It hasn't been without its delays and setbacks, but Royal Enfield has successfully completed its journey to the South Pole. Called 90deg South and carried out on two modified Himalayans, the journey was originally supposed to be a 770km affair spanning 39 days. But a blizzard forced the two riders, Santhosh Vijay Kumar and Dean Coxson, to flag-off from 87deg South instead of the originally planned 86deg South.
The altered, shorter route meant that the pair was able to complete the journey in just 15 days, finally reaching the Geographic South Pole on December 16. Nevertheless, they still had to brave temperatures as low as -30deg C and wind speeds as high as 60kph along the way. And mind you, this is the peak of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. The Himalayans were modified with a smaller front sprocket (for more easily accessible acceleration), and a tubeless wheel set-up with studded snow tyres (for added grip). The alternators were also uprated to allow for heated riding gear.
The expedition followed a compacted snow track for its entirety that RE says was done to keep emissions to a minimum. In line with its 'Leave Every Place Better' initiative, the team also ensured that all waste generated, including human waste, was collected and brought back for appropriate disposal.
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
Azaman Chothia
