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Motorcycle to Antarctica??
HI All,
Ive been on the road forn 40,000km now from the arctic circle in Alaska and I hope to try an make a symbolic landing of the bike in Antartica. The bike in quetion is the iconic Honda C90.. i am currenlty in Chile, and heading for Tierra del Fuego. Recently I headed off up the side of a volcano in Chile to set a record for the Highest ever Honda Cub. YOu can see some pics below.. we made it to 5706m through deep snow, ppulling pushing and riding the bike when ever possbile.! I really want to try get to Antarctica so if anyone knows someone who actually has done this please drop me a line! thanks Sean Honda Vs The World | Alaska to ArgentinaHonda Vs The World | Alaska to Argentina http://hondavstheworld.com/wp-conten...6-1024x768.jpg http://hondavstheworld.com/wp-conten...7-1024x768.jpg http://hondavstheworld.com/wp-conten...1-1024x768.jpg Honda Vs The World | Alaska to ArgentinaHonda Vs The World | Alaska to Argentina |
I don't think it's possible
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It has been done before I think by a Scandinavian who booked one of the discount cruises that sometimes come up in Ushuiaia and persuading the captain to let him bring his bike on board. It was then dropped off for the 100 metres or so of "road" at one of the stations they visited and he became the first person to motorcycle on every continent.
If you can get on one of those cruises they are fantastic in themselves, then have a word with the captain but don't hold your breath. Be quick, I think they only run until the end of February. |
Why?
As Mark says, it has been done; it was such an occasion that I can't remember who, when, where exactly, or how, but, most of all, I have no idea why.
There are international treaties to prevent pollution of Antarctica, so, in theory, there is a lot of paperwork involved; on the other hand, there was that other ships' captain who bent the rules and went too close to an Italian island for a "drive past". I guess you have to strike lucky for someone of that ilk. |
There are enough cars there to need parking restrictions and sign posts.
http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2a3cdeef.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ps106d8458.jpg Maybe post in the HU 4WD Overland section??? :blushing: |
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There are the tourists trips/ships to the continent, just as there are to the North Pole, by aircraft in that case, but they are not cheap. An acquaintance of mine was budgetting to visit "each side" of Antarctica via the respective bases and he expected to pay £20000 in total. |
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"In the process she also became the first motorcyclist to reach Antarctica..." Why? Because it's there....and she could. Same reason many of us seek weird venues, despite the not always benign consequences. |
When in Ushuaia, you can get serious discounts on the tourist-run to Antarctica, and depending on ship and willingness of the captain he might let you bring the bike... Probably no way of making sure other than getting there and asking nicely.
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Ed march whom I met last summer in İstanbul is just doing it but to north pole on a C-90.
after the big trip from Bangkok to London by the same c-90. https://www.facebook.com/edwin.march?ref=ts&fref=ts Best Wishes |
Oh well, been there, done that rules OK, as well as L/Cs
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now you mention it. If IIRC the publicity of that event, it consisted of lowering a bike off the side of a boat, riding it a few 100 metres along an Antarctic shingle beach and then re-loading the bike onto the boat; someone else may have a better/more detailed memory of this particular 15 minute event. Not quite in the same league as the originator of the expression "because it's there". Also, it might be more accurate to say that she was the first to ride a bike there; there is every possibility that many others who have set foot in Antarctica happened to hold a motorcycle licence; personally, I am so glad that the Guinness folks have stopped doing all that nonsense with regard to motorcycles (it all became a tad dangerous of course). |
Bringing back to life an old thread to ask...
Has anyone actually succeeded in getting a bike into Antarctica in the last decade or so? |
The last person I heard who had done it was Benka Pulko, many moons ago.
I asked when I was in Ushuaia in Jan/Feb 2016 about taking my bike to Antarctica on a cruise ship but was told because of the fragile ecosystem there it wasn't possible. Even as a walking tourist you get given footwear by the ship to wear and it gets cleaned/disinfected prior to setting foot on the beach/rocks/ice. I also spoke to a sailboat captain who did tours there who said he would take a bike, strapped to the mast. I wouldn't want my bike on the deck of a sailboat across the Drake Passage and back just for the sake of a photo. |
SJAAK LUCASSEN has set his goal to reach the "North Pole"....
http://www.sjaaklucassen.nl/en/categ...th-pole-intro/ |
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One Steph Beyond: The Valentines Day Landing |
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It's a Honda! |
Just did a little Googling:
As far as I can see the first person to ride a m/c on Antarctica was a Japanese chap in 1991/92. Shinji Kazama's motorcycle trip A trip also a great deal more substantial than 50 yards up and down a beach before loading it back onto the ship IMHO. From my conversations in early 2016 with a reputable ship's captain and a tour company representative in Ushuaia, it is highly illegal for normal individuals to take any foreign matter (especially motor vehicles covered in oil, grease, foreign dirt) to Antarctica. |
Actually, it really is a fragile ecosystem, already threatened by tourism. Somehow, paying someone to illegally drag a motorcycle down to Antarctica so you can ride a couple of hundred yards up and down a beach doesn't strike me as much of an achievement. (At least Shinji Kazama rode all the way to the Pole in 1992.) It is an astonishing continent to visit for sure, but with all due respect to those who have shipped (or are considering shipping) a bike to the shoreline for a quick "ride", if you really want to "respect the environment", leave the bike in Argentina. It's a wilderness really worth protecting.
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:rofl: When I sell a bike I always put "one careful lady owner" in the advert! Do they need to know that said bike has been half way across the planet????? I am careful, honest! To be fair, it is usually a bargain as I spend so much money making it comfortable, fitted with heavy duty inner tubes, protections (lots), luggage frame, luggage, power socket etc... One exception: my BMW (the one that spent a year round south America!) was a dog but I sold it very cheap ... |
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I had a pair fitted once. BUT riding in a serious ambient temperature (40°-45°C) on associated very hot tar-sealed roads; the front HD thicker tube must've retained much more heat than a typical standard (thinner) one. Result: without warning it blew-out BIG time! Not nice changing it - in the oppressive midday sun. doh :funmeterno: https://photos.smugmug.com/Travel/Ne...200587-1-M.jpg https://keithooper.smugmug.com/Trave...June/i-5TDdDxg |
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We used those in 2014 without any problem across the ( very hot!) deserts of Central Asia. The only tube to go burst was the only one we did not replace in my husband's front wheel. Cheap Chinese tat that split on the seam. Last year we fitted them again on our 250s ( with slime inside to fill any puncture) and again no problem at all across Russia Central Asia. Not a single puncture either, So I am big fan. |
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Seamless
Good work Chris. Very cool indeed, actually! :cool:
Seamlessly back on topic. |
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