Curtis Leaverton (61) passed away on July 12th in a bizarre bicycle accident. Curt was out early Saturday morning riding his bicycle near his home in Iowa, enjoying the air, and preparing for the upcoming Colorado 500 charity ride when a large water-logged tree fell on him across the bicycle trail. He passed away from the injuries sustained.
Most powersports enthusiasts would probably never recognize the name Curtis Leaverton, but many are probably familiar with and have used a product or two from one of the multiple brands he co-founded with his ex-wife, Evelina. The couple founded Hot Rods, Pivot Works, Hot Cams, Cylinder Works and Wrench Rabbit.
As a young boy he received his prized possession, an OSSA 250 Pioneer in a box, from his father. The two bonded immensely as they rebuilt and reassembled it together. In school, he was the kid that sat in class pouring over the latest motorcycle and car magazines hidden inside his textbooks instead of studying. Curt rode his OSSA Pioneer all around town and the surrounding neighborhood trails of Des Moines, Iowa. He would go to the local motocross tracks and watch in awe of the local pros.
Graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA from Drake University, Curt was still deeply passionate about motorcycles. Curt’s first venture was to design and reproduce a connecting rod to rebuild his beloved OSSA he had worn out over the years. With the help of his wife, the two found a factory in Taiwan that could produce just what he needed. Curt soon realized the motorcycle industry needed an aftermarket source for connecting rods to rebuild worn engines, and in 1993 Hot Rods brand was born. With his uncanny ability to see the evolving dirt bike market, Hot Rods multiplied into the brands Pivot Works, Hot Cams, Cylinder Works and eventually Wrench Rabbit. The well-known Italian piston brand, Vertex was also added to the rapidly growing catalog of repair, performance, and maintenance products for powersport enthusiasts world-wide under the C&L Companies umbrella. After selling the C&L brands he got restless and launched the brand VintCo to do the exact same thing, but for the vintage dirt bike market, ultimately taking him back to his roots.
One of Curt’s core values was building relationships with those he interacted with. Through the years, Curt developed a wide reach of relationships that stretched across the globe, with many considering him as family. While motorcycles were his first passion, he was also an avid car racer, guitarist, and fan of everything AC/DC. He was a mentor and influence to many around him, and it brought him absolute joy to spend time with his two granddaughters. Services in Iowa will be announced soon. He is dearly missed by all that knew him. Godspeed Curtis Leaverton.
The VintCo team plans to continue working hard to keep those vintage bikes on track as Curt would like to see.
