The following is from VintCo:
Dear VintCo & Moto community family, we are deeply saddened to bring you the news of the passing of VintCo owner Curt Leaverton. (1/23/64-7/12/25)
Curtis Leaverton (61) passed away on July 12th in a bizarre bicycle accident. Curt was out Saturday morning riding his bicycle near his home, enjoying the air, & preparing for the upcoming Colorado 500 charity ride when a large water-logged tree fell on him across the bicycle trail. He passed away as a result of the injuries. As a young boy he received his prized OSSA 250 Pioneer in a box, from his father. The two bonded as they rebuilt & reassembled it together. Curt rode his OSSA all around town and the surrounding neighborhood trails of Des Moines, Iowa.
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. 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 and in 1993 Hot Rods brand was born. That multiplied into the brands Pivot Works, Hot Cams, Cylinder Works & Wrench Rabbit. The Italian piston brand, Vertex was added to the family of performance & maintenance products available world-wide under the C&L Companies umbrella. After selling the C&L brands he launched the brand VintCo to do the exact same thing, but for the vintage market, taking him back to his roots.
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 continuing working hard to keep those vintage bikes back on track as Curt would like to see.
