Royal Enfield to take Himalayans to South Pole
Founded in 1901 and now manufactured by Eicher Motors in India, Royal Enfield is to back two of its head office executives in an ambitious, maybe even perilous, attempt to ride two Royal Enfield Himalayan models to the Amundsen-Scott Pole station at Antarctica's geographic South Pole.
In an effort to commemorate 120 years of Royal Enfield's "pure motorcycling culture", its '90° South - Quest for the South Pole' will see Santhosh Vijay Kumar (Lead - Rides and Community at Royal Enfield) and Dean Coxson (Senior Engineer, Product Development) get cold; very cold!
They will set off from Capetown, South Africa, for the Ross Ice Shelf on November 26, 2021. From there they will undertake a 39-day trek across Antarctica on a 478 mile (770 km) ride via the Leverette Glacier on expedition-ready Royal Enfield Himalayans.
"Over the last 120 years, we have created and nurtured a thriving culture of riding and exploration around the world," said Siddhartha Lal, Managing Director of Eicher Motors Ltd. "This pursuit of exploration has been a quintessential part of our DNA, and '90° South - Quest for the South Pole' is another chapter in our series of extraordinary epic motorcycling rides.
"In the past, rides like 'Himalayan Odyssey' have paved the way for motorcycling adventure in the Himalayas, and an epic expedition like this to the South Pole will once again inspire people to become adventurers. A test of endurance and perseverance for man and machine, this expedition is the first of its kind to attempt to traverse the 478 mile (770 km) route to the South Pole on a motorcycle."
To be conducted in close partnership with Arctic Trucks, '90° South - Quest for the Pole' will be attempted on two purpose-built Royal Enfield Himalayans. Arctic Trucks, a member of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, are renowned for their expertise in the field and have covered over 350,000 km on the Antarctic Plateau. They have supported and serviced several scientific expeditions and activities, as well as commercial and NGO expeditions in the past.
For this expedition, two Himalayans have been modified in-house, with functional upgrades to be able to navigate snow and ice to function under the extreme Antarctic conditions. The Himalayan was tested for this arduous journey at the Langjokull glacier in Iceland, with an intent to mirror the conditions in Antarctica. Phase one of testing was held in September 2020, with phase two concluded in July 2021.
Minimal changes have been made to the Himalayan motorcycles to make them ready for the terrain and weather conditions in Antarctica. For greater torque at the rear wheel, the countershaft sprocket has been changed from a 15- to a 13-tooth unit. A tubeless wheel set-up with studded tyres will allow the tyres to run at very low pressures, and to increase floatation on soft snow while also providing adequate traction on hard ice. The team has introduced a stronger alternator using rare earth magnets, enabling the Himalayans to produce more current and enable the team to run heated gear off the battery.
Launched in 2016, the Royal Enfield Himalayan is a simple, extremely capable and go-anywhere motorcycle. Inspired by the experience of decades of riding in the Himalayas, and traversing thousands of kilometers of challenging terrain, the Royal Enfield Himalayan was built to be a versatile motorcycle that is capable on the road, as well as off the beaten track.
