Fans of Janus Motorcycles do more than buy, they invest in Goshen company’s story
Richard Worsham moved to Indiana from Virginia to earn a classical architecture degree at the University of Notre Dame. But motorcycles made him stay.
He graduated in 2011 with a master’s in architecture but found the job market was still difficult after the Great Recession.
“I used that as an excuse to start a motorcycle company,” Worsham said.
Luckily for him, friend Devin Biek asked Worsham to work for him one summer during grad school.
Three years later, they turned the “passion project” into a business in Goshen.
“One bike would fund the next one,” Worsham said.
Fifteen years later, Janus Motorcycles has grown to 25 employees.
Janus also was the first winner of the Coolest Thing Made in Indiana competition in 2022, and was featured in the state’s “Entrepreneurship Indiana” yearbook twice.
The company has two types of motorcycles: 250cc and 450cc engines.
“Almost every bike we build is built to order,” Worsham said.
They come in two styles that can be built online, including paint colors, finishes and accessories. They range in price from $7,500 to over $13,500, depending on upgrades and accessories.
Spencer Anderson purchased his first Janus 250 this way. He liked the experience so much that he looked for the company at the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in 2024.
“As soon as I drove one, I made the purchase,” Anderson said. Since then, he’s put 20,000 miles on the bike and earned four SaddleSore 1,000 awards from the Iron Butt Association.
Janus owners like Anderson aren’t just fans, they also are investors.
To raise funds for expansion, the company started a Wefunder campaign. The equity crowdfunding platform founded in 2011 allows companies to raise capital from customers and supporters. Janus owners were the first to invest.
“It also allows our owners to participate more in the company,” Worsham said. “We’ve had requests many, many times over the years: ‘Is there a way I can invest in the company?’”
The Wefunder raised $470,000 in April. Those funds also will be used to expand and move to a bigger facility on the south side of Goshen.
Worsham discovered Goshen on a ride and met his wife there. But starting his business in Goshen was more than a coincidence.
“We chose to manufacture here deliberately,” Worsham wrote in a Wefunder post. “Not because it was the lowest-cost option. Not because it followed a trend. We chose to build motorcycles in a restored brick dry cleaning facility in downtown Goshen because this community understands long-term work. There is pride in skilled labor here. There is respect for craftsmanship. There are families who value building something that lasts.”
The area’s reputation as a leader in the RV industry has helped too.
“We just found there are so many suppliers in the area,” he said.
That ecosystem also helps them find staff. Janus employs 25 people.
“We really have looked to the local community for our employees,” Worsham said.
But that is changing with the hiring of Mark Zweig, who also was a Janus fan first. He learned about Janus on “Jay Leno’s Garage,” a reality TV show.
Zweig started off as a collector, then an adviser and investor, and now chief operating officer. Zweig, who is from Arkansas, is among the many customers who believe in Janus and the “antidote” it provides to the complexities of modern life.
“Our customers are pretty intentional about what they’re buying and riding and how they are living their lives,” Worsham said. “Our machines are very simple.”
Janus isn’t immune to supply chain issues. The engines are made in China, but the rest of the bike is sourced locally.
“You can’t ship a motorcycle if it’s missing one part,” Worsham said. “We’ve worked really hard over the last year to get production down to that 30-day mark.”
Worsham said he’s learned a lot from the experience of starting and growing Janus.
“My classroom has been the world,” Worsham said. “We have re-created the wheel in a lot of areas.”
As for the future of Janus, Worsham’s goal is to have 600 motorcycles built every year. They make about 350 now.
“We’re still here. We’re still delivering motorcycles. We still have happy customers,” he said. “Fifteen years in the world of motorcycles is not a short period of time.”
He said Janus’ longevity mainly happened because they “make a different kind of motorcycle.”
“People are interested in vehicles that have more of a story, more of a meaning,” Worsham said.
Anderson said Janus customers like that the motorcycles are made in U.S. and offer a more vintage style of riding. It helps that the customer service is exceptional.
“It’s got a lot of good things going for it,” Anderson said. •
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