The motorcycle community suddenly lost a beloved figure when Curtis Leaverton died. On the night of July 12, he was riding his bicycle near his Urbandale home in preparation for the upcoming Colorado 500 charity ride when a water-logged tree fell on him.
He died from his injuries. He was 61.
The owner of VintCo and co-founder of Hot Rods, Pivot Works, Wrench Rabbit, Hot Cams and Cylinder Works, Leaverton built up a successful line of businesses in the motorcycle industry. VintCo, based in Indianola, manufactures new components for vintage bikes.
“I can’t believe it.. for all he had done for our sport .. why, I have no words.. I just spoke with him last week.. he will be more than just missed .. his spirit was infectious.. his heart was as big as the world.. if true.. god speed my friend,” John Woody Graves, admin of the Midwest VMX LLC Facebook group for vintage bike enthusiasts, wrote in a post.
Leaverton was fond of motorbikes from a young age. In his younger days, his parents, Phyllis and Robert Leaverton, pushed him toward his motorbike passion by getting him a OSSA 250 Pioneer, according to a statement from VintCo. He and his dad bonded over rebuilding and reassembling his bike. He went on to earn a mechanical engineering degree from Iowa State University in 1989 and his MBA from Drake University in 1991, the company said.
Curtis Leaverton died July 12, 2025, when a tree fell on him while he was riding his bicycle.
His first company, Hot Rods, was founded in 1993 after Leaverton tried to resolve an issue of his own. He was in need of a connecting rod to rebuild his OSSA, so he and his wife at the time found a factory in Taiwan that could produce the piece. He started Hot Rods to fill the need for connecting rods within the motorbike community, according to VintCo.
From there, he multiplied his business by adding Pivot Works, Wrench Rabbit, Hot Cams and Cylinder Works, which all provide components for various motorsports.
“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,” the VintCo statement said.
“He is dearly missed by all that knew him.”
Leaverton also was once a member Urbandale Economic Development Advisory Board, received an Endow Urbandale Community Fund Grant, and one of his companies was named Community Business of the Year by the Chinese Association of Iowa in 2010.
John Linnan, longtime friend and personal trainer, described Leaverton to Local 5 News as “a down-to-earth, generous philanthropist and a man with a strong sense of humor” but also a “adventurous and risky” person.
“Curt would laugh right now as to how he died. He would be, like, all these things I’ve been through, and I get knocked off by a tree, that’s just the way he was. He would just be like, are you kidding me,” Linnan said.
Services have not been announced.
Chris Meglio is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at cmeglio02@gmail.com or on X @chris_meglio.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Curtis Leaverton remembered as beloved figure in motorsports community