Low-volume Janus Motorcycles are essentially custom-built, as they are made to order by the boutique brand based in Goshen, Indiana. However, that didn’t stop Mark Zweig, the company’s part-time CFO and partner, from creating a build of his own—the Janus Flying Z—with touches that aren’t available on a “production” Janus.
“Our basic Halcyon 250 looks like a bike that could have come out of the 1920s,” Zweig points out. “So, I wanted to see what we could do by creating a bike that looked like the natural evolution of that one and that would have been built in the 1930s or ’40s. One of the coolest aspects of The Flying Z is its set of uniquely flared and deeply skirted fenders making it more aerodynamic. I have been wanting to see what one of our bikes would look like with some fenders like these for the last couple years, and our Master Fender Builder Brent Lehman, along with the design guidance from our Founder and Design Lead Richard Worsham, made it happen.”
Along with the custom fenders, the Janus Flying Z features a paint job that matches the Cavalry Blue powdercoating. The Janus design team created a new Janus script-style logo for the tank, with Janus Lead Pinstriper Kelly Borden reproducing the design and adorning it with dual silver pinstripes, which are reprised on the fenders. “Halcyon 250” is hand-painted on one side of the airbox, with the stylized “Flying Z” on the opposite side.
Leading the way on the Flying Z is an eponymous sand-cast ornament on the front fender designed and created by innovative Arkansas-based sculptor Eugene Sargent, known for his large-scale works. “Sargent made the fender ornament so it bridges the front fender brace and didn’t require any special mounting hardware,” Zweig tells us.
Other features on the Janus Flying Z include polished components and a fuel cap custom-engraved with the Flying Z logo found on the airbox and replicated in three dimensions on the front fender. If much of the bike looks custom, it’s because Janus offers a broad range of options for buyers of the standard bikes.
Zweig is a longtime collector, restorer, and customizer of motorcycles from the 1960s and ’70s. However, after a 2016 accident that left his Triumph Thruxton in ruins, he decided to downsize his collection and focus on smaller-displacement motorcycling.
“I just don’t ride as much as I used to, and certainly don’t need to go that far or that fast,” Zweig acknowledges. “Our founder Richard Worsham has dubbed that kind of riding as ‘rambling.’ Most of my riding is to and from campus, or on short trips in and around town.” Zweig has an MBA and BS from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and is the Executive in Residence in the Department of Strategic Entrepreneurship and Venture Innovation at Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas.
“The Janus, to me, represents everything I want in a motorcycle,” Zweig continues. “It’s incredibly beautiful, simple, reliable, ultra-lightweight, and fun to ride. That’s why, when I decided to have a new bike built for myself where we could test out some new design ideas, I opted for another Halcyon 250 instead of one of our larger displacement bikes. It’s such a wonderful basic design.”
With the Janus Flying Z, Zweig is something of his own client. Regardless, his aspirations match those of many custom builders. “I cannot wait to see the public reaction to the new Janus Flying Z,” he reveals. “My old Janus draws a crowd every time I park it, and I expect this one will be even more attention-grabbing.” We doubt he will be disappointed.
