Jay Leno, once the host of NBC's The Tonight Show, currently is the star of his new show, Jay Leno's Garage, in which he gets to show off his rather extensive car and motorcycle collection, housed in an ever-expanding garage located near the Burbank Airport.

A lot of rare and expensive vehicles are kept in the garage, all of which are in working order should Leno decide to take them out for a ride. Leno owns 181 cars and 160 motorcycles, all of which are worth a significant sum when combined.

However, Leno admits he's in this for a personal hobby and not for fame or fortune. He plans to restore whatever needs restoring and he only buys what he likes, not opting to buy any bikes to flip or sell.

Read on to discover more details and features regarding Jay Leno's intricate and extensive motorcycle collection.

It's A Personal Passion

Leno started this project not out of financial necessity or for any sort of increased publicity, but out of a hobby and love for vehicles. He bought his first motorcycle, a 350cc Honda, in his high school days, and to this day, he collects a lot of obscure, rare, modern, vintage, and classic motorcycles. As with his car collection, he keeps all these vehicles full of gasoline and fully charged, so they're ready to ride or drive.

His collection is worth a considerable sum, but again, he doesn't collect these vehicles to get rich; it's for personal enjoyment, though that personal enjoyment gave rise to his long-running “Jay Leno’s Garage” TV show. His collection includes many highly-prized Brough Superiors, which Leno considers “the first superbike.” He paid about $5,000 for a 1939 model back in the 1980s, and although those motorcycles didn't have the best brake technology, Leno kept on collecting from there.

Numerous, Yet Rotating

The overall motorcycle collection receives constant updates, with more and more being added, and several being taken out for periodic maintenance. Although the aforementioned 350cc Honda was only purchased as a need for transportation, it and many other bikes were traded up in order to ultimately acquire more prestigious and fancier motorcycles.

That said, he doesn't sell any bikes, he only buys what he prefers to ride, and will spend any money necessary for restoration. As further evidence that Leno made his car collection out of personal passion instead of financial gain, he is well versed and deeply informed about every motorcycle in the garage, able to recite statistics, specs, and trivia about each piece like a curator or tour guide in a museum would.

Leno's collection currently has 181 cars and 160 motorcycles in a garage next to the Burbank Airport, but those figures fluctuate when other vehicles or purchased or when they're removed for maintenance or restoration. These cars and motorcycles are often rare and expensive, but sometimes Leno just picks a vehicle that he personally enjoys.

The garage itself was built in 1990, though it has been repeatedly expanded since then by assimilating adjacent buildings to accommodate the rapidly-growing vehicle collection. That said, however, a special invitation is required to see inside, as it's not open to the general public without one.

Related: Jay Leno Suits Up In A Harley Heated Jacket And Goes Cruising In A Morgan 3-Wheeler

Famous Names And Major Brands

A lot of old, rare, classic, vintage, and modern motorcycles occupy space in Jay Leno's Garage. A lot of those brands were previously iconic or carry a lot of weight to this day. That said, Leno doesn't own a lot of Ferraris, though a lot of other brands are represented. For example, Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, Ducati, Indian, Vespa, Hayabusa, Norton, Triumph, Duke, and Harley-Davidson are all among the brands Leno carries in his garage.

Also of note is that the previously-mentioned Brough Superior bikes just made their debut in his garage in 2020. The collection also grew when Robert White sold his collection to Leno for safekeeping after it was revealed White had terminal cancer. The money Leno paid was then used as part of the funds that established the Robert White Cancer Centre in Dorchester, England.

Jay Leno's Select Favorites

A few of Leno's bikes are ones that get attention for certain characteristics, or just for the fact that he enjoys riding them. Although a lot of the motorcycles in his garage are vintage models, this is hardly applicable to the collection as a whole.

Leno has a passion for anything vehicular or in the automobile industry, not just the pieces that are classic, rare, or vintage. After all, Leno makes it a point to keep every vehicle he owns in functioning condition so he can take them out for a drive or ride every chance he gets. Jet-powered modern motorcycles even have a place in Leno's collection.

Leno has reportedly claimed his favorite motorcycle brand is Vincent, which was retired years ago. However, Vincent made the Black Shadow that Leno loves to ride. The 1924 Ace Motorcycles XP-4, 1933 Indian Four, and 1939 Brough Superior SS100 all receive a similar amount of personal praise from Leno for certain aspects that seem practical, effective, efficient, or charming.

Sources: blog.dupontregistry.com, altdriver.com, thebikeinsurer.co.uk, eatsleepride.com, detroitnews.com, providencejournal.com,

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