Photo: mangalorean.com
The Guinness Book of World Records just got richer with a new success in the motorcycling segment. The record for the longest motorcycle journey in a single country now belongs to Indian rider Manigandan Manjunathan, who raised the bar with a hefty 5,000 km (3,100 miles).
According to his GPS navigator, Manigandan Manjunathan rode 38,239 km (23,765 miles) across India. Indian sources say that his journey was, in fact, longer, clocking 41,450 km (25,761 miles), but the Guinness Book homologated the first figure.
Manjunathan rode for 86 days, setting off from Tamil Nadu on November 9th 2014 and reaching his destination on February 15th, comprising 9 "off days".
His journey also took him into eastern territories that are still dominated by militant factions which are always ready for war. He even run into a group of such militants and had no choice but to befriend them, spending several days in a camp in Manipur. He also was close to sites where the Adivasi population had been massacred by Bodo militants.
The new record obliterates the former one established in China by Buck Perley and Amy Mathieson in 2013. The two rode 146 days and covered 33,357, 15 kilometer (20,731.6 miles).
Manjunathan says he aims to break one more record, but this time it will be a speed-endurance one. His goal is to cover 3,200 km (2,000 miles) in 24 hours. This will most likely take place on a circuit, as it is technically impossible to ride at an average speed of 133 km/h (83 mph) for 24 hours on any road (with the Autobahn exception in Germany, maybe), let alone the Indian ones.
So try to remember Manigandan Manjunathan's name as it looks like we're in for interesting feats from this fellow.
Manjunathan rode for 86 days, setting off from Tamil Nadu on November 9th 2014 and reaching his destination on February 15th, comprising 9 "off days".
The journey crossed India multiple times and reached its extremities
Manigandan Manjunathan crossed the Indian peninsula many times, and his route took him from the eastern extremity of this huge country to its westernmost point, and from the northern territories down to the southern tip of the subcontinent.His journey also took him into eastern territories that are still dominated by militant factions which are always ready for war. He even run into a group of such militants and had no choice but to befriend them, spending several days in a camp in Manipur. He also was close to sites where the Adivasi population had been massacred by Bodo militants.
Royal Enfield Classic 500 helped him
The fact that Manjunathan was riding a Royal Enfield Classic 500, which is a very respected bike actually helped him deal with the militants. They appreciated his choice for the long adventure, even though they seized his bike and used it for their business on several occasions before letting him go unharmed.The new record obliterates the former one established in China by Buck Perley and Amy Mathieson in 2013. The two rode 146 days and covered 33,357, 15 kilometer (20,731.6 miles).
Manjunathan says he aims to break one more record, but this time it will be a speed-endurance one. His goal is to cover 3,200 km (2,000 miles) in 24 hours. This will most likely take place on a circuit, as it is technically impossible to ride at an average speed of 133 km/h (83 mph) for 24 hours on any road (with the Autobahn exception in Germany, maybe), let alone the Indian ones.
So try to remember Manigandan Manjunathan's name as it looks like we're in for interesting feats from this fellow.
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