New motorcycle

They aren’t ignoring their competition and they clearly understand their cost of labor which is why they are selling high design so they can set the price at $7k.

You clearly do not understand this marketing plan. You are also not their target customer.

Will it be successful? Maybe. Harley succeeded for 25 years selling the same way. Harley sold low performance, unreliable bikes of high design. The market that wanted that design died off and they are paying the price for that. Janus is targeting a far younger, bearded clientel - the Gen Z, Gen Y and Millenials.

That reminds me of an ad by a marketing firm marketing themselves in an upscale magazine in my doctors office @Mustangman. The ad was quite brazen in stating that they could virtually sell refrigerators to Eskimos and get Republicans elected in Berkley. I only wish that I had stolen that magazine and framed the ad. It is more and more obvious that their claim to fame was well founded and there are quite a few equally successful marketing firms. Once a group is identified and targeted success seems virtually guaranteed for today’s marketing companies. We are all suckers for the right image-trend-status-cause, whatever.

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Would you care to make a friendly wager on whether this motorcycle company is still in existence two years from now?

I’d give you odds, but I’m pretty sure we’d get in trouble for betting anything more tangible than bragging rights.

Uuhh, no friendly wager! The market is just too fickle! :smile:

I did use the statement…

Just because they are a small startup from Indiana, I wish them lots of luck!

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I doubt they make it. Now, if they had some sort of inline 4 or v twin 1000cc Honda knockoff, Chinese manufactured engine crammed in the frame…maybe :ok_hand:. Just not enough motor for the money at 250 cc. I doubt the take rate is all that great on the Japanese 250 cc bikes. In the US, anyway.

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Exactly. I don’t care what kind of chic design it has. If it doesn’t have enough displacement to take it on the interstate, nobody is going to pay more than $5,000 for it.

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I realize it is nit picking but calling a 220 cc a 250 might actually keep someone from buying one.

Yes 100%. 250cc is fine to hop around town and campus. But…that’s about it. Most bike guys are also engine guys. They’ll look at it and think, “oh, cool!” Then they’ll see that it’s a sub half liter bike. “Oh…:poop:.” Lol

The people who can easily afford the big cruisers don’t really ride them much. I rode a river ferry not long ago and about 20 3 wheelers rode with me across the river. They were going on a 40 mile ride for Sunday lunch and none had ridden their bikes in weeks it seemed. All were in their late 60s like me and I couldn’t understand the attraction to $30,000+ motorcycles that were mostly decorations. In this part of the country it’s either too hot, too cold or too wet to ride unless it’s an absolute necessity.

I have seen some retro bikes that looked good including the Royal Enfields. The Janus doesn’t do much to impress me but I doubt they are worried.

Rod, I used to ride a bike around our area. I remember my knee turning blue with my holy jeans blasting around on an FJ1200 during a sudden cold snap! I thought I was cool back in the day. I once hit 140 mph on Dorsey / Evergreen Road. The speedo said 150, and I wanted to see if it was true, but I backed off at 140. Lord knows how or why I’m still here. People have lost their lives doing much less irresponsible crap than I pulled when I was under 25.

I had a lot of fun riding back roads, two lanes, the Natchez Trace, etc. But bikes are no damn fun on the interstate, IMO. I’d rather cruise along with conditioned air and a radio!

I wouldn’t mind finding an early sport bike to tinker around on. But I wouldn’t care to use it as primary transportation and I dang sure don’t have an interest in a $7k, 250cc, retro bike.

I guess I’m lucky to have lived to be a boring adult myself @Scrapyard_John. I owned a few bikes and once drove from Memphis to Tupelo late one night in an hour when it was 2 lane all the way, driving through Holly Springs, New Albany, etc. If today’s crotch rockets had been around back then it’s unlikely I would have ever reached my 21st birthday. 140 mph on 2 wheels leaves little room for a mistake so congratulations on seeing that ride come to a happy end.

I acquired a Honda 305 scrambler when I was in Japan and enjoyed cruising up and down Okinawa a few times and that seemed to be the best miles I ever enjoyed on a bike. I might could handle one of those these days but I might need some help getting off.

As for the Janus, I’m obviously out of touch with current motorcycle’s performance and prices but the manufacturer got a huge boost getting on Fox it seems. Maybe there’s a future for the company.