Royal Enfield becomes first Indian motorcycle maker to reach South Pole, celebrates 120th anniversary

To celebrate its 120th anniversary, the Indian motorcycle maker created history by successfully completing the 90° SOUTH expedition, its quest for the South Pole on the Royal Enfield Himalayan.

Royal Enfield Himalayan during pre-expedition test in Iceland

Royal Enfield is the world’s oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production since 1901 and is celebrating its 120th year in existence. To celebrate its 120th anniversary, the Indian motorcycle maker has created history by successfully completing the 90° SOUTH expedition, its quest for the South Pole on the Royal Enfield Himalayan. On December 16, two riders Santhosh Vijay Kumar and Dean Coxson, reached the geographic South Pole in 15 days, making this ambitious attempt a reality.

The team arrived at Novo in Antarctica from Cape Town for four days of acclimatization, loading of supplies, checking equipment and the motorcycles. From Novo, the team covered an overland distance of 3200 km over the next 9 days, braving extreme climatic conditions with temperatures between -30 to -25 degrees and wind speed of 60kmph, towards Ross Ice Shelf.

Located in the extreme south of the continent, Ross Ice Shelf was the designated starting point for the riders. However, an unexpected blizzard forced the team to alter the course. Instead of starting the ride from 86 South, the team started the ride from 87 degree South. Despite a few initial road-blocks and a slight detour, the expedition team completed the quest on December 16, 2021, creating history.

For this expedition, two Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycles were modified in-house, with functional upgrades to be able to navigate snow and ice to ably function under extreme conditions in Antarctica. The motorcycles were ridden on a compacted snow track to the South Pole, to reduce motorcycle drag and limit emissions to an absolute minimum. 

Currently the team is heading towards Union Glacier, the western part of Antarctica, from where they will fly out to Punta Arenas, Chile.