Buddy Holly’s Ariel Cyclone To Be Auctioned

A 1958 Ariel Cyclone once owned by rock ‘n’ roll legend Buddy Holly, and reportedly one of only 174 ever built, will be auctioned off Oct. 5 in Phoenix at the Musical Instrument Museum as part of a “Remembering Waylon” collection of Waylon Jennings memorabilia. The Ariel was purchased by Holly from Ray Miller Triumph Motorcycle Sales in Dallas on May 13, 1958 and was given to outlaw country star Jennings in 1979.

According to the Buddy Holly & The Crickets website,  not only did Holly purchase a new bike that day, so did bandmates J.I. Allison and Joe B. Mauldin. Allison selected a Triumph Trophy, while Mauldin got a Triumph Thunderbird. They each paid more than $1,000 in cash for each of their bikes, having flown into Dallas that day at the end of a long tour that was fueled by the success of such hits as “Rave On” and “Maybe Baby.”

The website reports that they stopped at several motorcycle dealerships on the east side of the city. “They did not get very good treatment at these shops as the salesmen thought they were just some kids taking up their time and had no idea who they were and that they had their pockets lined with case,” the website states. “In fact, they first visited a Harley-Davidson store where the salesman told them not to touch the machines…”

Ray Miller Triumph treated them with more respect, prompting their purchases, and they even posed for a picture with owner Ray Miller, his wife and a shop mechanic. “After a trip back to show off to the Harley dealer, they then drove them home to Lubbock (approximately 350 miles),” the website reports.

After Holly’s death in a plane crash following a performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, IA on Feb. 2, 1959,  his father rode the Ariel. It was later sold to a man in Lubbock, who passed it on to a fan in Austin. In 1979, The Crickets bought it back as a present for Jennings, who had played with the Crickets and had famously given up his seat on that ill-fated flight that also claimed Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper.

The “Remembering Waylon” auction page notes “the iconic machine – in original condition with only 4,000 miles on the odometer – served as a most treasured memory of his late friend and mentor.” Jennings died in 2002 in Chandler, AZ.

Of the 174 Ariel Cyclones that were built, the Buddy Holly & The Crickets website says, “There are 15 known survivors of which seven are known to be complete and correct.” The Holly/Jennings’ Ariel lacks the stock seat.

– By Bud Wilkinson