Royal Enfield’s fortunes are tending north, but the company plans to go south – South Pole, that is. The company has announced that it will ride two of its Himalayan adventure tourers to the South Pole. The spot it has chosen is the Geographic or Terrestrial South Pole, rather than the Magnetic South Pole. This may or may not be down to the fact that the Magnetic South Pole is under water.
The undertaking in question is called 90° South, and will be a 39-day expedition covering 770km from the Ross Ice Shelf to the South Pole. The men at the helm will be two RE employees: Santhosh Vijay Kumar, Lead, Rides & Community, and Dean Coxson, Senior Engineer, Product Development. To help them along the way, RE has modified their Himalayans with a smaller front sprocket (for more easily accessible acceleration), and a tubeless wheel setup (that's sure to have Himalayan owners drooling) with studded snow tyres (for added grip).
The ride is scheduled to commence on November 26, which is summer in the Southern Hemisphere, but even so, the highest ever recorded temperature at the South Pole is -12°C. Just as well, then, that RE has uprated the alternators on the Himalayans so that the bikes can support heated riding gear. While not explicitly mentioned, it’s quite likely that special engine oil and, perhaps, fuel additives will also be used, to keep the fluids flowing freely at these gruelling temperatures.
The expedition aims to follow a compacted snow track for its entirety, but nevertheless, if successful, it will still be a remarkable feat for a humble 24hp motorcycle and the perfect way for Royal Enfield to celebrate 120 years of glorious, uninterrupted bike-building. We wish them luck.
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