“ The main purpose of our expedition was to evaluate the bike and the rider in the toughest conditions possible ,” grinned Pol Tarrés as he explained his reason for taking a Yamaha Ténéré to the highest altitude reached by a twin cylinder motorcycle .
The Spanish born rider is famous for his exploits on bikes of all types , mostly for his filming of the exploits yet this ‘ stunt ’ reached new heights as he set a Guinness World Record for the altitude reached .
On March 12 , 2022 , Tarres rode from base camp at 3,200 metres and by riding 10 kilometres he reached an altitude of 4,500 metres before resting for the night .
A day later he reached an altitude of 6,157.5 metres nearing the summit of Argentina ’ s Mercedario , the eighth highest peak in the Andes , definitely testing the bike and rider as engineers suggested the bike wouldn ’ t cope and the rider would suffer from edema .
Tarrés , someone who has often pushed the boundaries on larger adventure motorcycles , took on the challenge to see what effects he would need to overcome , requiring bottle oxygen to cope with the altitudes above 5000 metres .
Riding began with acclimatising at base camp and coming to terms with the shale like conditions on the mountain where “ the bike sank like madness ” and Tarres realised the challenge was going to be tougher than anticipated .
“ I don ’ t move forward ,” he anguished . “ I do not advance .”
Reaching 4,500 metres Tarrés explained that the conditions were worsening , and the bike continued to sink and combined with the high altitude a full tank of fuel was exhausted in just 10 kilometres of riding .
The Ténéré ’ s tyres and clutch were exhausted in the challenge of climbing over the jaggered rocks and steep inclines that at times caught Tarrés by surprise .
“ From a distance it looks flat ,” he explained . “ But when you get closer it ’ s scary .”
At times , the Ténéré had to get a run up and challenge the inclines head on , climbing over 200 metres in a straight line , the bike gasping for air as much as the rider . “ It was exhausting but the bike was amazing .” Tarrés fell short of the peak due to a combination of exhaustion and tyres struggling to cope and with the peak in sight explained that given better preparation he could tackle a higher height , something Yamaha agrees is achievable .
“ This bike is so good ,” the Spaniard went on . “ The going was tough , but it just pulls and pulls . “ It ’ s incredible how he pulls .” It was clear how much Tarrés and his team took from what they are saying is a test and will now look at strategies for conquering greater heights . It ’ s believed Yamaha have committed to a full tilt at achieving an outright record altitude for a motorcycle , it makes sense that this would be 7,000 metres . TRAVERSE
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