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Iron Butt
Posts: 802
| I spent today at our local Victory dealer and got to ride a few of the new demo bikes. Surprisingly the one that was the most fun was the Judge. It handles and rides amazingly well. It has very neutral handling which makes it really easy to throw into turns. The suspension was the plushest of all the cruiser bikes I rode besides the fact that it goes like hell. The mid foot control and seat arrangement worked well for this old body but the handlebars were a joke. The reach is way too far forward which puts your body in kind of a U shape. The most intriguing feature and something I didn't expect was the quality of the transmission. It still clunks into first but the rest of the shifts are just click, click, click. You can't find a false neutral if you wanted one. It takes almost no lever pressure to get it to shift and when it does it does it smoother and with greater precision than any Victory I've ridden. At least it is way better than my '11 Vision has ever been. All the other bikes I rode shifted about the same as my bike so I did a little research to try and figure out why.
The bikes I rode other than the Judge were all made during May and June of 2011. According to the dealer Victory switches annual production in August so in reality these bikes were 2011 models and not 2012. On the other hand the Judge just came off of the assembly line in February of 2012. I got into the parts lists and compared 2012 to 2011 and the answer popped out. For 2012 they have updated 7 individual gears as well as the shifter star wheel that controls the shift lever. At what point they actually instituted these running changes into the production line I have no idea but the result is pretty dramatic. If you get a chance take a test ride on a Judge and see what you think of the trans. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. As I usually do I started thinking about what it would take to get my bike to shift like the Judge. The only new part that is accessible without splitting the cases is the star wheel which is under the clutch but I kinda doubt if that's responsible for such a dramatic change. Probably they've redesigned the engagement components like the shift dogs which would require changing the gears which isn't practical. Anyway, it sure was nice to see that Vic is continuing to hone the product. Maybe they should call this one their "125,000 mile" trans?
Marc |
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Cruiser
Posts: 231
Desert Hot Springs (Palm Springs area), CA | I too got to ride the Judge and I fully agree about FUN of it all. It was FAST, well balanced and nimble. My arms and legs are short with a long torso and I found myself leaning way to forward for my liking. I'm sure a set of 2 or 3" pullback handlebars would fit the bill. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | Great to hear they are refining the product as model years go by. I thought the Judge might be a good handling bike, sometimes the rear tires on bikes are just too wide ( Hammer ) Most AMA and World Superbikes use 180-190mm rear tires......... |
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Visionary
Posts: 3773
Pittsburgh, PA | you mentioned the trany was better than your 11? arent they the same exact transmission? |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 802
| Arkainzeye - 2012-03-25 4:07 PM
you mentioned the trany was better than your 11? arent they the same exact transmission?If you reread the second paragraph you'll see that they updated the trans again for 2012 with new gears. It is much improved over my '11.
Marc |
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Visionary
Posts: 3773
Pittsburgh, PA | marcparnes - 2012-03-26 7:50 AM
Arkainzeye - 2012-03-25 4:07 PM
you mentioned the trany was better than your 11? arent they the same exact transmission?If you reread the second paragraph you'll see that they updated the trans again for 2012 with new gears. It is much improved over my '11.
Marc
thanks marc, i need to read better. on a side note.. im shocked they would make a major change in 2011 and then later change again in less than one year... i know change is good, but it does shake my faith in the choices they make when they dont believe in themselves..! to use the same trany in 08,09,10 and then change it in 2011 is one thing.. but then months after decided you Need to change it again?! like the radio in my 08.. JUNK.. then the radio on my 11 is actually pretty great...
when i got my 11 vision i thought it was a great improvement (with the trany) over my clunky 08 !! i would like to try a 2012 !
i remember when they launched the 2011 tranmission.. they called it the NEW 100,000 Miles transmission !! so what is the 2012? the NEW 120,000 Miles transmission?! LOL
Edited by Arkainzeye 2012-03-26 8:36 AM
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Iron Butt
Posts: 802
| Another thing I noticed at the demo was that even though a bike may be called a 2012 it might not have the upgraded gears depending on when it was built. The only one I rode that actually contained the new parts based on how it shifted was the Judge which was built in february 2012 while the other ones built in May and June of 2011 shifted the same as mine. So if I were to buy a 2012 I would be sure to ride it first and insist on one late enough to have the new shift characteristics. It is really that much better. Based on the fact that they made such a big deal about the 2011 trans, I can understand why they might not want to publicize what amounts to a running change for 2012. On the other hand you have to give them credit for making such a substantial improvement so short after the last redesign. The 2011 change involved many things besides just the gears including the cases so a really big deal. From what I could figure out this update only involves the actually gears and star wheel. I priced the parts at the dealer and they came to $1400 not including the gaskets, etc that would also be needed. I've no idea how much labor is involved but it's as involved a job as can be done. I sure wish they had come up with these gears when they built mine but that's how it goes. Running changes are continuous and can happen at any time. I just hope they upgraded it for no other reason than to improve the shift rather than because they found a potential problem. Time will tell.
Marc |
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Demo Truck and Updated Transmission