Victory's New 2013 Judge

The Judge outfitted in the Sunset Red paint option looks fast and sexy.

Outfitted with a conventional telescopic front fork with 5.1 inches of travel up front and a single, mono-tube gas shock coupled to a cast aluminum swingarm with rising rate linkage in the rear culminating in 3 inches of travel, the Judge handled hard jolts rather smoothly. We didn’t notice any major issues with rapid inconsistencies in the road, as the front forks were able to work quickly enough to minimize transferring the hammering effect to our hands and arms. In the braking department the Judge is set up with a single four-pot caliper cinching down on a 300mm brake rotor up front and matching 300mm rotor squeezed between a two-piston caliper in the rear. The brakes adequately handled maintaining downhill speeds and avoiding unexpected stops by the other riders in our group.

As we stated before, we’ve been very pleased with the Freedom 106/6 engine/transmission. Outfitted in the Judge frame, the powertrain combination provides a decent amount of power and easy shifting. Once off the mountain and back on the freeway, we noticed that even while cruising in the true overdrive Sixth gear, there was still some solid power left in the throttle. When we really wanted to get ahead, it was just a matter of dropping it into Fifth and giving the throttle a good twist. Is it pure unadulterated muscle car power? Probably not, but definitely capable of laying down a smoking patch of rubber when lined up next to your buddy at the stoplight.

If information is your thing, a very simple and easy-to-read single gauge pod is mounted to the front side of the triple trees and is angled just right to be easily viewed past the center of the risers and handlebars. The gauge displays speed in traditional analog format, while the center of the gauge has a small LCD screen that toggles between clock, gear, odometer, trip meter, as well as RPM. Just above the LCD are indicator lights for turn signals, oil, high beam, low fuel, and Neutral.

As far as the looks are concerned, we like this fresh direction Victory is taking with this cruiser model. The new accent lines in the fenders and tank are very prominent and give the bike a clean-edged look. Gone is the triangular shaped headlight and side covers we’ve seen on some of the other Vics and in their places are a traditional round headlight and more traditional style oval side covers similar to the oil tanks found in some old-school-style bikes. While we prefer these new oval side covers, we are not too fond of the front of the seat design and the way it dips over the front of the side cover and then juts up around the tank. From the side of the bike it just looks awkward. The rear of the bike is clean and simple with new minimal fender struts that are more like side rails, than bulky struts. The top of the rear fender features Victory’s flush-mount taillight styling but with a sleek new design. Overall, the mixture of blacked out components with black and machined finishes gives the bike a rugged and tough look and when combined with the Gloss Black paint option ($13,999), the bike really looks mean and aggressive. Victory also offers the bike in either a Suede Nuclear Sunset or a Sunset Red finish for $14,399.

Now the question remains, is Victory’s latest model for you? There’s only one way to find out. Get out there, find a dealership, or an event where Victory is offering demo rides, throw a leg over one and you be the judge. HB