Billy Joel has recalled a serious motorcycle crash from his past. The singer, 77, told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published October 15, 2026, that he "went flying over her car" in 1982. He was speaking ahead of a Gooding Christie's auction of more than 70 motorcycles from his collection.Joel rejected the idea that the bikes were merely trophies. "I was actually a rider," he said. He also discussed living with normal pressure hydrocephalus, which E! News said was diagnosed in 202`5.Billy Joel on the 1982 crash and his hydrocephalus treatmentThe crash happened on Long Island, Billy Joel said. His light turned green, and a woman on the cross street ran her red light. He smashed his bike into her car. Both of his hands were broken, and he injured a leg. A helmet, boots, and gloves helped.He dragged the bike to a sidewalk and sat on the corner. A police officer asked for his license, and Joel asked him to take it from his back pocket. The officer then told the woman she had just had an accident with Billy Joel. She later sued him, he said.He still has no bone in his left thumb. Asked whether he had to relearn how to play, he said,"I was never that good to begin with."Billy Joel has normal pressure hydrocephalus, which MedlinePlus describes as a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid around the brain, ABC News reported on October 15, 2026. He disclosed the diagnosis in May 2025 and canceled shows. An Instagram statement at the time said concerts had worsened his hearing, vision, and balance problems.Doctors placed a shunt in his brain, which eased some symptoms. "My memory got better, my balance got a little better," he said on SiriusXM, per E! News on October 15, 2026.A neurologist told him each show feels like a concussion, he said. Volume, lighting, stress and audience energy are the concerns. More tests will decide whether he can perform again. "I'm still here," he said.The Telegraph @TelegraphLINKBilly Joel has been banned from driving and cannot perform because of a brain disorder.“I can’t do performances because what the neurologist told me, every time you do a show, it’s like you’re getting a concussion.”Billy Joel's motorcycle collection heads to auction at Christie'sGooding Christie's will sell the collection without reserve at its Rétromobile New York auction on November 20 and 21, 2026, The Hollywood Reporter said. The event takes place at the Javits Center.One lot is a custom 1978 Triumph Bonneville T140 that Madison Square Garden gave Billy Joel for his 150th sold-out show at the venue. He plans to put proceeds toward the Joel Foundation.Billy Joel said the number of bikes got out of hand. He ended up with more than a hundred, and "you can only ride one at a time," he told the magazine. Age is another reason. He said he cannot ride as much as he once did and does not want to "die like a bug on a windshield." Hydrocephalus has also made driving "a little bit iffy," he added.Asked about a favorite, Joel named a Moto Guzzi California Vintage 1100 as his crown jewel. He bought it around 2007 and could not recall the price. He likes Japanese, Italian, English, American, and Asian bikes, and he is not a Harley enthusiast. The motorcycle in the "Uptown Girl" video is not part of the sale, he said, since it was not his bike.