Photo: Manuel Portugal
Tiago Goncalves and Luis Costa are two of Portugal’s most talented custom bike builders, and together they run Unik Motorcycles right outside Lisbon. Established back in 2016, the shop has been operating at the highest standards ever since day one, so there’s not a single poorly-executed build in their entire portfolio. The one shown below has to be among our favorites, but it was actually put together a couple of years ago.
Unik started with a Suzuki DR800S Big from the model-year 1991, stripping all its standard bodywork away while retaining the suspension and brakes. The subframe got shortened, looped, and ultimately topped with a thickly padded saddle upholstered in black leather. Underneath, we see a bespoke rear fender that bears an LED taillight and the license plate bracket.
There are bright aftermarket turn signals attached to the latter, and the subframe’s flanks are neatly encased in custom-built side covers. Tiago and his teammate came in possession of a Suzuki GN’s fuel tank, modifying its underside to fit on the DR800S frame like a glove. The only other piece of bodywork you’ll find here is a handmade front fender just large enough to do its job.
Higher up, the Unik duo added a sizeable, yellow-tinted headlight, which is flanked by LED blinkers just like those we’ve seen at the rear. In the cockpit area, the motorcycle gained a Daytona speedometer and a cross-braced Renthal handlebar, wearing aftermarket grips, LSL mirrors, and the stock switchgear. The front brake master cylinder was sourced from Brembo, while the new clutch lever is a premium Domino part.
Opting to retain the factory rims, Unik had them powder-coated black and linked to fresh stainless-steel spokes at both ends. Chunky dual-purpose tires can now be spotted fore and aft, with the front one being Metzeler’s Karoo compound while the rear is an E-09 knobby from Mitas. This DR800S scrambler comes with some tailor-made exhaust pipework, as well.
It’s a pie-cut ordeal manufactured from scratch using stainless-steel, a TIG welder, and a shortened pair of Arrow mufflers. There’s no mention of any other powertrain mods, but we’d imagine that Luis and Tiago will have performed some routine maintenance at the very least. The machine’s 779cc single-cylinder engine was 30-years-old when the overhaul took place, so it probably needed a bit of TLC before Unik called it a day.
All the upgrades we’ve talked about thus far are certainly pretty rad, yet our favorite thing about this entire build is the livery. It was executed by Vasco Costa, who combined a white base with grey and yellow-ochre accents before finishing things off with some groovy patterns. These are present on the fuel tank, skid plate, and swingarm, as well as the frame and side covers. Finally, the bike was dubbed Big Suzy to give it some more personality.
There are bright aftermarket turn signals attached to the latter, and the subframe’s flanks are neatly encased in custom-built side covers. Tiago and his teammate came in possession of a Suzuki GN’s fuel tank, modifying its underside to fit on the DR800S frame like a glove. The only other piece of bodywork you’ll find here is a handmade front fender just large enough to do its job.
Higher up, the Unik duo added a sizeable, yellow-tinted headlight, which is flanked by LED blinkers just like those we’ve seen at the rear. In the cockpit area, the motorcycle gained a Daytona speedometer and a cross-braced Renthal handlebar, wearing aftermarket grips, LSL mirrors, and the stock switchgear. The front brake master cylinder was sourced from Brembo, while the new clutch lever is a premium Domino part.
Opting to retain the factory rims, Unik had them powder-coated black and linked to fresh stainless-steel spokes at both ends. Chunky dual-purpose tires can now be spotted fore and aft, with the front one being Metzeler’s Karoo compound while the rear is an E-09 knobby from Mitas. This DR800S scrambler comes with some tailor-made exhaust pipework, as well.
It’s a pie-cut ordeal manufactured from scratch using stainless-steel, a TIG welder, and a shortened pair of Arrow mufflers. There’s no mention of any other powertrain mods, but we’d imagine that Luis and Tiago will have performed some routine maintenance at the very least. The machine’s 779cc single-cylinder engine was 30-years-old when the overhaul took place, so it probably needed a bit of TLC before Unik called it a day.
All the upgrades we’ve talked about thus far are certainly pretty rad, yet our favorite thing about this entire build is the livery. It was executed by Vasco Costa, who combined a white base with grey and yellow-ochre accents before finishing things off with some groovy patterns. These are present on the fuel tank, skid plate, and swingarm, as well as the frame and side covers. Finally, the bike was dubbed Big Suzy to give it some more personality.
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