Janus Motorcycles: The Classic Motorcycle Startup That Blew my Mind

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart) 02/17/2020 at 13:21 • Filed to: two wheels good, janus motorcycles, Embiggen this, Motorcycle

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A couple weekends ago I spent a Saturday in the wonderful world of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! here in Chicago. Thousands of two-wheel-curious people came out to see the latest in motorcycle tech, check out customs, or even learn how to ride. Like Out Motorsports colleague   !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , I also learned how to wheelie on a brilliant Zero electric motorcycle. However, the highlight of the show for me was Janus Motorcycles, a little manufacturer from Goshen, Indiana, hidden in the two-wheeled madness.

Classic-styled bikes and vintage machines have seen a renaissance in recent years. Cafe builds are popular on social media, and big manufacturers now want a slice of the vintage pie. Even shows like IMS feature sizable vintage displays.

And yet, few of the modern vintage builds truly call back to a time when bikes were built by hand and the machines were unapologetically analogue. That is, until you set your eyes on a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Like the name suggests, they’re one carburetor in the past and a tire in the future.

I was astonished that I hadn’t heard of them before, and as I explored their display I heard others express the same amazement.

Janus Motorcycles don’t just look the part. Like a Morgan, they employ old-school building techniques with dabs of modernity here and there. These bikes are built almost entirely by hand in Indiana, with much of the work carried out by Amish craftsmen. Most parts of every motorcycle they build are sourced and made right here in the United States.

Janus’ Three Captivating Motorcycle Flavors

The Janus Motorcycles lineup is small thus far with only three models, Phoenix, Gryffin, and Halcyon.

The Halcyon looks ripped straight out of the pages of history with a hardtail style rear end, classic lines, and sprung seat. If you didn’t know any better, you would think this motorcycle was nearly 100 years old.

The Gryffin is a scrambler, set to challenge the wilderness and steal an off-roader’s heart doing it. This motorcycle is built to be taken “off the grid,” and it’s not afraid to be roughed up. Like the rest of the bikes here, it’s purposely simple, but tough. Like the scramblers of old, this bike should be so easily repaired you could probably get it home with zip ties, duct tape, and chewing gum if you needed to.

Rounding out the trio is the Phoenix. This motorcycle absolutely nails the timeless cafe look that so many riders are looking for today. These remind me a little of a classic Egli-Vincent or AJS cafe racer. All three bikes even come with little Easter eggs. The number plates actually indicate what serial number in the series you have, and each motorcycle has an outline of Indiana with the company’s location highlighted.

Powering every Janus is a carbureted 229cc single-cylinder engine, pumping out 14 bhp and 11.65 lb-ft of torque. Top speed is around 70 mph. I would probably avoid long stints on the Interstate, but weighing in around 265 pounds, these bikes should be plenty fun storming down a country road. The engine is simple with no surprises! As mentioned before, a core philosophy behind these bikes is simplicity. Janus wants the rider to be able to maintain and repair their cycle without an engineering degree.

The Heart of Janus Motorcycles

Some will be quick to point out that this engine comes from China and indeed, it does. This is no surprise to me. Building a machine from scratch is hard, with engines being a particularly expensive expenditure. A small outfit would not easily be able to engineer their own engine, unless they plan on pricing their vehicles into the stratosphere. First efforts having outsourced major parts is actually more common than you’d think. And l ook no further than attempted car startups like Elio Motors to see how building your own engine can be a slow, expensive process.

That said, these engines are design descendants of Honda and are used in bikes all over the world. They shopped around for an engine manufacturer with a good track record for durability and reliability. The company figures if these engines can survive the harsh environments around the world where repairs may be few and far between, they’ll be just fine in America. Janus is so confident in their reliability and quality, their co-founder rode one cross-country. They put these engines through a full gauntlet of testing. They challenge you to come try it at one of their !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .  

All three Janus motorcycles do start on the higher end for their spec sheet ($6995 regardless of model). However, each motorcycle also has a laundry list of options, and you’ll be getting a hand-built motorcycle offering a fair amount of customization. These bikes aren’t supposed to compete with big brands and they aren’t supposed to win speed wars. Janus is selling a big-picture experience with these machines. It sounds like most Janus owners already own another motorcycle, if not entire collections. Other Janus owners appear to be first time riders wanting something a bit more cool than just another Honda Rebel. I’d feel it would be unfair to judge them on spec sheet and other bikes alone. I actually really like that each variant has the same starting price!

I’m so happy to see so many fresh ideas in the motorcycle industry. These machines swept me off my feet and I hope to see more of them and get to sample them for myself.

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SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Mercedes Streeter 02/17/2020 at 13:24

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Great Write-Up! Wow, this is OPPO at it’s best. I’d never even heard of them (indiana!) and their work looks epic.

Thanks for posting.

Maxima Speed > Mercedes Streeter 02/17/2020 at 13:29

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This is so  cool!!! I want one! Actually scratch that. I need one.

ranwhenparked > Mercedes Streeter 02/17/2020 at 13:30

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I had a strong, irrational desire for a Halcyon 50 a few years back, was a little disappointed they stopped making it.

No 50cc motorbike has a right to look this good. 

fintail > Mercedes Streeter 02/17/2020 at 13:38

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Those are pretty cool, especially the Halcyon, interesting early styling.

Funny thing, the Zundapp motorcycle company made a car called the Janus, with a somewhat unique configuration:

Decay buys too many beaters > Mercedes Streeter 02/17/2020 at 13:40

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I think they look fantastic, especially the Phoenix. However, I think $7k is way too optimistic considering how steep depreciation is on bikes with components from regions considered “not premium”. For example, look at how many late model Enfields you can find on craigslist for around $2k.

RacinBob > Mercedes Streeter 02/17/2020 at 13:42

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Whats th e story on what looks to be a new ‘72 Honda 250/350?

RacinBob > RacinBob 02/17/2020 at 13:53

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Mercedes Streeter > Decay buys too many beaters 02/17/2020 at 13:53

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You can find a late model Enfield for like $2k?

*Searches Internet* ...oh...oh my god.

But yeah, you do drive home a good point that these are not bikes you’ll want to buy if you expect to get a decent return on the used market. I think that’s part of the reason most of the folks that own one already own something else.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail 02/17/2020 at 13:56

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Crap, you beat me to it, even down to already copying the same interwebs photo.

This post needs more Zundapp for sure.

Mercedes Streeter > RacinBob 02/17/2020 at 13:58

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No idea. The vintage section of the show where it was located just had the bikes sitting out there without any info on them . Some bikes were restored, some were restomods, some were cafes, and there was a whole section of original condition survivors.

atfsgeoff > Mercedes Streeter 02/17/2020 at 13:59

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I have no doubt that these bikes are built to be ridden, but they will not end up in the hands of people who would ride one every day. They’re just too expensive.

Decay buys too many beaters > Mercedes Streeter 02/17/2020 at 14:08

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Yep! One of these days I’m sure a Bullet 500 will follow me home (I actually just lost out on an auction for a salvage Himalayan this past week , it went for $900).

On one hand, I don’t see anyone else doing the REAL old 1920s to 1940s aesthetic, so they have that market locked down. However the $7k price range is tricky for the people who just want the hipster-ey vintage vibe. You have E nfield slotting in below, and Guzzi/Ducati ( Scrambler) not too far above. Either way, I’d love to try one out.

Mercedes Streeter > atfsgeoff 02/17/2020 at 14:33

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In my research for this story, I was curious about that myself. Who are the kinds of riders that would buy a Janus?

I learned that most Janus owners do actually ride their bikes regularly. The company’s own findings are that most of their owners have a second (bigger, faster) bike or a collection of them. However, the Janus ends up being the daily because it’s so fun to ride. This seemed to be the case with the owners I talked to.

Their production process could be a story all on its own. I’m certain much of the cost is because they choose to build the bikes using very inefficient processes by today’s standards. The bikes are built in Amish country. I mean, their welders are powered by a diesel generator out back.

Seems to me a few of those who buy a Janus really LOVE that 1920s-40s  aesthetic , but don’t want to pay 5 figures for the privilege of getting one custom built. In that way, Janus is intentionally carving out a niche.

DipodomysDeserti > RacinBob 02/17/2020 at 16:36

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That looks to be a late ‘60s early ‘70s cb175. Very clean.

DipodomysDeserti > Mercedes Streeter 02/17/2020 at 16:38

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Very cool, but no way I’m dropping that kind of coin on a custom bike whose heart is a Chinese thumper. Would have been cooler if they found old 175s to put in them.

thatsmr > Mercedes Streeter 02/17/2020 at 18:47

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This is a well-thought and written piece. Thanks for the good read, and these are attractive bikes

My 2cents unfortunately is just due to the lower cost of entry, the niche bike market is too trend-oriented, and more likely to crash. Just ask any “custom chopper” owner taking a bath in the long forks and billet wheels. 

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > atfsgeoff 02/17/2020 at 19:26

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I can easily see these as bikes owned by vintage motorcycle enthusiasts that don’t want to wear out their freshly restored vintage motorcycles.

Pickup_man > Mercedes Streeter 02/18/2020 at 11:37

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If you can check out the Flying Dutchman on Prime. It’s a documentary of a couple of guys riding half way across the country and they start on a Janus I believe. Unfortunately they don’t get very far before the bike falls apart and they have to buy an old UJM to complete the trip, but it’s a cool story regardless.

I do love the way these bikes look and I’m glad they’re selling enough to stay afloat with their high prices. Hopefully they stick around to  either keep building bikes the way they are, or modernize a bit and get the prices down so they can really compete.

Mercedes Streeter > Pickup_man 02/18/2020 at 12:11

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Not just any Janus, but one of the 50cc (!!!) bikes they started the company with! Plus a sidecar! I can’t imagine trying to cross country on a 50 with two grown humans on it. lol

Interestingly, the founders aren’t that interested in competing. They seem pretty content in just carving out their own little niche. From what their reps told me, they are making some good money.  S o I could see a future where they bring their engine development to America as well.