By Joe Berk
This just came in a few minutes ago: Janus is announcing their new 450cc Gryffin Scrambler. I rode the street version when I visited Janus Motorcycles a couple of years ago and I thought it was great. At 330 pounds and with a 450cc engine, the new Gryffin sounds good to me. Here’s the Janus press release.
JANUS MOTORCYCLES ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF GRYFFIN 450 SCRAMBLER
Goshen, Indiana
Janus Motorcycles, maker of small-displacement motorcycles with hand-crafted components and highly-customizable color combinations announces the development of their Gryffin 450 Model.
The Gryffin 450 uses the same simple, reliable, and enduro-inspired SWM 445cc, 30hp power plant as their popular Halcyon 450. With a 21’’ front wheel and 17’’ rear, high exhaust, and adventure-minded details, the Gryffin 450 is designed to be an ultra-lightweight scrambler that is configurable for adventure riding, trails, and general on- and off-road riding. It draws inspiration from classic scramblers of the 50s and 60s.
Weighing in at 330 pounds, the Gryffin 450 is featherweight in the scrambler class, and the XR400-derived SWM engine provides impressive power-to-weight in its lightweight chassis.
Janus Senior Design Engineer, Charlie Hansen-Reed, led the design on the project. “The Gryffin 450 is a close sibling to our Halcyon 450, but with some key changes that really make it excel off-pavement. The longer suspension travel, wheel size, lower seat height, and larger fuel tank will be really welcomed by our off-road riders.” He adds, “and trimming another 30 pounds off our already featherweight 450 chassis will be a huge bonus for trailering, van-lifers, and for any adventuresome rider’s peace of mind and confidence.”
Still available to customers will be the whole range of color options, pinstripe options, and other various aesthetic and functional items that differentiates Janus’ manufacturing process. Additional new options on the Gryffin 450 roadmap include motocross footpegs, headlight cage, pannier racks, highway bars, skid plate, tire selections, and pillion seat.
All Gryffin 450s will include hand-formed and beaded fenders, hand-formed and welded stainless steel exhaust, hand-welded chassis and forks, Brembo brakes, hand-painted graphics and pinstripes, and hundreds of permutations of color, pinstripe color, graphics package, leather/canvas bag options, and other customizations.
Janus Motorcycles builds their highly-individualized motorcycles to order and documents much of their design and build process on their Youtube channel. “Our customers and riders love to be a part of the iterative process. We’ve invited them along as we developed our 250 line and our Halcyon 450, and we’re excited to invite them alongside us as we finalize the design of the Gryffin 450 and push it into production” Founder and CEO Richard Worsham shares: “We invite anyone to follow along with us this year as we test, develop, and build our exciting new model.”
Janus opened reservations of the first Gryffin 450s to the public today, February 23rd. All orders placed in the first 30 days of sale will be a part of the First Edition, with serial-numbered plates, limited edition race plates, unique engraved components, and commemorative packages. Bikes will be built in order of reservation, with the first expected to be finished in July of 2024.
Riders can place a reservation for an order fee of $2995.
The Gryffin 450 base price is set to be $13495.
CONTACT INFO:
For media inquiries and more info, please contact Grant Longenbaugh, President, at grant@janusmotorcycles.com; for dealer inquiries, please contact dealers@janusmotorcycles.com; for sales, contact sales@janusmotorcycles.com, or call 574-538-1350. More info: www.janusmotorcycles.com
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