Spring Break
The Daily OrangeSenior's motorcycle art roars at 'MotoStars' exibit
By Dan Kaplan
Posted: 9/3/08, 1:21 AM EST Section: Feature
This summer, Chris Leykam shared the spotlight with celebrities like Brad Pitt, Keith Urban and Peter Fonda. But not in the sense one might expect.
Leykam, a senior industrial design major at Syracuse University, had his original designs featured in a special exhibit at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in Pickerington, Ohio. The exhibit, "MotoStars: Celebrities + Motorcycles," showcased bikes owned by celebrities from Carlos Mencia to Black Eyed Peas singer will.i.am.
Leykam designed a themed motorcycle for the Connecticut Public Television show, "DINERS." The final product incorporates an image of a vintage Wurlitzer jukebox floating in a dream-like landscape onto a post-World War II "bobber"-style bike.
"The challenge of the design was to make the image as eye-catching as possible, without taking away from the mechanical beauty of the bike itself and the historical presence of the style it carries," he said.
Bobbers are similar to modern "chopper" motorcycles, where the bike is stripped of unnecessary parts. Leykam said this allowed for improved speed and even prevented injury to riders in some cases.
In addition to a feature in the exhibit's coffee-table book, Leykam's motorcycle has received numerous honors from other shows and publications. In April 2007, it was the centerfold picture in New York Rider Magazine and, more recently, was one of six custom bikes chosen for feature in Yamaha's 2008 Star Motorcycles Calendar.
The recent acclaim represents a lifetime of involvement in the field of design for Leykam. He started off drawing motorcycles and hockey equipment, and decided designing one of the two may one day become his career.
"My love for the field of industrial design, combined with my love of motorcycles, has directly sparked a business concept," he said.
In addition to motorcycle design, Leykam helped create leather motorcycle wear for a Connecticut-based company (he declined to give its name). His work included designs for sustainable dirt bike clothing. Fabrics were made from bamboo and recycled plastic bottles. Leykam attributes his ventures to his experiences at SU.
"My education here at Syracuse is what gave me the confidence to move into the retail market in this way and encouraged me to see one of my dreams come to life by giving me the skills and insight into formulating valid design concepts," he said.
Despite his recent design achievements, Leykam remains grounded, refusing to cast himself ahead of his peers at SU.
"I am one of 23 kids in my class," he said. "All of us are very talented people and work very hard for the subtle amount of attention and even awards we may get."
Perhaps it was the commonality of this modest characteristic that made Leykam enjoy the MotoStars exhibit. He said being featured among so many celebrities really helped put several things into perspective.
"Aside from their careers and bank accounts, they are regular people joined together by a common thread: the love of motorcycling," he said. "I was just proud to be a part of it."
sdkaplan@syr.edu
Leykam, a senior industrial design major at Syracuse University, had his original designs featured in a special exhibit at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in Pickerington, Ohio. The exhibit, "MotoStars: Celebrities + Motorcycles," showcased bikes owned by celebrities from Carlos Mencia to Black Eyed Peas singer will.i.am.
Leykam designed a themed motorcycle for the Connecticut Public Television show, "DINERS." The final product incorporates an image of a vintage Wurlitzer jukebox floating in a dream-like landscape onto a post-World War II "bobber"-style bike.
"The challenge of the design was to make the image as eye-catching as possible, without taking away from the mechanical beauty of the bike itself and the historical presence of the style it carries," he said.
Bobbers are similar to modern "chopper" motorcycles, where the bike is stripped of unnecessary parts. Leykam said this allowed for improved speed and even prevented injury to riders in some cases.
In addition to a feature in the exhibit's coffee-table book, Leykam's motorcycle has received numerous honors from other shows and publications. In April 2007, it was the centerfold picture in New York Rider Magazine and, more recently, was one of six custom bikes chosen for feature in Yamaha's 2008 Star Motorcycles Calendar.
The recent acclaim represents a lifetime of involvement in the field of design for Leykam. He started off drawing motorcycles and hockey equipment, and decided designing one of the two may one day become his career.
"My love for the field of industrial design, combined with my love of motorcycles, has directly sparked a business concept," he said.
In addition to motorcycle design, Leykam helped create leather motorcycle wear for a Connecticut-based company (he declined to give its name). His work included designs for sustainable dirt bike clothing. Fabrics were made from bamboo and recycled plastic bottles. Leykam attributes his ventures to his experiences at SU.
"My education here at Syracuse is what gave me the confidence to move into the retail market in this way and encouraged me to see one of my dreams come to life by giving me the skills and insight into formulating valid design concepts," he said.
Despite his recent design achievements, Leykam remains grounded, refusing to cast himself ahead of his peers at SU.
"I am one of 23 kids in my class," he said. "All of us are very talented people and work very hard for the subtle amount of attention and even awards we may get."
Perhaps it was the commonality of this modest characteristic that made Leykam enjoy the MotoStars exhibit. He said being featured among so many celebrities really helped put several things into perspective.
"Aside from their careers and bank accounts, they are regular people joined together by a common thread: the love of motorcycling," he said. "I was just proud to be a part of it."
sdkaplan@syr.edu
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