Royal Enfield, the world’s oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production has ended the year 2021 on a high. A few months back the company had conceptualised the 90° SOUTH expedition, which was its quest for the South Pole on the much popular Himalayan. And after a rigorous phase of preparation both for the riders as well as motorcycles, the brand has been able to achieve the unthinkable. According to the manufacturer, this endeavour is a tribute to the courage and resilience of innumerable riders and explorers who have made history with their motorcycling journeys.
On December 16, 2021, 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, 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. Royal Enfield says it consciously ensured no footprint was left behind by the expedition team except wheel tracks that will quickly be lost to snow drift.
SPECIAL EDITION HELMETS
2021 was also a year when Royal Enfield celebrated its 120th year of existence. To mark the occasion, the brand recently unveiled an exclusive range of limited-edition helmets consisting of 12 designs- each inspired from a poster/advertorial from one of the twelve decades of its legacy. Each helmet is hand painted and only 120 units for each design have been made. These helmets retell the stories of the last 120 years and customers now have an opportunity to own a chapter from Royal Enfield’s history.
From humble beginnings at the Redditch factory in 1901, Royal Enfield has been a symbol of longevity and authenticity through its long journey. Craft, dedication, relentless passion and everything that has defined Royal Enfield over the past 120 years, has now been expressed in 12 designs of handcrafted, hand-painted helmets. The company says it has ensured that each design visually depicts their heritage and legacy from the last 12 decades in the most authentic manner of traditional hand painting.
For a period of six weeks, Royal Enfield dropped two helmet designs for the buyers to choose from. Each helmet design carries a unique number starting 001/120 till 120/120. The first two designs launched in the series were the ‘The Original Royal Enfield’ and ‘The V Twin’ which were successfully sold out the same day of the sale. They were followed by the ‘picnic special’ and ‘birth of the bullet’, corresponding to decades 1920’s and 1930’s. While the former paid a tribute to the Enfield sidecar amongst other things, the latter is an ode to a golden era for Royal Enfield motorcycle development, the high point of which was the creation of the world-famous Bullet. The helmet packaging I received also consisted of a postcard (actual poster/advertorial artwork) with the story inspiration for that design.
I’ve tested many helmets from Royal Enfield and there’s no complaining when it comes to their build quality and comfort. What this limited range of helmets has added are sporting designs that are absolute head-turners. Like the brands motorcycles, these helmets are an apt amalgamation of classic designs, history and modern day technology- carrying triple certification, ISI, DOT, ECE, premium internals, leather trims and a sun visor. This ensures that the rider gets safety, protection and comfort in one package. The open face helmets are priced at Rs. 6,950 and full face helmets can be yours for Rs. 8,450 depending upon availability. For a lovely piece of heritage that isn’t a huge price to pay, especially if you live and breathe this iconic motorcycle brand.
The writer is Senior Editor at carandbike.com
Modified Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycles, with functional upgrades to be able to navigate snow and ice to ably function under extreme conditions in Antarctica.
