Arctic Role for Royal Enfield Himalayan Duo
Two Royal Enfield Himalayans are heading 90° South – to the South Pole
Royal Enfield, which has now been around for 120 years, sees itself as a company producing bikes meant for adventure. In this case they are looking to prove their merit with quite an extreme adventure! Two members of the Royal Enfield staff are going to take a pair of Himalayans and head out to the South Pole. The Himalayan claims to be built for 'all roads and no roads', so this trip will certainly test the mettle of both riders and machines!
The Himalayans are stock bikes with just a few modifications to make them Arctic ready. They will have studded tyres for grip on ice and electronic adjustments to cope with -40c temperatures. Sensibly, they will have a back up truck too, just in case of any mishaps along the way.
The guys, Santosh Vijay Kumar (Rides and Community Lead) and Dean Coxson (Product Development Senior Engineer), will be setting off to Antarctic Novo on the 26th of November, where they will spend the first three days getting used to the harsh climate before they are fully out in it.
Then it's a twelve day ride south to the Indian Research Station on the Ross Ice Shelf which they hope to reach on the 14th of December.
From there, they will have to ride for 478 miles over the ice to the South Pole where they hope to arrive by December the 21st. Then, a simple little (!) ride West to the Union Glacier and a flight home. Quite a feat of endurance and true grit will be required of the riders, plus it's a very real test of the Himalayan's toughness.
Royal Enfield are asking anyone who’d like to support these riders on their epic adventure, to upload their club’s badge on
their website. All the badges will be added on the flag Santhosh and Dean will be carrying to the South Pole. You can also leave them words of encouragement. We wish them the very best of luck and don’t forget your hot water bottles!
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