An hourglass, a motorcycle, and a name, what do they have in common? More than you think. We open with the simple act of naming a machine and end up deep in the reasons we ride at all: connection, presence, and the useful edge of fear. Along the way, we read a luminous Borges poem about time, riff on memento mori, and talk about how a bike becomes a partner when you give it a place in your life.
We get our hands dirty, too. Together we configure a Griffin 450, debating Maze yellow vs silver, brush guards, bash plates, LED lighting, and a cargo rack to turn a handsome machine into a real traveler. That build segment doubles as a blueprint for smart customization: pick protection, visibility, and storage that match the roads you actually ride. We also share shop momentum as build pace ramps toward 12 bikes a week and Build of the Week returns. On the business side, we break down our WeFunder progress, why it’s common stock, and how we’re inviting riders beyond our core to join the journey.
The heart of the conversation is fear. Not the bravado of “no fear,” but the honest respect that keeps you alert and unlocks flow. We explore how healthy fear sharpens perception, balances boredom and panic, and turns rides into transformation. Practical takeaways land fast: gear up, light up, avoid complacency, and don’t try to smother fear, use it.
Add a detour through heirloom drafting tools and ruling pens that shaped design before CAD, and you’ve got a full-spectrum look at craft, community, and consequence on two wheels.
If this hits home, tap follow, share with a rider who names their bike, and leave a quick review so more folks can find the ramble. Got a pre-ride ritual, or a machine with a story to tell? Message us and join the conversation.
More About this Episode
Why We Name Our Motorcycles: Connection, Identity, and the Art of Rambling
There’s something timeless about naming a motorcycle.
It might seem quirky from the outside, anthropomorphizing a machine, giving it a name like “Bertha,” “Chieftain,” or “Road Biscuit.” But for those of us who ramble, those of us who experience the world one backroad at a time, it’s a practice that carries a surprising amount of weight. It isn’t just sentiment, it’s a signal of something deeper: connection, identity, and the living spirit of the ride.
In this episode of the Ramble Stream Podcast (#112), we didn’t just talk shop. We dug into the philosophy of naming vehicles, the role of fear in motorcycling, and the poetry of time itself. It was a conversation that meandered like a good country ride, unexpected, meaningful, and uniquely human.
Here’s what emerged.
Naming the Machine: More Than a Quirk
There’s a quiet ritual to naming your motorcycle. Some names come instantly. Others take years to emerge. Sometimes it’s the color, the sound, or a specific ride that brings it to life. But however it happens, the moment a name sticks, the bike becomes more than a machine.
You don’t name something unless you’re connected to it. We name our children, our pets, and our boats. Historically, naming has been tied to the idea of knowing, of relationship. To name something is to make it known. To know its name is to admit a level of vulnerability and closeness. As Richard pointed out in the episode, even in mythology and fantasy literature (like Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea), names carry power. When you name something, you claim it, yes, but you also allow it to claim you.
That’s why motorcycles so often demand names. They aren't just transportation. They are companions, even collaborators. They carry us through landscapes, thoughts, and moments we never expected. To name one is to say: this one matters.
And yes, even if it’s just “68.”
“The Motorcycle Names Itself”
Here at Janus Motorcycles, where every bike is hand-built and personal, naming a motorcycle feels like a natural extension of the process. Every machine is crafted with care, but it’s the rider who completes the picture. The stories shared during the stream, about bikes with names, bikes waiting for names, and bikes whose names “just kind of stuck,” show how naturally that relationship unfolds.
A good name isn’t forced. It reveals itself. Sometimes over a long ride. Sometimes after the hundredth start. Sometimes when you see the bike parked just right in the fading light of a summer day and think, “Yeah… that’s you.”
It’s not unlike naming a horse. There's respect, connection, and maybe even a little mystery in it.
The Poetry of Time and Machines
Every episode, we try to leave room for a moment of reflection, something outside the world of gears and gravel. This time, we read Jorge Luis Borges' haunting poem The Hourglass. It’s a meditation on time, memory, and the inevitability of endings. But more than that, it’s a reminder of the beauty in slowness and repetition. In watching the sand fall. In knowing it will fall again. In realizing that what passes through our fingers is precious because it ends.
Motorcycling has that same poetic quality. Time shifts on two wheels. It stretches, condenses, and often disappears altogether. What we do with that time is what gives it meaning.
That’s why we name our bikes. That’s why we ride them.
Riding with Fear: Is It Necessary?
We closed the stream by exploring a topic that deserves more attention in the riding community: fear.
Is fear necessary when riding a motorcycle?
Absolutely. And not just in the obvious “don’t do dumb things” sense. Fear is part of what makes the experience powerful. It grounds us. It sharpens our focus. It reminds us that what we’re doing, flying through space on a machine powered by explosions and physics, is not normal. And that’s the point.
Fear isn’t the enemy. Complacency is.
A healthy respect for the danger of the ride enhances the experience. It brings out the best in us. It invites transformation. As Jansen reflected during the show, if you ever swing your leg over a bike and feel nothing, it might be time to reassess your relationship with riding.
Riding is inherently risky. But it’s also incredibly rewarding. That tension is what makes it meaningful.
“Do It Scared”
There was a moment in the stream where we landed on a simple phrase:
“Okay, you’re scared. Do it scared.”
That’s riding. That’s life.
You don’t wait for fear to vanish. You ride into it. You acknowledge it. You let it keep you sharp. And then you do the thing anyway, because the ride is worth it.
Fear doesn’t have to paralyze. It can transform.
A Ramble Through Watches, Whiskey, and What Matters
As always, the conversation wandered. We talked about E.H. Taylor bourbon, vintage drafting tools (like the beautifully machined ruling pen Richard shared), the poetry of hourglasses, and the unexpected gift of discolored calculator watches. These aren’t just tangents. They’re glimpses into the culture that surrounds Janus and the riders who make up our community.
Here’s what we learned:
- Things matter. Craft matters. Time matters.
- A tool that’s well-made, even a 19th-century compass or a mechanical watch, elevates the task.
- A motorcycle isn’t just a product. It’s a partner. And naming it is a celebration of that partnership.
Wrapping Up: The Machine, the Meaning, the Moment
In this episode, we explored what it means to name something, to know it, to care for it, to be changed by it. Whether that’s a Halcyon 250 named “Calliope” or an unnamed “68” that seems to resist any label, the point is the same: these machines matter because the experiences they give us matter.
They help us wrestle with fear. They remind us that time is slipping by. They connect us to roads, to people, and to versions of ourselves that we might not otherwise meet.
So if you haven’t named your bike yet, don’t rush it.
Take it out. Listen closely. It’ll tell you who it is, eventually.
And when it does, you'll know it’s not just a motorcycle anymore. It’s a part of your story.