In an iconic moment for the 120-year-old brand, the Royal Enfield Himalayan conquered the South Pole, successfully completing the 90-degree South expedition. The expedition-ready Himalayans ridden by riders Santhosh Vijay Kumar and Dean Coxson reached the geographic South Pole in 15 days on December 16, 2021. The team arrived in Novo, Antarctica, from Cape Town for four days of acclimatisation, loading of supplies, equipment checks and the motorcycles. The bike maker managed to achieve the historic feat as it celebrates its 120th anniversary this year.
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The Royal Enfield Himalayan was tested at the Longjokull Glacier in Iceland and upgraded before the Antarctic-expedition
Over the next nine days, the riders completed an overland distance of 3,200 km braving extreme temperatures between -30 to -25 degrees and wind speed of 60 kmph towards Ross Ice Shelf. The Ross Ice Shelf was the starting point for the riders but an unexpected blizzard forced them to alter the course and start the ride from 87-degree South instead of the originally planned 86-degree South. The company says that despite initial roadblocks on the journey, the expeditions managed to complete the quest, creating history.
For the expedition, two Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycles were modified by the company with functional upgrades. This included the ability to ride on snow and ice. The bikes were tested by the in-house team on the Longjokulll Glacier in Iceland between September 2020 and July 2021. The bikes were upgraded to be Antarctic-ready based on the feedback. This included adding a tubeless wheel setup with studded tyres to run at low pressures, increasing floatation on soft snow and providing traction on hard ice.
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The Himalayan received several upgrades including tubeless wheels, a bigger alternator, and snow tracks to conquer the South Pole
The Himalayans also got a different sprocket from a 15-tooth to a 13-tooth unit. Furthermore, all electricals were waterproofed with silicone grease and shrink sealed with heat. A stronger alternator with rare earth magnets was added to the adventure motorcycle to produce more current to enable the team to run heated gear. Royal Enfield also removed the centre stand and headlamp unit on the bikes to shed excess weight. With Antarctica having 24-hour sunlight in the summers, it was a feasible option. The side-stand was fitted with a larger foot to avoid sinking in the snow while the rear brake pedal was moved back to allow easier access with heavy off-road boots.
Lastly, the expedition-ready RE Himalayans were ridden on a compacted snow track to the South Pole to reduce motorcycle drag and limit emissions to a minimum. Royal Enfield also says that it ensured that there was no footprint left behind by the expedition team except wheel tracks. This not only includes emissions but human waste as well, which will be brought back for appropriate disposal.
At present, the team is heading towards Union Glacier, the western part of Antarctica. The riders and the bikes will then fly out to Punta Arenas in Chile.
