Motorcycle Journeys

[PhilippeD]

My experience with motorcycle in Indonesia:

Scooter
Perfect for dealing with dense traffic (automatic) and very manoeuvrable due to there very short wheelbase.
but they are a little bit short on power, particularly the 110cc, too much low for bad road and unable to deal with flooded road (the air entrance of the engine are placed very low)

Big (heavy) Motorcycle
Avantage: you have more power
disavantage: You have way too much power, way too much heavy, way not enough maneuverability for small or bad road. The only people who do long ride with those kind of bike use police escort for opening the road for them as other than that those heavy bike on indonesian road with indonesian traffic are a pain in the ass.

Small cc bike (250cc) - which are the "big" bike for indonesian
those where my choice.
A bit less manoeuvrable than scooter (more long) a bit more heavy but still very manoeuvrable.
Can pass through any flooding (I have done half meter deep) and can handle well traffic and bad road.
I feel way more in confidence when I seat on my motorcycle than when on a scooter.


Scooter are good for city driving but I would not use that for long travel with a lot of unknow.

My choice would go for something less sporty with a more upright position - less tiresome for long ride like the yamaha mt25, kawasaki z250 etc.

Avoid the Yamaha Scorpio (which was my motorcycle) the part are very hard to find and tire have odd size.
With the one I just mention you will be able to have service, part and tire practically anywhere.

 

[Scooterindo]

I have a highly tuned scooter which will exceed 80MPH and even with that I am still limited to riding it on the bypass at 3 am in order to be able to get any speed out of it. The rest of the time you just cant do it because of all the idiots on the road.

 

[R Cameron]

I have a highly tuned scooter which will exceed 80MPH and even with that I am still limited to riding it on the bypass at 3 am in order to be able to get any speed out of it. The rest of the time you just cant do it because of all the idiots on the road.

80MPH?? 129kph? Terrifying. I've gotten a stock Vario up to 100kph (62mph) for a few moments, but even on good roads I keep it 80-90.

 

[Jamu]

I agree with PhilippeD - a scooter is more manageable and less stressful to ride in dense, stop and go traffic than a bigger bike (200-250cc), but I'd take the bigger bike any day for riding on the open road and especially at the speeds that Scooterindo travels at .

 

[Bad_azz]

I agree with PhilippeD - a scooter is more manageable and less stressful to ride in dense, stop and go traffic than a bigger bike (200-250cc), but I'd take the bigger bike any day for riding on the open road and especially at the speeds that Scooterindo travels at .

not much of that in West Java

 

[Joko]

not much of that in West Java

Really? Although I realize Java is the most populous island in the world, I was thinking that on the southern route of my loop at least... From Pantai Carita on the Sunda Strait south and then east along the southern coast of Java through Pantai Sawarna and then through Tanjung Ujung Genteng to Pangandaran, I was expecting that to be little-travelled-backroads.

 

[fastpitch17]

Really? Although I realize Java is the most populous island in the world, I was thinking that on the southern route of my loop at least... From Pantai Carita on the Sunda Strait south and then east along the southern coast of Java through Pantai Sawarna and then through Tanjung Ujung Genteng to Pangandaran, I was expecting that to be little-travelled-backroads.

I have never heard of a little traveled back road unless it's for water buffalo around some rice paddies.

 

[Bad_azz]

If it is a little travelled back road then it probably will be better travelled on a motorX bike

 

[Scooterindo]

80MPH?? 129kph? Terrifying. I've gotten a stock Vario up to 100kph (62mph) for a few moments, but even on good roads I keep it 80-90.

Yes terrifying especially when some stupid old bu just pulls out of a side road oblivious to any other road users. Hence the reason if I want to go fast its at 2 or 3 am on the ketewel to padang bai part of the bypass.

 

[Scooterindo]

I agree with PhilippeD - a scooter is more manageable and less stressful to ride in dense, stop and go traffic than a bigger bike (200-250cc), but I'd take the bigger bike any day for riding on the open road and especially at the speeds that Scooterindo travels at .

Just for the record my scooter is actually designed and built for those speeds and is very safe and stable.
Its a boy toy that I use for fun. My daily rider is a lot more sober and rarely reaches speeds of more than about 45mph.
During the day time on local roads it would be irresponsible and simply too dangerous to go much faster than 35mph.

 

[Jamu]

not much of that in West Java

As long as you avoid the congested South and 'downtown' Ubud, there's plenty of beautiful open road in Bali, perfect for a 250cc bike.

 

[Bad_azz]

As long as you avoid the congested South and 'downtown' Ubud, there's plenty of beautiful open road in Bali, perfect for a 250cc bike.

BUT Joko is driving West Java not Bali

 

[PhilippeD]

BUT Joko is driving West Java not Bali

And west java is full of mountain: 250cc would still be better than a 125cc scooter

Anyway, in any case, the vehicle that you feel the most comfortable and the most at ease would be your best pick in any time.
Going on a long road on a bike you are not at ease with would not be of any agreement and can make you hate your journey despite all the plus your choice was supposedly have.

Me at at ease with a full size motorcycle (600cc+), but I find them too big and too heavy for being enjoyable for daily driving in Indonesian road condition.
I had good time on my 225cc and would not see the need to have a lot more of power...
If I had to go back to Indonesia I would choose a bike on the like of the 2 I mentioned previously (MT250 - Z250).

Again... its all a matter of taste and on which bike you feel at ease.

 

[Joko]

What I really want is what I used for a similar (but shorter) loop I took through northern Thailand last year. The Mae Hong Song Loop (see the videos here). For that trip, I rented a Yamaha Spark 125. Best thing, it had a luggage rack on the back which made securing my backpack a lot more comfortable. A scooter, for sure, but it was semi-automatic. There were gears, but no clutch. I will not get a fully automatic, one gear, turn-the-throttle-and-go dealy. Those don't work in the mountains, particularly for a 100kg driver like myself. One has to be able to downshift.

 

[Bad_azz]

For 90,000IDR you can buy the big saddle panniers if you want to carry a fair bit of stuff and not be top heavy. Pretty good in rainstorms too

 

[Joko]

For 90,000IDR you can buy the big saddle panniers if you want to carry a fair bit of stuff and not be top heavy. Pretty good in rainstorms too

90K? So like USD $7? I can buy them and leave them behind at that price.

 

[Bad_azz]

Or you could buy heaps of them & sell them in the US at $30

FTR - I am referring to the soft ones that you will see out on the roads laden with stock for the warungs, not hard lockable ones.

 

[R Cameron]

What I really want is what I used for a similar (but shorter) loop I took through northern Thailand last year. The Mae Hong Song Loop (see the videos here). For that trip, I rented a Yamaha Spark 125. Best thing, it had a luggage rack on the back which made securing my backpack a lot more comfortable. A scooter, for sure, but it was semi-automatic. There were gears, but no clutch. I will not get a fully automatic, one gear, turn-the-throttle-and-go dealy. Those don't work in the mountains, particularly for a 100kg driver like myself. One has to be able to downshift.

There are many, many of those in Indonesia. The category is commonly called "motor bebek", most models go up to 125cc, but I've seen some newer ones going up to 150cc.

https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_bebek

 

[Scooterindo]

The new automatic Vespa GT in Indonesia is sold with a 150 engine (letoy banget ) whereas in Europe and the UK the exact same Vespa GT model is sold with a much better 250cc and 300cc engine.

 

[PhilippeD]

There are many, many of those in Indonesia. The category is commonly called "motor bebek", most models go up to 125cc, but I've seen some newer ones going up to 150cc.

https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_bebek

Yamaha have replace their Jupiter mx135 for a 150cc.
Similar to the spark but fully manual.

recently Yamaha had a MX135 semi manual like the spark, you must be able to find one.

other model are of 110/115cc (air cooled?) which i find short of power.