The 1922 Megola, among all the motorcycles Jay Leno has featured on his YouTube show Jay Leno's Garage, is considered the rarest one of all.

First off, its age alone makes it difficult to repair, restore, and maintain. Only 2,000 were made in Germany in the 1920s, and each one bears a specific serial number. Production was shut down due to inflation in the German economy and some design flaws resulting from the front-wheel engine. So, its production run ended up being shorter than expected. Leno has a fondness for vintage motorcycles and is willing to put in the time, effort, energy, and money that restoration and maintenance require.

Read on to find out more about the 1922 Megola and its rare status.

Related: How Jay Leno's Garage Has Changed Car TV

Leno's Rarest Bike: The 1922 Megola

Of all of Jay Leno's motorcycles in his collection, his rarest one would be the 1922 Megola. This bike has a five-cylinder radial engine attached to the front wheel. Aside from that, Leno also has several Brough Superiors, which collectors have a fond eye for and which Leno himself refers to as "the first superbike." Leno has been known to collect a lot of older, vintage motorcycles, which he says amazes people when he notes how they still function.

That said, Leno is a fan of older motorcycles because he considers them charming and he's willing to put the work into maintenance and restoration. Leno makes it a point to keep all his motorcycles and cars, even the Megola, fully charged, full of gasoline, and ready to ride.

Leno noted how the Megola is unusual in its physiology, as it has no belt, no transmission, and no front brake, with a technique of starting the bike by spinning the front wheel. Leno also makes it a point to meet other collectors who maintain and own the same motorcycles and cars, as he once went to Pebble Beach to meet Virgil Elings to see his rare Megola.

Racing Or Touring?

Megolas have differences between them, some of which denote their purpose, distinguishing racing models from touring models. For example, the touring model used a bucket seat, while the racing model used a bicycle saddle. The wheel rim is laced directly to the motor housing, making it a practical endeavor for riders to carry extra parts in varying rim sizes to alter their gearing should they ever decide to switch from touring to racing.

The parts used in wheels and motors also reveal which type of Megola is used, as touring and racing models had different parts sizes. Megola's terminology is also quite specific, as the front wheel that starts the bike is called a “rotary,” not a “radial.”

The motor and wheel rotate in tandem in lieu of spinning the crankshaft. And while Megolas lack gears and clutches, the five-cylinder, 640cc engine can take speed the bike up to 75 MPH. Gas also sometimes needed to be pumped by hand from the main tank to the fork-mounted pre-tank. The engine produced a significant amount of torque, even without the presence of gears.

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

Multiple Complications Arise

The Megola models have some physiological quirks that aren't seen in modern bikes, leaving operators bewildered. The bike started by being put on its stand and spinning the front wheel until the engine fired up. It was also challenging in terms of fueling because of oddly-placed cylinders that spin in tandem with the wheel, as well as the engine itself being wheel-mounted. The hollow pressed-steel monocoque frame houses the main gasoline tank, while both pre-tank and the oil reservoir can be found near the bike's forks, specifically on the sides.

Gravity allows the tanks to send gas to the engine, which is why it occasionally had to be done by hand. Further, the engine couldn't be disconnected from the front wheel, since the front wheel is essentially part of the engine. Unpredictable acceleration was a real risk when the engine had issues starting. Also, torque pulls the bike intensely to the left once the rider accelerates.

Hidden Origins

The bike's origins are a bit obscure, from its name creation and initial purpose to potential possibilities and scrapped plans. First off, its name is derived from the surnames of the three men who created it: Hans Meixner, Fritz Cockerell, and Otto Landgraf. To further complicate matters, Cockerell had an alias of Friedreich Gockerell, which is where Megola's “go” comes from. The engine was originally designed to be mounted on the rear wheel, but by the time the bike was manufactured, the engine had five cylinders instead of its original three, necessitating a move to the front wheel.

The men agreed that, as the front was the focal point of pressure, putting the engine in the front would be more advantageous given the engine's air-cooled rotary status. Unfortunately, this added more weight to the front end, making it highly likely that the one leaf spring featured in the front suspension would snap. As a result, Megola had to end production of this particular rotary-engine motorcycle by 1925, replacing it with one that was more standard and simple.

Sources: mcall.com, rideapart.com, thetvdb.com, bikeexif.com,

Next: 8 Of The Biggest Motorcycle Flops Of All Time