The Shapatar boys of Karachi

It's a situation most drivers on Karachi’s major thoroughfares have experienced, especially on weekend nights and public holidays: a ghost motorcycle closing in at breakneck speed.

- HUSSAIN DADA

At first, it is little more than a blur in the rear-view mirror. Then, as it bears down, the driver finally registers the young man lying flat along the length of the motorcycle, his eyes peering forward just above the handlebar. The speedometer is missing. The rider's arms are tucked tight to the side — either holding the handle or, in some cases, clutching the suspension on the sides and using shoulders to steer the handlebar. His legs lie flat or are scissored tightly at the ankle, his body locked in an aerodynamic pose.

Most drivers know what to do when faced with such a motorcycle: hold your line without moving in either direction. Do not brake suddenly. Do not swerve. Almost without fail, the rider veers away at the very last second, zigzagging between vehicles and vanishing in the blink of an eye.

But it is rarely a lone escape. A swarm of similar motorcycles arrives next, streaking past from every direction, forcing drivers to grip the steering wheel and mutter silent prayers — for the rider’s safety as much as their own. At these speeds, even a minor error — a sudden lane change, a startled brake, a moment's hesitation — can prove fatal: not just for the motorcyclist but anyone sharing the road.

Daredevil motorbike riders speeding through the busy roads of Karachi without any protective gear have built up a vibrant subculture around themselves that is sustained often as much through social media as word of mouth. Why does this perilous practice continue to attract thrill-seekers and can it be made less dangerous, not just for the riders but also for those they share the roads with?

These riders, mostly young and often underage, wear no protective gear beyond goggles to keep the dust from blurring their vision. Their motorcycles are stripped to the bare minimum, every unnecessary part removed in pursuit of speed and control.

On Karachi’s roads, they are known by a single name: Shapatars.