Photo: Guernsey's
Apart from being one of the guys who have given birth to rock ’n’ roll, Buddy Holly was also a keen rider. He was no Steve McQueen, but not building a huge collection of motorcycles does not make anyone a lesser rider, doesn’t it? Buddy Holly’s 1958 Ariel Cyclone is currently under the hammer in an online auction which will end on October 5. The starting price is $50,000 (€38,600), but the auction organizers estimate that the bike could bring anywhere between $100k and $1mil (€77,000-770,000).
This is a pretty generous price estimation which will make watching this auction quite interesting. At the time of writing, 7 people have added this auction to their watch list, but no bid was registered. Still, there’s almost an entire month for those interested in clawing this historic Ariel, so here are the facts.
Buddy Holly bought this bike in May 1958, upon returning from a very successful world tour with the Crickets. While waiting for the next plane, he and his band mates Joe Maudlin (bass player) and Jerry Allisson (drummer) wondered why shouldn’t they simply ride home, so they took a cab and headed for the first bike dealer in their way. At the Harley-Davidson dealership they encountered first, nobody seemed to recognize them, and they’ve apparently been treated like ordinary window-shoppers.
The three simply left and entered Ray miller’s Triumph and Ariel Motorcycle shop, where the manager and the mechanic figured out who they were and treated them royally. The day ended with Maudlin riding a Triumph Thunderbird out of the shop, followed by Allison on his all-new Triumph Trophy and Buddy Holly on the 650cc Ariel Cyclone he had instantly fallen in love with.
They all rode 350 miles () home in a thunderstorm, but made it safely though. After the plane crash which ended Buddy’s life, his father took good care of the Ariel, and later sold it. As karma isn’t always a bitch, the Ariel was subsequently offered as a gift to Waylon Jennings, Buddy’s friend and last bass player at his 42nd birthday in 1979.
Buddy Holly’s 1958 Ariel Cyclone is lot 235 of the Guernsey’s-organized Remembering Waylon auction, comprised of no less than 465 objects including photos, letters, clothes and other memorabilia. Ariel has just launched theyr brand-new custom bike, the Ariel Ace.
Buddy Holly bought this bike in May 1958, upon returning from a very successful world tour with the Crickets. While waiting for the next plane, he and his band mates Joe Maudlin (bass player) and Jerry Allisson (drummer) wondered why shouldn’t they simply ride home, so they took a cab and headed for the first bike dealer in their way. At the Harley-Davidson dealership they encountered first, nobody seemed to recognize them, and they’ve apparently been treated like ordinary window-shoppers.
The three simply left and entered Ray miller’s Triumph and Ariel Motorcycle shop, where the manager and the mechanic figured out who they were and treated them royally. The day ended with Maudlin riding a Triumph Thunderbird out of the shop, followed by Allison on his all-new Triumph Trophy and Buddy Holly on the 650cc Ariel Cyclone he had instantly fallen in love with.
They all rode 350 miles () home in a thunderstorm, but made it safely though. After the plane crash which ended Buddy’s life, his father took good care of the Ariel, and later sold it. As karma isn’t always a bitch, the Ariel was subsequently offered as a gift to Waylon Jennings, Buddy’s friend and last bass player at his 42nd birthday in 1979.
Buddy Holly’s 1958 Ariel Cyclone is lot 235 of the Guernsey’s-organized Remembering Waylon auction, comprised of no less than 465 objects including photos, letters, clothes and other memorabilia. Ariel has just launched theyr brand-new custom bike, the Ariel Ace.
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