Billy Joel closing Long Island motorcycle shop amid health issues
20th Century Cycles in Oyster Bay will close in late September and Joel will auction off his collection of bikes later this year.
In May, Joel, 76, announced that he was canceling upcoming concerts after learning he has normal pressure hydrocephalus, a fluid buildup in his brain that can affect thinking, concentrating, memory, movement and more.
The 'Piano Man' singer told Bill Maher on his 'Club Random' podcast in July that he was having trouble with his balance but otherwise was not experiencing other symptoms.
Joel opened the downtown Oyster Bay shop in 2010 to showcase his collection to the public at no charge while also using the space to repair, maintain, restore and customize more than 75 rare and expensive motorcycles, including Harley-Davidsons, Triumphs, Ducatis and others. The collection includes a 1952 Vincent Rapide worth tens of thousands of dollars.
The section of the street the shop is on was renamed Billy Joel Way in 2023.
'I think everybody in Oyster Bay would agree that it's a big loss,' Ted Bahr, who owns a vintage rock poster gallery next to 20th Century Cycles, told The Associated Press. 'Billy's place is visited on weekends by dozens and dozens of people, typically on motorcycles but also people in cars. People come up and look at the window all the time. I mean it's a real destination. Billy Joel is a real superstar, and he is a hometown boy, so it's really unfortunate.'
Joel is also in the midst of selling his Oyster Bay estate and relocating to Florida. No date has been set for the motorcycle auction.
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