2013 Victory Judge: First Ride

Victory Motorcycles has already trumped its competition for the 2013 model year – insofar as timing is concerned.

That’s because its 2013 model Judge cruiser, a new addition to the company’s burgeoning line-up, is on the cusp of being launched in America and will go on sale in Australia in May. Even the latest and greatest motocross bikes don’t come out that early!

Sure, there’s a little bit of cheekiness in the early 2013 model call -- it probably won’t become a habit -- but there’s no doubt that Victory’s on a roll, with all its key markets recording double digit growth in 2011, including 50 percent in Australia and New Zealand, one of the company’s prime subsidiary markets.

And with continued backing from the cashed up, debt-free Minnesota-headquartered Polaris group -- which continues to strengthen its portfolio with a number of recent acquisitions (Indian Motorcycles is one) -- Victory is determined to maintain that momentum into 2012 and beyond, based on a new-model-every-six-months platform.

Recently, the company has even over indexed on that goal, with the High-Ball, the bagger Hard-Ball derivative and Judge all introduced in quick succession.

The Bikesales Network has already tested the Victory High-Ball, and in early February we ventured across the Pacific to ride the Hard-Ball and Judge around some stunningly scenic and snaking roads in Palm Springs, California -- one of the weekend haunts of the infamous ‘Rat Pack’ in the 1960s.

Standby for a report on the Hard-Ball, but it was the Judge which was the major focus of attention in Palm Springs, as Victory sets out to woo a younger, price-point conscious consumer. The Judge also marks a resource realignment for Victory, which has spent the last few years assiduously adding to its touring line-up with bikes like the Cross Country.

The Judge -- named after the Pontiac muscle car of the 1960s -- is certainly a cruiser, but it doesn’t fall under the traditional styling values with its five-spoke mag wheels, minimal chrome touches, dual slash-cut pipes and blacked-out components (frame, exhaust, triple clamps, cases and cylinder heads).

Another custom trend at the moment, which does wonders for handling, is smaller tyres, and the Judge fits nicely into that thinking with its rear anchored by a svelte 140-section hoop. The front is nearly as beefy with a 130-section holding things together, and both ends track on 16-inch Dunlop Elite II rubber with raised white lettering – another muscle car trait.

The wheels certainly go some way to defining the Judge’s purposeful and rugged styling, as do the sleek tank, drag-style bars and oval side panels, which made the final styling cut even though the flashier ‘long track’ look didn’t eventually become the dominant fashion flavour. That said, the panels are just itching out for some customisation, whether just simple numbers or something a little more risqué.

Other nice touches on the Judge include the alloy runner on the rear fender, which looks neat; the aluminium air cleaner cover; black headlight nacelle; stitching on the seat; and the ‘clean’ look of the Freedom 106ci (1731cc) V-twin engine. There’s no visible plumbing to sully the view, and about the only part of the equation which looks a little muddled is the set-up for the rear brake. But that’s incongruous, as the rest of the bike has solid construction written all over it. You won’t find too many plastic bits here, either.

The Judge’s front fender is a trimmed version of the Cross Country’s, while the rear fender is all new -- and produced a lot of grey hairs during the styling phase to get it just right. The back end has LED blinkers and taillight, the latter integrated into the fender.

The mid-mount controls are also new kids on the block; a function over form exercise which is a winner for me, but more on that later.

I love the energy of Victory’s Freedom 106ci engine (1731cc), whose praises were sung in the recent High-Ball review. It’s really based on the generous spread of torque; the type of grunty, addictive powerplant that makes cruisers what they are.

With very little free play in the throttle, it’s simply straight down to business with a crisp and immediate power delivery. The fuelling is spot on, and I was hard pressed to elicit any real moans and groans from the powertrain unless I was overloading it at low speed in a high gear. Vibration is negligible too, with only a slight buzz through the mirrors an indication of the tremors happening below.

There’s no howl of revs or scorching acceleration, which is probably why Victory doesn’t even bother quoting a power figure; instead the 153Nm of torque takes on the sole bragging rights (although about 85hp is what you’d be getting). Victory personnel was keen to emphasise the Judge’s torque premium over the Harley-Davidson Fat Bob, which produces 100Nm, as well as being heavier (by 6.5kg) than its American rival.

The standard slash-cut pipes deliver a pleasing note, but at the launch two bikes were fitted with Cobra two-into-ones, which distribute a sharper, yet unobtrusive bite. The Cobra pipes will end up in the Victory catalogue, along with about 74 other items, including a longer rear shock and a number of seat options. Of those items, 13 are bespoke to the Judge.

Other than for a fairly hefty clunk when engaging first gear, the Judge’s gearbox is excellent, engaging every gear with a smooth and positive actuation. But it’s still a big cruiser box, so you’ve got to change gears with some level of purpose. Overall, the difference between the old and new Victory gearboxes is just about beyond compare.

The sixth gear overdrive is brilliant for open cruising, and we tested it out on a freeway heading back into Palm Springs, sitting on about 75mph (120km/h).

The clutch grab is also very smooth on the Judge, and we had plenty of time to test it out while chugging south out of Palm Springs en route to our first batch of bends on highway 74.

The Judge handles tighter bends with a sense of predictability and poise, and there’s none of that tip-tip-drop feeling you sometimes get with bikes of this ilk.

The mid-mount controls and drag bars on the Judge pitches the rider forward in quite an aggressive position; certainly more so than any other Victory before it.

In fact, it may be a real stretch for some people to reach the bars, but I like the ergonomics – especially the mid-mount controls. It’s just commonsense, and the seat is comfortable too with its nice lip at the back taking care of lumbar support. I reckon I could handle a long day in the saddle on this thing, with the 17-litre tank making for decent mileage.

Probably the biggest dynamic to get used to on twisty roads is the feeling from the front end, with quite a soft non-adjustable fork and the 130-section tyre initially not making for the liveliest of combinations.

But the solution is quite simple: if you ease off 10 percent you’ll be rewarded with ‘efficiency’ gains beyond that, which is what came home to roost as we took in some tantalising twists and turns on highway 243 between the little towns of Idyllwild and Banning. It was magic and the Judge was in its element, swinging through turns and purring along in third and fourth gear. And with hardly any gear changes either, as the big V-twin just winds out in one cog between bends.

If you want to amp up the sporting theme a little further, you can jack up the preload, but it is a little fiddly as you have to take off a side cover and delve beneath a fuse box before you start adjusting.

But if that’s not enough, there is a longer shock that can be fitted, which lifts ride height by about 22mm as well as eliminating some ground clearance issues. Standard ground clearance is 120mm.

All told, the suspension does a good job and there’s very little choppiness on the rough stuff – the curse that can sometimes affect basic suspenders.

Manoeuvring the Judge at slow speed is a cinch with the mid-mount controls, and it’s also helped by the fact that the wheelbase is just 1647mm – the shortest of any Victory.

The Judge is built to a price, and Victory doesn’t hide from that fact. That’s why it has the steel frame from the Vegas platform rather than a cast aluminium structure; a conventional rather than upside-down fork; and a single disc at the front.

The four-piston caliper 300mm front brake does require a fairly hefty pull at the bars to bring the 300kg Judge to a halt, but at least the back brake (300mm also) doesn’t shy away from shouldering a lot of the workload. It’s quite lively too, and will lock up quite easily. There’s no ABS offered on the Judge but at least the single front brake allows the five-spoke mag wheel a share of limelight, and it does look quite trick.

The Judge delivers exactly what it sets out to – solid performance and comfort in an appealing package. And with the Judge’s styling cut from a different cloth than other bikes, it’s a point of differentiation which may be the ace up its sleeve in welcoming new followers – whether new to motorcycling or just switching across from other brands.

The Judge will go on sale downunder for $22,995, in a choice of three colours: Gloss Black, Suede Nuclear Sunset or Sunset Red.

But you’ll be able to see a very special Judge in the flesh in the Victory stand at the 2011 Australian Motorcycle Expo on the Gold Coast from February 17-19.

ENGINE
Type: Air-cooled, four-stroke, SOHV, eight-valve, 50-degree v-twin
Capacity: 1731cc
Bore x stroke: 101mm x 108mm
Compression ratio: 9.4 :1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection
Emissions: Euro 3
Claimed maximum power: Not given
Claimed maximum torque: 153.2Nm