When Danny McGee, Jonah Levine, and Jesse Evers set out from California on their Suzuki DR650 dual sports, they shared a singular, audacious ambition: to ride south until there was no more road left, all the way to Ushuaia, Argentina—the very end of the world.

We have been following the team’s journey for a while now but for readers new to the Southbound series, it captures the unfiltered reality of long-distance adventure motorcycle travel — balancing the deep camaraderie of best friends exploring remote landscapes with the grinding exhaustion of mechanical failures, language barriers, extreme weather, and ever-changing road conditions.

But what truly sets this series apart from typical moto travel vlogs is the trio’s pragmatic approach to chasing the Pan-American dream. All in their late twenties, they face the exact same time, career, and financial constraints as many of their viewers. Instead of quitting their jobs to tackle the immense journey in one continuous push, they commit to riding roughly one month each year, finding secure spots to store their bikes along the route between legs, and picking up right where they left off until they reach the tip of South America.

In their previous chapters through Baja, Mexico, and Central America, the group logged over 4,000 grueling miles, sharpening their off-road skills on the fly, wrestling with electrical upgrades, and relying on heavy-duty gear like their Mosko Moto luggage setups and REV’IT! adventure suits to survive life on the road.

Reaching South America, however, meant confronting the ultimate overland roadblock: the Darién Gap, a 60-mile stretch of roadless, impenetrable rainforest separating Panama from Colombia. Having air-freighted their bikes past the gap to Bogotá, the crew picked up the trail for their third annual stint — a seven-week, 5,000-mile plus expedition through the heart of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

After navigating eight hours of airport customs paperwork to reclaim their stored motorcycles, the crew immersed themselves in local culture. On their last night in Bogotá, they were introduced to Tejo, Colombia’s national sport — a game that involves hurling heavy metal discs at clay targets lined with small explosive gunpowder packets. The next morning, the real adventure began. Heading north out of the capital before looping south, they tackled rugged mountain trails flanked by centuries-old frailejones plants, traversed narrow British-built railway bridges from the 1870s dangling high above jungle gorges, and ferried their bikes across the Magdalena River in narrow wooden canoes.

The diversity of South America’s geography hit them almost immediately. In the Tatacoa Desert, 100°F heat and rocky terrain pushed their physical limits, only for lightning storms to flood their campsite by nightfall. Along the way, they pushed through mountain passes, sampled local hot springs near active volcanoes, and rested at Donkey Sunrise, a renowned motorcycle overland hostel nestled in the Colombian hills. Here they would meet Fabi, a German overland rider traveling around the world on a KTM 500 who would join them on their journey for several days. 

Crossing the border into Ecuador, torrential rains turned dirt mountain roads into slick, treacherous clay paths. Cold weather and mechanical failures mounted as Jonah’s battery repeatedly died, requiring push-starts on muddy slopes. Yet the rewards always made up for the suffering: clear mornings revealed sweeping views of 19,000-foot volcanic peaks like Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. And the unique experiences you’d never expect continued to happen. During a rest stop, the riders shared an impromptu track day on a motocross circuit with local Ecuadorian police officers who offered their own dirt bikes up for a spin.

By the time the team crossed into Peru, unseasonably heavy rains had triggered severe landslides throughout the Andes. Shortly after hiking to the base of Gocta Waterfall — one of the tallest cascades on Earth — disaster struck. While climbing a short embankment to take a photo, Danny slipped and injured his shoulder. Facing a potential ligament tear and audible grinding in his joint, Danny made the grueling choice to ride through the pain rather than abandon the expedition.

Peru proved to be the most dangerous leg of the entire voyage. Cruising along narrow mountain ledges, the riders found themselves trapped in active rockfall zones, attempting to skirt their  motorcycles through falling boulder fields one by one while watching for falling debris. Minutes later, Jesse’s motorcycle became mired in a deep, mudflow directly underneath the unstable hillside, forcing the group to haul the machine out by hand while rocks tumbled from the cliffs above.

Despite the constant threat of landslides and failing equipment, the trek through Huascarán National Park yielded some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes of the trip. Riding up switchbacks to passes over 15,000 feet, they stood surrounded by 22,000-foot glacial peaks and rode through valleys filled with Puya Raimondii — rare, prehistoric plants reaching 50 feet tall that live for a century before blooming once and immediately dying.

When blocked roads near the end of the route threatened to halt their progress into Lima, a passing truck driver helped them load their motorcycles up a flight of stone stairs and onto the truck bed to complete the final stretch.

Finally in Lima, an MRI confirmed that Danny had suffered a partial labrum tear. Yet as the crew watched the sunset over the Pacific Ocean, reflecting on the crash landing, mechanical breakdowns, illness, and exhaustion, the hardships faded against the backdrop of what they had accomplished together. The physical risk and discomfort, they realized, were simply the price of admission for experiencing the world in its rawest, most authentic form.

“I think if we’ve learned anything, it’s that sometimes the greatest risk isn’t actually taking the leap. It’s never taking it at all. And spending your life wondering what would have happened if you had because you have no idea what might be waiting for you on the other side.” – Danny McGee

With Peru now behind them and thousands of miles still separating the team from Ushuaia, the end of the world remains a distant target for the next episode. But after surviving the challenges of Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, the riders have proven that the Southbound project is about far more than simply reaching a destination. It’s a testament to what can happen when ordinary riders refuse to let limited time, tight budgets, and the uncertainties of life keep them from pursuing an extraordinary dream. We’ll be following along as Danny, Jonah, and Jesse continue their push south on the next chapter of Southbound, and we’ll be sure to let you know when Episode 4 drops.

Photos by Danny McGee