Though Donald Glover and Tom Ford-types do exist, it’s extremely seldom to see individuals that possess world-class skills in multiple fields. Joel (aka Dr. Joe) of Saléchan, France’s Les Ateliers du Dr. Joe meets the criteria of one of these impressive persons, boasting top-notch traditional, black and white, and photorealism tattooing chops, as well as the ability to churn out an awe-inspiring custom motorcycle build.
Built on a shockingly modest budget, Dr. Joe’s latest two-wheeled work is based on a 1979 BMW R65, and is the result of the builder setting out to bestow the Bavarian donor with modern technology while staying true to the boxer’s retro design language. Sporting smooth curves with a distinct absence of hard straight lines, the R65 has been treated to a bobber-style seat and a tiny chrome-plated “Rugby Ball” tank (that gives the Beemer a confirmed range of 18.5 miles). LED lighting sits in traditional round housing front and back, now running through a new Motogadget M unit Blue box. The front-end was also shortened and has had its springs replaced, and new bars were installed along with BMW’s signature bar-end indicators. Rounding out the build are numerous sand-blasted, power-coated, polished, and painted parts.
