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2013 Victory Judge Review

51K views 85 replies 42 participants last post by  Jamboa 
#1 ·

Nearly three years in the making – from concept to the street – the Judge is Victory's first new cruiser platform since 2006. While we didn't know Victory's latest creation was on its way to us, a recent full day ride aboard the Judge says this new cruiser was worth the wait.

The first impression the Judge imposes is that it's a power cruiser with a lineage from the Hammer S. Although this new bike is stout looking, just like the Hammer, the Judge is its own machine, with its classic American muscle car-inspired styling revealed most prominently in the cast-aluminum 5-spoke wheels wrapped in plump 16-inch Dunlop 491 tires wearing raised white lettering.

At first glance the Judge looks compact. With a deeply dished saddle designed to hold the rider in place, mid-mount controls now more rearward and a handlebar moved 1.0-inch forward compared to the Vegas cruiser, Victory's product manager Ben Lindaman says the Judge's ergo package is specifically designed to fit and appeal to a wide range of riders, with part of that appeal in the form of a flat-foot-able 25.9-inch seat height.

More: 2013 Victory Judge Review on Motorcycle.com
 
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#2 ·
Judge Judged?

Just seen the judge at the London bike show Vic has helpfully parked the 2012 Hammer s near it and I do not see why anyone would buy the Judge when they can have the Hammer so its a bit less money I could have bought a Thunderbird storm for 2 grand less than I paid for my Hammer and its made 60 miles from where I live when you are spending this much money surely you might as well have what you really want and screw the money saving.
I was interested in the set back foot pegs for my bike and the head lamp off it though.
The footpegs will fit a Hammer but do not feel as comfy as mine so thats saved me some money but the head light is still calling me.
This bike may actually save me money as I usually get bored and look to change bikes after around 10 months (yes I have had a lot of bikes) but I am still besotted by my Hammer after 8 Months and have no desire to change it so thanks to Victory for making the bike I always wanted and it only took me 44 years to find it.:)
 
#3 ·
I kept getting the emails and got excited to see one... Kinda cool Gunny is the spokesman.

I haven't yet had the chance to see it in person, so I'll wait till then to finalize my opinion. But just going by the pics on the internets, (and I readily agree that's not fair) it looks like a foreign cruiser...

I like my hammer. I am still looking forward to seeing in person and eventually test riding though. I can see that easily changing my tune.

Unfortunately, my local Vic dealership only does Japanese bikes now and it's quite the drive to another dealer... Will have to wait till I'm 'in the area'. :(
 
#4 ·
Stumpy



If you like your Hammer and I bet you do you will not like the Judge its like the stumpy ugly girl at the party if theres nothing else you will give it a go but you sure do not want your friends seeing you on top of it :p
 
#5 ·
Im just not that impressed with it. After looking at the Vision's design, just think Victory missed the mark. Really...19000 for the Hammer is too high, and if this thing is close to that ,I cant imagine their going to sell too many.
 
#6 ·
Pricey



Yes the Hammer is a bit expensive and as I stated earlier I could have got a Thunderbird storm for two grand less and its made on my doorstep but most bikers are men at least they are in the UK and when we want something we worry about cost later i have had my Hammer for about 8 months now and have not regretted buying it for one second anything that makes me feel this good is money well spent love it.:)
 
#7 ·
I think this bike is suppose to be on the lower end of Victory's models. I feel like I've seen pricing for this around the $13,999 - 14,999 range. Which is a lot of bike for the price.

As for the Hammer, I can honestly say that I think it is the funnest bike out of all the Victory models. - It may see like alot of money for the bike, but imho it's worth every penny. You just don't get that kind of fun on a regular cruiser, but a muscle cruiser, it's a different story. (Plus the comments and looks you get, MmmMmmm)thumb up
 
#8 ·
I like the concept of an old musclecar, and i like the looks... except WTF is the oval lump that the seat actually wraps around, a tumor?!?!? :puke:
Seriously... wtf is it? :confused:
 
#9 ·
Looks like something SAMCRO could be riding. If Jax really wanted to really change things up; put his fairing on, flat black, reaper... the possibilities are endless!
 
#10 ·
Side covers.

I see a new market opening up. Aftermarket side covers of a more convectional design. Just wait until they start selling them. You will see somebody come up with a different design,unless Victory is smart and beats them to the punch and comes up with some themselves.thumb up. I could see some with a hidden compartment with small lids for small items such as papers or gloves,etc. :rolleyes: Just an idea Roland Sands.;)
 
#11 ·
I see a new market opening up. Aftermarket side covers of a more convectional design. Just wait until they start selling them. You will see somebody come up with a different design,unless Victory is smart and beats them to the punch and comes up with some themselves.thumb up. I could see some with a hidden compartment with small lids for small items such as papers or gloves,etc. :rolleyes: Just an idea Roland Sands.;)
Doubt it. Look at the seat above it. It's oval too. They want people to buy their stickers and show them off like a racer's number plate.

 
#12 ·
Side covers.

saddlebag. Ok then another item to sell. After market seat or a seat option from Victory with a straight bottom edge to the seat, then you can make side panels easier possibly. I think it would be cool for new side cover to offer a little storage space in them so you could carry registration,insurance papers, some small tools,gloves,etc. without having to have saddlebags. Just another crazy idea of mine.:crzy:
 
#13 ·
saddlebag. Ok then another item to sell. After market seat or a seat option from Victory with a straight bottom edge to the seat, then you can make side panels easier possibly.
One could always buy a Highball and shitcan the ape hangers for sportier bars and swap the wire wheels out for the mags. Voila! A Judge with no more number plate!

Of course there are still other tasty bits on the Judge. I wish Victory still had the program where people could request the bike the way they wanted it.

Give me a Judge with Vegas 8-ball handlebars, Vegas luggage, ABS, extended shock, and Kingpin forks and I'd be a happy camper.

I think it would be cool for new side cover to offer a little storage space in them so you could carry registration,insurance papers, some small tools,gloves,etc. without having to have saddlebags. Just another crazy idea of mine.:crzy:
I think the panels would have to stick out quite a bit to offer the capacity you desire as the area is undoubtedly full of a battery, ECU, fuse box, wire harnesses, etc.

Personally, I think the Vic bags look great on the High Ball. Unfortunately, for some reason they don't seem to fit the Judge or at least aren't offered on the site's "Customize" feature. The luggage they do offer for the Judge is hideous.

Anyway, oval number plates are the next in the line of fat tire, tall handlebar MC fads ya know:

 
#14 ·
Cool looking Guzzi. Still do not like the large #plate on the side personally. One neat thing I read is you can pull the heads and mill a few thousands off very easily on that Guzzi raising the compression ratio,with out spending a fortune.
 
#15 ·
#16 ·
Ness made a useless show bike. Of course he could make it cute, as no one would actually ride such a thing anywhere anyway. The Judge is ever so more functional.

My only disappointment is with them holding back on the more functional parts. I was happy to see them break the cruiser mold and do something a little creative. So much more interesting than yet another black cruiser with a fat tire and ape hangers.
 
#20 ·
New bikes.

Speaking of coming out with something different. I still think Victory ought to go ahead and barrow an engine from their parent company Polaris and come out with something different. Just think they could take a Polaris parralle twin from their quads as a basic design to begin with and then put it into a street bike frame. They could then build an all street version and a dual purpose version, or enduro we use to call them. I think they could make this design of bike a more sporting offering,lighter and more affordable than all their current one engine basic design they keep using again and again. They are already into the dirt offroading thing,why not offer a two wheeled version. They could also offer the dirt version using the Polaris name and a street version using the Victory brand. I know one of my other crazy ideas.:crzy:
 
#30 ·
Hardly (pun intended). They do need to get the bike some ground clearance and perhaps a nice set of upside down cartridge forks, but this thing would blow a V-rod to smithereens on anything twistier than a drag strip. I'm sure Half Crazy et al could come up with a handful of suggestions to fix it for that venue too.
 
#33 ·
Hi, new here.

This weekend I was catching up on my cycle mags when I saw the "Judge." Have to say it looks really cool. I am definitely going to go check one out.

My question is, Is Victory treading lightly on the obvious inspiration for this bike? I have watched the Victory videos and find it interesting that they use a Camaro at the beginning of the vid. Also, in the interview video the subject comes up and they completely ignore "The Muscle Car" that this thing is inspired by. Didn't know if they were maybe overstepping the name or something. The bike is orange, has Rally II wheels and called "Judge.". Sounds like a Pontiac to me.

Yes, I have a Pontiac GTO Judge and think it would be very cool to put the bike in the garage with it.
 
#34 ·
New to the forums here and just bought this bike on wednesday. I am 23 years old and this is my first bike. I love it. Get a ton of looks! Definetly looks different than most of what you see out there and I love that about it.
 
#37 ·
They recently had the Victory test ride event at my local dealer and I had the opportunity to ride The Judge. Very impressive power band and gearing. There never seemed to be a point where it was not very responsive and was very easy to get it into the "go to jail" speeds quickly. I did not have many chances to test the cornering but for what I did, it seemed very sure footed. Living in the desert all of the good twisties are 3 hours away and the leg room on the bike would not be comfortable for that distance. If the leg room is not an issue for you, I would definitely suggest you take one for a test ride.thumb up
 
#38 ·
Finally....

Was able to get up close and personal with this machine last weekend. The dealer I frequent had one in stock.

Looks are one thing, but what I wanted to do was sit on it and feel how the positioning differed from my Vegas. To me, this more of a sport bike feel. All good for cruising around town or some rural roads, but I wouldn't want to be on this thing for a 500 mile day trip. The positioning to me just felt....well, strange. To be honest it looked strange from the promo shots and the video, and it is. At least to me. With the mid mounted controls it gives you more of that hunched feel. Opposed to the laid out feel of the cruiser. It almost seems as if Victory is targeting the sport bike crowd, trying to get more converts from that world to this. I didn't get to test ride it :(, but could feel from sitting on it that this is a much more nimble bike and would be easy to navigate some congested traffic if need be. I do really wish they would have put the inverted suspension on the front with another disc brake.

All in all seems like a really nice ride. Felt very solid and of course, very well built. As far as looks, it does look much better in person than any photo I've seen. Unfortunately I think I was expecting too much and it still doesn't impress me. It's just there. I'm not jazzed about the round headlight, not sure what the hype is there. It's a headlight, it's round, just like every other cruiser. I'm a fan of what stands out. I can see a Victory bucket headlight a mile away. But if this thing was coming at me, it's just another bike. The rear fender rails are re-designed and are round instead of flat. Not sure what this was supposed to accomplish, but it does not give me that muscle car feel.

Appearances are subjective though, and my tastes can be demanding. Like I said, I like things to stand out and be different. I love every one of Victory's motorcycles they have out there, and I say that with great conviction. The reason I love them so much is they stand out and ARE different. I know when I see a CCT because of the design of the faring; different than any other manufacturer. It almost seems as if Victory succumb to a standard of motorcycle design and decided to not think out of the box on this one. I think that's what was disappointing me the most. I've seen their potential and what they can do, I feel this fell short of that. In short, I think they just took the most basic of designs and put their motor and some mag wheels on it.

Nice but not great to me. I'm already looking at picking up another Victory to add to the stable and I can say that this is not going to be it.
 
#39 ·
I do really wish they would have put the inverted suspension on the front with another disc brake.
That was my initial thought too. But after I thought about trying to get an air hose on the nipple of a 16" rim with giant rotors covering both sides I reconsidered. With an EBC pad, one disk is probably sufficient especially given how useful rear brakes are on cruisers.

I've read that the forks are cartridge types as opposed to the low end damper rod types on the other standard fork cruisers. I agree the inverted forks would jazz it up a little, but may improve function much.

In any event, I think it would make a great long distance bike with the following mods:

1. 1" taller shock
2. Change the handlebar out for the Vegas 8-ball handlebar
3. Add Kingpin floorboards
4. Add saddlebags and cut those goofy X pattern buckles off and incinerate them
 
#40 ·
I rode one during a recent Demo Tour Truck stop here in NC. I did NOT like it AT ALL. You do sit forward and that is OK as it's just a more sport bike seating position. One problem I had was that the lock-to-lock turning of this bike is VERY restrictive. The power actually felt "less" than the Jackpot I rode at that same event.

My opinion is that Victory has WAY "over priced" this bike and that will cost them sales in the long run. If they had built this as a $9,999 bike, it would be a winner as it would garner support from the entry-level market. However, as it is priced the SAME as ALL the other cruisers, it simply becomes yet one more option at that same price point.
 
#41 ·
My opinion is that Victory has WAY "over priced" this bike and that will cost them sales in the long run. If they had built this as a $9,999 bike, it would be a winner as it would garner support from the entry-level market. However, as it is priced the SAME as ALL the other cruisers, it simply becomes yet one more option at that same price point.
Great point. One I forgot to touch on in my thoughts of this new unit. IMO this 14k machine is not nearly as enjoyable as my 12,5k machine. The only way I could see the Judge warrant a 14k price tag is to beef up the front suspension, brakes, and a couple things Saddle mentioned. I purchased my Vegas out the door for 11,4k, which is a smoking price for the quality of bike. To me, the MSRP of the Vegas is more applicable than the asking price for a Judge. It's just not worth it. To see a Vegas, KP, or even a Hammer S priced the way they are, then look over and see this one priced at 14. I'm thinking "Really?!?!?".

I'm with you ndabunka on your price assessment. Even priced at 11 or 12 would be more acceptable.
 
#45 ·
As far as I know, all the cruisers are based on the same frame. The difference between the High Ball/Judge compared to the Vegas is an upgraded fork. They all seem to use the 3" travel rear shock except the Kingpin and Hammer which use a longer (and much better performing) 3.9" travel rear shock.
 
#50 ·
I stopped by my dealer today and they had one sitting in the shop. The seat felt good but I didn't like how far forward the bars were and I also felt too cramped overall.

I think I'll stay with my XR :)

Of course I don't think I was the type of rider they were looking to buy it anyway ;)
 
#51 ·
I think I'll stay with my XR :)
Having ridden the two back to back, even disregarding the XR's better luggage capacity, passenger accommodations, and wind protection, it is still a far superior ride for very little additional $$$.

I think I am the person the I think the Judge was targeted to, but they'll need to do better. Although if I could get one cheap enough and redo the seat, put some wider flat track style handlebars on it (ala the Harley XR), air ride shock, Stage 1, and some Kingpin floorboards, I think it would make a great back road burner. A nice set of subdued luggage sans any silly crossing belt buckles would even make it useful to get away on solo for a weekend.
 
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