Billy Lane: Chop Fiction: It's Not A Motorcycle Baby, It's A Chopper (Hardcover)

~ Billy Lane (Author) "I'VE LIVED all of my life in Florida..." (more)
Key Phrases: building choppers, building bikes, custom motorcycles, Biker Build-Off, Discovery Channel, Arlen Ness (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Billy Lane, owner of Choppers Inc., lives, eats, and breathes choppers. Since securing a secret cache of Easyriders magazines as a young boy, Billy has equated choppers with freedom. By the time he earned an engineering degree from Florida State University in Tallahassee, he had already established himself as a promising young chopper builder. An appearance on the very first episode of Discovery Channel’s Monster Garage led to a starring role in Biker Build-Off and growing fame as a chopper builder with both artistic vision and technological innovation.

In this autobiography, Billy shares his life story, from running with gangsters in Miami as a younger man to becoming a celebrity chopper builder who is mobbed by fans everywhere he goes. Inside stories on his most famed bikes are included, as well as Billy’s thoughts on those who inspired and helped him on the road to becoming a famed chopper artist and television star. The book is full-color, giving ample room for the reader to view Billy’s incredible creations, featured in stunning photography by Michael Lichter. Billy’s bikes are works of art on multiple levels, combining the fine art of sculpture with the pop art of incorporating found objects into the work. But they are also technological tours de force, featuring engineering that is nothing short of astounding.

But there’s more to life than just choppers, according to Billy. There are women, too. There’s no doubt about it - the sexy lines of an old school chopper, its curvy hips, narrow waist, and voluptuous torso, are the same lines found on a beautiful woman. In addition to stories of his great bikes, the self-professed "Ladies’ Man" of chopper builders shares behind-the-scenes stories and photos of his other true love, whether they were long-time girlfriends, strippers, other colorful characters in his life, or the fans who demand his autograph on their body parts at biker shows throughout the U.S.

Billy Lane is the ultimate insider’s look at the lifestyle and artistry behind one of the most famous chopper builders in the world.

About the Author

Billy Lane has been involved in the chopper scene since its resurgence in the past decade, and has gained extensive exposure on TV shows such as Monster Garage, and in every major motorcycle enthusiast magazine. In 1995, he founded Choppers Inc., one of America's premier custom motorcycle building companies. Billy is a Miami native who has a mechanical engineering degree from Florida State University. Lane resides in Melbourne, Florida.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks; First edition (November 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076032011X
• ISBN-13: 978-0760320112
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #303,037 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've never read a book like this!, December 3, 2004

By	Spike the Biker "Spike" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews

I bought this book mostly for the great photography, never expecting such an interesting story. I thought it would be another celebrity talking about how great he is. Instead I find one of the most candid, honest self reflections I've ever read. Billy lays it all right out there for the entire world to see. He doesn't hold anything back, the good, the bad, or the ugly. Reading this book, I felt like I really understood what a television celebrity goes through. Great job, Billy!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ...worth making space on your bookshelf for this one..., October 26, 2005

By	Norman Repacholi (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The first thing that struck me about Billy Lane when I saw him on TV the first time was that he looked like a normal bloke, doing what he loved to do...party and build choppers. Billy's book confirms my initial impression.

It's a fascinating read, learning how he arrived at the place he's in today; learning about his family, friends, his business and his choppers. The style is very laid back and honest, it's not like some other biographies where you struggle to `get into' the book and find yourself just reading it to pass time. When I started reading this book, I didn't have huge expectations, but was pleasantly surprised by how well the book was structured and written. After finishing the book, you are still left with a few questions, but at the end of the day, if you're thinking about a book after you've read it then it must have been a pretty good book to read in the first place.

Aside from what's been written, the photography is also excellent, and captures all the small details of Billy's bikes that set them apart from all the other builders at the moment. I've made space for this book - which I like to get out fairly often and look at the pictures and read a chapter here and there -next to `Art of the Chopper' which is also an excellent book on a similar topic.

If you enjoy watching choppers take shape on TV and learning more about one of the more distinctive builders then this honest, well written biography is definitely worth purchasing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Who's this longhair?, December 11, 2005

By	Nicholas Gomez "www.bikervoodoo.com" (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Who's this longhair, you ask? Well, this is an alternative to Jesse James, who's currently riding the wave as being the most recognised chopper builder in the world, taking over where Arlen Ness and the rest left off. Billy Lane's autobiography is an interesting read, an insight into a guy who loves what he does, and builds interesting, artistic bikes.

The hubless rear wheel he pioneered is probably his greatest achievements, and it appears that he allowed Jesse James to use his six-gun design too. I guess behind the scenes certain ideas are shared freely between friends.

Overall a nice book to have if you're into Choppers. Nice to read and with all full colour photos on high quality paper.