Despite the shop’s name, there’s nothing scrappy well-nigh the custom bikes that roll out of Portugal’s Rusty Wrench Motorcycles. This slammed Honda CB750 illustrates our point skillfully. It was a ratty warehouse find when Rusty Wrench got hold of it—but they’ve transformed it into a polished drag-style custom.

There must be something in the water, considering long-and-low hardtails seem to be the style du jour. And while they’re certainly not the most practical bikes around, we love their hot rod aesthetics. Besides, who said custom motorcycles need to be sensible?

There’s a very specific reason for this Honda CB750’s speed racer vibe though. Rusty Wrench’s founders, Vera and Francisco Correia, built it as a family project, taking inspiration from their seven-year-old son, Rafael. “He loves Sonic the Hedgehog and fast bikes,” Vera explains.

Given the state of the donor bike, Rusty Wrench had a stack of work to do to bring the 1979-model CB750 up to par—starting with a full engine rebuild. It now sports high-compression pistons, forged connecting rods, and a Dyna 2000 ignition. It moreover looks cleaner than the day it left the factory, with a mix of painted and polished finishes.

From the word go, Vera and Francisco wanted to include a smorgasbord of copper- and bronze-like details. The four-into-one Vance & Hines frazzle system wears a turned copper end cap, and the OEM front sprocket imbricate is perforated with copper-lined holes.

The team moreover stripped the Honda’s Comstar wheels, finished them in bronze, black, and clear, and put them when together.

The Honda’s OEM pulsate restriction still does duty out back, but the front features the twin Nissin calipers from a Honda CBR600. In keeping with the stilt racing theme, the velocipede wears an Avon Speedmaster up front and a slick Racemaster tire at the back.

Moving to the suspension, Rusty Wrench modified the original forks to lower the CB. Then they liberated the swingarm of its twin shock mounts and braced it in place to completely eliminate the rear suspension. With that sorted, a new subframe was made-up to finish off the rear end.

Next, Rusty Wrench set well-nigh redressing the CB750 with fresh bodywork. An aftermarket fairing sits up front, trimmed with a tinted screen that echoes the bike’s gold-ish highlights. The fuel tank’s a handmade part, as is the knurled aluminum gas cap.

A custom-made tail hump sits out back, with a slim LED tail light Frenched into the back. As we’ve come to expect from Rusty Wrench, the seat upholstery is stunning, combining a flowing stitch pattern with multiple textures.

More copper highlights varnish the cockpit, in the form of an aftermarket throttle and Kustom Tech levers. Other upgrades include modern clip-ons, and a handmade ‘dash’ that holds a tacho and a pair of LED warning lights. If you’re looking for the headlight, it’s mounted lower down, on the left of the bike.

Rusty Wrench made the foot controls and their respective mounting brackets too, then sprinkled a few increasingly copper details over the bike—while exercising restraint.

Finishing the velocipede off is an traffic-stopping livery that plays on archetype chopper and hot rod styles. The wiring stratify is a visionless green, with yellow, red, and grey stripes sashaying their way from front to back. A pair of ‘SpeedRaf’ logos varnish the tank; an obvious nod to Rafael and his love for speed.

A custom Honda CB750 with little to no suspension surely won’t request to everyone—but we bet Rafael is stoked. And we’re sure his parents don’t mind holding onto it until he’s old unbearable to ride it.

Rusty Wrench Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Manuel Portugal, courtesy of Rev Magazine