For the Ocean 2 Ocean Enduro, a lightweight 2-stroke enduro model seems to be the bike of choice for most riders. Chris appears to be the only one out there on a twin-cylinder machine, which is nuts if you’ve ever ridden this type of mountainous central-american terrain. Panama is a long thin sliver of a country crushed between two oceans. While it’s only 50 miles across as the crow flies, there are giant volcanic mountains that stand nearly 12,000 feet high in between. Trails are steep as they climb into the higher elevations quickly. Plus you’ve got a hot, wet, jungle environment to contend with.

Chris’ ‘Day 1’ of the enduro starts off somewhat mundane as he does what he calls “the worst wheelie of my life.” Of course Birch’s worst wheelie would make most of us feel like a hero. The trail quickly turns ugly though. The camera often hides the true steepness of a trail, but in this situation it seems like the slick mud is what makes the going hard. This is about as slick as mud can get, with even lightweight 2-strokes flailing around on the ground. With dozens of riders backed up on the ascent, Chris somehow manages to weave his big 890R through the crowd and find a decent line to get up the hill. 

Wheelspin and revs seem to be the trick for this slippery mess. With tires howling for mercy, he shifts it into 3rd gear at times to get the wheel speed up — the only way to keep forward momentum up these hills. According to Chris he was using a Mitas C18 rear and MC-23 front, which lasted the whole trip ‘quite well.”

We even see a rare moment when Birch needs a tug to get up the hill, so you know this is no easy terrain. Even more rare, we see the Kiwi rider make an appearance astride a Suzuki DR650 that he hops on briefly to clear the way for fellow riders to get a clear path. The poor DR seems to strain under the heavy throttle it takes to get it up the hill and out of the way.

The mud only gets deeper as the day continues, often the muck looks impassible. How he makes it through this deep, soupy slop on a 400+ pound machine boggles the mind. Despite the deep nasty ruts and mud covering the footpegs, Chris somehow maintains forward momentum through it all. Often the big 890R needs a rest to cool down and you can tell even the talented athlete himself is nearing his cardio limits. Simply watching the action gets your heart rate going.

Just as he appears to be out of the fire, he’s into the frying pan as the sticky mud turns into punishing rocks. The steep trail is a rock garden from hell with baby heads on top of baby heads. Then finally, it turns into a combo of deep, half baked mud, with giant holes from cattle hooves, mixed in with more hidden boulders. This land between two oceans is some of the most unforgiving terrain on the planet and it’s no wonder it took the French and U.S. some 34 years to construct the Panama Canal.

The video concludes day one of the event after Chris spent 9 hours doing battle on his 890R, covering 170 km (106 miles). That’s a pretty brutal day considering there were two more days ahead before reaching the Pacific Ocean. So far Chris has only published Day One of the Ocean 2 Ocean Enduro but he says he’ll get up the other videos as soon as he gets a chance. We’ll be sure to keep an eye out and we’re looking forward to seeing more of the gnarly stuff from Panama, along with Chris making the seemingly impossible possible on a big bike. As always every time he puts out one of these videos, it makes us realize the max capability of these amazing machines. Thanks for the inspiration Chris. Keep it coming!

Author: Rob Dabney

Rob Dabney started a lifelong obsession with motorcycles at the age of 15 when he purchased his first bike – a 1982 Honda MB5. Through his 20’s and 30’s he competed in off-road desert races, including the Baja 250, 500 and 1000. Eventually, his proclivity for exploration led him to dual sport and adventure riding. Rob’s never-ending quest to discover what’s around the next bend has taken him on Adventures in Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and throughout the American West. As a moto journalist, he enjoys inspiring others to seek adventure across horizons both near and far.