Thomas Tomczyk has just set a new world record->ke3224, becoming the first man to cover 7,856 miles in a single electric motorcycle ride.

According to Motorcycle.com, Tomczyk is right in the middle of his record attempt, having taken his 2012 Zero S electric motorcycle->ke3423 from Philadelphia in the US to Honda, Columbia when the record was set yesterday, August 4, 2015.That achievement is incredible enough on its own given how far Tomczyk has come on a bike that can be pretty high-maintenance when it comes to long-distance runs like this one. You would think that Tomczyk would have called it a day upon hitting the heart of Columbia, content with having his name enter the Guinness Book of World Records.

But like anybody who believes that they have a date with destiny, Tomczyk is pushing through on his goal to reach Patagonia, the southernmost tip of South America in his trusty Zero S electric bike. Achieving that goal only gets more difficult from here as Tomczyk will have to cover the remaining 3,730 miles on an electric bike that’s going to be need more nurturing as the miles rack up on its odometer.

The Zero S itself can only ride for 200 miles a day and a single charge covers just 90 miles. The trick from here on out is trying to run the bike as efficiently as possible while making stops in key locations where charging the batteries can be done with minimal complications. Apparently, Tomczyk hasn’t been picky with these charging locations, having done so in jails, schools, homes, museums, and coffeeshops. The only place he probably hasn’t charged his Zero S is a cemetery, but don’t sleep on that happening if it means continuing his record-extending joy ride.

Other than saying that the challenge will end in October, there’s no specific date on when Tomczyk will reach Patagonia so trying to keep up with his exploits could prove to be a challenge in its own right. Fortunately, Tomczyk plans to make a documentary of his record run once he completes the journey. He doesn’t have the support of a studio so he’s taken his documentary proposal to Kickstarter, asking for funds to get that project off the ground.

Right now, the page only has $950 in pledges, well short of the $15,000 Tomczyk is looking to produce the whole thing. The good news is that there are still 21 days left before the page is taken down. Let’s do our part and support the man. With what he’s trying to accomplish, Tomczyk deserves at least that.

Continue reading to read more about Thomas Tomczyk’s attempt to extend his longest electric motorcycle record run.

Why it matters

It’s a shame that Thomas Tomczyk’s world record attempt isn’t getting the attention it deserves. It might not seem like a record that’s worthy of headlines today, but there will come a point in the future wherein a lot of riders will be trying to topple the record Tomczyk is currently setting.

To be clear, though, we need to stand up and recognize what Tomczyk is doing. Can you imagine having a go at this record on an electric bike that constantly needs to be charged? It gets even more challenging as Tomczyk passes through one South American country after another. What if his Zero S breaks down? Parts for Zero Motorcycles aren’t that common in that part of the world.

Even if the Zero S does make it throughout the trip without any mechanical failures, the simple task of charging the bike’s batteries is time-consuming. It’s a good thing that Tomczyk is trying to set a distance record instead of a speed record. If it were the latter, I can’t begin to imagine how long it’s going to take him to make that trip to Patagonia, limitations and all.

So what can we actually do to lend our support to Tomczyk? We can’t root for him personally, but we can donate money to help his planned documentary of the trip come to fruition. We can all do that from the comforts of our own living rooms so it’s not like we’re going to be exhausting ourselves physically the way he is trying to set the bar for the longest electric motorcycle ride in history. Let’s throw our support for the guy for what he’s trying to do.

You can donate to his Kickstarter page or if money’s tight, you can do your part in raising awareness for this record attempt. Either way, Thomas Tomczyk has at least earned that.