Royal Enfield and its 16-bit pixel adventure from Antarctica

Royal Enfield has a thing to do the unthinkable with its motorcycles. The brand likes to push its boundaries and with the help of some of its capable motorcycles, it manages to do that quite easily. Continuing with this legacy, it has again pushed one epic boundary. Royal Enfield recently concluded a motorcycle expedition no other brands could ever think of. It took two motorcycles, made some necessary additions, and put both of them in one of the most extreme conditions this planet has to offer. They called it the 90 South Ride.  

90 South Ride was an expedition where two experienced riders and two capable Himalayans rode through Antarctica and conquered the South Pole. This expedition which was under planning for almost two years, took place over multiple days before reaching its summit – 90 degree South.  

The two riders – Santhosh Kumar and Dean Coxson, who work at Royal Enfield in various roles, were selected to accomplish this ride.  Santhosh is an avid motorcyclist and history buff, who quit his IT job to follow his passion for riding. A pursuit that has seen him grow the motorcycling community while leading rides across many challenging terrains. On expeditions, sometimes you have to traverse terrifying landscapes. But those are also the moments when you feel most alive, as Santhosh Vijay will tell you.

Dean Coxson is a senior engineer in Royal Enfield's product development team. He is a mechanical wizard possessing an enviable collection of motorcycles and the ability to fix anything in a jiffy – a valuable skill on a journey to the middle of nowhere. Only one in 7.9 billion people, the total population of Earth, have suddenly been told by their boss that they’ll be riding to the South Pole. That one person is Dean Coxson. Both of them were preparing for this ride in Iceland for almost two years as that region provided similar icy winters and plenty of challenges for the motorcycle and their bodies. During this testing, two Himalayans were modified, tested, and readied for the epic adventure.  

Interestingly, even during the expedition, the brand managed to transmit some of their updates from Antarctica – a continent with no connectivity, thanks to a satellite phone. And these updates were shared with the world through the art of 16-bit pixel – an innovative content delivery platform that has the ability to tell a story but in a short and sweet way.  

Royal Enfield is a brand that loves to experiment – be it with motorcycles, rides, or even accessories for that matter. But for the first time, the brand decided to move to the world of 16-bit art to keep its followers updated about the expedition. A UK-based animator Ali Graham took up this project for the brand and came up with animations that gave the brand followers a complete update on the riders, the motorcycles, and the Antarctica experiences. 

In the absence of live pictures or videos from the South Pole, Ali Graham came up with some interactive 16-bit animations providing a true feel of the adventure. A series of such animations did see plenty of interactions on Twitter and a few other social media channels. On November 21, the riders and the team reached the South Pole as planned, and after overcoming various obstacles they managed to send a very low-grade pixel-like image. The same image was used on social media to announce Royal Enfield’s successful expedition.  

Over the years, Ali has collaborated with some of the world’s biggest musicians and brands. He has also created some projects for himself that have gone viral. As a child growing up in the ’90s, Ali has always loved the retro arcade game aesthetic and colourful video game characters such as Sonic and Super Mario. He has collaborated with some famous artists to create a number of video games. Recently, he entered the world of NFTs where he is offering digital editions of his looping pixel animations.