The BMW R nineT Urban G/S is a tough pill to swallow. From a styling standpoint, we totally get it; the original BMW R80G/S was iconic, and one of the few motorcycles to ever truly pull off a red seat. Many riders give it credit for kickstarting the entire adventure riding genre?and while there?s some debate to be had there, there?s no denying the street cred of an original Paris Dakar G/S.
Unfortunately, the modern BMW R nineT Urban G/S is a G/S in name only. Its 19? front wheel helps?but it has about as much business off pavement as any other 500 pound street bike with extremely limited (and soft) suspension. And that?s a shame, because, as any BMW boxer fan will tell you, it’s built around one of the most enjoyable engines in the history of motorcycling.
The folks at Monduke Moto understand this better than most. As the custom build division of the production company, Monduke Productions, they’ve already converted four Urban G/Ses into off-road-worthy scramblers. Their latest is dubbed ‘Sweet Caroline,’ and it’s the sweetest one to date.
?I traveled to Africa on a motorcycle for the first time back in 2003,? say founding partner, Dani Rodriguez. ?It was a group of seven friends, all riding these huge BMW R1150GSes, and we covered nearly 2,000 km in the Atlas and Sahara. On that trip I fell in love with the Atlas mountain tracks, the silence and light of the desert, and how agile and versatile those huge and heavy BMWs can be.?

In the y...