Halcyon 250: Dangerous and Wonderful

Now in its tenth year of production, our flagship Janus Motorcycles model, the Halcyon 250, has inspired extremes of both love and hate from its inception.

Whether because of its lack of features, (“I would never ride a bike without rear suspension or ABS”), its price point, (“you could buy four used KLR’s, or 18 Vanvans for that price!”), aversion to its Chinese 250 engine, (“they should make their own V-twin”), or its lack of power and speed, (“why?!?!?!”), the Halcyon 250 either makes people’s heads explode or charms them with its looks, simplicity, ease of maintenance, or what we hear the most: the way it distills the experience of riding down to its most basic, visceral, thrilling sensation.

Either way, there’s no getting around the fact that the Halcyon 250 is a polarizing machine.

This summer, the debate kicked into high gear after YouTuber, Doodle On A Motorcycle, suffered a well-publicized crash on a Halcyon 250 that she planned to ride cross country.

This Saturday, the FortNine YouTube channel added their take on the Halcyon 250 to the conversation. Titled, “The Janus Halcyon 250 is Dangerous and Wonderful”, the video explores the story behind the bikes, but more significantly, it asks a vital question: why do we ride motorcycles in the first place?

Their take is less of a defense of the hard-tailed little Halcyon than it is a question to every motorcyclist and OEM out there today: “would you rather ride the perilous machine that lulls you into forgetting its perils, or the perilous machine that makes its perils unforgettable?”

Motorcycles are all dangerous. In fact, it may actually be why we ride them. That danger, the reality that it is your wits, your skill, and your experience that keep you upright and on the road, has more to do with the difference between a motorcycle and a car than how many wheels you have rolling beneath you. We ride because motorcycles give us, their pilots, more control of where we’re going. We ride motorcycles because they are less forgiving, and because they give us the experience of getting away with something.

The latest developments in motorcycle technology and rider aids give us the ability to push our own limits further than in the past. They allow us to travel faster, corner harder, handle more obstacles, all with less discomfort and risk. And there is nothing wrong with that.

But it is a trade-off. As we push harder, not only do we find that very same limit to our wits, skill, and experience, but we push that limit to faster and faster speeds, while reducing our personal agency, self-reliance, and that ineffable sensation of auto-locomotion.

Janus motorcycles aren’t for everyone. Not everyone wants a motorcycle that allows you to find your limits faster. Not everyone wants a 14-horsepower hard tail (shocking, I know). But every rider should ask themselves that question: why do we ride?