Royal Enfield and the spirit of motorcycling

June 21 is World Motorcycle Day. A day that celebrates the spirit of motorcycling and the camaraderie that comes along with owning a motorcycle. Royal Enfield has a longstanding commitment of providing this 'pure motorcycling' experience and has always had community at the heart of all of its engagement initiatives.

A host of engaging initiatives from Royal Enfield in 2019 have seen customer engagement attain an all-time high for the brand while focusing on the core themes of exploration. On World Motorcycle Day, here’s a trip down memory lane with some unique experiences and adventures that the brand undertook in 2019-2020.

DBO- Karakoram Expedition

The year kicked-off with one of the most difficult expeditions Royal Enfield has undertaken. In collaboration with the Indian Army, the brand undertook the first winter motorcycle expedition to Karakoram Pass. The expedition, in a single journey, skirted India’s borders with both Pakistan and China. Covering over 1,000 km and some of the world’s highest motorable roads for a duration of 9 days, this unprecedented feat over hazardous and unforgiving terrain with temperatures as low as -40C was a tribute to the immortal courage and bravery of the Indian Army.

Himalayan Adventure- Mustang

This is the next one organised by Royal Enfield. Not meant for the faint hearted, the first edition of the Mustang motorcycle expedition explored the Kingdom of Lo in Mustang which is a remote and isolated region of the Nepalese Himalayas. The arduous journey took the riders alongside the Kali Gandaki gorge (the deepest in the world) and skirted some of the highest peaks in the world including two eight-thousanders (Annapurna and Dhaulagiri).

Himalayan Odyssey

This one kicked off the official Himalayan riding season in India starting July. This was also the time for the brand’s marquee ride. Royal Enfield embarked on a journey towards sustainability with the campaign #LeaveEveryPlaceBetter which minimised the use of single-use plastic water bottles. 60 riders embarking on a journey, considered as the holy grail of motorcycling, Himalayan Odyssey witnessed the riders covering a distance of over 2,000 kilometres in 15 days on their Royal Enfield motorcycles.

HO Xplore

This is an exploratory motorcycle ride specially designed for RE owners who have completed Himalayan Odyssey earlier. It is a way more arduous ride and the riders rode through some of the harshest and unexplored terrains Himalayas has to offer in the Zanskar region.

Astral Ride

The brand roped in ace astro photographer Navneeth Unnikrishnan for this one. He rode alongside the group and held a workshop on astrophotography.

Himalayan Adventure – Rongbuk

In October, Royal Enfield ventured into the core of the Himalayan region, Tibet to attempt an overland journey to the base camps of three of the eight thousand metre peaks in the world, Mt Everest, Shishapangma and Cho Oyu. The ride to Rongbuk (close to the Mt Everest Base Camp ) is the highlight of the expedition.

Rider Mania

The year ended with three action packed days of motorcycling in Goa. Truly a community getting together, the 2019 edition saw the largest gathering of Royal Enfield owners anywhere in the world with nearly 8000 participants from around the world. More importantly, continuing the journey towards sustainability, Rider Mania continued to pursue the message for zero ‘single-use-plastic throughout the three days.

Winter White Out 

There was more in store for motorcycling enthusiasts - the second edition of  Spiti. The ride was all about exploring the next level, riding on extreme terrains, challenging the grit while going with the flow of the mystical snow-capped Himalayas.

However, 2020 has been a different story thus far. The lockdown to contain Covid-19 is being relaxed gradually across the country and this World Motorcycle Day is a rather quite affair but the spirit of adventure continues.