BMW R nineT Urban G/S is a hard pill to swallow. From a styling standpoint, we totally get that; The original BMW R80G/S was iconic and one of the few motorcycles that ever actually left the red seat. Many riders appreciate it for initiating an entire genre of adventure riding — and although there’s still some debate there, there’s no denying the street prestige of an original Paris Dakar G/S copy.
Unfortunately, modern BMW R nineT Urban G/S is a nominal G/S only. Its 19-inch front wheel helps a lot—but it does as much off-road work as any other 500-pound street bike with its extremely limited (and soft) suspension. And that’s a pity, because, as any fan of the BMW boxer will tell you, it’s built around one of the most exciting engines in motoring history.
The people at Monduke Moto understand this better than anyone. As the custom-built division of the production company, Monduke Productions, they converted four Urban G/Ses into worthy off-road vehicles. disturbance person. Their latest is called ‘Sweet Caroline’ and it’s the sweetest one so far.
Dani Rodriguez, founding partner, said: “I traveled to Africa by motorbike for the first time in 2003. “It was a group of seven friends, all riding huge BMW R1150GSs. this, and we’ve traveled almost 2,000 kilometers in the Atlas and the Sahara. On that trip, I fell in love with the Atlas mountain trails, the silence and light of the desert, and the agility and agility of those big and heavy BMWs.”
In the years that followed, Dani’s obsession with Africa grew worse and worse. He joined motorcycle fuel for eight consecutive runs of their ‘Scram Africa’ ride—an adventure tour only for modern shufflers and custom builds. With each ride, he learned more about what makes a functional off-road custom and how to turn a heavy-duty factory ‘scrambler’ into a tool suitable for the open desert.
Then in 2019, lightning struck. Dani saw an opportunity to go on her own adventure across the Sahara, and with the project came a commission to build five dirt bikes for the client during the trip. Of those five bikes, two of the donors happened to be BMW’s R nineT Urban G/S—and thus, Monduke Moto’s unique niche was born.
They have developed a winning formula for the platform at this point; swapped out the lackluster front end with a set of long-travel forks, reworked the Sachs factory rear shock, and fitted a set of off-road-appropriate 21F/18R enduro wheels.
This special build uses a set of Marzocchi upside-down forks, custom tuned by the folks at TNT Suspensiones in Barcelona. They more than double the original suspension’s travel to a whopping 11″ fully adjustable. The wheels are also particularly interesting—Monduke keeps the original BMW spokes, but pairs them with a set of traditional Excel Takasago wheels.
This allows the bike to keep the original ABS system, but also gives Caroline a wide choice of all-terrain rubbers — including the existing MotoZ Tractionator Adventure tires (and heavy-duty Michelin tubes).
From there, the off-roader really took on a life of its own, with the Monduke doubling down on the Urban G/S’ nostalgic roots.
24 liters [6,34 gallon] Tanks, for example, were towed from a R75/5 police bike and modified to fit the nineT frame. You’ll notice it still wears the fuel tank-mounted utility case, which Monduke says is fully functional and still uses the original square key.
Interestingly, Monduke also retains the original dual-twin cannon setup on the fuel tank. This means that the factory fuel pump and filter must be carefully moved to the outside of the tank—but considering how well vintage metal goes with this construction, we’re glad they dropped it. add effort. (That extra fuel also comes in handy for long distances in the desert.)
The bright red seat has been replaced with a larger chair, upholstered in white leather and brown Alcantara. An elastic gel coating is also added to sit still for long days. Creature extras include a 40mm lift bar from Wunderlich, a much-improved High Sider Montana mirror, and a Rallye low foot peg.
If you follow Monduke’s team on social media, you’ll also learn that not only do they build these bikes for off-road use, but they actually take them out and get them dirty. To that end, Monduke has also added an extra layer of protection via the SW Motech skid plate, folding gear lever and a crash protector from the Unit Garage.
They also replaced the Urban G/S factory airbox with a custom part designed in the style of the original R80G/S. Dani says that accessing the OEM filter requires disassembling half of the bike, which isn’t great for the routine cleaning required by desert rigs. This new device requires only two clamps to be removed, which can be done easily by hand without any tools.
The finishing touches here include a set of Motogadget Blaze turn signals (cleverly tucked into the radiator visor), custom fenders and brackets, and a neat classic NOS OSSA tailgate, complete with a price tag. license plate holder and taillight assembly.
And, because no boxer would be complete without that signature ‘rage chainsaw’ track, an all-titanium Akrapovič exhaust system was also fitted. It’s been through a few heat cycles and it looks absolutely gorgeous—as does Sweet Caroline’s orange and white paint.
A BMW R nineT Urban The G/S was built for the Sahara… the irony is too good. Who says you can’t teach a new dog old tricks?
Monduke production | Monduke Moto’s Instagram | Image of Andrea Caredda on location at Sardinian Dust
