Comedian and automotive aficionado Jay Leno was left counting his lucky stars after enduring second-degree burns in November 2022. Leno sustained the injury while repairing a fuel line on one of his many antique cars. Miraculously, the 72-year-old recovered in no time, but just two months later, in January 2023, Leno returned to the hospital following a motorcycle crash.
As Leno describes it, he noticed that one of the carburetors on his 1940 Indian Four (with sidecar) was leaking fuel. In an attempt to shorten his ride back home, the comedian cut through an adjacent parking lot. Unfortunately, Leno didn’t see the wire strung across the parking lot until it was too late. The subsequent crash resulted in Leno sustaining a broken collarbone, two broken ribs, and two fractured kneecaps.
Leno’s Indian Four didn’t escape unscathed either. With the sidecar keeping the vintage bike upright following Leno’s dismount, it ultimately slammed into a nearby building. The collision crumpled the sidecar’s front end, smashed the front fender, and mildly bent the motorcycle’s fork. The comedian plans to replace the unit with an original example.While Leno doesn’t say as much in the video, we wouldn’t be surprised if he fully restores the sidecar and large, decorative front fender as well.
Aside from the cosmetic blemishes, Leno believes the headstock and engine remain in tip-top shape. He jokes that he may consider stronger brakes following the crash, but we highly doubt such a performance-oriented upgrade would retain the build’s restored status.
After all, the Indian Four is a collector’s item for a good reason. The vintage cruiser touts a unique 77 cubic-inch (1,261cc) inline-four engine. All Fours featured a trailing link fork with leaf spring suspension, but Indian ditched the rigid rear end in favor of a plunger rear suspension for the 1940 model year. The platform also adopted Indian’s iconic swooping front fender that same year.
Sadly, Indian discontinued the Four in 1942, making Leno’s example that much more valuable. Yes, Jay Leno has fallen on tough luck lately, but he’s fortunate enough to rebuild his 1940 Indian Four (with sidecar) and get back on the road despite it all.
