Guinness World Record for longest motorcycle journey in a single country

Indian motorcyclist Venkata Karthik Tupili broke the Guinness World Record for the longest journey by motorcycle across a single country, travelling a total of 140,094.1 kilometres (87,050 mi) across India. The journey took over 450 days, with an average of 350 km (217 mi) per day.

Did you know that there is a Guinness World Record for the longest motorcycle journey in a single country? Sounds crazy, right? It’s quite the feat and was recently claimed by Tupili, who rode his Royal Enfield Himalayan all the way across India.

Tupili comes from a humble background and is an engineering graduate. He never thought he would one day break a world record and claims that the idea came to him by chance. His original plan was to travel a total of 160,000 km (99,419 miles), four times the circumference of the Earth and about 20,000 km (12,427 miles) short of what he had intended, but still enough to put his name on the record.

Considering this was an official Guinness World Record attempt, he had to follow a few rules to ensure his attempt was considered fair and honest. One of these rules was that he could not cross the same path twice! As impossible as it may sound, he managed to successfully complete the feat on October 6, 2023.

We spoke to Tupili to get the inside scoop on this strange but intriguing world record.

Tell us about yourself. What do you do when you're not traveling on your motorcycle?

I was born and raised in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India. I have a bachelor's degree in engineering and have worked as an assistant director on web series and films. I have also dabbled in art at some point in my life, so I am very versatile.

Where did the idea of ​​embarking on a journey of this magnitude come from? 140,000+ km is not an easy task at all…

In fact, I didn't have distance in mind at the beginning. I knew since my childhood that I wanted to do something big and meaningful that would add value to my life. I soon realized that traveling was a means to do that for me, but even that wasn't a clear thought. At some point, I got interested in motorcycles and everything made sense from that moment on.

I had a passion to travel across India and a friend encouraged me to try and break the world record by doing so. I actually came across an article titled 'Longest motorcycle journey across a single country' and that's when I picked up a map and started planning.

How did you finance your trip?

I tried to get a few sponsorships before I started but none of them came through. It was my father who decided to support my journey and I can't thank him enough. After I started, so many people came forward to help me in any way they could. Water, food, a cup of coffee, a place to stay – they did everything they could. It was overwhelming to receive this love from people.

What made you choose this album, rather than something else that was perhaps a little easier to achieve?

You know how it goes… I don't choose the album, the album chooses me (chuckles). All joking aside, I didn't have the album in mind at all. It started with a longing to do something big in my life. Little by little, everything came together… What's important to me is that I can do what I do and learn a lot in the process, meet a lot of people from different walks of life, and hopefully inspire others.

How did you manage to keep track of this record? Did Guinness reach out to you?

I submitted an application to Guinness World Records and they accepted. I then received a rule book that I had to follow. It was a rule book, by the way, about 40 pages long. I had to provide several documents as proof of my achievement. It included proof of commercial availability, witness and personal diaries, witness statements, GPS data, photo and video evidence and media articles.

I ended up presenting evidence that included over 20,000 photos, over 5,000 videos, 458 GPS files, 458 witness letters, bike service invoices, media articles, etc. I used up over six terabytes of space to record my data.

Who held the previous record?

When I started my journey, the record was held by Gaurav Agarwal from India, with around 115,000 km (71,457 miles) to his name. Strangely, it changed hands halfway through my journey. I received an email from Guinness saying that the record had been broken by Dana D'Arcy from the USA, who had covered around 132,900 km (82,580 miles).

So how do you prepare to beat that? What did you do to train or prepare yourself to be able to continue that long?

The original plan was to go 160,000 km (99,419 miles) and I knew it wouldn't be easy. I did about a year of preparation, doing a lot of yoga, boxing and a little martial arts. I also did a lot of cardio to build up my stamina over time.

I'm sure this hasn't been an easy journey. It must have affected your mental health. What have you done to take care of yourself?

You're right. In addition to all the physical training, I worked hard mentally to prepare for this journey. But my family deserves a lot of credit for standing behind me throughout this process. Their support is what kept me going.

Let's talk about the motorcycle a little bit… Why did you choose the Royal Enfield Himalayan for this success?

Royal Enfield is an iconic brand in India, so naturally my dad wanted me to get one since he used to own an Enfield. I considered a few other bikes but eventually chose RE because of its nationwide service network. That was going to be a big factor for me on this trip. The Himalayan seemed like the perfect fit for me because of its versatility and ability to carry a lot of luggage.

Just a quick note: I had a terrible service experience with Royal Enfield. I'm not taking anything away from the bike… it's a great bike but the service experience with Enfield was a complete nightmare.

What changes/modifications did you make to your bike to make it capable of carrying such long distances?

I added a few bits and pieces like a phone holder, charger and auxiliary lights but other than that the bike was pretty much the same.

Sitting on the bike seat for hours must have been boring at times. What did you do to make it interesting for yourself?

To be honest I had a lot of work to do. According to Guinness rules I had to take photos and videos throughout the day, so every hour I would take a little break to catch up on what was going on. I also met some great people, so there were a lot of conversations which made it all fun for me.

Solo riding is not for everyone. What were some of the challenges you had to overcome on this journey and how did you manage to come out on top?

Before I started, I asked a few friends to come with me, but nothing happened. And that's when I realized I had to do it on my own. But when you travel alone, you face many challenges. From packing and unpacking everything on the motorcycle to finding accommodation every day. Over time, I got used to the whole routine, but the first few days were tough.

I remember one time when I was in Mizoram in northeastern India and I was stuck in terrible conditions. It must have been raining for hours and I was slipping and falling in the mud. It took me an hour and a half to cover just 1.5 km (~1 mile). I decided to call it a day and set up a tent right on the side of the road. As bad as the day was, when I woke up the next day it was the most surreal morning. It just goes to show you how to deal with adversity and enjoy the experience as a whole.

India is a big country. There must have been a few culture shocks for you. Can you share a few incidents that caught you off guard while traversing the length of our country?

Oh my God, there were so many cultural differences in food, dress, behavior… I remember when I was in the state of Maharashtra, I saw thousands of people walking on the roads as part of a pilgrimage. Then I also witnessed tribals in northeast India hunting, which is very surreal when you see it in person.

What are your favorite places on this trip?

Most people would say Ladakh and Spiti, the Himalayan region in North India, and I agree with that. But I personally loved Maharashtra, especially during the monsoon. It is so heavenly during that time. From mountains to beaches to forests to remote villages, you get to witness everything in one state.

Can you suggest the top three motorcycle routes that a non-Indian should do at least once in their life?

Honestly, I have been to some of the remotest parts of India and I would never tell anyone about these for the sake of preserving the ecosystem. We humans do not take good care of nature, so this just scares me.

As for recommendations, I don't think there is a list of places I can tell you. The beauty of travel is in the exploration. So go out and explore, that's true happiness.

Could you tell us a little about the message you want to spread with this journey?

“Travel helps you heal.”

At one point I wanted to do civil service but certain things made me give up on the idea. I went through some of my most stressful and darkest days during that time. But what helped me at that stage was travel.

In this age of consumerism, mental health has taken a backseat to people's lives. The worst part is that we don't talk about it enough. Travel is the one thing I know personally that can help with mental health. That's the message I wanted to spread. Travel really does help you heal.

Are there any other records you follow?

Records are nothing but a piece of paper. So to be honest I am not after these records. Today I broke someone's record, tomorrow someone else will break mine. I would rather remember the memories and everything I learned on this journey much more.

What is the one thing you learned from this journey that you would like to tell our readers?

I have learned so much throughout this entire journey that it is hard to share just one. But there is nothing like doing good in your own capacity. I can't tell you the number of times other people have helped me along the way.

But perhaps the most important thing I learned was to always keep smiling. You never know how your smile could make someone's day better.

Source: Guinness World Records