On a Bike in Indonesia. Lifehacks And Tips From An Experienced Traveler

Bali is probably the most famous island in Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic state. But the Indonesian archipelago consists of 18 thousand islands, 922 of which are inhabited. There are 1,700 diverse ethnic groups living here, speaking more than 700 different languages. Taking into account that most of the archipelago's islands have volcanic origins, which blesses them with incredibly beautiful nature, it can be confidently said that Indonesia is a paradise not only for Balinese surfers but also for travelers. Sergey (known online as @Desed) is a person who has long been exploring Indonesia on two wheels, and here is what he has told about his adventures in this beautiful country.

Sergey: My name is Sergey, I’ve been living in Indonesia for 28 years, I’ve been living in Indonesia for 3 years, I’m from Krasnoyarsk. Here is a map of places in the country where I visited during this time and navigation through travel results posts

Sumatra 

Flores and Komodo 

Sulawesi 

Java 

Sumbawa 

Kalimantan(Borneo) 

Lombok 

Timor -> 12/04/2022 - not a success

Papua -> 2024-2025 (how the roads will be completed, there are none.)

Total distance traveled while traveling outside Bali: ~23000km

I looked at your blog on Telegram, and the question arose, why did you choose a Honda X-ADV for traveling, and not a “goose,” for example, or another touring bike?

Sergey: The price tag for a class of enduro bikes with 1200cc+ engines is absolutely insane in Indonesia, for example, a BMW GS 1250 costs 1 billion IDR, which is 65 thousand dollars. But that's not even the main reason; I would like to use the bike for everyday commuting, not just for traveling. Try standing in traffic jams in 30-degree heat on any 600cc+ motorcycle during the day, it's not very pleasant, and without thick pants, it's even worse on these bikes. Among the X-ADV 750cc, I also considered the Yamaha Tracer 900 GT, but only old bikes from 2017 were available in the country. KTM and Royal Enfield have significant service issues here, and with my mileage of 20-30 thousand km per year, it's incompatible. The new Africa Twin costs 650 million, but here, 99% of the roads are asphalt, and its suspension seems excessive to me.

BUT! The bike doesn't really solve everything; it depends more on how you travel, how much time you have, and what vibe you want. Initially, I covered everything on a Yamaha X-Max in standard configuration, which was not cool at all (only because of the rear suspension). It became completely different when it was upgraded, and overall, it was comfortable. But it only works if you're alone. If someone sits with you as passenger number two, then 300cc is not enough in terms of power, suspension, and brakes.

Sergey: Upgrades are an important thing, fortunately on the X-Adv you don’t really need to mess with the engine because 70nm and 55hp are quite enough to get into Valhalla, but the bike had other problems.

Brakes, for example. We have a stock bike, without crash bars, panniers, and it already weighs 235kg, and the factory brakes couldn't cope with such weight, even though there are 2 discs of 300mm each at the front and a pretty decent brake system, but not for this monstrous weight. In Indonesia, riding with soft brakes is a sure death; there are simply countless dangerous situations on the road. Everything was solved by replacing the brake calipers. It got better, but there's still room for improvement.

Lights. I've never seen a bike from the factory with good night lighting, except for Ducati, so I installed additional headlights.

Suspension. Good bikes have good suspension, and ADV bikes have good suspensions, but I had to change the central shock absorber because it couldn't handle the additional weight.

It's always worth putting on the best tires. For Indonesia, it's Pirelli.

Seat reupholstering is a matter of taste, but it's more comfortable for me with custom upholstery.

I also installed an additional fuel tank for 15 liters in the luggage compartment, and now you can travel from Surabaya to Denpasar on one tank. In the standard version, the tank is only 13 liters, which is a disaster.

Sergey: You need to change oil, filters, spark plugs, and brake pads.

If your trip is over 2000 km, you should install new tires; never let your tires wear out completely, as it can end badly.

I recommend servicing the bike only at the dealership. Yamaha and Honda dealerships are everywhere.

I don't recommend taking a bike without ABS for traveling, and it's not just about skills.

Ideally, it's also good to install additional nighttime lighting on it.

Sergey: Before that, I rode a lot on a bicycle, but when I came to Southeast Asia, I switched to bikes and somehow it took off almost immediately. I just don’t see anything interesting in mass tourism, where at a point a couple of hundred people take pictures of some ordinary thing - well, really, what’s cool about that?

Sergey: So far, I haven't ridden in many places, but I've circled Sri Lanka three times and explored all the mountains there. I've ridden in Thailand, from Phuket to Bangkok, and in the winter, I plan to ride all over northern Thailand and start flying to other places for trips. Of course, I've traveled most of Indonesia. Only the very small islands or places with very limited infrastructure are left. These include, for example, the Moluccas and Papua. As for future plans, I want to properly explore Sumatra, Timor is still pending due to a breakdown, and a piece of Sulawesi is waiting to be explored.

Sergey: I will mark here only those places on Google Maps and wherever you point, everywhere there will be 10/10 and a bunch of interesting locations within a radius of 50-100 km. As usual, it's mostly mountains.

All the places below are good, it’s hard for me to rank them in terms of beauty.

Aceh, Sumatra - mountains 3000 meters or more, ideal roads and super beautiful.

Sulawesi, Toraja (Rante Pao) - IMHO the best place in Sulawesi, the local people have an interesting culture, awesome villages and roads.

East Java - if you know where to drive and how to get routes, it will be very cool. We can say that the volcanic trip there, Bromo alone, is worth it.

Flores, Bajawa - serpentines, volcanoes, hot springs and incredibly beautiful.

Flores Larantuka - there is the nature of the Alor Islands, when you come out of the bend and see a bunch of small islands consisting of volcanoes in the sea bays, it is breathtaking. In general, the entire island of Flores is an ideal island for a motorcycle trip.

Western Sumatra - thousands of kilometers along the Indian Ocean along serpentines without people at a speed of 120+, nature reserves, palm plantations, thousands of surf spots where there are 0 people.

Lake Toba, Sumatra - just Google it. Everything will be clear without words.

I'll add Mount Tambora, the Komodo Islands, Raja Ampat (haven't been there yet), and Alor (still ahead).

For fans of urban trash, I recommend the slums of the Jakarta suburbs, preferably near the rivers.

Sergey: In general, those who have been to Bali know well that the island has significant infrastructure problems. You travel 30-40 km for two hours in traffic jams, arrive already on edge, and everywhere it's "pay-pay-pay": parking 5k, waterfall 50-150k, and it's not even about the amount of money, it's just irritating. Or they demand 50k just to enter the city of Kintamani... At many locations, there are crowds of people, you spend half a day getting there, take a photo, and then drive back. And all without enjoyment. After all, the journey is 95% of it all, and in traveling, it's the JOURNEY that matters, not just the destination. On other islands, everything is different, there's a greater choice of locations, and their quality is much higher, and the price rarely exceeds 15k IDR, except for government parks. Unique to Bali, something that doesn't exist anywhere else, is Nusa Penida and possibly the Bukit (limestone cliffs) - truly beautiful and unique. Let's also add places with views of Agung (Lahangan Sweet), and possibly the caldera of Batur, which unfortunately has been nearly destroyed over the past three years by brick making; previously, it was a truly impressive lava field.

It's very wrong to think that Bali is so unique in terms of the number of natural attractions per square kilometer. Bali is truly unique only in its culture, while its nature, unfortunately, has become just business.

If you want to see something truly WOW, then you should at least go to East Java, towards Malang. Please, don't limit yourself to just visiting Mount Ijen; it's beautiful but a one-time experience. In this country, there is absolutely everything: whales, mountains, deserts, even glaciers! It's insanely beautiful, inhabited by genuinely good and hospitable people. If you have the opportunity - travel. Every day brings new views, new accommodations, new people, new cities. Each day is unlike the previous one. And if someone tells you that Java is dangerous, it's just a myth.

Sergey: If you have money and a reliable bike, you won't have any problems at all. People in Indonesia are very welcoming, you'll never be alone in trouble. Just make sure you have your documents, insurance, and off you go. If you're stopped by the police, they'll first check your documents and then invite you to have tea with them, chat, and take photos.

Sergey: More likely no than yes. Everyone has a different speed limit and time management, but this is my journey, my rules. But I can race in a group that I know and that can. And recruiting random people for such adventures is a very bad idea.

Sergey: If we take the island of Java, and we need to get from point A to point B in adequate time, then we start at 20:00 and drive until 6:00, sleep and continue further until the desired result. On the other islands everything is more or less normal, and it’s quite possible to travel during the day. Bali is almost the same hell as Jakarta.

Sergey: Yes, I use light Dainesse Air, but it’s still hot. Ideally, I recommend motorcycle armor and separate leg protection. The helmet is from Nolan, I advise you to choose a helmet with a price of at least $300 for long trips.

Sergey: The pace varies greatly; I once rode 1000 km in a day (I don't want to repeat that again). On average, if the pace is fast and there's not much to see, like in Kalimantan, then I cover 600-750 km in a day. I wake up at dawn, eat, and ride until sunset with stops for drinks and rest. If it's winding roads and everything is interesting, then 300 km, because on winding roads, you get physically tired very quickly over several days of riding. As for entertainment, it depends on where I stop and what there is to see and do around. Usually, I ride for 1-3 days, then spend 1-2 days exploring the surroundings before moving on. If there's nothing to explore, then I keep riding until I get tired. If it's a trip with my wife, it's simpler and shorter; if it's solo, then it's a completely different story. I ride fast.

Sergey: Ideally, I'd love to do a round-the-world trip. I tried to get a Carnet de Passage in Indonesia, and this summer I planned to ride from Bali through Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and back. But for this, you need a KITAP in Indonesia, which I consider absolute nonsense and just an excuse for the IMI (Indonesian Motor Association) not to issue me this document.

Sergey: From East Java, I even wrote a detailed plan for a “relaxed” tour with points for 5-6 days.

Sergey: STNK is a rectangular piece of paper, these are documents for a bike, it must not be expired. Rights - if there are no international ones, you can make them local.

- Powerbank for 20,000mah,

- It is better to order a good raincoat from tokopedia, for example.

- Comfortable shoes, don't wear flip-flops!

- Warm clothes for the mountains (on Bromo at night it can be +8 degrees).

- Nice helmet.

Sergey: Ferries between the islands operate 24/7 with intervals of less than an hour. The cost varies depending on the size of the bike and ranges from approximately 30 to 300 rupiahs.

- Bali to Java,

- Bali to Lombok,

- Java to Sumatra,

- Lombok to Sumbawa.

For all other ferries, I recommend checking the ASDP website and ideally confirming with locals, as the information is often not accurate.

There are also long-distance ferries that take 1-2 days. They are operated by the DLU Ferry company and are used for travel to Kalimantan and Sulawesi islands. This will be more expensive, around a million rupiahs.