V-Twins deliver power in smooth, broad strokes, but the Styker’s four-valve-per-cylinder engine clearly revs quicker and higher than does the Fury. Bore and stroke dimensions are a major factor here: the Fury gets its 1312cc displacement from bore and stroke figures of 89.5mm by 104.3mm, while the Stryker checks in with practically the opposite stats of 100mm x 83mm, resulting in 1304cc.
The shorter-stroked Styker peaked at 5600 rpm (67.6 hp; maximum torque of 75.0 ft-lb at 3700 rpm) while the Fury reached its maximum horsepower (57.3) at a more lazy 4300 rpm (with 72.9 ft-lb of torque at 3600 rpm). As noted, vibration isn’t a major issue with either bike, and roll-on power is nearly equal.
Like the Fury’s transmission, the Stryker’s five-speed box shifts smoothly and positively. There was, however, a slight notchy feel from first to second gear during up-shifts, otherwise it’s the same smooth-shifting set of gears that you expect from Star.
Despite some shortcomings in its style and finish, the Stryker is a custom cruiser – a chopper, if you will – that delivers the goods as promised. Its strong point, though, is in how it delivers the goods to the rider, making it one of the better choppers for enthusiasts who like to ride.
“The Stryker’s belt-drive system is lighter and has less driveline lash,” Duke says, “plus it’s capped by an attractive rear pulley.”


Source : motorcycle.com


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