honda going after everybody

[zorkler]

Was just reading about the new honda chopper the FURY .They will stop at nothing to get there share of cash from every part of the motorcycle indusrty. Liquid 6 valve VTX1300vtwin , 3.4 gallon tank , 200mm rear tire .26.7 seat height . Dont look to bad at 15k .

 

[madmike2]

Yebbutt them Hardley guys en wannabes er knott gunna chaynge. Asides, et's bin bilt en Jap-an ennit 'll sound lyk-a Vespa. Yew wunna chpper? Dood, yuh gots tuh bye inta the lifestyle, en all, gitcher seff uh reel murdersickle....uh Hardley.

 

[jmdaniel]

Ridiculously overpriced, and why not just buy a VTX1300? Less money, and much more useful.

 

[Skully]

I love this new Honda. It looks as thin as a rail. Like TL125 compared to custom. Just the photos, i guess. Maybe it'll b the 1st production chopper with ABS in 2010. <150 HP with tweaks? :dribble:

 

[SilverHound]

IMO they showed up about three years late to the dance. Choppers should not be made in a factory. They should be put together in your garage from parts that were never supposed to fit together in the first place. At the very least though if Honda really wanted to make a genuine stab at a decent chopper they should have used the VTX1800 powerplant and at least a 240 rear tire. Of course then they would have had to up the tank size for a range over 75 miles.

 

[ShawnKing]

IMO they showed up about three years late to the dance. Choppers should not be made in a factory.

Agreed. I saw its unveiling at the IMS show in NYC and was unimpressed. Even for a "chopper" it looks kinda pedestrian.

 

[user 6393]

If it's the one I saw at the Vancouver Bike Show, has a shaft drive tho. Don't see that often.

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

Probably?, Too little -- Too late...?

(and may end-up being...) Damned by faint praise.

Might even be considered: "Insulting" to motorcycle enthusiasts? (Is that what American Honda thinks motoryclists want?) :huh:

 

[zorkler]

honda does not care what the americans want on this deal . There just fishing to see if than can get any numbers out of this deal even if they lose money on the deal .

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

honda does not care what the americans want on this deal . There just fishing to see if than can get any numbers out of this deal even if they lose money on the deal.

Can you explain that a little more fully -- I'm afraid I don't follow the logic (or understand the marketing/financials)?

What kind of company wouldn't care what the (potential) customer wants...?

TIA

 

[madmike2]

Can you explain that a little more fully -- I'm afraid I don't follow the logic (or understand the marketing/financials)?What kind of company wouldn't care what the (potential) customer wants...?

TIA

Because the real numbers in motorcycle sales are in sport bikes and cruisers. Since the cruiser market is huge and chopper-esque bikes are an extension of that market, why not see if there aren't sales down that alley?

From the sounds of the articles I've read Honda is marketing this bike as a "blank slate" that the new owner can add "personal touches" to. Not much different than the way Harley markets their bikes with the big profit coming in the "additional" items, I think I read somewhere that new owners are heading home with an extra $5,000 worth of "extras". THAT'S marketing!

If I were to add up all the money I've spent on my FJR I'd probably go into shock. To me, that's part of the fun of ownership. It sounds like Honda is trying to capitalize on that type of marketing. Good for them if it works.

 

[JRO]

Maybe they'll sell a million of 'em. Maybe they'll only sell ten.

Me, I looked, I saw, and I don't want one. I sure wouldn't want one, for the price.

 

[BendBill]

Very few sport touring riders will care for the Fury.

Which does not matter because we are a small part of the moto market outnumbered by 20-1 . I too thought Honda was too late to the cruiser party until I read the 2008 Motorcycle Industry Council stats.

Bottom line: H-D lost 29,000 units just in cruiser platforms in 2008

Honda: An increase of 21,000 cruisers in 2008. Yamaha, an increase of 11,000 cruisers in 2008. These numbers spell "opening" [sourcer--DealerNews, Oct 2008]

Like you, I wish the cruiser tribe would decrease so R & D would go to our segment, but it doesn't appear likely.

 

[ShawnKing]

Like you, I wish the cruiser tribe would decrease so R & D would go to our segment, but it doesn't appear likely.

I don't wish that. I would like to se *all* segments increase. Choice in rides, like most things, is good for the community. But some folks simply like cruisers just like some folks simply like Sport-Tourers or sport bikes.

 

[SilverHound]

Which does not matter because we are a small part of the moto market outnumbered by 20-1 . I too thought Honda was too late to the cruiser party until I read the 2008 Motorcycle Industry Council stats.

You're confusing cruiser with chopper. The VTX cruiser platform has been one of Honda's most successful lines since introduced in 2002. In fact it was partly responsible for the discontinuation of the Valkyrie (which also competed with Gold Wing sales). However even many of the 39,000+ members of the VTXOA are poo pooing the Fury. They don't consider it a real cruiser. It's more of a boutique bike perhaps even the ultimate poser-wannabe machine.

 

[Capt. Bob]

Where's the link????? Clicky

 

[smokeFJR06]

IMO - The Honda Fury is in response to Yamaha's Raider. I took the Raider on a test ride and I must say I was impressed. It handled great and was alot of fun to ride. There's a market there, but probably not a huge one. I would buy a Raider if I had the cash to burn and room in the garage.

 

[jmdaniel]

You're confusing cruiser with chopper. The VTX cruiser platform has been one of Honda's most successful lines since introduced in 2002. In fact it was partly responsible for the discontinuation of the Valkyrie (which also competed with Gold Wing sales). However even many of the 39,000+ members of the VTXOA are poo pooing the Fury. They don't consider it a real cruiser. It's more of a boutique bike perhaps even the ultimate poser-wannabe machine.

Exactly. As an ex-VTX owner, and as I mentioned upstream, where is the value? Pay $15K, then all the aftermarket crap, and you might as well go ahead and buy a real chopper from those tools at Orange County.

 

[NMRoadRunner]

Fury? Huh, more like POS, <_< WTF is wrong with those people? Thats the stupidets thing I've seen from a factory since the Victory Tour, or the MP3. Choppers do not come from factories.They come from inside, from your personel inspiration, and building it with your own two hands.