Google takes interest in Goshen motorcycle maker

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https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/l ... 809e2.html

Dec 4, 2017 GOSHEN — Somewhere deep inside Google — the company, not the search engine — someone found Janus Motorcycles.

There aren’t many motorcycle manufacturers in the United States, much less ones small enough to fit inside 1,500 square feet in the back of a former dry cleaning building in a small Midwestern city.

Frames, fenders and engines come together in that small space at 211 S. Fifth St. Janus may make 90 motorcycles this year, which would double last year. This small company is awaiting final emissions approval from the Environmental Protection Agency that will allow it to grow even more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlcv2FNWp88
It makes small, light motorcycles often driven by new motorcycle riders or collectors around town. The motorcycles weigh around 265 pounds and have a top speed of about 70 mph. “We kind of convert people to two wheels,” said co-founder Richard Worsham.

As Google kicked off its “Grow With Google” tour in Indianapolis in early November, marketing director Grant Longenbaugh spoke on a panel about using the web to grow business. Janus founders Devin Biek and Worsham were offering test rides on the small, handmade motorcycles. A YouTube video Google produced told some of the story of how Biek and Worsham make motorcycles with about seven full-time employees and craftsmen from shops around Goshen. Some of those craftsmen happen to drive horse-and-buggies rather than motorcycles because of their religion.

Someone at Google may have been googling to find Janus. A spokesman for Google wouldn’t talk on the record, but the press release about the initiative touts the company’s commitment to using digital tools to grow business. Worsham said Google was looking at Indiana for a story that demonstrated that and put a number of businesses through rounds of vetting before picking Janus as the one.

When Worsham and Biek were starting Janus in December 2011, they learned aspects of motorcycle building from YouTube videos. They found a network of suppliers, sometimes by word of mouth rather than Googling, but were able to build a motorcycle company in northern Indiana because of digital tools.

They sell and market motorcycles online. Longenbaugh said they aren’t Google AdWords experts, but are able to use them to promote the product. Whether it’s AdWords or their own video, they have inexpensive ways to use tools to make and sell a product.

A team of people from Google and Moxie Productions came to Goshen in early October and spent a week filming Janus and its people. They took hours and hours of footage. At least 15 people shot the making of the motorcycles and gorgeously lit interviews with Worsham and Biek. A drone team got assistance from Jordan Swarztendruber, whom Janus uses for its videos. The 3 ½ minute video actually ended up being essentially a distilled version of a longer documentary he did.

The Janus team and the video folks spent the week together both in the shop and at local restaurants and bars. “I think they were quite entertained with Goshen,” Longenbaugh said.

The Janus story of starting a new, even unlikely, business in a small city and making it go is becoming a classic Goshen story. “I feel like it’s a story about Goshen. Or the fact that this is a place we can do this,” said Worsham.

So far, more than 145,000 people have watched Google’s video on Janus. Worsham said it’s hard to measure the impact of a video made by the search engine that prizes optimization and clicks. “We’re getting into people’s heads. We want to be a brand people recognize. Google is part of that. I think it’s bigger than we realize,” he said.

The story of Janus Motorcycles, including how Google told it, is one of using the internet to build and sell a thing that has value. “Make a thing. Make a real thing,” advised Longenbaugh. “There’s so much knowledge baked into the Midwest on how to make things. We’re making a thing rather than a widget.”

Google, a massive business, offers training at grow.google.com and is doing events in Midwestern cities touting that. Yet what is also baked into the story of Janus’s business is how to connect people offline. That has value too. The company sells most of its motorcycles via Discovery Days twice a month where visitors become customers after touring the shop, eating together and taking test rides.

A video paid for by Google is cool, but so far it hasn’t resulted in a sale.

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http://blog.motorcycle.com/2018/01/23/m ... odel-line/

Goshen, Indiana (January 23, 2018)— After nearly two years of development and testing, Janus Motorcycles of Goshen, Indiana received full EPA certification for their 250 line of small-displacement motorcycles. This allows them to fully scale their production, shorten their production time, and continue to grow.

Janus Motorcycles makes three diversely-styled models, the Halcyon 250, the Phoenix 250, and Gryffin 250, but all models are covered under the new certification. The certification assures that every motorcycle produced adheres to certain emissions specifications, and required that Janus integrate a catalyst unit in their proprietary exhaust design as well as re-tune their fuel delivery system. Co-founder Richard Worsham notes that “the whole process of rigorous testing has resulted in a more enjoyable and finely-tuned motorcycle”.

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“We’ve worked hard to grow as well as adhere to government standards. Now that we’re certified for full production, it’s very exciting to open up the faucet and see how much we’re really capable of,” says co-founder Devin Biek.

Janus Motorcycles draws on the rich pool of manufacturing and fabrication shops in Northern Indiana. Their 250 line of motorcycles feature hand-formed tanks, locally welded components such as frames, hand-bent stainless handlebars, hand-painted trim, and a proprietary anti-dive suspension developed by the Janus team.

“With my background in architecture and Devin’s in custom building and mechanics, we produce a product that channels function and beauty in equal parts. Our goal is to produce bikes that connect the rider with the machine and the road, with speed and agility that will make riding simply fun.”

Janus plans to produce 250 of their motorcycles this year. They host bi-monthly “Discovery Days” where visitors can try out their models, talk about the design and production process, and meet the small team of employees.

“We are not industry insiders; we really are ‘just’ a local business, so it’s a proud moment for us, our employees, and our production partners,” Worsham said.