Long-Term Bikes: 2010 Honda Fury ABS

2010 Honda Fury ABS
MSRP: $13,999

Caretaker: Bartels

Measurements: 6'/190 lbs./33-in. inseam

Odometer: 2772

Miles this cycle: 562

Another month in paradise on the ol' Fury. I've been trying to prioritize what to do next and have been running into roadblocks. So we dove into the suspension. Despite my love for this bike in general, it does have warts. For one, the engine is willing, but the suspension is weak, bouncing around like a cheerleader on crank. Back road performance is fine, but freeway blasting needed some love.

Race Tech was up for the challenge and took it in for a little R&D.; When it came back, the difference was subtle. Clearly the chopper format has limitations; on the freeway it still bounced some. But up around 80 where it was bad before, it became pretty acceptable, unless the road was horrible. It didn't lose any of its backroad prowess, but seemed to lose a little bit of plushness on big hits like speedbumps and dips. No big deal, I spend more time on freeways anyway.

One irritating yet informative thing happened, too. The rear bolts that mount the Corbin seat to its bracket fell out, stranding me 80 miles from home. Knowing Honda had a toolkit somewhere on the bike, I pulled off the right cover, whipped out the owner's manual, and discovered that a minimalist toolkit consisting of a combo screwdriver and Allen wrench lives under the cover (plastic, of course) that surrounds the ignition switch. Very slick, as the two tools actually get a lot done... including fix my seat.

For my final trick... either pipes and an air cleaner. Or maybe bars, which are desperately needed to get the seating position sorted out.