Royal Enfield has embarked on a bold plan to ride to the South Pole aboard its latest Himalayan adventure bike.
The company will use its Himalayan model, to attempt to reach the geographic South Pole, from the Ross Ice Shelf via the Leverett Glacier.
Dubbed ‘90° SOUTH – Quest for the Pole’ Royal Enfield says the plan ‘is conceptualised as a tribute to the brand’s commitment to pure motorcycling, and to the courage and resilience of innumerable riders and explorers who have made history with their motorcycling journeys.’
Beginning from Cape Town, South Africa, on November 26 2021, two riders will undertake a 39-day expedition traversing Antarctica on a 770km ride from Ross Ice Shelf to the South Pole, on expedition-ready Royal Enfield Himalayans.
Royal Enfield’s Santhosh Vijay Kumar and Dean Coxson will attempt to reach the geographic South Pole, from the Ross Ice Shelf, via the Leverett Glacier, to the Amundsen-Scott Pole station.
The Himalayan is the natural choice from the brand’s range for the audacious undertaking. Locally it is priced from $8190 rideaway in base white/grey colours.
The Himalayan is also available in red and blue for an extra $200, while the more premium black and green paint jobs top the range at $8590.
According to Royal Enfield, the Indian bikemaker is on target to surpass 2000 Himalayan sales in Australia and New Zealand before year’s end, helping its position among the ‘top five brands’ in the aforementioned markets.
As previously reported, the new Royal Enfield Himalayan recently moved over to Euro5 with a number of minor updates, including enhanced suspension with a new rear monoshock, a new rear carrier, a revised seat and ergonomics for improved comfort, a redesigned windscreen and the inclusion of switchable ABS at the rear-end.
Outputs from the bike’s 411cc single-cylinder engine remain unchanged at 18kW and 32Nm.
Snag’s career in motoring journalism spans 29 years with stints at major bike mags Australian Road Rider, Motorcycle Trader and AMCN along with contributions to just about every other outlet worth a hill of beans. He was editor of Unique Cars magazine and hosts his legendary podcast ‘Snag Says’ when he gets off his date.
