Born and raised in Miami, custom-bike builder Billy Lane holds an Associate of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Florida International University.

His father got him interested in cars and hot rods early on, so Billy had quite a bit of mechanical knowledge before going to engineering school. Then, in 1989, he bought his first bike while in college. The bike was basically in pieces so he had to learn how to put it together. But with the help of some old-timers, he learned a lot — and fast.

After college, Billy got a job with his brother working on bikes, and then went out on his own. He started making custom parts as gifts for his friends when he was "poor." Eventually, a demand built up for these six-gun parts outside of his peer group, which led to the 1995 formation of Choppers Inc. in Melbourne, Florida.

Billy credits his success to getting into the chopper scene ahead of the curve, before the motorcycle industry really started to recognize them as relevant. Now that chopper style is a huge industry, Billy is building a few high-quality bikes each year, which allows him time to develop new parts and ideas for new products and styles. As a result, Billy holds seven (7) U.S. patents on the Choppers INC parts line: Six Gun Handlebar Riser Clamps (D452,467), Six Gun Shift Knob (D441,700), Six Gun Oil Cap (D440,930) and Six Gun Foot Peg (D455,374), Six Gun Handlebar Grip (D487,011), Tumbling Dice Light (D457,980) and Loaded Dice Shift Knob (D473,171).

Billy's bikes and parts have been featured on numerous magazine covers, including The Horse, Street Chopper, Hot Bike, Easyriders and Kopteri (Finland). He's also received numerous awards from his peers including the 2002 Easyriders Best Bike Builder of the Year and 2002 Easyriders Invitational Class — First Place Best in Show for his "Psycho Billy Cadillac" bike, which features a hubless wheel.

Billy is the only custom motorcycle builder who has written two books (published by MBI Publishing); Chop Fiction – It’s Not a Motorcycle Baby, It’s a Chopper (released holiday season 2004), and his second book, How To Build Old School Choppers and Bobbers (released holiday season 2005). Billy Lane's Blood Sweat and Gears Tour DVD was released April 2006.

Billy has been featured on several television shows, including a segment on Speed Channel’s Corbin’s Ride On!, (September 2003). Billy also participated in several Discovery Channel shows, including the Biker Build-Off series (2002-2005), and BIG! (June 2004). Billy got his start with The Discovery Channel on the first episode of Monster Garage. Discovery Channel’s special, The Billy Lane Project, (October 2005) focused on Billy’s Blood Sweat & Gears Tour.