When Gooding Christie’s brings the Billy Joel Motorcycle Collection to Retromobile New York Auctions on November 20 and 21, collectors get something that rarely comes to market: a lifetime of riding, assembled by one enthusiast and offered entirely without reserve. Joel has ridden since childhood, and the bikes show it, from Italian sport twins to a British classic and a few well-considered customs. Proceeds from the sale will support The Joel Foundation, which funds arts education and humanitarian relief.
The Triumph Madison Square Garden Gave Him
The most personal machine is Lot 132, a 1978 Triumph Bonneville T140 that Madison Square Garden presented to Joel to mark his 150th sold-out show at the venue. As the Gooding Christie’s feature describes, it wears piano-themed, hand-pinstriped paintwork and arrives with a matching helmet listing every show he played there. Estimated at $10,000 to $15,000 with no reserve, it ties a motorcycle to a record few performers will approach: by the end of his residency in 2024, Joel had played more concerts at the Garden than any other artist.
Ducati Sport and Racing Heritage
There is no great motorcycle collection without a Ducati, and the sale announcement points to two. Lot 146 is a 1983 Ducati 900 Mike Hailwood Replica, a road-going tribute to Hailwood’s improbable 1978 Isle of Man TT victory. Finished in red, green and silver, it carries competition-minded hardware including 40 mm carburetors and Brembo disc brakes, and it represents the last of Ducati’s bevel-drive twins.
Lot 127, a 1975 Ducati 750 Sport, is the other, and Gooding Christie’s calls the model one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever built. Designed by Fabio Taglioni around the round-case, bevel-drive V-twin, this late-production example is presented in the traditional yellow and black and includes high-compression pistons, 32 mm carburetors and a lightened crankshaft. The estimate is $25,000 to $35,000, also without reserve.
A Moto Guzzi for the Rider
Not everything here is a headline lot, and that is part of the appeal. The collection also includes Lot 126, a 1993 Moto Guzzi 1000S from the marque’s early-1990s sporting revival, powered by a torque-rich 949 cc air-cooled transverse V-twin and fitted with a T3-style headlight in homage to the Le Mans era. At an estimate of $14,000 to $18,000, it is a thoughtful, rider-oriented choice from a collector who clearly valued detail.
What Buyers Should Know
The bikes have spent long periods in static storage and may not be operational, so prospective bidders should plan for mechanical attention before riding and inspect the motorcycles or request condition information first. With more than 160 vehicle, motorcycle and automobilia lots crossing the block at the Javits Center, and the Joel bikes sold without reserve, the estimates are guidance rather than a floor. What makes this group distinctive is provenance: each machine reflects a rider’s taste, and one carries a piece of Madison Square Garden history.
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Kyle Matthews