Photos by Mach1Media
Seeing a truck so large skating on such massive wheels and tires is a sight for sore eyes. Victor Jurado has kept his 2006 Ford F-250 6.0L Harley-Davidson Edition extremely clean while keeping it a great daily driver.
In the span of one year, Victor set out to achieve his dream of owning a frame-off truck. The goal was to ensure every inch of the truck was perfect, starting with the frame. Dropping the 6.0L truck off at Altitude Adjustments Diesel Performance & Offroad in Hudson, Florida, the cab and bed were quickly stripped from the frame to give everything a deep clean before getting to work. The target of this frame off was to weld all of the frame holes shut, grind the welded holes until they were smooth, then paint the entire frame to match the body of the truck—True Blue metallic.
While it was there, Victor had Plan B Fabrication create a custom chrome 4-link suspension setup paired with Full Throttle Suspension shocks to lift the truck 28 inches into the sky. Yes, you read that right, the lift is over 2 feet tall! To help balance the epic proportions, 26×16 Specialty Forged C712s were added to the mix. What about tires, you ask? Intercore 44-inch Bogger tires were selected as the prime candidate. We can confidently tell you this thing skates big time. Best part? Nothing rubs at all, even at full steering lock.
It’s one thing to write about the details and how well put together the truck is, but it’s another to see it in person. The feeling of having something tower over you just a foot or two away while taking rolling shots is rather difficult to replicate. While on the shoot with Mach1Media, we got up close and personal with all of the tiny details in the suspension—the cutouts along the cradle with the tribute to Victor’s son reading “Kash is King,” the smooth 4-link bars, and the overall shine of the chrome. The coilover springs were also painted True Blue to match the truck and frame, which added a nice contrast to all the chrome underneath. Vic even got a custom chrome fuel cell from Jayfab that got adorned with True Blue accents on the cage. Gold lug nuts and brake calipers are there to give a loud pop to the blue and chrome landscape.
To ensure everyone can see all of the lovely underside, 38 rock lights have been installed to illuminate every inch of the suspension. On the top side, there are custom headlights and taillights, a custom grille from Overkill Fab, and the original bumpers. Of course, all of those are color matched True Blue as well. Being a member of Team Billet is also proof that this is a top tier build, and there is no missing the giant Team Billet banner on the rear window. In the sun, the True Blue metallic color pops and transforms from a deep rich blue into a subtle light blue/purple that most might miss upon first glance. Thankfully our photos show that off. Seeing and hearing it all moving down the road is truly something to behold. The truck drives straight and true, is loud and brash, and without a doubt, gets the attention of everyone around.
“The truck drives straight and true, is loud and brash, and without a doubt, gets the attention of everyone around.”
Over the year-long build, Vic learned that there are absolutely no shortcuts to this type of project. There isn’t a package you can just purchase and install to have everything done perfectly. While it would be nice, most of these parts are custom fabricated to fit this specific vehicle for this specific application, meaning that these aren’t ready-made products just chilling on the shelf waiting to be purchased. A lot of genuine effort and knowhow goes into these frame-off builds, and it takes a team of very talented folks to achieve the final product. One clear thing established is to have patience. Hitting a roadblock during the process is just a part of the process, and having a calm reaction can mean the difference between finding a solution quickly or giving up for the day. The easiest part of the whole build, according to Vic, was the grille and the subsequent installation.
Vic’s favorite part of the build? The fact that the frame is buttery smooth and there isn’t a single hole along the entire thing. The next time you look under a pickup, take note of how tired or perfect the frame may be. To see one like Vic’s is not common whatsoever. If you’d like to witness this truck in person, you can be sure to see Victor at one of his favorite annual shows: Slamfest, in Tampa.
“Hitting a roadblock during the process is just a part of the process, and having a calm reaction can mean the difference between finding a solution quickly or giving up for the day.”
What Is Skating?
When the lowest part of the body of the truck sits above the top of the tires.
Portland, Oregon is home to the One Moto Show, now in its eighth year in 2017. Held February 10-12, it has doubled in size each year due primarily to its founder, Thor Drake, his staff, volunteers and a plethora of manufacturers such as BMW Motorrad, Indian Motorcycle, Ducati, KTM, Ural Motorcycles, Alta Motors, and the year 2017 had presenting sponsor, Harley-Davidson.
Thousands stood in line patiently waiting to get inside on opening night, and despite the rain, it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd one iota.
“Our driving force to keep this going was the feeling that we were adding to something that we loved. We want to give back to motorcycling. We want to be inclusive and inspire people to participate. As things progressed, the show got bigger. We’ve been in multiple locations, and have been lucky to work with some of the most trusting sponsors within the world of motorcycles,” said Drake.
Along with the bike manufacturers, they were joined by parts, accessory and lifestyle companies, from Icon, Wyotech and Bell Helmets, to Red Clouds Collective, Danner, Fox Racing’s Moto X LAB, Alpinestars, Ship John, Roland Sands Design, Iron & Air, LED Lenser USA, American Flat Track, Meta Magazine, and newcomers like Pack Animal, ATWYLD, and Velomacchi Privateer Gear.
According to Ural Motorcycles’ Matt Trigaux, “Whether it’s camping, casual riding, or off-roading, we see customers utilizing the capabilities of our sidecar and on-demand 2-wheel drive to compliment their lifestyles and activities. We see strong growth in both the outdoor markets and with casual riders. What’s exciting is the universal appeal we see from customers with varied backgrounds. They imagine how Ural can fit into their lifestyle, and approach purchasing with activities in mind of how they’ll use the product in different ways.”
Launched in July of last year, women’s motorcycle gear and apparel brand ATWYLD was inspired by the void in gender specific gear. Founded by Anya Violet, Jaime Dempsey and Corinne Lan Franco, ATWYLD was created to put a layer between female riders and the road that is both stylish and functional. “We created the word ATWYLD to represent the single moment that exists between fear and thrill. It’s that moment when you are on the absolute edge of your comfort zone and your adrenaline is pumping. Riding a motorcycle is, for us, about reaching this ATWYLD moment as often as possible,” stated Lan Franco, ATWYLD’s creative director.
San Francisco-based Fictiv, a rapid prototyping and distributed manufacturing company, used this opportunity to introduce FOSMC: Fictive’s Open Source Motorcycle. With FOSMC, 57 open source modular part designs can be accessed, easily assembled with no welding, and produced with standard prototyping technologies. Designed to work with Amazon Web Service’s innovative new IoT (Internet of Things) platform for motorcycles, Fictiv states that in a weekend, a custom-designed, street-legal motorcycle can be built with a wrench and some hand tools.
“Our driving force to keep this going was the feeling that we were adding to something that we loved. We want to give back to motorcycling. We want to be inclusive and inspire people to participate. As things progressed, the show got bigger. We’ve been in multiple locations, and have been lucky to work with some of the most trusting sponsors within the world of motorcycles,” said Drake.
Drake, the 1Moto Show’s founder and creative force, somehow found time to collaborate with Fox Racing’s Moto X LAB, the engine for new products and ideas that drives innovation across both performance and cultural spectrums, linking products, athletes, and culture with a fresh perspective.
Products with the LAB moniker are created with a special amount of thought and ingenuity, developed outside normal day-to-day constraints. The Moto X LAB serves both their Fox and Shift brands.
Brisbane, California’s Alta Motors designs and manufactures some of the most advanced electric motorcycles in the world. Their goal is to create bikes that are easier to ride fast than anything else out there, with instant throttle response, and flat, endless torque. The ST displayed at the 1Moto Show is their latest.
With 154 days of measurable rain per year in Portland, the 1Moto Show seems impervious to the weather, as they concentrate on what is within their control, which is making the event different and exciting each time. Quite possibly, this is the best show on two wheels.
Editor’s Note: A version of this article first appeared in the August 2017 print issue of the Drive Magazine.
