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Janus Motorcycles designs and builds motorcycles that choose to quote ideals of beauty from the earliest days of motorcycling — engines that are fully visible, frames that have space in them one can see though, long alloy fuel tanks that sit atop the frame rails, and suspension designs whose ages are closer to being measured in centuries than in mere years.
The suggestion is that our best motorcycling future might well be one that takes the fullest advantage of the benefits of the motorcycles of the past — mechanical simplicity, small engine displacements, user serviceability, low overall mass, and classic aesthetics. Most modern bikes partake of a spec-sheet war — more mass, more power, more electronics, more rider aids, more "infotainment." As a result, Janus builds motorcycles that are absolutely like no others made today.
Janus motorcycles are custom-built to order in their facility in Goshen, Indiana. The motorcycles are almost entirely built of metal — there is almost no plastic — and exude an unmistakable presence that I've seen turn lifetime fans of certain American motorcycles into lovesick puppies at the very sight of them. If you haven't had the opportunity to see one in the steel and alloy, or experience one from the saddle, you may believe that you understand what Janus is about, but there's a strong probability you could learn much more from the laying on of hands and the twisting of the throttle.
I recently had the opportunity to travel to Goshen and meet Janus' principals, Founder/CEO and Chief Designer Richard Worsham (seen explaining their philosophy in the Instagram video below) and President Grant Longenbaugh, and see their facility and learn about their approach to designing and building beautiful and elemental motorcycles. Near the end of that visit, Grant shared that the first production 450 Gryffins were scheduled to go on the build stands in approximately two weeks.
The Gryffin 450 is a light, narrow, all-roads-focused scrambler that was designed to return off-pavement exploration to scrambling's roots in the English Trials events of the 1920s. The Gryffin 450 weighs 330 pounds and is powered by a four-valve, 445 cc air-and-oil-cooled single built by SWM that makes 30 horsepower in stock tune. This powerplant is derived from Honda's Unicam XR400 enduro engine. Janus previously built a Gryffin scrambler with a smaller engine, but the 450 puts Janus into competition with bikes such as the Royal Enfield Himalayan.
Editor's note: For a more complete account of Greg's tour of the Janus facility and riding impressions of other models, visit his blog, Rolling Physics Problem.
After a brief introductory ride with one of the Gryffin 450 project's designers, I asked if it would be possible to take one of the two available prototypes out for a more complete road test. Grant was happy to turn over the prototype. He filled up the tank and handed me the key. I thanked him and set out to do some rambling of my own.
Riding the Janus Gryffin 450
Earlier in the day, I'd ridden the Janus 250 cc models. Unlike the Janus 250 engine — which is a high-cam, pushrod engine derived from Honda's utility engines that powered much of the bikes used for commerce and transport in Asian markets — the 450 motor is a single-overhead-cam design built for higher performance in off-road applications.
My route into Goshen had taken us though hundreds of miles of Amish farm country. All of the roads off the sides of the state highways had been unpaved, so I beat back northeast out of town and just picked roads that looked like they needed to be ridden on, free of any electronic doo-daddery designed to keep me from getting lost. Getting lost was really the desired outcome.
The 450 cc engine still has a little of the fire of competition left in its DNA. It starts and idles well, but underway the bike has a midrange punch that is great on softer surfaces, and a top end rush that is useful on surfaces with more traction. Given the tremendous heat of the day, I quickly learned the "Scrambler leg" trick at stops, where I kept my left foot (the side with paired high pipes) up on the peg and only put my right foot down at stops. Richard relates that one of the few last-minute adjustments made as the bike entered production was to modify the exhaust routing slightly to tuck the pipes in closer to the bike's centerline and enhance the heat shielding.
On the road, the Gryffin 450 has excellent manners. Corner entry and exit on the gas were linear and quick, with the bike's single spinning up enthusiastically. There were none of the usual handling artifacts on pavement that many knobby-tired bikes exhibit. Transmission operation was slick and flawless. The pilot's operating position was perfect — one sits up straight with plenty of legroom. Grips appear magically right where one's hands are. While speed isn't really the point, the 450 had plenty of acceleration to defend its position on the road.
The Gryffin's suspension is managed at both ends by custom-made Ikon shock absorbers — the rear via a braced, dual-shock swingarm, and the front via a swinging arm that recalls the Earles forks of classic BMWs or the English Cotton off-roaders. Tires on the prototype I tested were Dunlop D605 50/50 dual-sport tires and other options will be available if you want to ride yours on more dirt or less.
When I got far enough from Goshen, I finally got into the dirt I was looking for. I found it funny that all of the best roads I rode had no other tire tracks. They all had hoof marks from the Amish horse carts and wagons. On the gravel, the Gryffin felt perfectly planted. On the few unpaved corner exits, I was able to spin up the rear wheel, and 40 to 50 mph felt perfectly secure. In the occasional muddy spots resulting from the afternoon thunderstorms, the bike had neutral handling when traction went completely away. The technique was not to feed in too much power or steering input until one came back onto a drier surface.
Many readers have asked me questions about the swinging arm front end. They seem to think that configuration can't work in an off-road context. Those people are… not right. During one of my blasts down a straight stretch of farm road, I got caught out by a drainage culvert that had apparently collapsed, leaving a nice, but nearly invisible trench across the road hidden by the sandy surface. By the time my internal processing unit had analyzed the situation, there was nothing I could do but implement the dirt rider's wisdom to stand up and gas it. At north of 40 miles an hour, there isn’t much time to pucker, but I took advantage of the tiny time window to try to relax in anticipation of very bad things happening… that never arrived. The Gryffin 450 took the shot and came out with both ends hooked up and in line.
My overall impression of the Gryffin 450 was of a supremely balanced, refined motorcycle. The Gryffin is a real-world bike that is rationally designed for the way that folks who have no pretension of being off-road rally racers actually ride. For that kind of off-pavement rider, the Gryffin has everything you need and nothing you don't.
The first few examples of the Gryffin 450s have already been delivered to customers who placed their deposits over a year ago. Every Janus is built to order and shipped to the buyer, ready to ride. Customers can choose from 16 different primary colors and several pinstripe colors, along with an array of accessories such as aluminum handguards (which Janus refers to as "corn detasselers") and a nicely designed one-piece adventure rack that will support most soft saddlebags and a dry-bag duffle.
With prices starting at $12,995, before you add any options or extra-cost paint choices, it's clear that the Gryffin 450 is not for the masses. That's why Janus builds hundreds of motorcycles a year, not millions, and calls the Gryffin 450 a rambling motorcycle, not an adventure motorcycle. If you're one of the few interested in a light, simple motorcycle built from artfully designed alloy and steel but you'd rather avoid some of the more character-building experiences of riding an actual antique, you may be one of Janus' committed ramblers.
| Janus Gryffin 450 | |
|---|---|
| Base price | $12,995 |
| Engine | 445 cc, air-and-oil-cooled, four-valve single |
|
Transmission, final drive |
Five-speed, chain |
| Claimed horsepower | 30 @ 7,500 rpm |
| Frame | Tubular steel double cradle |
| Front suspension | Leading-link fork with dual Ikon shocks |
| Rear suspension | Dual Ikon shocks |
| Front brake | Two-piston Brembo caliper, 280 mm disc |
| Rear brake | Single-piston Brembo caliper, 220 mm disc |
| Wheelbase | 53 inches |
| Seat height | 32 inches |
| Fuel capacity | 2.2 gallons |
| Tires | Dunlop D605 2.75x21 front, 4.6x17 rear |
| Claimed weight | 330 pounds wet |
| Available | Now |
| Warranty | 24 months |
| More info | janusmotorcycles.com |
