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    "headline": "Billy Joel’s 70-plus motorcycles head to New York auction as he says he is ‘not allowed to drive",
    "description": "Gooding Christie's sells the bikes without reserve on November 20 and 21 at the Javits Center; a Triumph gifted by Madison Square Garden for his 150th sold-out show is estimated at $10,000 to $15,000.",
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    "keywords": "Auctions, Billy Joel, Gooding Christie's, Motorcycles",
    "articleBody": "More than 70 motorcycles from Billy Joel’s personal collection will be sold in New York on November 20 and 21, every one of them without reserve, and the man who rode them says he cannot take any of them out right now. “I can’t drive right now. I’m not allowed to drive,” Joel, 77, said in an interview published this week. Gooding Christie’s is holding the sale at Manhattan’s Javits Center during the debut edition of Retromobile New York, a four-day classic-vehicle show that opens on November 19. The money will go to The Joel Foundation, run by Joel and his wife, Alexis, which gives grants to charities working on music teaching, health care for women and the public, humanitarian relief and environmental causes. The bikes with the best stories Gooding Christie’s has singled out three machines so far. The most personal is a Triumph T140 Bonneville from 1978. It was a present from the Madison Square Garden arena when Joel reached 150 sold-out nights there, a venue record he still owns. The bike wears a paint scheme designed for him, and a helmet painted to match is included, lettered with each of his Garden dates by year. Gooding Christie’s expects $10,000 to $15,000. The other two are Italian. A 1982 Ducati 900 Mike Hailwood Replica, built to honor the British rider’s comeback win at the 1978 Isle of Man TT, is estimated at $15,000 to $25,000. The priciest of the trio on paper is a restored Ducati 750 Sport from 1975, pegged at $25,000 to $35,000. Added together, the three highlighted lots are expected to bring between $50,000 and $75,000 ($10,000 + $15,000 + $25,000 at the low end; $15,000 + $25,000 + $35,000 at the high end), before the buyer’s premium, which the estimates do not include. Because nothing carries a reserve, each bike sells to the top bidder even if the hammer falls below those figures. Beyond those three, the catalog mixes Italian, German, British, American and Japanese marques, from Moto Guzzi and BMW to Harley-Davidson, Honda and Kawasaki. Joel’s own explanation of the common thread is short: “I’ve always been drawn to bikes built by people who cared about getting every detail right. I’ve loved building this collection. Now it’s someone else’s turn to hit the road.” David Gooding, the auction house’s president, called him “one of the most recognized motorcycle enthusiasts in the world.” The end of 20th Century Cycles For about 15 years the bikes had a public home. Joel ran 20th Century Cycles in Oyster Bay, on Long Island’s north shore, from 2010, and it doubled as a free museum for a collection of more than 75 machines. The shop’s own description set out the philosophy: vintage bikes look better and modern ones work better, so every motorcycle was rebuilt into a rideable machine “with a nod toward the past.” It never sold bikes, parts or accessories, and it serviced nothing outside the collection. Joel closed the shop in 2025 and said then that the bikes would be sold. The date and the auction house were only confirmed this fall, with a preview at Christie’s Rockefeller Center from October 8 to 12. What Joel has said about his health In May 2025 Joel canceled all of his scheduled concerts after announcing a diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus, saying the condition had affected his “hearing, vision and balance.” In the new interview he said he faces more checks before any decision about the stage: “I have to take a series of tests before I know.” He also passed on his neurologist’s warning about live shows: “every time you do a show, it’s like you’re getting a concussion.” He has not described the sale as a farewell to riding, and he has given no date for a return to performing. His only stage appearance this year was a surprise two-song set at a New Year’s celebration in Florida in early January. For buyers, the timetable is fixed. From Thursday, November 19, any visitor holding a Retromobile ticket can walk past the lots at the Javits Center; getting hands-on with a bike, or bidding on one, requires registering with the auction house first. The gavel comes down on Friday, November 20, and Saturday, November 21. Further reading Wikipedia: Billy Joel Image: David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by our Editorial Desk. How we work.",
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