“Don’t tell me you rode all the way from Pakistan?” the man asked, his eyes fixed on the Pakistani flag stitched to Shan-e-Ali’s riding jacket.
The question was understandable. Although Ali had entered the United States from Canada, the Pakistani passport he carried and the flag on his jacket often led strangers to assume he had ridden across continents.
Ali had taken it upon himself to complete a full USA loop from Canada on his bike.
For the Lahore-born adventurer, the expedition was not only about riding thousands of kilometres across America, but about testing his limits and experiencing uncertainty firsthand.
The 33-day journey was the result of months of meticulous planning. To start, Ali opted for a Suzuki DR650.
“When you’re riding solo, dropping the motorcycle is always a possibility, especially off-road. Having a Suzuki DR650, that’s light enough to pick up by yourself, is a huge advantage,” he said, while speaking to Business Recorder.
Starting his journey, Ali knew he had to stay flexible, keeping weather patterns, road conditions, distances, camping opportunities and perhaps most importantly, travelling on a Pakistani passport.
“Almost everyone advised me not to travel across the United States during such an uncertain time, especially as a Pakistani traveling alone.”
However, Ali decided to overcome that fear by facing it.
As he travelled through America’s immense landscapes, from wide-open plains, to winding roads carved through mountains and valleys, Ali’s apprehensions soon proved misplaced.
Between covering 16,000km, he encountered people who welcomed him, asked questions about Pakistan and shared stories about their own communities.
While relations between the two countries have seen ups and downs over the years, Ali said politics rarely shaped his interactions, saying that most Americans he met were simply curious about Pakistan.
“Many people I met lived in small towns and rural communities and told me I was the very first Pakistani they had ever met.
They were curious, welcoming, and genuinely interested in learning about my country. At the same time, I was just as excited to learn about their lives and communities.
It became a wonderful cultural exchange where both sides wanted to leave a positive impression.”
Ali’s journey comes at a time when motorcycle travel has gained wider attention among Pakistanis. In recent years, riders and travel creators such as Abrar Hassan and Zenith Irfan have brought motorcycle journeys into the spotlight.
Zenith, or the “Motorcycle Girl” at 20 years of age, was the first Pakistani female to have made a solo motorcycle journey through the northern regions of the Pakistan.
Soon, the cross-country ride across the US became a test of endurance and resilience for Ali. The toughest time came in Yellowstone National Park where the rain turned into a snowstorm, and Ali found himself riding through snow in July.
“That night I slept in a completely soaked tent. The following morning, I packed everything in the rain and continued riding with fingers that had turned blue from the cold,” Ali said.
However, Ali said those were the days he will remember forever.
Sharing a completely different incident, Ali said he had to battle intense heat for hours under the Arizona sun.
The deserts in the southern US were brutally hot. At one point, I was riding in temperatures of around 45°C (113°F) for hours under the intense Arizona sun.
I was completely soaked with sweat, constantly hydrating, and mentally focused just to keep going safely.
It was one of the toughest physical challenges of the entire expedition.”
At one point, Ali shared, he was ready to quit.
The journey’s most frightening moment came not from weather but from an accident in the Arizona desert near Monument Valley. After hitting the ground, Ali’s first thought was that the expedition was over.
“That’s it. The journey is over.”
But after checking himself and the motorcycle, he decided to continue.
“I made a promise to myself that I would finish the expedition the way I had dreamed of finishing it. And I did.”
Despite the challenges, Ali said California’s Highway 1 remained the highlight of the expedition.
“Every turn opened up another breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean. It felt like riding through a postcard.”
Throughout the journey, Ali said he was conscious that he was representing Pakistan wherever he went. The Pakistani flag on his jacket often became the starting point for conversations about culture, politics and everyday life.
“When you carry your country’s flag, you automatically become more conscious of your actions because you know that, for many people, you may be the first person from your country they have ever met.“
Looking back, Ali said there is only one thing he would change.
“I would spend more time in certain places instead of constantly moving,” he said. “The United States is incredibly vast and diverse. Every few hundred miles feels like entering a different country. One lifetime simply isn’t enough to experience everything America has to offer.”
Ali believes that waiting for perfect circumstances can often become the biggest barrier to starting a journey.
His message to young Pakistanis who dream of exploring the world is simple: never give up on their dreams.
“Keep yourself in motion. Keep moving forward, even if your progress feels slow. You never know when the right opportunity will come, but when it does, make sure you’re ready to embrace it.”
The writer is a Senior Sub-editor at Business Recorder