American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 169 August 2013

THE BRADLEY REPORT J ANUS Motorcycles are a Goshen, Indiana based manufacturer of hand-built motorcycles that take their design references from the kind of motorcycling that recalls a bygone era. There’s nothing too unusual in that in America, a market where the ‘retro style’ has largely dominated custom bike design for a decade now, and where heritage is King. However, what is unusual about the Janus project, in American terms, is that these hand-built bikes are not replicas of a specific age or model, and are not big-inchers proclaiming themselves as American in cultural and component terms. These are small cc motorcycles, mostly ranging from 125 to 250cc, that are being built with many European sourced parts and as much of a reference to vintage European styling as anything that was ever familiar to prior generations of US riders. Janus is the brainchild of founders Devin Biek, founder of ‘Motion Left Mopeds’ in 2003, a business created to serve the growing international vintage moped movement, and Richard Worsham, holder of a Master’s degree in classical architecture. They share some 15 years of small T engine tuning and custom bike building experience, and having designed and built a number of highend custom bikes and performance parts, decided to design, build and market a completely original motorcycle based on the idea of simplicity, ease of operation and maintenance, and extreme light weight. hey say that their bikes “are not replicas, we haven’t designed them to exactly emulate a period from history. They are contemporary, practical machines that celebrate some of our favourite aspects of motorcycle design over the last century. “We are building motorcycles for all ages of men and women who may not see themselves as a “biker”, or doing 150 mph, but who love the freedom, joy and mobility that a motorcycle allows, especially if they can work on it themselves. “We hope that what we are trying to accomplish is a step towards building a younger, broader generation of American riders. We are currently in production of a limited number of our first model, the 50cc “Halcyon”, an homage to 1920’s and 30’s record breakers such as the Brough Superior, Indian, Triumph and Zenith. “We are a federally licensed vehicle manufacturer and each of our bikes comes with a VIN number and is titled and road legal in the United States. We design and build everything by hand, including the frame, fuel tank, exhaust system, leather seat and saddlebags, handlebars, and wiring harness. “ We use rims and brakes manufactured to our specifications, EBR hydraulic forks, and a great Spanish-designed 2-stroke motor. The highly upgradable engine is a watercooled 6-speed unit based on the Derbi Senda that produces about 10 bhp in stock form. “Every bike comes with both kick and electric start, as well as an oil injection system, turn indicators, high and low beam, speedometer, mirrors and a top speed of 55 mph.” www.janusmotorcycles.com www.AMDchampionship.com AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - AUGUST 2013 15

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