A Victory motorcycle will set off from Daytona Bike Week on a record-breaking journey

By Albert Khoury February 19, 2016

With Daytona Bike Week fast approaching, the special surprises keep coming. Take note of Swiss Endurance rider Urs Pedraita, aka “Grizzly,” who will be setting off on his potentially world-record-breaking journey from the event on Friday, March 11 at 1 pm ET. Grizzly intends to ride his Victory Motorcycles Cross Country bagger around the world through six continents in 100 days. The current record stands at 120 days.

Grizzly plans to maintain a steady speed with as few stops as possible for rest or other necessities. He has spent the past year preparing for his journey, acclimating himself by taking long rides in freezing temperatures.

Grizzly’s mount has undergone modifications to handle any type of terrain it may encounter, including ice, mud, snow, sand, and gravel. A nine-gallon fuel tank, custom seat with back support, and two additional LED headlights are among the custom additions.

Once he sets off from Daytona, Grizzly’s progress can be traced through the “GrizzlyTracker” app, which shows his location in real time. You can also follow him here. To achieve his goal, Grizzly needs to complete his 100-day quest by Friday, May 20.

If you wonder how Pedraita earned the name Grizzly, be aware that this is not his first rodeo. In 2013, he completed a 9,000 mile trip on a Cross Country in 37 days in the dead of winter. A statement on his website reads: “In the past two years Grizzly has set a pair of distance riding world records on Victory motorcycles, and now he hopes to set the ultimate record on a Victory Cross Country: He’ll ride across the required six continents, and will add a side trip to Antarctica to make his record virtually unbreakable.”

For fans who want to be more involved with this epic world record attempt, Victory motorcycle owners can join Grizzly for a lap of the Daytona 200 road course before he sets off.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Al started his career at a downtown Manhattan publisher, and has since worked with digital and print publications. He's…

Cars

Best electric car charger deals: $100 off home charging stations

The handle of the Grizzl-E EV charger plugged into a vehicle.

A few years ago, electric vehicles were pretty rare or cost a fortune, but with more and more of the larger car brands getting into the game, there are a lot of excellent and even budget-friendly choices nowadays. That said, the electrical network for charging your cars might not be that widespread, so instead you'll have to rely on charging your car at home. Luckily, there are a lot of excellent car chargers at a discount, so if you've just bought an EV or want to upgrade your current charging solution, be sure to check out our favorite deals below.
Shockflo EV charger — $205, was $220

This EV charger by Shockflo is a Level 2 EV charger, which offers six times faster charging than a standard charger. It delivers 24 miles with just one hour of charging, and it can act as a mobile charger you can throw in the trunk or be mounted to a wall. It has an LCD display with useful information like charging rate, voltage, and charging time, as well as LED indicator lights that lets you know charging progress and errors.

Cars

Mercedes-Benz EQG: range, price, release date, and more

Concept image of the larger electric G-Wagon

The G-Class is going electric. We already knew that Mercedes-Benz was working on an electric, small-size G-Wagon, but it looks like the company is also working on a larger G-Class SUV, in the form of the EQG. In fact, Mercedes has gone as far as to show off a concept version of the off-roader.

While there's much we don't know about what will become the production model of the EQG, Mercedes has also shared a lot about it. Curious about whether the Mercedes-Benz EQG could be the EV for you? Here's everything we know so far.
Design
Fear not -- the EQG will retain many of the design aspects of the G-Class that you already know and love but with a modern face-lift. The EQG will keep the boxy design that gives the G-Class a classic look but with some additional modern styling, at least if the concept version is anything to go by.

Cars

Rivian R2 vs. Kia EV9: battle of affordable electric SUVs

Kia EV9 GT-Line Three Quarters

The long-awaited Rivian R2 has finally been announced, and it's an excellent option for those who want an electric SUV that doesn't completely break the bank. Sure, the R2 isn't cheap -- but it's a whole lot cheaper than most other EVs out there, especially when it comes to SUVs. But Rivian isn't the only company trying to tackle the problem of the budget electric SUV. The Kia EV9 is finally available, and it too offers a modern design and a range of helpful features.

Given the fact that the Rivian R2 and Kia EV9 are two electric SUVs in a similar price range, you might be wondering which is better for your needs. That's why we put the Rivian R2 and the Kia EV9 head-to-head.
Design
Both the Rivian R2 and the Kia EV9 are actual SUVs -- not crossovers pretending to be SUVs, like plenty of other EVs out there. The two vehicles offer big, boxy designs and plenty of interior space, making them excellent options for families or those who need that extra storage.