ROYAL ENFIELD TO LEAD A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND MOTORCYCLE EXPEDITION TO THE SOUTH POLE

90° SOUTH – QUEST FOR THE POLE – An Extraordinary Endeavour in Celebration of 120 Years of Pure Motorcycling

Royal Enfield is the world’s oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production since 1901. For 120 years, Royal Enfield has remained the preserver of the legacy of building simple, pared-down, authentic classic motorcycles that are engaging and fun to ride. Riding through time and tough terrain, Royal Enfield has emerged victorious in rides that have tested the endurance of man and machine, while remaining relevant and desirable through the ages. 

From its humble beginnings at the Redditch factory, Royal Enfield has spent more than a century creating memorable experiences and legendary motorcycling tales. In its journey to encourage and kickstart the lifelong pursuit of exploration, Royal Enfield has conducted rides across the globe- ranging from riding on the highest motorable pass in the world, to reaching the Base Camp of Mount Everest in Tibet; from riding over the most inaccessible mountain pass at Daulat Beg Oldi, Karakoram, to riding across the desert at Kutch under picturesque night skies. 

Continuing on this journey and to commemorate 120 years of building the pure motorcycling culture, Royal Enfield will mark 2021 with an ambitious attempt to push the boundaries of motorcycling possibilities. The company will undertake a motorcycling expedition on the Royal Enfield Himalayan, to attempt to reach the geographic South Pole, from the Ross Ice Shelf via the Leverett Glacier. 90° SOUTH – Quest for the Pole is conceptualized 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.  

Speaking about the milestone year for Royal Enfield and the expedition attempt, Siddhartha Lal, Managing Director of Eicher Motors Ltd, said, “120 years is a long legacy for the brand, and we are very happy to have made it count. Over these years, we have created and nurtured a thriving culture of riding and exploration around the world. This pursuit of exploration has been a quintessential part of our DNA, and 90° South 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 further inspire people to become adventurers again. A test of endurance and perseverance for man and machine, this expedition is the first of its kind attempt to traverse the 770km long route to the South Pole on a motorcycle.”

Conceptualized as a tribute to 120 years of pure motorcycling, and as an ode to all Enfielders who’ve dared to explore beyond the ordinary, 90° South will be an ambitious attempt to go where no motorcycle has gone before. To begin from Cape Town, South Africa, on 26 November 2021, the expedition will witness two Royal Enfield riders – Santhosh Vijay Kumar, Lead – Rides & Community, Royal Enfield, and Dean Coxson, Senior Engineer- Product Development, Royal Enfield- attempting to reach the geographic South Pole, from the Ross Ice Shelf, via the Leverett Glacier, to the Amundsen-Scott Pole station.

Speaking about the brand’s purpose of encouraging explorations, and wishing the expedition great success, Vimal Sumbly, International Business Head for Asia Pacific region, Royal Enfield remarked, “It has been an unbroken legacy of 120 years, of fueling and pushing the boundaries of human exploration, and being an ally to many explorers. It is their journeys and adventures that have inspired us to attempt this first of its kind motorcycle expedition. This bold and ambitious attempt to ride to the very end of the earth summarizes the resilience of the human spirit, and we hope to complete it successfully as an ode to all Royal Enfield riders and their own inspiring expeditions.”

To be conducted in close partnership with Arctic Trucks, 90° South 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 deep expertise in the field and have covered over 3,50,000 kms on the Antarctic Plateau. They have supported and serviced several scientific expeditions and activities, as well as commercial and NGO expeditions in the past. 

Launched in 2016, the Royal Enfield Himalayan is a simple, extremely capable, and go-anywhere motorcycle. Inspired from 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. The Himalayan has been a trusted ally for many adventure seekers across the world. 

For this expedition, two Himalayans have been modified in-house, with functional upgrades to be able to navigate snow and ice to ably function under extreme conditions in Antarctica. The Himalayan was tested for this arduous and treacherous journey at the Langjokull glacier in Iceland, with an intention to mirror the conditions in Antarctica. Phase 1 of testing was held in September 2020 while phase 2 of testing concluded in July 2021 

Given that the Himlayan in itself is a complete and proficient machine, minimal changes have been made to the motorcycle to make it ready for the terrain and weather conditions in Antarctica. For greater torque at the rear wheel, the main drive sprocket has been changed from a 15-teeth, to a 13-teeth unit. There is a  tubeless wheel setup with studded tyres that allows 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, so as to enable the motorcycle to produce more current and enable the team to run heated gear off the battery. 

The motorcycles will be ridden on a compacted snow track from the Ross Ice Shelf to the South Pole, to reduce motorcycle drag  and limit emissions to an absolute minimum. Royal Enfield is consciously ensuring no footprint is left behind by the expedition team except wheel tracks that will quickly be lost to snow drift. In line with our #LeaveEveryPlaceBetter initiative, the team will ensure all waste including human waste is brought back for appropriate disposal. 

Click here to watch the expedition film.

#RoyalEnfieldRides #RoyalEnfieldHimalayan #RoyalEnfield90South #RoyalEnfieldSouthPole #RoyalEnfieldAntarctica #RoyalEnfield120 

About Royal Enfield

The oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production, Royal Enfield has created beautifully crafted motorcycles since 1901. From its British roots, a manufacturing plant was established in Madras in 1955, a foothold from which Royal Enfield spearheaded the growth of India’s mid-sized two-wheeler segment. Royal Enfields are engaging, uncomplicated, accessible, and fun to ride; a vehicle for exploration and self-expression. It’s an approach the brand calls Pure Motorcycling.

Royal Enfield’s premium line-up includes the all-new Classic 350, Meteor 350 – the easy-cruiser, Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 twins, the Himalayan adventure tourer, and the iconic Bullet 350 and Classic 350 singles. Riders and a passionate community are fostered with a rich profusion of events at a local, regional and international level. Most notable are Rider Mania, an annual gathering of thousands of Royal Enfield enthusiasts in Goa, and Himalayan Odyssey, a yearly pilgrimage over some of the toughest terrain and highest mountain passes.

A division of Eicher Motors Limited, Royal Enfield operates through 1033 large format dealerships and 1038 studio stores in all major cities and towns in India and exports to over 60 countries around the globe. The company’s two state-of-the-art production facilities are located at Oragadam and Vallam Vadagal, near Chennai. Royal Enfield recently invested in two world-class technical centers, in Bruntingthorpe, UK, and Chennai, India, and in 2020 opened its first assembly unit outside India, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. With more than 17% growth year-on-year for the last 5 years and sales in international markets up 96% in 2019-20, Royal Enfield is the leader in the global mid-size motorcycle market.

About Arctic Trucks

Arctic Trucks is a full member of IAATO and operates in full compliance with (and adherence to) permits issued by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office  and is committed to enabling reduced emissions, neutral footprint and physical impact for travel in the Antarctica/ Arctic regions. Arctic Trucks  have in the past achieved hundreds of thousands of kilometres of seamless travel in Antarctica.