For lovers of hogs, Christy’s Art Center in Sag Harbor is the place to be this month — and we’re not talking livestock, but Harleys … to say nothing of Royal Enfields, Ducatis and Indians.
On view at Christy’s through June 20 is “The Motorcycle as Art and Icon” — 19 motorcycles, all from the private collection of Billy Joel — as well as artwork and artifacts that reflect biking culture. Last year Sag Harbor residents might recall catching glimpses of the performer’s motorcycles on days when the doors of his Bay Street property were open. With this show, the public is invited to get up close and personal. Some bikes are vintage, some are not, but all have one thing in common — they evoke a bygone era and several boast retro details like funky fenders, depression era tail lights and even sidecars.
The exhibition represents a venture between Billy Joel and Rob Schneider of Lighthouse Harley-Davidson in Huntington Station that began four years ago with a brand new Harley Sportster. Joel had brought the bike to Schneider and asked if it could be made to look more retro — like a ’57— the first year the Sportster was made.
“The Franklin Mint makes miniature replicas of this bike,” explains Schneider. “Billy and I each took one home and put it on our desk. We would talk about what we could do — we can change this or that — to make that bike.”
In the end, the Sportster resembled a model nearly 50 years old. Next, Joel and Schneider took an ’05 Harley Springer Classic and transformed it into a 1940s Knucklehead. The real test, explains Schneider, came when the bike was parked on a busy street and old timers stopped to reminisce about the days when they owned that same model. “Look again,” Joel and Schneider would tell them.
Charged by their success, the duo teamed up to create “20th Century Cycles by Billy Joel” and have created several more models since. Joel likes “how old things look and new things work,” and the motorcycles incorporate the safety and comfort of today’s technology with the stylistic details of vintage bikes. Schneider explains that elements are retrofitted or fabricated to resemble parts that don’t exist on modern bikes. Often, the fabrications are used to cover a modern part that would have never been on an older bike.
“I’m sure people have done this, but not to this scale,” says Schneider. “It takes vision and money, fortunately both of which Billy has.”
The show is divided into three sections — American Classics, Metric Culture and Café Racers. The newest bike, explains Schneider, is a green “bobber” just four days old and meant to resemble a W.W.II veteran’s bike, something a returning soldier might’ve owned — cobbled together from parts scavenged from the junkyard.
In case you’re in the market, any one of the new bikes can be had by customers — but be forewarned, they come at a cost. The price to modify a new bike starts at around $10,000 and can go all the way up to $60,000 or more, depending on the model.
“We know how we built it and can replicate it,” says Schneider. “But it’s not for the feint of wallet.”
Christy’s Art Center (725-0534) is located at 3 Madison Street, Sag Harbor.Â
