Billy Joel’s Amazing Harley Collection Damaged by Thieves

By Cameron Vanderhorst - January 30, 2020

After he spent many years–and many miles–behind Harley handlebars, legendary musician’s notable collection was recently vandalized.

Musician Billy Joel is a long-time biker, a dedicated rider since the 1970s. Over time he has amassed a beautiful collection of Harleys. Recently, however, his prized motorcycle collection was targeted by a thief or thieves. During a robbery, the criminals caused damage to twelve of his bikes

According local news WLNY, Joel’s Long Island, N.Y., home was burglarized over the weekend while he was not home. According to Patch, the suspect(s) gained entrance by breaking his garage door.

Insult to injury, the jerks damaged and vandalized twelve of Joel’s motorcycles. At this time police have not made any arrests but the investigation is ongoing.

The beloved musician has a real affinity for motorcycles. His impressive collection numbers over 70 motorcycles. Thankfully, Joel is uniquely equipped to repair his damaged bikes and make them as good as new again. In 2010, he purchased an old Ford dealership in Long Island and turned it into a motorcycle shop, 20th Century Cycles.

Open to the public, the shop serves as a place to display most of Joel’s collection as well as repair, restore, and maintain bikes for himself and, occasionally, for others. In an interview with Cycle World, he casually mentioned building a retro-styled bobber for none other than Bruce Springsteen.

Just the Way You Are? Not Exactly.

At 20th Century Cycles, he has two passions: making vintage bikes perform like showroom-fresh new machines, and making new machines look like vintage iron. A project from last year involved customizing new Harley-Davidsons to look like classic Knucklehead models.

He’s not just a fan of Harleys, though — he likes everything on two wheels, whether it’s American, Japanese, or Italian. Joel started his riding career in 1977 on a pair of Yamahas. In 1979, he purchased his first Harley-Davidson, the XLCR “Cafe Racer.” While it wasn’t a popular bike when it was new, it would become a desirable collectible later on.

His favorite bike of all time is an air-cooled V-Twin, but it doesn’t come from Milwaukee. “Moto Guzzis are my personal favorites. I once rented a V7 Classic in Lake Como in Italy. That would be my all-time favorite bike.”

Unfortunately, an accident in 1982 nearly cost Joel both his riding and his music career. Discussed in the book Rockin’ Garages, by Tom Cotter and Ken Gross, the accident resulted from a careless motorist turning in front of him.

In the book, Joel says, “The impact pulverized the bone in my left thumb and pulled my right wrist out of its socket. I’m bleeding, my hands didn’t work, and a police officer asks me for my license. So, I told him to pull my wallet out of my pocket. He looks at my license, then yells to the woman, ‘Hey, lady, you just hit Billy Joel!’”

Thankfully, he made a full recovery, and he’s still riding — and rocking — to this day. It will take more than some punk criminals to make a true Harley-Davidson rider back down.

Photos: 20th Century Cycles