Driving Scooter in Bali - Watch Out!
Updated: Jan 13, 2019
Scooter is a perfect way to travel on your own and be independent on Bali!
Driving a scooter in Bali is the best and fare most comfortable way to commute. You can rent bikes for around 7 USD / day nearly everywhere in Bali. Just ask your hotel or villa to arrange one for you.
For any bike you can ask for a surf rack to be attached, which they will do free of charge.
If you never drove a scooter, please watch out. We have seen to many being to confident and crashing into the next ditch in no time. Get someone who knows how to drive and let him guide you. Try slowly on an open area first. Give it a try, you will handle a scooter eventually with no harm.
Fuel: Usually rental bikes come either half or full and the same way they ask you to return. You can fill up your bike nearly every where. You see local vendors selling fuel out of Vodka bottles lined up on wood rackets along the street. At time of writing those are about 15.000 Rp / bottle. If your bike is fully empty you would need about 2-3 of those. You will be able to ride for a week with that amount. You can also fill your bike at fuel stations a bit cheaper. Follow the crowed, bikes have to be turned of and pushed when approaching the handler. You pay in cash directly to the handler, credit card option is not available.
How far can i go with a scooter in Bali? You can go as far as Mount Batur with bikes. Or even to the north side of the island, for hardcore bikers. Only drawback commuting on your own is that Bali has very less street signs. So you need to ask your way until your destination, which is absolutely possible. Just shout out the destination you want to go to a local walking by and he will hand sign you the way. Starting from Enigma Bali Villas we recommend you do drive not into the busy areas of Seminyak or Kuta. Stay around Canggu, Ubud or head towards Tanah Lot, you will see beautiful rice fields along the way and will not be overwhelmed with to much traffic.
Use a helmet at all times for your own safety. When you drive on quiet streets nobody will check if you wear a helmet, but as soon you go on a busy main street there will be police lined up and they are very happy to take your valuable USD as fine. If you get caught, bargain, bargain, bargain. Don't be shy, and NEVER pay the first amount they mention to you. Be polite, be friendly and try to talk your way down to at least 10% of what they were saying.
Or, wear a helmet :-)
Wear a dress with respect to the local culture. Only a bikini top and hot pants is frowned upon in Bali and government is already discussing to ban to open dresses on bikes and temples. So do yourself a favor and throw that T-shirt over and cover your tights, always remember you are making holiday i a highly religious island which is a good mix of islamic and hindu religion.
Last, because most important, never jump on a bike without having proper health insurance. Daily tourist are having accidents in Bali and end up in the hospital with sever scratch woulds and traumas without proper health insurance, not even to talk about repatriation. You want to be proper insured to at least be treated at a international hospital like SOS or Siloam.
The scooter itself comes usually without insurance.
Enjoy the island on a scooter but be safe at all times.
