Billy Joel is clearing out his garage. The Long Island piano man is putting more than 70 motorcycles from his personal collection up for auction, with the proceeds set to benefit his charitable organization, The Joel Foundation.
The sale will take place at the inaugural Rétromobile New York Auctions, running November 19-22 at the Javits Center, according to Newsday. Joel, 77, is selling the majority of the bikes once displayed at his former Oyster Bay motorcycle shop, 20th Century Cycles, the outlet reports. The auction house handling the sale, Gooding Christie's, will host the event as part of a broader push into New York's collector-car scene.
Among the standout lots is a 1978 Triumph T-140 Bonneville that Madison Square Garden gave Joel to mark his record 150th sold-out show there, per Newsday's reporting. The collection also includes a 1975 Ducati 750 Sport and a 1982 Ducati Mike Hailwood 900, with the bikes valued at roughly $10,000 to $35,000 apiece, the same report notes.
A Preview Before the Big Sale
Collectors won't have to wait until November to get a look. Several motorcycles from the collection will be on display at Christie's showroom at Rockefeller Center from October 8-12, ahead of the full auction, according to the outlet's account.
David Gooding, president of Gooding Christie's, said the firm is honored to present the Billy Joel motorcycle collection in New York City, and he called Joel one of the world's most recognized motorcycle enthusiasts. That framing lines up with the singer's long public association with bikes, from his Long Island shop to his personal riding habit.
Rétromobile's First American Outing
The Joel sale is arriving alongside a much bigger debut. Rétromobile New York, partnering with Gooding Christie's, is aiming to draw between 200 and 250 exhibitors across 400,000 square feet spread over four halls of the Javits Center, according to a report from Yahoo Autos. The event, a New York extension of the storied French vintage car show, includes a large vintage car auction as part of its programming, per the same report.
Not every source agrees on the exact auction dates. While Newsday and Yahoo Autos both cite November 19-22 for the Javits Center event, a listing on the auction database Glenmarch places the Rétromobile New York Auctions on November 20-21 for early consignments.
A Record Year for the Auction House
Gooding Christie's enters the New York event on a hot streak. The auction house reported more than $234 million realized from four live and online auction sales in 2025, including aftersales, according to a report from finecars.cc. That track record adds weight to the firm's first major New York showcase, with Joel's bikes serving as one of its marquee draws.
For Joel, the sale marks the end of an era for a collection built up over decades, much of it once on public view at his Oyster Bay shop. With proceeds earmarked for The Joel Foundation, the singer's push to support music education and humanitarian causes will ride on however the bidding shakes out this fall.
