To the South Pole via Himalayans
Words NZ Autocar | Images Royal Enfield
Recall a few months ago a team from Royal Enfield was preparing to ride to the South Pole on Himalayan adventure motorcycles? They figured it would take them 28 days to traverse the 700km on the Antarctica subcontinent, journeying from 86 degrees to 90 degrees South, celebrating 120 years of Royal Enfield.
We’re pleased to report that they reached their South Pole goal and in much less time than anticipated, though the course had to be shortened by 300km or so because of a storm. The pair of riders, Santhosh Vijay Kumar and Dean Coxson, arrived at their destination in 15 days.Â
The expedition began in Novo in Antarctica, the team trucked a distance of 3200km over the next nine days, experiencing temperatures between -30 to -25 degrees and winds of up to 60km/h, towards the Ross Ice Shelf.
By then they had reached the designated start point for the riders. Things didn’t go so well initially, a blizzard forcing the team to alter course, starting out from 87 degrees South instead of 86 degrees, reducing the distance by roughly 300km.
A few roadblocks and detours were encountered but the team overcame these challenges on their modified Royal Enfield Himalayans, reaching the South Pole on Dec 16.
The upgrades were made to enable the machines to navigate snow and ice and function in the extreme Antarctica cold. A lead vehicle was used to compact the snow, check for crevasses and it also meant reduced motorcycle emissions. All waste was collected and returned for appropriate disposal.
Currently the team is en route to the western part of Antarctica, Union Glacier, from where they will fly out to Punta Arenas, Chile.
Images shown are of the team getting to grips with ice and snow conditions in Iceland prior to setting out on the Antarctica expedition proper.
