Difference between revisions of "Honda VTX1300CX development"

The most obvious attraction to the Fury centers on its raked-out chopper styling: high-mount steering head that gives the frame a see-through, open-air look with plenty of breathing room between the tank/upper frame and the front cylinder head; slim and long fuel tank perched up high; ultra-low 26.7-inch seat height; big-time rake; fat 200-series rear tire paired with a slim 21-inch front wheel; a condensed, hard-tail look to the rear end; and a stretched wheelbase. And that long wheelbase is no illusion--the Fury stretches a full 71.2 inches between axles. Perhaps equally important is that a close-up inspection of the Fury reveals remarkably clean lines, a Spartan return to basics plus superior attention to detail that together create the distinct impression of a full-on hand-built custom bike, but at a mere fraction of the cost.

In truth, creation of the Fury posed a considerable challenge. This ground-breaking concept had to strike a delicate balance. The extended chopper look with its stretched wheelbase and exaggerated steering rake combines with the stellar levels of function that are part of every Honda. The design focus began with the high steering head/pronounced steering rake/open look in the front end and then radiated outward from there. With such a visually stunning appearance, the final incarnation of the Fury required a significant amount of communication and cooperation between the styling team in the USA at Honda Research Americas (HRA) and the Honda engineers at HGA in Japan. Original sketches and clay mock-ups were tweaked and refined in innumerable ways, leading to small but elegantly simple feats of engineering wizardry that were performed to achieve the goal.