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.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Jay is curious if younger riders have any interest in this antique iron. If you’re under 40, what do you think of this vintage 1940 hand-shift cruiser? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
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A new video every Monday! Visit Jay Leno's Garage, the Emmy-winning series where Jay Leno gives car reviews, motorcycle reviews, compares cars, and shares his passion and expertise on anything that rolls, explodes, and makes noise. Classic cars, restomods, super cars like the McLaren P1, sports cars like Porsche 918 Spyder and Camaro Z28, cafe racers, vintage cars, and much, much more.
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