Cross Continent Motorcycle Record Attempt
When Victory Motorcycles released its Cross Country bagger in 2010, the Polaris-owned company likely had no clue that someone would use the machine in attempt to break a world record.
And what better record for bike named Cross Country then an “all continents” world circumnavigation record by motorcycle?
This is exactly what Swiss endurance rider Urs Pedraita wants to accomplish; piloting a mostly stock Victory Cross Country, Pedraita – known as the “Grisu Grizzly” – plans to ride around the world in the fastest time possible.
The current cross continent motorcycle record for riding across all continents (not just through two antipodal points) stands at 120 days and two hours. Victory reports that Pedraita plans to complete the 100,000-kilometer ride in less than 100 days.
Urs Pedraita’s cross-continent record attempt begins in February 2016, starting and ending in Zurich, Switzerland. As stated before, the Cross Country is mostly stock; Pedraita added a larger 33-liter fuel tank, a customized seat with a back support and two LED lights for better visibility at night.
Grizzly is currently training by riding through Russia (from Zurich – Stockholm – Helsinki –Moscow – Odessa – Kiev – Vienna – Zurich), which is highlighted below.
In July he sets off on another training ride from Zurich to Vladivostok and back, then in October 2015 he will ride from Kenya to Tanzania before the record attempt in February 2016. Victory reports.
About Urs Pedraita, aka the Grisu Grizzly (courtesy of Victory Motorcycles)
Grizzly has completed big rides on Victory motorcycles before. The first was in 2013; a 9,000-mile, 37-day trip from Bern to Vladivostok and back… in the winter. He says the biggest threat on that trip wasn’t the cold, but the wolves that followed him. “I could only scare them away using the sound of my exhaust,” he says.
In 2014 he made an attempt on the world circumnavigation record (held by Kevin and Julia Sanders) and rode with his friend “Bulldog” on two Cross Country motorcycles. Bulldog had an accident just before Berlin and ended up in hospital. Grizzly continued the ride alone and broke the record by about three days, finishing in 16 days, 12 hours and 19 minutes and covering 24,741 km.
Urs Pedraita Cross-Continent Motorcycle Record Attempt Videos