SpeedRaf: A Honda CB750 hot rod inspired by a seven-year-old

Despite the shop’s name, there’s nothing scrappy about the custom bikes that roll out of Portugal’s Rusty Wrench Motorcycles. This slammed Honda CB750 illustrates our point skillfully. It was a ratty barn 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, because 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.

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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 also 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 exhaust system wears a turned copper end cap, and the OEM front sprocket cover is perforated with copper-lined holes.

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

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

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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 fabricated to finish off the rear end.

Next, Rusty Wrench set about 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 adorn 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 more copper details over the bike—while exercising restraint.

Finishing the bike off is an alluring livery that plays on classic chopper and hot rod styles. The base coat is a dark green, with yellow, red, and grey stripes sashaying their way from front to back. A pair of ‘SpeedRaf’ logos adorn the tank; an obvious nod to Rafael and his love for speed.

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

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

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