You may know Dax Shepard from his incredibly popular podcast, Armchair Expert. He’s also written and directed a few popular movies like Hit and Run and a reboot of the hit television show CHiPs. The original ’80s crime drama program was turned into an action movie for 2017.

It didn’t perform spectacularly at the box office, but it has a few good high-speed chases. Shepard performed many of his own stunts during production, even though he ended up crashing a few times. Despite this, Shepard says it won’t stop him from riding his beloved motorcycles.

Early life

Dax Shepard was well on his way to being a gearhead from an early age. His father took him on his first motorcycle ride at the age of 3. The year after that, Shepard was riding by himself on his first dirt bike. Both of Shepard’s parents also rode dirt bikes and raced muscle cars in the early ’70s. 

Shepard’s father worked for GM and sold cars for a living. At 14, Shepard also went to work for GM. He had his own access to a race track thanks to his involvement in the company’s press events. The actor says he’s been riding both cars and motorcycles ever since.

The motorcycle accidents

Dax Shepard told MotorTrend that he prefers off-roading because it’s more stimulating. This had led to a few big wipeouts over the years. One of them happened while he was dirt biking over some big sand dunes. He lost control cartwheeled off his bike.

Another accident occurred while he was riding a dirt bike in Michigan. According to his interview with Jalopnik, Shepard hit a pile of cut-down trees head-on and went flying. He broke all the tendons in his shoulder and had to have part of his clavicle removed.

The injury kept him off any kind of dirt bike or motorcycle for an entire year. After that incident, he switched to sandrails instead of dirt bikes.

Why Dax Shepard loves motorcycles

While he may not ride dirt bikes anymore, Shepard says he can’t live without motorcycles. He’s a big fan of the power to weight ratio compared to driving a car. He also appreciates their durability and increased value over the years. On most of his bikes, Shepard has never once had to replace any parts.

Shepard owns five motorcycles, including a Suzuki GSX-R1000 and a Ducati Hypermotard. He frequently oversees motorcycle races at Inner-City Games, a charity competition for at-risk youth.

Dax Shepard’s car collection

In addition to his motorcycles and sandrails, Shepard also owns five cars. His collection definitely isn’t conventional. His favorite car isn’t a fancy sports vehicle, but instead a 1994 Buick Roadmaster. However, it’s not just any station wagon.

Shepard switched out the regular engine for a supercharged 6.2-liter Chevy LSA capable of 700 hp. He also installed Wilwood brakes, a custom suspension, and BBS wheels. He also owns a hot-rodded Lincoln Continental from his drag-racing era. During that time, he also rebuilt the engine of a 1984 Mustang GT. 

Shepard says he wants to modify more cars and dune buggies in the future. Currently, he’s got his eye on a Bentley Continental GTS or an old Volkswagen. He says that a great appeal of old cars is fixing them up and making them cooler than before.

Currently, Shepard is set to co-host a reboot of Top Gear America in 2020. He will be joined by two other hosts: Jethro Bovingdon and Rob Corddry. The spinoff of the popular British TV show will air on MotorTrend.