My response to the HATE against janus motorcycles
On the left is me in the ER the day of the wreck. The right is my knee 3 days after. I was wearing D30 knee armor, but I landed on it at 61 mph.
So I got caught in a death wobble and crashed on a Janus Halcyon 250 several months ago. I expected, due to the crash being from a wobble, that people would blame the bike. I thought bringing in a Crash Investigator certified by the Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction, would quiet the armchair “experts” once an actual expert weighed in.
That has not been the case.
Between comments, emails, and at least one YouTuber, I see a disregard or skepticism in the experts analysis. I see people bringing in their own analysis. Since these people are not engineers, experienced researchers or investigators trained in motorcycle crashes, they are blaming the bike. Here’s some data and research I don’t think those making that conclusion are aware of:
Out of 1,200 Halcyon 250s ever built, my wobble crash is the first the company has seen this happen.
The bike I crashed on, taken the morning of the wreck.
According to a report by Research Engineers for the Center for Transportation Safety, another by Guidelines on Motorcycle and Bicycle Work Zone Safety (see last page for more state/ government research sources), and another report by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the grooved pavement that instigated my wobble is a known cause of crash for motorcycles. According to the Crash Investigator certified by the Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction, the bike's engineering was not the cause of the crash, but rather multiple contributing factors (see last blog post). Some of you argued that if all these factors were combined on this road and I was on a different bike, the crash would not have happened. I have been in discussion with Janus behind the scenes at length, and I can confirm Janus is working with a qualified investigator to confirm if there is anything in their bike design that can be changed or improved.
Since I am not an engineer, nor an investigator trained in motorcycle crashes, and there is only 1 in 1,200 instances of a wobble and crash happening with the bike I was on, it would be in conflict with data, investigators, and research engineers for me to state that "Janus bikes have wobbles".
Some comments said that if I had been on a Harley or a Japanese bike, this wouldn’t have happened. Larger manufacturers have problems with their bikes too, there just isn’t usually a YouTuber already filming a video when things go wrong.
In the early 2000s, Harley Police touring models had a confirmed wobble/weave instability in tests by the California Highway Patrol. Over 82,000 2017–2024 Softail models were recalled due to a faulty rear shock adjuster mounting tab that could break, contact the rear tire, and cause a crash (article)
In 2015–2017, Yamaha recalled 22,000 bikes (FJ‑09, FZ‑09, XSR900) due to loose lower handlebar holders from poor thread-locking, risking loss of control (article)
In 2024, Kawasaki recalled 3,742 bikes - 2024 Ninja 500 and Z500 for a faulty clutch release shaft (article).
I would hate for my 1/ 1,200 experience to scare people from ever riding a custom or uniquely built bike, or put rules in place that we can never build or ride something unique. Even if this crash had been worse for me, I would hate to see people hating on anything or anyone after watching one of my videos. Before you bring out the pitchforks, I hope you can remember that behind that bike I was on are people - a person painting those details on the tank, a person bending those handlebars, a person putting that engine in that bike.
One crash out of 1,200 bikes doesn’t define a company, a community, or me. Accidents are rarely the fault of a single factor, and pointing fingers doesn’t make any of us safer. What does help is learning, questioning, and improving together as riders. So instead of blame, let’s keep the pitchforks down and the handlebars steady.
Watch experts weigh in about wobbles causes & prevention here