Roman Gods, Roaring Dragons, Magnificent Motorcycles: Members’ Rides

Last week on Members’ Rides, Lehan had me drooling over his GT-R32 and 911 Targa. Today, we’re going in a different direction and looking at an impressive motorcycle collection – a Member’s Rides, indeed.

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Jamie is an architect working for the University of Notre Dame. He also has a great collection of two-wheeled transport that I’m sure anyone who enjoys a good motorcycle will find exciting. We’ve got an unusual Harley, a factory cafe-racer, a road-tripping adventure bike, and a Janus. A Janus?

Some of you may recall Mercedes’ coverage of Janus motorcycles on the German lighting site, and Janus has been one of my favorites ever since. So when I saw Janus on my list, I knew I had to share it with you! I love Janus products, and even their name is inspired. As a mythology nerd, I know Janus as the god of doorways, symbolizing both the old and the new, which is fitting with their brand new bikes that are so evocative of bikes from 100 years ago.

What’s currently in the garage?

• 2012 HD XR1200X
• 2015 Ktm 1290 super adventure
• 2018 Kawasaki z900rs cage
• 2022 Janus 450

No cars?

I do have a 2018 Ford Explorer Sport, and I have a 2025 Ford Bronco Heritage edition on order.  That should have gone into production the first week of April. I do love cars, but motorcycling is a bit cheaper hobby, and I can do a lot of the work myself. I did have a 1981 DeLorean previously before I went all in on motorcycles. I liked it a lot, but the maintenance on it was just too expensive. People around here refused to work on it, so it had to go to Chicago or Cleveland to get work done.

What was your first bike?

I don’t remember the year of the bike, but my first was a used Kawasaki Zephyr 550. It was a good first bike. Relatively light, modestly powered, and easy to work on. I had that for a few years before I purchased a Kawasaki ZRX1200.

How did you get into motorcycles?

My college roommate grew up with motorcycles. Once we graduated and he moved to Cleveland, he bought the Zephyr that I eventually purchased from him. When I visited him in 2001, he taught me how to ride in a local parking lot. That was the start. When he purchased a Suzuki SV1000S, he sold me the Zephyr. I’ve been riding ever since.

Which bike gets ridden the most? Least?

Right now, the Janus probably gets ridden the most frequently, but the KTM gets the award for distance traveled.  I go on one long trip a year on the KTM.

The HD was my only bike for a while, so that was used all the time until I bought a KLR. When I had those two bikes, I probably split them pretty equally. With the four I have now, the HD still gets used, but rarely. The Z900RS gets ridden the least, in fact I don’t think I drove it at all last year.

How many miles have you ridden on each of them?

The Janus has about 1,500 miles on it, the HD about 9,000, the RS about 1,500, and the KTM about 60,000.

How did you come to own the Harley?

I really liked the bike when it first came out, but kind of forgot about it (like I think many other people did). Harley people didn’t really want it, and people who would want it would not want to walk into an HD dealership. In 2012, our family took a trip to France and I saw two of them driving around.  I told myself I would check them out once I got back home, and I did. I happen to live about a mile away from an HD dealer, and they had a used one that they let me test drive. I fell in love with it.

As HD had just stopped making them, I asked that they find me a new one. They found one at a dealer in the Chicago area and they picked it up for me – for free, amazingly! I’ve had it ever since. I probably only ride it two or three times a month during the riding season, but I love it! It handles well, tons of power, and feels like a machine. Lots of character. Also, no one knows what it is, and you don’t see them all the time. I think I’ve only seen two or three since I’ve had mine.

What does the Harley do better than the other three?

It excels at the back roads and short trips. If you want to be a hooligan, this is the one. Raw power, and when you wind it out sounds like an angry dragon.

Have you customized it at all?

I hated the look of the HD luggage rack, so I bought the HD tie downs instead and made some custom pads out of tank grips and stuck them on the rear seat cowl and the back of the bike.  Keeps the look clean but still allows me to mount some luggage if need be.  Also added a SWMotech locking tank ring.  They didn’t make one for the HD but there was a Honda model that had essentially the same fastener pattern so I used that instead.  So I have a tank bag that mounts to that, and it keeps it off the tank.

How did the KTM come into the picture?

Wanted something that I could take on long trips. I did use my KLR for that, but after I was t-boned riding it and it was totaled out, I bought the SA. I bought it used from someone locally who took very good care of it. I’ve put about 10,000 miles on it since I purchased it.

How does this one get used most of the time?

I do some light off-roading with it, but it is quite heavy so no major stuff. While I do use this one around town sometimes, the primary use is for long trips. In the past few years, I have used it to travel around the Great Lakes — the Circle Tour around Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Huron.

What is the best thing about the KTM

So much power! I don’t even use it all. And it is extremely comfortable on long trips, while getting pretty good gas mileage. I get about 45-50 mpg.

What would the ideal day of riding the KTM look like?

The best day is about 300 miles or so.  Gets you some good distance per day, but gives you time to enjoy some sites along the way.

Any modifications?

I added a fair amount to this one to make it better suited for the long trips. I added a nav system, crash bars, auxiliary lighting, and hard bags.

What’s the story behind the Kawasaki?

In 2018, Kawasaki announced it would make a limited edition of the RS as a cafe version. I tried picking one up at my local dealer, but they were not allocated one. I end picking one up about an hour away from me at a larger dealer.

As another powerful, sporty bike, is the Kawasaki similar to the Harley at all?

The seating position is similar, but the RS feels like a smaller bike. It’s much lighter, and of course the inline four has a much different feel than the Harley’s V-twin.

As your only bike with more than two cylinders, do you ever find yourself missing the twins when riding this?

It’s just different. I have been fortunate to experience pretty much every engine type over my time with bikes (except for a parallel twin and a 3-cylinder), I enjoy the differences.

Given its bright green paint, does it attract a lot of attention?

Not really. I think most people just wonder what it is. People do assume it is from the 1970’s though, not a new bike.

Now talk to me about the Janus!

You can spec one out on the website or you can do it in person at Janus. I went in person and worked with one of their employees to design exactly what I wanted. The color combo I selected took me the longest. I actually based it off an old HD I saw once. The copper feather of the logo is a nod to me being from the UP (Author’s note: Upper Peninsula of Michigan, BF) and the copper industry.

How long after you placed the order until you got the bike?

I was once of the early orders, hence the low production number, so it took longer than it does now.  I want to say it was eight months or so. I think it’s down to two or three months now.

Every Janus review I read has a take on the engine being made in China. Does it make any difference to you?

I have no issues with the sourcing. I get it. You can’t be a small manufacturer and create your own engine. The engine works well, and I’ve had no issues with it. I’ve only heard of one Janus suffering an engine failure.

What is your favorite thing about the Janus?

Besides the classic design – which turns a lot of heads – my favorite thing is the Janus company itself. They know you by name, always happy to see you, and are such wonderful people. The Janus rally every year is like a family reunion. There’s also the option to add so many accessories made by Janus and Motocult.

Does the small tank ever get bothersome?

Yeah, it’s only two gallons, and I wish it held at least three. But they did start making a mount for an auxiliary fuel canister, so of course I have that mounted now in case of emergency. I can only go about 100 miles before needing to fuel up.

The rear suspension hidden under the seat is so interesting, how does it ride?

Rides great! I believe they based this on an old Vincent design. It’s very comfortable. The seat is made by Sargent and is mounted on springs. Combined with the bike’s suspension, the sprung seat makes the rides very comfortable.  The seating position is very neutral as well.

What does the ideal ride on your Janus look like?

This is a nice around-town bike, and fun on back roads too.  With the 450, you can take it on highways, but it’s not very happy there. I’d say 55-60 miles an hour is its highest comfortable speed.

Thanks Jamie!

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