Britbike forum Forums General discussion The Rod and Tappet J-anus bikes

what ya'll think o these? i saw 2 of them in nearby town when i was out on my 68 A65 they went by and riders didn't even nod .
https://www.janusmotorcycles.com/

Look at me I am fabulous
Look at me I am fabulous
Look at me I am fabulous
Look at me I am fabulous
Look at me I am fabulous
I SAID LOOK AT ME

Never seen one personally but in whatever photos I’ve seen they look reasonably cool… small displacement, hand built in the U.S.? Am I mistaken?

That's how they advertise them. They're pretty expensive for their level of performance, but they're different from the Big Four offerings so I'm sure some folks will be interested.

Too soon to tell whether their riders "aren't waving" because they're stuck up, OR because they are brand new riders and are reluctant to take a hand off the handlebars to wave!

At least they've got their own name on the tank and didn't slap a "BSA Thunderbolt" decal on for some cheap publicity!

Lannis

Each to their own
And us to ours

I'd have me one, just played on that site and came out with a looker, it's going to cost me $9700ish. Wonder if they ship to Blighty...? Then once here I could wobble down the road and not wave at anyone too....

Reminds me of a bike that was hand made in Italy, done in a 20's style, had a Chinese engine, a copy of a 250cc Honda. But for the life of me I can't remember its name...? There's a Youtube film of it being ridden from Italy to England, and an Enfield dealer in Cambridge used to sell them. Haven't heard or seen one since, now WHAT was it's name....

Same name as the cheapest whisky on the Australian market. Not a good start.

Well its taken me all bloody day but FINALLY I remembered the name of that bike, and hopefully this here link to the Italian video of it.....



The Black Douglas Stirling....

shaun yeah you need a new J-anus i got one minus the J 3 years ago for $20K but medical insurance paid for all but $100 of it.....buster brown drivin' caused the need if'n you know what i mean.... as far as those motorsickles you could get one and put ales and a bacon sammich in the cute lil wicker basket or mebbe a lil dawg like the witch in the Wizard of Oz had in hers.............

Now they make that look like a lot of fun. Of course, there are a lot of small bikes that you could do that on, but I must say that one that looks like an old flat-tanker (actually IS a flat-tanker, come to that) is a unique ride. I don't much fancy a Chinese engine though, I'd try something different.

Lannis

Cheap looking! The frame, the brakes, the bars, the bike. Overpriced.

Now they make that look like a lot of fun. Of course, there are a lot of small bikes that you could do that on, but I must say that one that looks like an old flat-tanker (actually IS a flat-tanker, come to that) is a unique ride. I don't much fancy a Chinese engine though, I'd try something different.

Lannis[/quote]

Lannis old lad, thing is the young of today would same the exact say thing about the bikes we ALL ride now, why ride about on some old English heap that leaks oil and breaks down, and you have to kick it to death when starting it....Ect ect....

Your first few words here say it ALL lad, its FUN. And that's what it's all about....

Hi Shaun; I wanna say that new bikes break, and break a lot (Ducati and BMW for example); happens that they sell them before that occurs; like with cars; every few thousands of km or every 3 years new cars and bikes are changed for a new one...so they think that they do not break. Plenty of problems when you are the 4th or 5 owner.
Yes, do not leak oil but for other reasons, like the cases design; that do not have hoses everywhere, etc

I’d gladly take a Janus OR a Black Douglas Sterling for a spin. It’d be fun to try it out and let’s remember there’s no such thing as a bad day on a motorcycle!

As for a Chinese engines… plenty Chinese built scooters and small displacement motorcycles running all over the continent of Africa and that’s for sure. I’d guess they take some serious abuse

[Linked Image]

These steam punk styled things are like many other "me too" things. They'll sell a few dozen.

They'll sell a few dozen, then go broke, and the suckers who bought them are stuck with bikes they can't get tech support, or parts, to keep them running.

For those here in the USA old enough to remember;
What happened to all those "MoPeds" the Europeans, Chinese and Japanese unloaded on gullible Americans in 1979-1983?

GONE FOREVER.

Well……I can say for a fact that there is a live and healthy MoPed ( not scooter….moped so it’s got pedals) hobby out there. I belonged to that community for a couple of years. ( 2010-12?) Maybe not “quite” as large as the Brit Bike hobby…..but there’s a very good following with LOTS of parts support. I have nothing but fond memories of it. I was into Puch and never had a problem getting parts. But there were thousands sold back during the fake (?) “gas shortage” days

That said I don’t remember there being any Chinese models….Honda and Yamaha I “think” had models……and those two companies have done fairly well in the two wheel market.

I was so taken with the simplicity I used the same electrical termination type blocks for my BSA B58 build.

I’m not standing up for the Janis bikes…..because I don’t think they will sell many either. But I admit I like the look.

in this here neck o de woods some folks call mopeds "likker sickles" three guesses why..

Yea but most folks around here confuse Moped with Scooter.

Mopeds have pedals ( there are Nopeds too).

But a Moped is NOT a scooter.

The Moped group kinda remind me of the Ton Up fellers years back. Young, smart and not scared to party. Most if not all still have their drivers license. They don’t normally ride them because it’s their only option other than a bicycle or walking.

I could purchase EVERYTHING I needed to rebuild an E50 and complete the work on the kitchen table. Online support was/is some of the best.

IMO Chinese SCOOTERS are a completely different thing all together and I can see the electric bikes taking their place one day as the new “likker sickle”

Here is in NC, USA if it’s 50cc or less you don’t need a driver’s license.

I'd say mopeds are alive and well. There is a gang that terrorize the streets of New Hope, Pa on their mopeds. They are know as the River Riot Club.
http://riverriotmc.org/index_files/image009.jpg

http://riverriotmc.org/index_files/image008.jpg

http://riverriotmc.org/index_files/image005.jpg

Used to be that way in Virginia, they were called "dewies" (only one guess why), but the law changed to disallow anyone with a felony DUI from taking ANY motorized vehicle on a public road, whether it requires a driver's license or not; they'll get locked up.....

Lannis

Kind of hard to imagine anyone terrorizing the streets on a moped!

Fay and I honeymooned on Bermuda back in 1976, and rode a Motobecane moped all over the island for a week. Of course, 90% of the vehicles on the road were mopeds or 50cc scooters, so we were in good company.

No place to ride one here.....

Lannis

A Moped usually has pedals. You straddle a Moped like you do a motorcycle.

There were some Hybrids that you straddle that didn’t have pedals they are called Nopeds. Also a few models that were more like a scooter. (See description below)….but for the most part…..Mopeds have pedals and can be used like a bicycle to propel the bike.

On a Scooter you sit on it like a toilet…..also called “feet forward” They have no other way of propelling them except pushing. All the old scooters like Bella, Vespa, Allstates and such were like this. (Allstate also had a Moped)

What you see the DUI folks around here riding on today are 99.9% Scooters.

Lannis…….you are living a sheltered life. That group of mopeders Brian mentioned is just the tip of the iceberg. There are thousands of them out there. IME when they have a group ride…..they have dozens more riders than we ever have at one of our events.

Wanta see what those folks can purchase today for their rides……visit Treatlands or 1977 Mopeds.

In this state, mopeds caused some problems.

First: Although they were supposed to use the street, moped owners were riding them on sidewalks, hitting unsuspecting pedestrians.

Second: The law stated their operators were NOT to carry passengers, but some did anyway.

Third: Anybody and everybody was selling them, including a bakery in central Illinois. Many of those sellers didn't have vehicle dealer licenses, service facilities, replacement parts, or motor vehicle knowledge. If the moped stopped running, their advice was to take it to a lawn mower repair ship to get it fixed.

Fourth: The increased number of accidents involving mopeds caused MOTORCYCLE insurance rates to rise, even though moped riders didn't carry liability insurance. This was cured when ABATE of Illinois convinced the legislature to create a separate category for moped accident statistics.

Fifth: At first, mopeds weren't required to be licensed. Surprisingly, as greedy as this state is for tax money from any source.

Maybe mopeds are still seen in the BIG cities, but no longer are they in smaller cities and towns in this area.