Bali Travel Forum

Hi everyone

I am going to Bali next month and have a a question about hiring a moped / motorbike. I normally do this if I am staying in Asia, but I have heard Bali can be difficult?

I do NOT have a motorbike licence in the UK (I taught myself how to ride one whilst travelling). I will be taking an International Driving Licence but it therefore wont include motorcycle.

Will this be a problem a) in hiring a motorbike? b) if I'm stopped by the police on one?

Also - is the rule different for a moped under 125cc? In the UK you do not need a seperate licence to ride a moped like this.

Many thanks!

Rob

Hi
I wish I could say that without a driving licence for a motorbike, ANYONE (most of all tourists,(no offence to tourists meant) SHOULDN'T be able to drive a motorbike over here, and if they did and were caught then there should be some sort of punishment be it a fine or a ban from driving, much like it is in the UK and indeed most other parts of the world. It would probably make driving over here a lot safer and less congested.

In fact it is law over here that you must have a driving licence, and any non Indonesian citizen must have an International Driving Licence which must include for a motorbike if they want to drive one.

However the law isn't always enforced, that's the difference.

So to answer your question,
# Hiring a motorbike over here without a valid licence is possible, but not from reputable operators, you will be able to get one from someone who is operating on the street no problem.
## However as I am sure you are aware having driven around other parts of Asia, Insurance here is only an option, so if you hire from someone off the street then the motorbike will not be insured for damage/loss or personal injury to the driver passenger or third party. You would therefore be liable for all damages/loss and injury in the event of something happenning. And it would be most likely that driving without a valid licence would also void any holiday/personal insurance you may have.
### There is no rule regarding the size of the engine
#### Now comes the tricky part. If you are stopped by the police and they ask for your licence which is not valid for motorbikes; one of three things could happen
1/ You could ask them if there was any way that they could help you, as you are a visitor and didn't realise that the licence was't valid (don't offer money straight away) If they say they can they may just give you a warning, but it is most likely that they would ask for a donation of some kind to the police benevelant fund!!! don't be seen giving them money, just slip it quietly into their hands or leave it on the seat of the motorbike.

2/ They would tell you that you will have to go to court the next day, and that you would have to pay a fine,** however they would then offer to go to the court for you and pay the fine on your behalf, and all you have to do is give them the money which could be any amount they think you might be able to part with. (The money then goes straight into their pockets).

3/ They would actually take your license, the motorbike's registration documents and confiscate the motorbike, and give you a ticket to appear in court the next day, and no amount of money you offer them will change that.(in fact in this situation if you offered any money they would arrest you) You would then have to report to the person who rented you the motorbike that it is now in police custody, they will have to pay the police a fee to get it back so it is certain that they would want some money from you. You would have to go to court the next day (or whatever day they have put on your summons)pay the fine get a bit of a telling off and collect your licence.

I am happy to say that more and more the option No 3 is being enforced, the new govenor and police chief in Bali, have really started to crack down on police corruption, and enforcement of the driving laws in Bali.

Just as an aside, it is also illegal to drive a motorbike without a helmet, or without wearing a shirt, and they will stop you for this. (so that's additional fines on top of not having a licence if you do that) Only 3 days ago there were 6 tourists stopped by the police just up the road from my office, for driving without helmets and without tops (the girls wearing bikini tops) I don't know if they had the valid licence, but I suspect not, but all of the motorbikes were confiscated and the tourists had to walk, They wern't too happy about it and were grumbling as they walked past our doors.

Finally the police can stop you many times in a day, even for the same offence and sometimes even the same policeman,(and if it's for no licence they might even call their friends to let them know, and watch out for your motorbike. It happened to me recently when I made a small mistake whilst driving my car, and I had left my Indonesian driving licence at home (my fault so there) But I was stopped 3 more times whilst returning to my house to get my licence.

So all in all yes you can come and hire a bike, and I hope you have a great time in Bali, drive carefully

Wow! Thank you for taking the time to repy with such detail. That is very helpful of you.

So, the upshot is it sounds like it's going to be more hassle than it's worth! It's really just for scooting up and down to see my friends who are staying further up the coast in Seminyak.

Can I trouble you for a few more pieces of information?

a) Are we specifically talking about a motorbike(with clutch and gears) as oppossed to a moped (automatic)? Or are they all seen as 'motorbikes' in Bali? I only ask because I can legally drive a moped here in the UK with my licence, but that may not be the case in Bali of course.

b) Can I hire pushbikes easily in bali instead (ie. pedalbikes)?

c) If I hire a car instead is that expensive, are the police still going to ask me for money (even with my IDP) and will I just get stuck in traffic all day?

Thanks again for all your help.

Hello again

I didn't want to put you off completly, there are many people who come here and drive around all holiday without getting stopped or having problems,

In answer to your questions
# It doesn't make any difference what it is Automatic or manual it is still classed as a motorbike over here and you need the licence.

##Yes you can hire a pushbike here, and depending on where you are staying the roads to Seminyak are pretty good and flat.

###Hiring a car is obviously more expensive than a motorbike, but at least you will be covered by insurance (as long as you use a reputable operator)you can hire a small jeep type thing called a Jimmy or a small car called a Karimun for around 150,000 a day ((around £8.00)

I would also say that the road between Kuta/Legian and the Seminyak area is notorious for police operations; stopping tourists in particular, (mainly because many young tourists, especially Australian looking for the surf; drive round without crash helmets and shirts, therefore making for easy picking for the police)

I can't say that you won't get stopped by the police even in a car, by the way wearing of a seat belt in the front is compulsory (and is one of the top things they stop people; for not wearing one), however they cannot fine you for not having the licence, only for if you have made an error.

I cannot tell you to go ahead and hire a motorbike, because that would be condoning breaking the law, but it is not a problem to do it, and many people do, it is completly your decision as to if you want to take the risk.

Whatever you decide, have a great time in Bali.

The previous poster gives sage advice and it's legally correct.

I was in Bali last year, have never driven a moped and don't have a motorbike license.

Not that I flout the law willy nilly, but, when I got there, we stayed in Poppies Lane in Kuta - there's a McDonals there with rows of mopeds parked on the road. I got a bike from one of those guys. I showed my car license (not international) and the guy was happy with it - the motorbike came with insurance too.

I used the bike for a week, my girlfriend and I zoomed around on it everywhere and even as far as the Tanalot Temple and Nusa Dua. We passed plenty of cops, but were never pulled over (we wore our helmets diligently).

The only caveat was when I got cheated at the fuel station the first time I filled up. I said "fill it up" and the attendant did, but I wasn't paying attention so he didn't reset the pump and I paid for mine an whoever else was in front of me in the line. So just hand over 10,000rp for instance and then make sure he resets before filling.

Other than that - no incidents. The traffic is hair-raising, but just follow all the other mopeds around you and do what they do.

We also rented a moped in Ubud and it worked the same.

The guy I rented from had 50's and 125's, manual and automatic. They look pretty much the same. Automatic, obviously, is easiest and the 50's fuel goes on forever. There's no vicious hills in Bali, so for us it was fine.

Hello
Goo davice from previous poster about filling up in the stations however, you will see many places on the side of the road with bottles full of petrol, it is quite safe to fill from them, unless the fuel looks very cloudy. That way you definatly only pay for however many bottles you use. (at the moment the going rate from these places is 6000rp for 1 litre which is only about 500rp more than the pumps (but could save you being caught out)

Regarding Insurance, even if the operator says the motor bike is insured (usually because it is bought on credit) make sure that you see the policy, check the registration No onthe policy and the date, and they should give you a copy of the policy to take around with you, IF they cannot or will not,then it could be they arn't really insured. Having insurance documents with you in the event of an accident eases the process for you and for the other parties and or police if they get invloved (much like it is required in the UK)

As for your International licence I can't remeber what the classes of vehicles you are allowed to drive are but if I remember correctly "Class A" allows for you to drive motorbikes less than 125CC on a provisional licence for 2 years, so if your International license shows as you being allowed to drive class A then you could argue that you have a motorbike licence. The problem is that they might not understand that, and it might be just as quick and easier to pay the fine. But in the unfortunate event that you are stopped give it a try about the class A first you never know.

Maybe this is too late, but I have just seen an international driving licence from someone who wanted to hire a motorbike, his international licence was stamped for a motorbike even though he doesn't have a licence in the UK for a motorbike, so check yours if it has been stamped on the "A" section then you are ok to drive motorbike.