I sat down with Billy Lane from Choppers Inc. during bike week in Laconia. With only a few questions to ask, I received a volume of answers. Now mind you I’m no reporter; I’m a biker first, photographer second and reporter somewhere down by the bottom, but I gave it a shot.

Frank Avanzo: After looking at your new website I learned you have not one but two degrees in mechanical engineering. How did you go from the engineering world to building choppers?

BILLY: I got my first bike when I was in college, and because I was paying for school I didn’t have the money to buy parts to fix my bike so I had to make what I needed. To give you an example, I didn’t have the money to buy oil for my bike so I would go down to home depot with a container and get the used oil that people would drop off and bring it back to my garage and pour it through a sifter to try and get it as clean as I could so that I had oil for my bike. When I needed parts for the bike, I would make my own. I couldn’t just go down to the dealership and buy new because I just didn’t have the money, so I figured out how to make what I needed myself. But to answer your question, I just didn’t see myself as the suit and tie kind of guy and once I started making parts for myself and friends, things just kind of took off from there.

FA: WOW it’s pretty hard to believe that Billy Lane had to sift used oil because he couldn’t afford to buy it. But I guess paying for two degrees will do that to you. OK, so now we get to the big question, you’ve already reinvented the wheel so to speak with your hubless bike, what’s next? How do you top reinventing the wheel?

BILLY: It’s funny you should ask because I just finished the prototype for a rigid frame with four inches of suspension travel.

FA: Wait! Did you just say a rigid frame with four inches of travel?

BILLY: Yes. It’s something I’ve been working on. I had the idea after Daytona last year and I’ve been working on it since then. And we’re just about ready to start building the final bike.

FA: So I have to ask. How does it ride?

BILLY: Great. I think it’s a better ride than a softail and obviously better than a rigid. But when you see it, it looks like a rigid, you can’t see any of the suspension. I’m really excited about it.

FA: So now we know what your doing with your engineering degrees. And I must say this bike is something I am definitely looking forward to seeing. Now just one more question. You have your own shoe out now with Sha-Sha Shoes, how did that come about, and should we expect to see a clothing line coming out from Billy Lane and Choppers Inc?

BILLY: I’ve been wearing Sha-Sha shoes for a while now and they approached me about designing a shoe, so I said yeah and we used the paint schemefrom the camel bike for the shoe. As far as a clothing line, I don’t see that happening. I don’t want to put my name on just anything. And I certainly don’t want to sell out just to have my name on something. I don’t need that and it’s not something I want. With the shoes it was easy, I already wore them so it was something I felt good about doing.

FA: Well, like I said, I only had a few questions so I guess we’re basically done. I’m looking forward to seeing the new bike and all the great things that are coming out of your shop. Thanks again for sitting down with us.

BILLY: Anytime, thank you.