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https://youtu.be/hTWbn_yqUE8

This is by no means an exhaustive list of tools you might need on a motorcycle, but it serves as a great starting point that should provide Janus riders with the essential tools and materials to get home from most day trips or short rides should an issue arise. For longer trips, additional spare parts and specialty tools should be considered such as a selection of spare hardware, spare cables, additional metric open-end wrenches and sockets, wiring and diagnostic tools, and spare bulbs & fuses, etc. The below list should fit easily in your Janus tool roll with plenty of room to spare for a few additional items if need be. 

Tire kit tools and supplies will probably not fit in your tool roll, but will fit in a saddle bag or bag. In the video, I show a tire kit sold by Rocky Mountain ATV/MC, but any small bag that will fit tire irons and tube should work well. The only brand-name tool that I have listed is the Knipex pliers/wrench because they are capable of replacing Channel Locks style pliers or adjustable Crescent-style wrenches. This tool kit is designed primarily for the Janus 250 line, but the toolkit for the Janus 450 (or most other simple motorcycles for that matter) will not look much different. We’ll plan on doing a specific 450 toolkit video soon! The toolkit can easily be slipped in your saddlebag, Janus messenger bag, or the Halcyon 250 tool bag. 

More important than any of the tools in your kit is the skill, knowledge, and ability that allows you to use them. My recommendation is that you put together a set of tools specifically for your motorcycle and practice using those specific tools when you perform maintenance or repairs, even if it is in the comfort of your garage. This will give your the confidence and practice to use those tools when or if you need them on the side of the road and will ensure that you have most of the tools that your motorcycle requires on a regular basis. For more information on basic Janus maintenance check out our Youtube channel!

Janus Tool Roll:

• Tools

• • Needle nose pliers
  • Scissors
  • Screw drivers (combo 4-in-one)
  • Knipex pliers
  • Razor knife
  • Allen keys (metric)
  • Needle Nose Vise Grips
  • Pocket knife
  • Feeler gauges
  • Tire gauge
  • Flashlight
  • Sockets
    • 18mm
    • 14mm
    • 13mm
    • 10mm
    • 8mm
  • Wrenches
    • 10mm
    • 8mm

•  Consumables
  • Cable ties
  • Electrical tape
  • Gorilla/duct tape
  • Antioxidant compound (in a sealed container)
  • Thread lock (in a sealed container)
  • Super glue (in a sealed container)
  • High temperature silicon sheet (for patches or repairs)
  • (2) 3″ diameter hose clamps
  • Rigging wire

Tire Kit:

• Tools
  • Compact bicycle pump or small battery operated pump
  • (2) Tire irons
• Consumables
  • Tire patches (optional)
  • Front tube (2.75X18) or front & rear tube (3.5X18)
  • Alcohol hand sanitizer

The post The Janus Tool Kit appeared first on Janus Motorcycles.

Video Link Here – https://var/web/site/public_html.youtube.com/watch?v=hWSdEcTM-dY

Before You Get Started

Improperly using tie-downs for your motorcycles, dirtbikes, and scooters can cause some unnecessary headaches just when you’re ready to relax and enjoy the weekend. It can also be a pretty dumb source of frustration when you’d like nothing more than to get on to your leisurely adventure. At Janus, we do not recommend the 2-strap method that others recommend. In fact, we recommend two ratchets in the front and two cams in the rear for added stability. Our bikes weigh in at about 263lbs soaking wet, so depending on the weight of your motorcycle, you may want to have some help with loading. It really depends on your comfort level.

Position Your Motorcycle

• Secure motorcycle in a wheel chock with the kickstand down, turn the gas off, empty your carburetor. Keep in mind that you will NOT keep your kickstand down, however, having it down for this initial step helps if you’re tieing down your motorcycle by yourself.
• Wheel Chocks by Pit Posse are our preferred brand. We’re not affiliated with Pit Posse, nor do we make money if you click that link. We simply like the product they offer.

Start at the Front

• Secure the front right side of your motorcycle with a ratchet strap.
  • Without eyelets: use the handlebars, use the fabric loob on your ratchet straps to secure around the handlebar. Take special precautions to protect your finish with a microfiber cloth.
  • With eyelets: Use ratchet hooks directly on your eyelets.
• Secure the front left side of your motorcycle same as step 2.
• Disengage your kickstand
• Tighten your front ratchet straps with special care as to not hit your headlight with your number plate

Secure the Back

• Prepare to secure the back end with a cam lock from two attachment points from the rear wheel or frame
• Check the side-to-side movement, movement should be very rigid.

Spot Check

• Once you’re on the road, check your ratchets and cams 10 miles down the road and again each time you stop for gas.
  

Janus Motorcycles Ratchet straps are sold 2 per set.

Janus Ratchets and Cams Available

Our Janus Cam Buckles or Ratchet Straps can be purchased online. Made in the USA. 1,800 lbs Break Strength, 600 lbs Working Strength. Ultra-durable, abrasion-resistant webbing with vinyl-coated hooks and a safety latch. Made strong for the toughest of applications.

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A Spring Riding Readiness Guide for Janus Motorcycles and their Owners

Even though the days are officially lengthening here in northern Indiana, the subzero temperatures have most of our motorcycles still in full hibernation. Let us count the days until this frost starts melting and we can, once again, roll our bikes out onto the pavement. In the meantime, we’ve put together this spring riding readiness guide to get you back on the road when the bugs start flying.

Wash

If you followed this {winterizing guide} last fall, you are halfway there. If you did not, well, you will want to begin by making sure your motorcycle is clean. Start by covering your leather and battery box with plastic wrap or plastic grocery bags before sudsing down your bike. Dry your bike off with a few microfiber cloths to prevent water spots. Be sure to take care in using a fresh one for your tank.

Having followed our winter guide, you can remove the cover, as well as address any sort of moisture or rodent repellent left on your motorcycle. 

Add some fresh gas, open your choke, and open the fuel valve to the inline position. 

Leather Care

Now is the time to give your leather some extra care. Your bike may have been under a motorcycle cover or exposed to colder temperatures causing your leather to dry out. Use some leather cleaner to remove any dirt, grime, or any other build-up from your seat, battery box cover, saddle, and tool bags. Dirt left to dry on your leathers can cause it to dry out faster, resulting in stiff or brittle leather. 

Next, apply a fresh coat of water shield to your seat, battery box cover, and any additional leather upgrades you may have on your bike. Go ahead and use it on your boots too. Thank us later.

Tires, Wheels, and Brakes

Before grabbing the keys, make a habit of the following checklist for every time you ride. We recommend starting with a tclocs guide from MSF found here.

Start with a good visual inspection of your tires and their tread to make sure you’ve got plenty of rubber left. While you’re down there run your fingers over the sides and look for other signs of wear and tear like cracks, bulges, or hardening of the rubber. 

Now you’ll want to check the air pressure, you can expect them to be a little low if your motorcycle has been sitting for several months over the winter. Janus Motorcycles should have 36 psi in the front and 32psi at the rear tire according to our owner’s manual.

Next, you’ll want to do a visual and manual check for loose or broken spokes. You can simply check your tension by squeezing your spokes together. To check the tuning, grab a screwdriver and give your spokes a light tap and listen closely for a light twang. If a strange thud is heard, you may need some tuning.

The next place you’ll want to inspect is the bearings. To do this take a firm hold of the top of your tire and check for any play in the left-to-right, side-to-side movement before spinning your wheels to listen for any sounds beyond the free-spinning whir of your wheel. 

Once finished, inspect and measure your brake pads. They should have visible grooves, anything less than, then it’s time for a replacement. They can be ordered {here}.

Controls

Swing a leg over. Clean your mirrors and make sure they are just where you like them. Place your hands on your grips and move your handlebars from left to right to make sure that your cables are not getting hung up.

Take a birds-eye view of your handlebars straight down through to your wheels. Make sure that everything looks straight.

Squeeze your clutch, your throttle, ensure that nothing is loose. Run your fingers along your throttle, brake, and clutch cables to inspect for fraying or kinks.

Add grease to the zerk fittings on your fork legs.

Lights and Electrical

We hope that you’ve had your battery on a trickle charger or tender all winter. Give your terminals a light scrub with a brass bristle brush if necessary before applying some dielectric grease and reconnecting your battery.

Give your lenses a once-over to inspect for cracks and scratches. Grab your keys, find neutral and gently roll on your throttle before checking your lights. Back your tail-end up to a wall or reflective surface (could even be another car in the garage) to look behind you to see that your lights are turning on. Check your blinkers, your running lights, your high beams, brakes, and passing lights on newer models.  

Oils and Fluids

We’re going to assume that each and every one of you changed your oil at the end of your fall riding season. In which case, take a look at your oil levels through that little oil window on your motor. Add a few drops of oil if needed.

If you missed that oil changing memo, no problem. Go ahead, change your oil. I’ll wait.

Check brake fluid level and add if low.

Chassis & Running Gear

Check axle, shock, swing arm pivot (if soft tail), tension.

Side Stand

Grease your stand and check the spring. Replacement springs can be shipped in a jiffy. Make sure that your kickstand isn’t bent causing your motorcycle to lean too far or at an awkward angle.

Equipment

Finally, inspect your riding equipment. Your protective armor, your helmet, your gloves. This is a good time to upgrade your equipment and take advantage of sales.

Classes

You may be interested in signing up for additional motorcycle training early in the year since slots tend to fill up fast once the riding season is in full swing. Plenty of options for advanced riders, like obstacle avoidance and maneuvering techniques, to advance your technical riding skills. 

The post What to do Before Your First Spring Ride appeared first on Janus Motorcycles.

Unlike others on the market, this product won’t harm glue, seams, or stitching on handcrafted leather products.

Don’t worry about harsh odors or weird fragrances when using this product, as it is completely odorless. Water Shield still allows that genuine leather smell to permeate. Comes with a spray pump-action that allows for adjusting the concentrations for use on different surfaces.

The post How to Care for the Leather on your Classic Motorcycle appeared first on Janus Motorcycles.

One bright autumn day a family of ants bustled about a warm day full of sunshine laying out their summer harvest of wheat in the sun to dry when along came a hungry grasshopper with a helmet under his arm and begged for something to eat. “What?” cried the ants in dismay, “You haven’t stored any food for the winter? What have you been doing all summer long?”

“I’ve been too busy riding my motorcycle all summer that I didn’t realize it was nearly winter.” The grasshopper replied in earnest.

The Ant family shrugged their shoulders, shared their grain, and said to Grasshopper, “We’ll help you with winterizing your motorcycle if you take us for a spin!”

Oils & Solvents

Depending on how long your motorcycle hibernation season is, you may want to consider adding a fuel stabilizer like Star Brite Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment. With a carbureted bike, our technician Ryan recommends completely draining your tank and carb.

 

2 Quarts Spectro $22

–

Change the oil and clean your filter. Our Winter Care Kits stock you with 2 quarts of oil. You only need one, but the second is perfect to use for topping off your oil levels once the riding season starts back up again in the spring. The oil filter on your Janus Motorcycle is made of metal and cleans up nicely with a little gasoline. Check your chain tension and lubricate your chain with Spectro Chain Lube. While you are down there, take a close look at everything else. We like the tclocs inspection checklist by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.

Clean & Wax

Winterizing Your Motorcycle: Step Two

Next, make sure that any debris and dirt is completely removed from your motorcycle frame to keep it from rust and scratches. Before giving your bike a scrub-down, use an old plastic bag to cover your leather seat and battery box. Remove any additional leather upgrades such as saddle and tool bags from your Janus. Use a hose to gently wet your bike and a soft, sudsy microfiber cloth or sponge to soap up your vehicle from the top down. Our favorite brand is IBIZ and can be purchased easily at most auto parts stores. Start with your tank, moving on to your headlight and handlebar area before working on the fenders, upper frame, and forks. Then work your way down to the swingarm, mid-frame, wheels, engine, and lower frame. According to our test driver Cameron, this minimizes the potential for cross-contamination of heavy debris like grease, dirt, and oil.

Condition & Tend

Battery Tenders $35

–

Protect & Check

Janus Motorcycle Cover $25

–

Our Winter Care Kit includes:

• 2 quarts of Spectro Oil
• Chain Lube
• Obenauf’s Heavy Duty Leather Preserver
• Plus a Motorcycle Cover
• And NOCO Battery Tender!

Don’t forget that we are still offering 15% off all merchandise in our online shop until January 31st. Use JM2021NYR when you checkout! This article contains no affiliate links.

The post Easy 4-Step Guide to Winterizing Your Motorcycle appeared first on Janus Motorcycles.

The Paragon, Devin, and my first motorcycle build from scratch: an 80cc homage to 1960s small-displacement grand prix motorcycling.

Let’s start off with the question of small displacement. Just about everything we do at Janus is based on our personal riding experience. We come from a background of small-displacement engines and lightweight bikes. For instance, Devin and I started off our love for two wheels on vintage mopeds—that’s right, the ungainly little two strokes with pedals. Right away, we realized that some of the most fun that can be had and the majority of riding that we encountered happened in our daily activities: riding to work, riding with friends to lunch, riding to our favorite nearby town for a beer or a burrito. All those things were more fun on two wheels and even more fun when you were fully aware of the machine that was taking you there. They are also more fun when you can take advantage of the full potential of the machine. Shifting through all the gears, accelerating at full throttle and enjoying the whole process of piloting and even maintaining a simple, accessible machine—a machine that has fewer moving parts than a sewing machine and can be essentially taken apart and rebuilt with the tools in your saddlebag. There is a lot of fun to be had on a powerful sport bike, cruising motorcycle, or dual sport, but for us, those kinds of experiences often sideline the real point of riding: to feel the wind in your face, to enjoy the journey, and to be a part of the passing scenery.

So when it came to selecting the right engine for Janus Motorcycles, we sought something with enough power to hit the highway for short stints (because that’s something we all have to do at some point) and to accelerate from a stoplight with a grin on your face. At the same time, we knew that we also wanted an engine that we and our customers could take full advantage of—not on the track, not with traffic enforcement hot on our trail, and not with a string of expensive repairs and maintenance. For a number of reasons, we were also looking for an engine that could be maintained using the tools in most people’s garage. What we wanted was the simplest, most reliable motorcycle engine in the world.

The bulletproof air-cooled, carbureted Janus 250 engine, seen here in the Halcyon 250.

Why air-cooled?

A customer’s image of their Halcyon 50cc motorcycle with water-cooled 2-stroke and radiator. Image courtesy Daniel Shewmaker.
Louise Thaden Field (VBT)
Bentonville AR USA

Our first model, the Halcyon 50 was a liquid-cooled 2-stroke 50cc motorcycle. While it was a great little engine, it did have a surprising level of complexity. Radiator, water pump, thermostat, and all the necessary hoses, etc. all contributed to a bike that just wasn’t as simple or easy to maintain as it could be. Because of increased emissions regulations over the past 40 years and the never-ending quest for more horsepower, most manufacturers either already use or are headed in the direction of liquid cooling and fuel injection. This technology reduces emissions, makes calibration (with the right equipment) relatively quick, and dramatically increases performance. However, a small engine is by its very nature highly fuel-efficient and clean-burning. For instance, our 250 engine was extremely close to passing EPA exhaust emissions testing without even having an exhaust catalyst in place. Our goal for a simple, appropriately powered engine did not require the additional horsepower that water cooling allows, and the simple, traditional aesthetics of the air-cooling fins was a perfect fit for our traditional model line. Add to that the simplicity of eliminating the radiator, water pump, and all the hoses that go along with liquid cooling, and it made perfect sense to go with an air-cooled engine.

Why carbureted?

To continue that simplicity, it was an easy choice to use a traditional carburetor rather than fuel injection. Again, the main reason for the move to fuel injection over the past 20 years has been to control emissions. With a clean-burning engine, this wasn’t as much of an issue for us.

Another reason for the move away from carburetors is that carbureted engines require more operator involvement. That means that they require the application of the choke when starting on colder days, and usually need to be warmed up before riding and cleaned every so often. But they have no electrical requirements, no computer chips, and they can be rebuilt with regular shop tools. While this may present a hurdle for Honda or other mass-production brands, our mission is to create a machine that DOES require operator involvement. We want our customers to be able to warm up the engine, to feel the RPMs change as the metal and oil increase in temperature, and to have switches to flip, gauges to read, and levers to shift!

Detail of the Janus 250 engine.

If there is a modern vehicle on the opposite end of the spectrum from autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence, a Janus would have to be near the top of the list. The founders of the earliest motorcycle brands would be almost as familiar with the Janus motor as with their early designs. Of course, technology has come a long way since the early days of the internal combustion engine and our engines take full advantage of recent advances in metallurgy, oils, machining tolerances, transmissions, and power output, but the spirit of the internal combustion engine lives on in a Janus, right down to the kick starter. If using the choke on a cold morning isn’t something that would interest you, then we might recommend something a bit less involved—perhaps a Prius?

Why not made in the US? 

While this all seems like a tall order in the current market of high-powered, high-tech engines, we started by looking at engines made in places where regular maintenance is harder to find and where reliability is prized above state-of-the-art technology. Our reasoning was that if these types of engines could operate under the stress of constant use, not just for leisure, but for everyday primary transport, then they would probably do a fantastic job under the typical kind of riding that our motorcycles were destined for here in the United States. They would also provide the same time-tested traditional function and aesthetics as our classical designs. Add to that the complete absence of US manufacturers of small-displacement motorcycle engines and we had to start by looking further afield.

The CG250: a traditional and reliable engine

This brings us to one of the most significant but least known engines in the world: the CG250. In the early 1970s Honda was in its heyday. The CB series of motorcycles were some of the best two-wheeled vehicles available anywhere for performance, reliability, and fun. But Honda had a problem. All across the third world, their small CB series bikes were experiencing issues. They just weren’t designed for the kind of everyday abuse that was being handed to them. They weren’t designed to haul 75 ducks, or two goats, or a family of ten.

So around this time, Honda decided to make the most bulletproof engine they could imagine. Two of their lead designers, Takeshi Inagaki and Einosuke Miyachi spent a month visiting Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Iran, and Pakistan observing the way motorcycles were used. What they witnessed was far worse than they had imagined. What little repair there wasn’t performed until the motorcycles literally couldn’t run anymore. Oil was used until it turned to sludge, and when the repair was necessary it meant rebuilding the entire motorcycle. By the time the two headed back to Japan, they knew that Honda needed a very special new engine.

The new engine would be a 125cc version of their single-cylinder CB125, but it would dispense with the overhead camshafts in favor of a much simpler overhead valve design that used a unique rocker arrangement that allowed both exhaust and intake valves to be operated by a single cam. The cam was operated by a gear right off the crankshaft and low in the engine to provide constant lubrication. It pushed short, robust rods that operated the valves in the cylinder head. No more cams, cam bearings, cam chains, or tensioners meant less need for lubrication and a design that had far, far fewer moving parts. The overhead cam CB125 may have produced more power, but it was extremely sensitive to lack of oil, the wrong oil, or dirt, etc.

Honda commenced production of the new engine in Japan, but since the model was specifically designed for developing markets, the goal from the beginning was to have production move to satellite factories in the target regions. Most of the components were therefore outsourced to Brazil, China, Taiwan, and Pakistan, where they are still in production. In the 30+ years, it has been in production, it has become one of, if not the most produced motorcycle engines in the world.

By the mid-1990s, with increased maintenance and support in developing markets, Honda started focusing on higher performance engines with more technologically advanced features. While production of the CG continues to this day, numerous suppliers around this time began manufacturing variations of the now outdated engine. The most significant variation among these new manufacturers was the transformation of the engine from 125cc to a 229cc. Since the engine was so robust and put out relatively little horsepower, this increase in displacement was easily accomplished with no effect on reliability. The one side effect of the increase in displacement was an increase in the vibration of the single-cylinder engine. While there continue to be versions of the 250 design being made without it, several manufacturers decided to add a balance shaft to the engine. A balance shaft is a component used on many single-cylinder engines to provide a counterweight to the motion of the piston. This serves to cancel out the often excessive vibrations of a single-cylinder “thumper” engine.

When we first started prototyping and testing engines for our 250 model line, we purchased several CG250 engine variants and tested them over the first year of development. The first engine we tested in our prototypes suffered from a clunky transmission and excessive vibrations. We quickly realized that we needed to keep looking for a better quality engine manufacturer if we wanted the high standard of quality that we were used to from old Honda CB’s we had owned and restored. We ended up locating a manufacturer of the CG250 that not only had a US import location but were also willing to build engines for us in the small quantities that we could afford.

Emissions tech, Matt, onboard the Janus test mule at S&S Cycle’s test facility in Lacrosse, Wisconsin.

We were immediately struck, not only with the smooth shifting and good performance of the engine but with the quality and overall appearance. From the case castings to the gear machining, these were engines that could compare to any Honda CB that we had encountered. While they were nowhere near as cheap as the previous engine variants we had tested, we knew after months of testing and inspection that we had found an engine with the quality and performance that would fit our motorcycles. Not only that, but we had a relationship with the manufacturer and could order any part of the engine. The next trial of the engine would be to see if it would pass EPA emissions testing.

The EPA motorcycle certification process not only requires that every motorcycle engine family meet their stringent exhaust emissions standards, but that they do so for the full lifespan of the engine. This meant that our test bike had to simulate the required 18,000-kilometer duration testing, but also stay within EPA emissions limits. With a year of preliminary testing and calibration, working internally with our “engineer emeritus”, Ken Miller, and with S & S Cycle of Viola, Wisconsin, we were able to pass the testing with flying colors. This was a double victory for us. We had opened up the ability to sell our motorcycles in all 50 states as well as proved the quality of the engine. Poor emissions are the telltale sign of engine wear or malfunction. That the engine operated smoothly throughout the testing is a witness, not only to its clean-burning emissions but to its overall durability.

To date, with over 250 Janus motorcycles on the road, we have yet to experience any issues with our engines. We have had our share of issues with the occasional electrical, fuel delivery, or other odd manufacturing defects, but for better or worse, these have all been the product of the parts and processes we build right here in Goshen, Indiana, not with the engine that is built half a world away! We could not be happier with our engine and are working hard to let everyone in on the secret of the CG250 and the fun of small-displacement motorcycling.

Yours truly taking the test bike out for another set of runs in the frigid northern Indiana winter.

To that end, we have completed several endurance runs in an effort to both test the bikes and prove their reliability. This spring, I piloted Halcyon #68 from San Francisco to New York City in six days riding with a bunch of Honda Goldwings and BMW GS adventure bikes, the smallest of which, at 1,200cc’s, was almost five times the displacement of the Janus! I averaged 650 miles a day on interstate 80 to earn an Iron Butt Certification (see my blog posts detailing that ride). The bike performed flawlessly for the entire ride, although I was a bit sore for a week or two afterward. This fall, my friend Jesse and I completed a Saddle Sore 1000 by riding Halcyons 1,000 miles around Lake Michigan in under 24 hours. We weren’t fast (we got in with just 30 minutes to spare), but we made it in fine form and once again, without a single engine issue.

We have moved on from our 50cc motorcycle and moped days, but we are fascinated by the rich history of these remarkable engines and continue to search out ways to put them through their paces. We encourage you to come out and try one of our motorcycles if you have any doubts. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised, just like most of our Discovery Day attendees and owners, with the smooth-shifting, quick acceleration, and easy power of our traditional, air-cooled, carbureted, engine.

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The post Bulletproof: The Heritage of the Janus 250 Motorcycle Engine appeared first on Janus Motorcycles.

Janus holds an interesting place in the motorcycle industry because, while we build each motorcycle to order, and offer many custom options, our motorcycles are production vehicles with identical components. The customization is more a product of the scale of the operation than of the production process itself. We are often told that our motorcycles are too expensive and we work every day to make them more affordable, but if we were making them as one-off pieces, without jigs, fixtures, and tooling, they would be astronomically more expensive. Building a successful, road-legal motorcycle from scratch costs, well, a lot—and we do it as efficiently as possible! That being said, we do most of our work by hand and use a great deal of what I’m sure most would describe as antiquated equipment, simply because it is what is most efficient and affordable for us because of the size of our operation.

This discussion was initiated over the concept that we should not eschew “state-of-the-art” equipment in the development of new motorcycle technology. Of course, it could be said that Ducati certainly isn’t stuck in the dark ages, however, even many of the most high-tech new motorcycles from major manufacturers are using very old technology (take for example the telescopic fork). There does seem to be an inclination among motorcycle builders, especially custom builders, to view the whole process as though they were a medieval blacksmith, right down to the clothes and facial hair.

I am a classicist. By this, I mean that I seek to pursue the best of a tradition. In motorcycling terms, this means that I do not think that we should be bound by the avant-garde to build something that “looks” cutting edge, even if we are building a machine. We should be held to the examples of the greatest motorcycles of all time. However, this does not mean that we should avoid disc brakes, or liquid cooling, or ABS–no, this simply means that we should use the best tools available to us to create products whose basis for judgment lies in all the best motorcycles that have preceded it, not the other shiny newfangled bike that the other manufacturer just launched. A look at any of the great motorcycles of the past 100 years will prove that innovation is an integral part of the industry. Racing has always been the proving ground for innovation in the vehicle industry and will continue to offer a place for technology to be developed and honed.

I think, however, that the argument is not so much about a dichotomy between the imagined “old school” builder and alleged “new” CNC monkey, but really the question of what “stock” and “custom” actually mean. Old (or young) readers who enjoy building things with their bare hands using minimal technology should not take offense. If you are building a hand-made masterpiece in your garage using the most Luddite equipment imaginable, you are impervious to criticism already! This is a therapeutic activity that can often lead to personal improvement and communal enjoyment. But there is a crucial distinction to be made between this and the wonderful tradition of the trade of manufacturing production vehicles.

In my mind, the current boom in custom motorcycles exists, not so much as an expression of individuality, but as a protest against something in the state of today’s motorcycle design and manufacturing. Again, I do not say this to downplay the craft of custom builders—the outpouring of design and fabrication surrounding custom motorcycles is truly marvelous.

Shinya Kimura at work on “Spike”, his reinterpretation of a 1946 HD knucklehead. Image courtesy Pipeburn.

But unless we are discussing art-pieces such as the work of Shinya Kimura, Chicara Nagata, Max Hazan, or Ian Barry, etc., it seems to me that a functional, ridable custom motorcycle is a product, and as such, is actually the builder’s vision of what a perfect production motorcycle would be in some alternate universe (think how often the builder’s brief involves imagining an alternate reality in which this bike could exist. Icon has built some incredible custom motorcycles with a wild array of alternate realities as their backdrop). I’m still thinking about what the factory-sponsored custom R9Ts to mean, but I think it’s very good, almost as though BMW is extending its design arm out to the world in an attempt to find what is missing in modern production motorcycles.

Motorcycles are so wonderful because they are a perfect pairing of practicality and aesthetics. If motorcycles were all pure art, they would lose all their mechanical purposefulness. The odd quirks that the designer must workaround to ensure that the thing actually moves down the road are what makes it so captivating. Individuality and “stock” go hand in hand. What is truly worth having endures. In this sense, a “custom” is what every great bike becomes if it is truly loved and ridden. Motorcycles customize themselves.

“Super Kim”, a heavily modified 1925 supercharged Zenith. Image courtesy the Vintagent.

A custom is really just a stock bike that has been loved or abused enough, or both, that it has adjusted to the form and function of the rider. No motorcycle that is “ridden as the maker intended” will remain stock. In fact, it actually gains potency by virtue of having once been “stock”. It is in this way that we can find in a perfectly ubiquitous model, like the Honda CB such a wonderful canvas for the custom builder. And in the same vein, it is how motorcycles such as “Super Kim”, the 1925 supercharged Zenith uncovered in Argentina some years ago, are so captivating and is another angle on why most racing includes homologation rules stipulating that certain numbers of the vehicles to be raced must be manufactured.

Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang illustrated by Robert Burningham.

If Ian Fleming’s Caractacus Pott had simply built Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang from scratch as a one-off, it wouldn’t have been nearly so captivating as being the only car produced by a car manufacturer that went bankrupt! The difference between production and custom is tremendous, and Paul Crowe’s article does a great job of attempting to explain how and encouraging the custom builder to try.

Now, a discussion of the current “retro” trend in motorcycles, and most other things for that matter, is a separate argument that I look forward to having!

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Our tanks are cut from sheet aluminum and bent, formed, and welded into shape by our skilled team. Then they’re finished and pinstriped carefully.

We’ve come to realize that we’re walking the line between “production without personality” and one-of-a-kind customs (which are—by definition—un-reproducible). In other words, part of what you pay for when comparing a Janus Motorcycle to an off-the-line mass-manufactured brand is the human element in each of our limited-run motorcycles. And part of what you save when comparing a Janus Motorcycle to a one-off custom bike is that we’ve standardized (while not sterilizing) a good portion of our processes.

We’re very proud of what we’re able to produce using simple production methods, our hands, and creative design. Sometimes, we’ve found, constraints actually improve creativity and inspiration.

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