The Journey of Billy Lane: From Chopper Builder to Mentor
By Jeff Alexander
Renowned kustom chopper builder Billy Lane has continued his evolution by embracing the power of mentorship. Recognized as an innovator among his peers for his keen eye for design and unique craftsmanship, Lane recently collaborated with Northern Tool + Equipment to mentor students working on designing and competitively building rat rod go-karts for Tools for The Trades Program. Launched in partnership with Minneapolis Public Schools, the program sought to spark engagement for today’s students and serve as an entry point for individuals interested in learning more about metalworking industries. Lane stated Northern Tool + Equipment had reached out to him to see if he was interested in helping to propel the program forward.
Photo: Blair Snipes
“The experience was powerful and it took me back. I have a mechanical engineering degree and then fell in love with motorcycles but as a young kid I felt I did not have an opportunity for individual mentorship. People may have online videos but those do not enable valuable feedback and communication between mentor and student. I wanted to pay it forward and show people there is a demand for skilled people and it’s not just the hands-on skills people need, it’s the communication that goes with it,” said Lane.
Elevating Kustom Kulture
Best-remembered for his engaging appearances on Discovery Channel’s famed Biker Build-Off series, Lane propelled kustom kulture into the mainstream, giving viewers a unique look into the relentless tenacity, skills, and creative vision required to bring kustom choppers to life. Lane agreed his evolution from being largely independently taught to his recent involvement with Tools for The Trades enabled him with invaluable self-reflection.
“I was born and raised in Miami, way before it transformed into this vacation mecca that it’s become. When I was growing up, there was a chopper scene and I fell in love with motorcycles. I was committed to finishing my degree for mechanical engineering because I am not a quitter but the path for building and creating is never really a clear path and I said that to the students. My participation energized me and I felt Northern Tool + Equipment sought me out because I had something to offer the students outside of just metalwork; teach them self-confidence, respect, and how to be intuitive,” shared Lane.
Billy Lane’s intuitive instincts enabled him to create his own opportunities and with foresight, relentless work ethic, and a little luck, he was able to satisfy new demands in the burgeoning kustom subculture to launch Choppers Inc. in the mid ‘90s.
Photo courtesy of Andy George
“Being in Florida you were far away from the kustom kulture mecca of California. The only way to really earn notoriety as a builder or even meet others sharing the same passions was to attend events and read and communicate through the magazines like Easyriders or The Horse. I was always interested in design and at one point I wanted to earn a job in Detroit designing for auto companies, that was an initial goal when I was a kid,” shared Lane.
Lane would always seek out like-minded riders, sharing his passion for classic choppers but with the ambition to propel those designs forward. Carefully studying the rides of his peers and immersing himself in the history of all things two-wheeled and the mechanics behind them, Lane began manufacturing some one-off, custom parts to slowly transform his bikes into extensions of his personality.
“I never sought out to be an innovator but design was something I was always interested in. When I slowly began making some of my own motorcycle parts people would always ask me where I got this or that and when I said I made it, they were really interested and asked if I would do the same for them. Nothing was easy but I worked constantly to fulfill these small orders around town, dropping off the parts to other riders in meeting spots and word of mouth grew,” reflected Lane.
Lane’s tastes in choppers contrasted from what he was always seeing around Florida. He felt connected to the classic chopper styles but so many builders that began inspiring him were great distances away. Lane concentrated on refining his custom parts craftsmanship, with the goal of selling completed works to the large distribution catalog parts companies.
“At that time, I was always seeing Softails with dragger exhausts and of course, baggers. I built an Evo rigid chopper with a stretched Sportster tank David Mann style. I was really influenced by Arlen Ness and Donnie Smith. At that time, I was working really hard to create three revenue streams; mechanical work, some kustom bike builds, and parts. I was working on getting the big parts catalog companies to buy my parts and nothing was ever easy but slowly, things were working,” reflected Lane.
Propelling Kustom Kulture Into the Mainstream
Events in Daytona Beach enabled him to gain more exposure and meet other like-minded riders. Initial meetings with famed builder and welder Jesse James in Ohio and again during a 1999 Daytona event forever impacted Lane.
“Meeting Jesse was an awesome experience because we had similar passions. I sold him some of my parts and we talked a lot. Around that time I was really intrigued by the concept of hubless bikes. I had seen concept automotive hubless designs when I was in college and I was totally interested and wondered if that was something I could do. I completed an original design but I could not find a bearing anywhere!”
He added, “I was living in Melbourne, Florida which had a lot of technology surrounding it due to the Space Center’s location. I spoke to a lot of machinists, tool and dye makers, and others that had design backgrounds and knowledge. I was working on creating a bearing but carefully weighing all options I sold a lot of stuff and purchased a bearing set, which was $40,000! It was after a lot of consideration and I had to sell a good amount of stuff to make that happen.”
Lane’s craftsmanship and unique visions unified classic long choppers, rat rods, and kustoms. His ambitious hubless design ultimately captivated his peers while seemingly defying logic. Lane earned the respect of his peers and the magazines that he drew initial inspiration from began featuring him.
“Jesse was real interested in my hubless design when he was at Daytona in ‘99. He already finished Motorcycle Mania and was working on the next one. He told me about plans for another series, which became Monster Garage and he asked me to appear! That eventually led to Biker Build-Off for Discovery Channel. Through my meetings with Jesse and my builds earning more attention is how I got onto that show,” said Lane.
Photo courtesy of Plex.tv
Discovery’s Biker Build-Off was an immediate success. The celebrity of James remained strong after multiple installments of Motorcycle Mania that chronicled his daily life and his kustom builds, all in real-time. The premise of Biker Build-Off was to pit two markedly contrasting kustom builders against each other, give them an unreasonable completion deadline, and then unveil their builds. Lane reflected on his tenure which had him competing against iconic builders like Indian Larry and Dave Perewitz.
“Oh, I went into everything totally ignorant of how television worked. It’s one thing to design, work, and build alone but to do all that with cameras rolling? I hate to say it, but Monster Garage was kind of a miserable experience for me because I am so shy, believe it or not. It was very hard to talk and explain things and just communicate properly,” laughed Lane.
He added, “The episodes in 2003 with Indian Larry and I earned millions of viewers, and the producers originally did not want Larry on the show! I felt it would be a mistake not to have someone as talented as him on the show. To me, Larry was already a legend and very talented. I looked up to him and the world really lost a unique individual.” Indian Larry passed in 2004 after sustaining injuries while performing a riding stunt at a North Carolina event.
Mainstream media was learning there were audiences interested in moto culture and with James’ celebrity and Lane’s appearances responsible for growing the Biker Build-Off brand, Discovery made a strong push forward within the burgeoning medium of reality TV.
“I never got paid for Biker Build-Off, not five cents! I knew going in that it would be an opportunity to build some notoriety and show off my hard work, and they would get content for the show. However, I knew millions of viewers were tuning in and Discovery was earning money from that and I felt it would be fair to be compensated. It didn’t work out that way and it became a sore subject. I am grateful for the enhancement and the opportunity but it seemed they were more interested in helping themselves,” reflected Lane.
Lane’s tenacity never faded once the television cameras stopped rolling. He continued to push creative boundaries with Choppers Inc. which successfully energized the classic chopper community while elevating kustom kulture standards and visibility within several media outlets.
“I was completing 6-8 custom bikes a year along with 20 rolling chassis. The rolling chassis gave other builders a unique foundation to finish their own builds with their own, personal style. I love making custom tanks, it’s time-consuming but I really enjoy it and I feel I am best known for them,” stated Lane.
Choppers Inc. was undeniably a proponent of bringing the chopper subculture to a new generation and modernizing it. Lane’s celebrity grew despite self-admittedly not being a polished public speaker he worked to fulfill continued demands for guest appearances.
“Despite the television stuff not ending the way I wanted to I found out I still wanted to communicate with people and instruct. Once the internet really took off I wasn’t dismissive of it, perhaps like some other people were. Today, I really see the value though nothing will truly replace hands-on experiences within mentorship,” said Lane.
Photo: Edzo
Resurrecting Classic Board Track Racing
Lane’s mastery of design and craftsmanship has not resulted in complacency, in fact, he has reached into the depths of motorcycle history to further explore his passion for classic board track racing. Seeking to bring greater visibility to what he deems ‘America’s earliest form of extreme sports’, Lane undertook the ambitious goal of resurrecting board track motorcycles for their intended purpose; to run ‘em flat out in organized competitions.
“Understanding the nuances of classic racers has such a steep learning curve! So many skilled riders think they can just hop on and go, and that is not the case at all and if you don’t respect what’s involved, you will fail,” he stated.
Photo: Billy Kyle
Board track racing had a rich history within Americana during its heyday beginning in 1910. Lane noted it stands as the overlooked link within moto culture, stating several riders revealing only limited knowledge of the once popular sport that captivated audiences.
“That was really the foundation for starting Sons of Speed. I was always in awe of early Harley JD and Indian racers, like their 1912 model. The competition between both brands was intense and board track racing was a means to prove what they could do. The only means of communication between them were mail and telegram and they did not know what the other was doing until showing up for the race and that’s intense,” stated Lane.
Photo: Edzo
He added, “Board track racers are absolutely the missing link to motorcycling as we see it today and those motors were seemingly simple but they have a lot of intricacies, and the power and speeds they could produce were respectable. Having no clutch or even brakes, you better come prepared before hopping on a bike that is 70-100 years old and capable of speeds up to 70 miles per hour!”
Sons of Speed initially struggled to launch due to not enough riders owning classic board track racers, but Lane’s ambition wouldn’t waver and he offered to help build all the bikes to bring his vision to life. Hurricane Matthew in 2016 delayed their planned inaugural run at Daytona but Lane proudly stated an overwhelming amount of interest and support enabled their debut in 2017.
“It was tough because people were interested but we had no budget for marketing, only did social media posts and, of course, not many people own classic board track racers, let alone ones in running condition. Eventually, things slowly came together when owners reached out but it took time and we were able to corral 10 to 12 bikes that would be able to race. We wanted to show people a whole new, important side of motorcycling that many forget even existed and we also wanted to give people an alternative experience,” said Lane.
Always immersed in moto culture, Lane stated that resurrecting early board track racers has given him a fresh, energized outlook not only on motorcycles, but has evolved his appreciation for learning.
Photo: Eddie Rapid Photo
“You can be an expert at many facets of design and building but when you discover something new within it, it can be powerful. This really excites me and it can also be a learning moment for others that are very experienced with motorcycles. Where else can you see bikes from like 1910 tearing up the track and being used the way they were always intended? Sure, you can see examples in a museum but seeing them fired up and breathing again, there’s nothing like it.”
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Special thanks to Andy George for helping us secure photography.
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