Indonesia by motorbike:

A journey from west Java via, Bali, Nusa Penida, Lombok, Gili Islands, West Nusa Tenggara and Komodo to far east Flores. This post is about an incredible adventure, it was always a dream of mine to travel Indonesia, it was a dream I could share with Dylan and we made it the adventure of a lifetime.

2 Motorbikes
3 Months
7 Islands
8 Ferries
4664 km
a million memories…

Traveling Indonesia for 3 months

by motorbike

We went off and climbed mountains only locals know they exist, we went on hikes and explored where no soul has been, we sat down with the local kids, we met people who are not like us and even if we can’t make each other understand with words we tried our hearts out to communicate. We walked on lonely beaches and loved every second of it even if it means trash floating around in some of the most beautiful parts of the earth.

I can now look at a map of Indonesia and remember every little detail about the places we went to, a smell, a smile, a laugh, a shock, a lesson, any impression that transformed me.

Collecting moments not things; earning respect not money; enjoying love not luxuries.

Part 1: Java

roughly 1400 km

Our journey started in Jakarta, the heart of Java. We jumped right into this crazy buzzing city, bought 2 motorbikes, set ourselves up for the journey and left the city after only 5 days. We decided to head towards Bandung and Ciwidey to see the white crater. The first active volcano of many we were going to visit.

Top 5 Places you must visit while traveling Java:

White crater

Borobodur

Prambaran

Mt- Bromo

mt Ijen

Where to start and why?

Start in Indonesia’s Capital City: Jakarta on the Island Java.

Its hectic and overwhelming at first but it’s a great place to start your journey and here is why:

1. There are plenty of shops where you can buy new and used Motorbikes or Scooter in good quality and for little money. Motorbikes in Jakarta are on average 1-2.000.000IDR cheaper than on any other Indonesian Island. And yes it is possible to sell your Javanese Bike on any other Island, we’ve been asked by locals to sell our bikes to them quite frequently. (More on his topic here: How to sell your Motorbike without losing money.)

2. We paid 7.000.000 IDR (500 USD / 450€) for our Yamaha Bison 150cc.

Prices for decent Scooters vary from 5.000.000 IDR- 6.500.000 IDR (360-455 USD / 320-415€) depending on 100-135cc as well as semi- or full Automatic.

3. You can buy all the essentials for your trip, such as rain gear, motorbike tools, GPS holders for the bike, bungee straps or nets to secure you luggage…

4. Locals are quite used to Europeans so the first days are a lot easier getting used to a different country and culture.

Why travel by motorbike:?

Traveling by motorbike gives you so much more freedom than traveling by bus or train. If you plan on staying for at least 2-3 months it’s such a waste to rent if you realize that with exactly the same amount of money you could have bought your own motorcycle, which you can sell again at the end of your trip.

This is my #1 budget tip for saving money on transportation. You may ask: “but what if no one wants to buy my motorcycle?” True. That was also one of my biggest concerns. You always have this horror scenario where no one wants to buy your motorcycle, you have to leave Indonesia and you lose your six million IDR (which you would have lost anyway in case you would have rented a motorcycle). But you have to remember that this is Indonesia; eight out of ten people own a motorcycle –that is 80% of all Indonesians (!). Trust me, if your motorbike isn’t a total wreck and the required documents are in order (will come back to that later), someone is going to buy it, scooters will sell even faster.

Renting a Motorbike or scooter is quite easy too, but make sure you take lots of pictures of the bike before you rent it. A lot of the time the renal places are dodgy, they try to frame you for damage on the vehicle that has been there already before you rented it. Sometimes rental agencies want to hold onto your passport – like… keep the real thing in their tiny little office tables with “God knows who” walking in and out all day. That is something I personally would never agree with. I would just give them a photocopy instead – and otherwise sorry not sorry but no deal! Never leave your passport behind!

Renting costs you anywhere between 45.000IDR to 75.000IDR a day.

– + All about the money (Driving your own motorcycle means you only have to pay for gasoline, which is cheap. No need to pay rental agencies or drivers, no tipping and no risk of being scammed)

– + No responsibility issues (Imagine you crash the motorbike or you lose the keys, you are the one responsible for any damage caused. The rental agency can charge you a lot for repairs and force you to pay –especially if they hold onto your passport.)

– + No restrictions (If you plan to go road tripping and explore Indonesia’s Islands, buying a motorcycle is the way to go to prevent restrictions. Most rental agencies will not allow you to bring their motorcycle to another island or region.)