Photo: Victory Motorcycles
Going around the world on a nice bike is every biker’s wet dream. Doing that in a record time is the holy grail and Urs ‘Grizzly’ Pedraita just did it on his Victory cruiser.
Yes, boys and girls, there’s a new score to beat now if you plan on circumnavigating the planet through each continent’s longest axis, all thanks to Swiss endurance rider Urs ‘Grizzly’ Pedraita, who did it in 119 days and 21 hours.
Time in the saddle added up to 72 days and 13 hours, the rest being used to sleep and get him and the bike transferred between continents via either plane or boat.
Speaking about the bike, Urs didn’t just opt for a common adventure model, like the successful BMW R1200GS with huge hard cases mounted to its tail and all sort of technological amenities. Instead, he took a more classic approach to this matter and prepped a custom Victory Cross Country Tour cruiser for the big ride.
The stock bike was fitted some large engine guard protectors, a more comfortable seat with a backrest, lots of bags and luggage nets, a handful of GPS devices, some cameras and high-grade quality tires. By the end of the trip, the odometer gained 47,390 miles (76,267 km) and word is it did them without any problems.
“This record is a testament to the durability, capability, and dependability of our Cross Country Touring platform,” said Marketing Manager for Victory Motorcycles Nate Secor.
The journey started out on March 11 when Urs departed from Daytona accompanied by dozens of Victory owners. The trip took him 3,971 miles to Panama City done in 6 days and 14 hours. Then went down to Ushuaia and returned to Santiago de Chile, from which he flew to Australia.
Six days and 8 hours, translating into 4,604 miles, later and the road from Sydney to Perth was complete. Next was the African continent, doing the 7,509 miles (12,084) from Cape Town to Cairo in 13 days and 23 hours.
Next, he took a boat and went across the Mediterranean to Tarragona from where he went south to Gibraltar and then up to North Cape in a 5,447-mile (8,766 km) trip that took 6 days and 23 hours. Another 7,290-mile (11,732 km) trip to cross Russia followed after which he went south again through South Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia.
Finally, in Kuala Lumpur, he jumped on a plane and landed in Anchorage, doing the final 6,894 miles (11,094 km) back to Daytona in 9 days and one hour, where family, friends, and enthusiasts were waiting to open a bottle of champagne and celebrate his awesome trip.
Oh, and, yes, the journey included riding on sand and snow, all alone without a crew or a fellow rider. So, what’s your excuse?
Time in the saddle added up to 72 days and 13 hours, the rest being used to sleep and get him and the bike transferred between continents via either plane or boat.
Speaking about the bike, Urs didn’t just opt for a common adventure model, like the successful BMW R1200GS with huge hard cases mounted to its tail and all sort of technological amenities. Instead, he took a more classic approach to this matter and prepped a custom Victory Cross Country Tour cruiser for the big ride.
The stock bike was fitted some large engine guard protectors, a more comfortable seat with a backrest, lots of bags and luggage nets, a handful of GPS devices, some cameras and high-grade quality tires. By the end of the trip, the odometer gained 47,390 miles (76,267 km) and word is it did them without any problems.
“This record is a testament to the durability, capability, and dependability of our Cross Country Touring platform,” said Marketing Manager for Victory Motorcycles Nate Secor.
The journey started out on March 11 when Urs departed from Daytona accompanied by dozens of Victory owners. The trip took him 3,971 miles to Panama City done in 6 days and 14 hours. Then went down to Ushuaia and returned to Santiago de Chile, from which he flew to Australia.
Six days and 8 hours, translating into 4,604 miles, later and the road from Sydney to Perth was complete. Next was the African continent, doing the 7,509 miles (12,084) from Cape Town to Cairo in 13 days and 23 hours.
Next, he took a boat and went across the Mediterranean to Tarragona from where he went south to Gibraltar and then up to North Cape in a 5,447-mile (8,766 km) trip that took 6 days and 23 hours. Another 7,290-mile (11,732 km) trip to cross Russia followed after which he went south again through South Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia.
Finally, in Kuala Lumpur, he jumped on a plane and landed in Anchorage, doing the final 6,894 miles (11,094 km) back to Daytona in 9 days and one hour, where family, friends, and enthusiasts were waiting to open a bottle of champagne and celebrate his awesome trip.
Oh, and, yes, the journey included riding on sand and snow, all alone without a crew or a fellow rider. So, what’s your excuse?
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