Royal Enfield Celebrates 120th Anniversary With Ride To South Pole

2021 marks Royal Enfield’s 120th birthday. The world’s oldest motorcycle company knew it wanted to do something big and bold to celebrate, but what? New bikes are always welcome, but they’re also expected. After all, even if it’s only some new paint or graphics, every OEM brings out its new model range every single year. Understandably, Enfield wanted to do something bigger. 

That’s why the company announced its 90 South: Quest for the Pole project. What’s involved? Quite simply, Enfield riders Santhosh Vijay Kumar and Dean Coxson will ride a pair of Royal Enfield Himalayans all the way to the South Pole in November, 2021. You know, no big deal, nothing to see here, et cetera.  

We kid, of course. That’s an extremely big deal. Himalayans typically deal with all kinds of dirt, gravel, and even water—but snow, ice, and Antarctican weather extremes? That’s a lot to ask of any bike (or rider). The expedition will start on November 26, 2021. The riders will start in Novo, and the expedition is planned to last a total of 39 days in total. The first three days will be spent acclimatizing themselves to their new terrain, rather than plunging straight out into the snow headfirst.  

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From there, the team will drive (yes, drive) south for the next 12 days, until they reach the Indian Research Station located on the Ross Ice Shelf. That’s where the Royal Enfield Himalayan part of the adventure will begin, on December 14, 2021.  

Kumar and Coxson will take off from the Indian Research Station on their Himalayans, embarking upon a 770-kilometer (just under 478.5 mile) journey to the Amundsen-Scott Pole Station, via the South Pole Traverse. If all goes according to plan, they should reach their South Pole destination on December 21, 2021.  

From there, they’ll get back in a four-wheeled vehicle (presumably one with heat) to drive to Union Glacier, where they’ll be able to fly back home after having accomplished something pretty amazing. It’s one small ride for bikes, but one giant leap for bike-kind. Presumably, they’ll be recording the entire journey to release a film about it later, and we can’t wait to see it when they do.