Jay Leno’s car and motorcycle collection is something truly special, a collection like it exists nowhere else in the world. He’s got several buildings at his place next to Burbank Airport, and they are full of amazing displays of automotive and motorcycle history. All are ready to ride or drive and are maintained regularly so that he can do just that with whatever strikes his fancy. When Jay was on the Tonight Show back in the day, he would drive to the shop in the morning in one of his many cars, hang out and play with cars and such during the day, and then grab a different car and drive it to the studio where the show would start filming sometime around 5:30pm. When he was done with the show he’d drive that car home. And the cycle would repeat. Every single day. Can you imagine having so many cars that you could literally drive a different one every single day and not drive the same one for over a year?
Sounds pretty cool to me. And over the years, Jay’s collection has grown partially because his restoration shop has grown as well. There are a great group of craftsmen and enthusiasts who build and maintain his cars, and who he is very close with. On the day that I toured Leno’s place years ago, they were starting up a super rare motorcycle for the very first time, after having gone through a complete restoration that lasted a couple of years. The excitement from Jay and the guys was infectious. They really do love this stuff.
So here is a 1940 Indian Chief motorcycle, with a sidecar, that was crashed, totaled, and then remade by Jay’s team. Check it out now. This is the bike that Jay crashed so bad just a couple of year’s ago.
Video Description:
What happens when a rare 1940 Indian Chief motorcycle—once owned by NFL legend Joe Montana—gets completely totaled in a freak U-turn accident? You completely rebuild it from scratch, better than it ever left the showroom floor! In this week’s episode, Jay Leno shares the unbelievable story of his personal 1940 Indian Chief motorcycle and sidecar. After a brutal crash with an unmarked wire fence knocked Jay off the bike and sent the three-wheeler smashing through bushes and into a building, it was deemed a total loss. But instead of walking away, Jay handed the wreckage to the premier Indian specialists at Kiwi Indian, along with expert fabricator Jimmy Hudson and mechanic George Swift. Together, they discovered the bike’s hidden history of bad Bondo, poor chrome jobs, and structural metal fatigue. Watch as the team uncovers the dangers of hydrogen embrittlement, hand-fabricates a brand-new 110-pound steel sidecar completely from scratch, and completely rebuilds the massive 1300cc flathead engine and three-speed transmission. It’s a gorgeous blue-and-white cruiser that proves vintage American iron never truly dies.
