NoHo Scooters Sells Royal Enfield Motorcycle to Funnyman Jay Leno

on Vineland Avenue recently sold a Royal Enfield motorcycle to comedian and Tonight Show host Jay Leno.

The shop specializes in selling and fixing new and used scooters, but recently opened a new venture, selling 2011 Royal Enfield motorcycles, which is how the shop came to selling the bike to Leno and delivering it to his shop.

Leno is known to own of the world's greatest collections of classic cars and motorcycles, and was cruising around in a 1929 Bentley. And as NoHo Scooters owner Mike Frankovich put it, if you are into classic cars in Southern California, you are going to run into Leno sooner or later.

"My dad was actually friends with Leno for many years, and I know a lot of the mechanics in his garage, and I've seen him at various car shows throughout the years," said Frankovich. "I think I was talking to one of his mechanics and told him we'd just gotten Royal Enfields, and I said, 'Hey, do you think Leno might be interested in one?'"

Frankovich started the shop in 2002 with his dad, who passed away in 2007, and now runs it himself. This year he expanded into selling Royal Enfields, which were recently approved for sale in California due to an improvement in the 2011 model's emissions systems.

"I'm into vintage motorcycles as well, and for years kept in touch with Royal Enfield, telling them, 'Hey whenever you get California certification let me know, I'd like to carry your bikes,'" said Frankovich. "And last year they finally got a model that could be approved for California emissions, so we're one of the first seven dealerships in California for Royal Enfield."

The shop opened in 2002, and although the economy has been rough for small businesses the last decade, Frankovich said NoHo Scooters keeps growing.

"In L.A., it's getting to be that there's nowhere to park, and gas keeps going up, so a scooter makes sense. I mean, you can pretty much get anywhere in L.A. without going on the freeway," said Frankovich.