Coyote: How to turn the BMW R nineT into a desert sled
Most factory ‘scramblers’ are more about style than actual off-road ability. And that even includes the BMW R nineT Urban G/S: although it includes the famed Gelände/Straße designation, we wouldn’t take it too far off the beaten track.
But for Karles Vives, ability is everything. He’s the founder of the Spanish custom shop Fuel Bespoke Motorcycles, and organizer of the 2,500 km ?Scram? tour that happens in North Africa.
So when BMW Motorrad Spain gave Fuel a brand new Urban G/S to modify, hardening it up for off-piste riding was inevitable. But Karles and his team didn’t draw inspiration from the Moroccan desert?instead, they looked across the Atlantic.
?This BMW is inspired by the bikes that ran through the American deserts in the 60s, known as desert sleds,? he explains.
?Basically they were street bikes with modifications, that were capable of riding off-road. They typically had high-pipes to protect the exhaust from rocks and flung debris, skid plates, number plates, and often a high seat that helped the rider over endless miles of rough terrain.?
One of Fuel’s top goals was to create a flat line from tank to tail, so the BMW’s stock bodywork had to go. With the bike stripped, the crew fabricated a tubular structure that runs the length of the bike?creating a level surface for the new tank and seat to rest on.
They designed it to bolt right on, so the stock frame hasn’t been hacked or welded on. And the stock su...
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