In the mountainous north, these machines have become essential for search-and-rescue operations. After the 2022 floods, locally owned SXS units in Balochistan were the only vehicles able to navigate the broken spillways and mud-choked nullahs to deliver rations. Walk into any off-road gathering in Lahore’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) or a trailhead in Murree, and you will see a two-tier market.
For now, the SXS culture in Pakistan remains a raw, loud, and dusty affair. It is a fusion of American adrenaline, Chinese pragmatism, and Pashtun ingenuity. And on any given Friday, if you drive five kilometers past the last paved road, you will hear them: the happy scream of an engine and the louder scream of a man holding on for dear life. pakistani sxs
CHITRAL, Pakistan – The narrow, switchback-laden trails of the Hindu Kush were once the exclusive domain of mules, jeeps, and the occasional hardy trekker. Today, the silence is broken by a different kind of beast: the growl of a 1,000cc twin-cylinder engine, the whine of a continuously variable transmission (CVT), and the crunch of all-terrain tires biting into loose shale. In the mountainous north, these machines have become
CFMOTO (specifically the ZForce series) and smaller Chinese brands like HISUN or Linhai. A used CFMOTO 800 EX can be had for PKR 1.5-2.5 million ($5,000-$9,000). For now, the SXS culture in Pakistan remains
“These machines tear up the moss. It takes fifty years to grow back,” complains a local guide in Naltar Valley, who asked not to be named. “Tourists rent them for 15,000 rupees an hour, drive in circles, and leave behind oil drips and empty energy drink cans.”