Honda CB750 Laurus Had an Unfortunate Fate at First, But Custom Miracles Happened

He’s the owner of the ravishing Honda CB750 Seven-Fifty shown above (aka Laurus), but bringing his vision to life proved way more challenging than it should have. Initially, Francisco entrusted an unnamed garage with the customization process, hoping they would deliver the promised result. The project only got as far as the preparatory teardown, though, and the CB750 eventually made its way back to the owner in pieces.

Braving himself to give customization another go in 2020, he reached out to Tiago Goncalves and Luis Costa of Unik Motorcycles. Francisco really struck gold this time around, because Unik is among the finest bike-modding outfits over in Portugal! Joined by a team of talented employees, the shop’s founders have thus far indulged in countless projects of the highest tier, so they were more than capable of turning this Seven-Fifty's fortune around.

What’s more, they did so in just a few months – basically at the speed of light compared to the previous builder. The 1996-model Honda was handed over to them as a box of separate parts, and the modifications got underway as soon as Unik grasped what the client wanted. To get the ball rolling, they sourced a Suzuki GSX-R's inverted forks and Tokico front brake calipers.

The forks were mated to the CB750’s framework via billet aluminum triple clamps, while the Tokico calipers received a pair of Beringer rotors to bite on. At the rear end, suspension-related affairs are assigned to high-grade Ohlins shock absorbers with piggyback reservoirs and adjustable preload. A third Beringer brake disc is present in that area, too, and the stock wheels were deleted to make way for lighter 17-inch units from Kineo.

Wrapped around their rims are grippy Shinko tires, with the rear one measuring a beefy 180/55. Unik had the motorcycle’s subframe shortened, looped, and fitted with a small yet sufficiently bright LED taillight. In addition, they’ve attached a bespoke license plate bracket to the rearmost portion of the subframe tubing, so as to keep things nice and tidy but also street-legal.

You’ll spot a custom saddle perched on the rear frame tubing, upholstered in standard black leather on the sides and suede up top. In terms of bodywork, Laurus still features the factory Seven-Fifty fuel tank, but all the other parts are handmade modules built from scratch. A sizeable electronics box fills up the subframe triangle, hidden well out of sight by shapely side covers with rounded corners.

Unik crafted a new fender for each end, as well, mounting them close to the tires for a sporty aesthetic. Lighting up the way ahead is a Thunderbolt LED headlamp supplied by Koso, and a Motogadget Chronoclassic dial can be seen a bit further back on the upper triple clamp. Motogadget also provided a keyless RFID ignition system, bar-end turn signals, and stylish grips.

The latter goodies are worn by aftermarket clip-ons, along with plain switches, adjustable control levers, and snazzy rear-view mirrors. Moving on to the shop’s powertrain-related work, Luis and Tiago didn’t let the inline-four's reliable nature deter them from performing a complete overhaul. They had the engine rebuilt inside out, fitting fresh cylinder heads and rejuvenating its carburetors while they were at it. Ultimately, the carbs got topped with K&N air filtration hardware.

On the other end of the combustion cycle, we find a TIG-welded custom exhaust fashioned out of stainless-steel. It runs a four-two-four pipe configuration, and we’re guessing that internal baffles are also present to keep noise levels in check. With the whole build coming together rather nicely, it was time for the Portuguese artisans to take care of its paintwork before wrapping things up.

They went for a striking mixture of black and yellow, with the former color acting as the base while the latter makes up the highlights. Several years after it had first been taken apart, Francisco’s dream bike was finally complete and looking better than he could’ve ever anticipated. It might’ve been a pretty bumpy ride, but the Unik Motorcycles crew made sure it was all worth it in the end.

Laurus does a wonderful job at showcasing what this firm is able to pull off, and it demanded a close analysis despite not being one of their latest endeavors. Heck, we reckon this startling one-off be worth looking at for a long time to come, because everything about it is downright irresistible! If you ask me, some Ohlins forks with their distinctive orange tint would’ve made it perfect.