The Cycle World International Motorcycle Show stopped at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan earlier this month. The traveling show carries a load of new models across the country, making weekend-long stops in major cities, so the New York edition had only a handful of unique touches to offer:
• Honda officially unveiled its new Fury, the company’s latest effort to sell custom-bike looks to riders who might be wary about the reliability, safety or cost of a custom machine. The Fury, which Honda said has the longest wheelbase of any motorcycle the company has produced, does look very clean, and it showcases a classic — if slightly generic — chopper look, with a 38-degree rake. At a glance, the bike could be mistaken for something built in a garage, but a second look makes it clear that it’s a factory product. It seems clear that the point is not to win over the editors of Easyriders, but to attract bikers who want a look that’s more extreme than a Shadow cruiser, with about the same risk of being stuck on the side of the road.
The unveiling was accompanied by a 90-second video teaser and a blaring metal soundtrack in which the bike’s features were revealed at a striptease pace. (Thrill to the Fury’s, um, bullet-shaped headlight.) A skeptic might point out that the Fury embodies the spirit of rebellion to the same extent as Mountain Dew and Axe body spray, but it’s a bit childish to deride the bike for its big-company origin. Depending on the base price, which Honda has not announced, the Fury could find its niche in a market in which sales of large motorcycles have been consistently down.
• The most striking bike at the show had to be the Victory Core concept:
Victory said the bike is intended to show what a performance cruiser of the future might look like. While it shares much of its architecture with theVictory Vision, the Core concept carries no visible bodywork on its cast-aluminum frame, with the fuel tank, battery box and electrical system tucked out of sight inside. In case you’re wondering, the seat is made of mahogany.
0 comments:
Post a Comment