St. George man is youngest finalist in prestigious motorcycle building contest

ST. GEORGE — A St. George man is thanking his barber for introducing him to the world of building motorcycles, and he is doing it on a national stage.

Ryder Leavitt, 21, has made it to the final six in the prestigious Biltwell People's Champ competition, where motorcycle builders from around the world build bikes for the chance to win a cash prize and be featured at the Born-Free Motorcycle Show in California. Leavitt is also being praised by many in the competition as the youngest to have ever made it to the finals.

"I grew up being really into cars, but it was my barber that I've been going to my whole life, Supply and Demand Barbershop, who got me into choppers," Leavitt told KSL. "I've always been into cars and hotrods, and I started building those when I was 16, but the guys at the barber shop all ride bikes and build bikes. They told me, 'Like you should do this. You're good at it.' I started learning from them and decided to build one."

Leavitt, who grew up in St. George and attended Crimson Cliffs High School, said his love for cars began at a young age when his parents took him to car shows. He said building them, however, was something he started all on his own.

"My parents brought me to car shows when I was little, and I thought it was cool," Leavitt said. "My parents aren't too into building cars and motors, but they are super supportive. When I was 16 and started to work and get my own money, I started building cars. Everything I've done I just learned myself and by hanging around at shops and things."

Leavitt said that building cars, and now a motorcycle (that he said is technically a "chopper"), is something that he loves so much that he doesn't want to make it a career.

"I work for a metal roofing supply company, and (building motorized vehicles) is just a hobby," he said. "I tried doing it for work, but I got a little sick of it. I love it so much, but turning it into work ruined it for me. I'm better off keeping it a hobby."

That hobby is taking Leavitt a lot of time and earning him many accolades along the way. He said the process is what he loves.

"I took pieces of an old frame and cut out the stuff that I wanted and built a new frame using a couple existing parts," he explained. "From there, everything else has been made from scratch. The motor is a 1969 Harley-Davidson. Anything motor-wise is bought in swap meets or (online). The majority of things that are made out of straight metal, I'm taking sheets of metal or tubing and making it all myself. It's called fabrication work, and I've done all the fabrication work myself."

Leavitt's bike is a few months from being done, and he is posting the progress on his Instagram page. He said he's excited for the chance to showcase his work and build more bikes.

"I'm not doing this as a way to grow myself or my company, but more to prove that I could to build something cool," Leavitt said. "Maybe if I win it, I can build another bike."

With Leavitt having made it to the top six in the Biltwell competition, he will be heading to the Born-Free Motorcycle Show on June 27 and 28 at Oak Canyon Park in Silverado, California to showcase his bike on a national stage.

When asked about a name for his bike, he said he knows it will eventually need to be named, but for now, he's focused on making sure it looks good and runs well.

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