The Far Side of the World

Motorbikes in Indonesia

 

My wife and I enjoyed a 12-day trip to Indonesia this past year. I've made the trip several times in recent years with a non-profit I help manage, 127 Legacy Foundation, and have always been fascinated with the culture of motorcycles over there. Some interesting observations from our trip abroad:

The largest displacement engine I’ve ever found in Indonesia was 250cc. It's an interesting contrast to the US, where, aside from scooters, a 250 is about the smallest you'll find.

The rider always wears a helmet, yet often passengers do not. Even multiple family members, including small children, will be helmetless, while the "wrist" will wear one.

*We spent a few days around Tokyo, Japan prior to continuing on to Jakarta. I was startled to find very few motorcycles, including scooters, in Japan, whether in the city or country. Ironic, that the nation with four of the top producing brands in the world (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki), and yet so few of their own citizens actually ride.

 

During a traffic jam in Jakarta, looking back through the tunnel was astounding. There appeared to be hundreds rolling our way - one large, moving mass of "man and machine”.

 

The traffic was stopped in front of our hotel, but that did not prevent riders from throttling through and around, in a constant stream. 

 

A teen riding home from school with a parent, outside the city of Kupang, Timor. Amazing how often I saw multiple riders with no helmets or other protective gear for the passengers.

 

 

Often the only means of transportation for entire families, children are squeezed onto seats between parents and older siblings, often up to 4-5 on a bike and helmetless, as evidenced here.

 

These three-wheeled "motortrikes" are common throughout the cities as delivery vehicles on the surface streets.



 

Small-bore motorcycles and scooters clog the already packed streets of downtown Jakarta, Indonesia by the thousands, flowing through traffic by lane-splitting, curb-jumping, and red-light running.

 

 

Even out in the city of Kupang, near the far eastern end of the Indonesian island chain on Timor, scooters and small motorcycles are a way of life. Traffic is not as bad as in Jakarta, so streets are easier to navigate with two wheels or four. I'd feel more comfortable riding out here!

 

Taken from a transit bus we were on, the riders on these diminutive mounts, men & women, young & old, were fearless in traffic.

 

Several small motorbikes parked outside an orphanage we support on the western Indonesian island of Sumatra, in the city of Minas. They teach the boys how to repair them, to give them a means of earning a living upon graduating out at 18.

 

 

The shop behind the orphanage, where the kids practice their skills at motorcycle repair and maintenance.

 

 

A friend at our orphanage in Minas, Sumatra let me cop a ride on his bike. Without an international drivers license, I was not allowed out on open roads, but had a blast throttling around side streets and dirt roads.

 

 

This Kawasaki was about the coolest little ride I saw in Sumatra. When the owner fired it up, I discovered it was a howling, smoking 2-stroke!

 

McDonalds delivers in many parts of Jakarta, via scooters like these.

One of the doctors at a clinic we helped build near Kupang, Timor owned this Honda. And yes, I had to take a spin on it. Such a cool little bike! 
As with much of Asia and the Pacific Rim, motorbikes in Indonesia are a necessary element of life. As the 4^th most populous nation on the planet, the Indonesian archipelago of islands is among the world’s greatest purchasers of motorcycles and scooters. As a rider myself, it’s just another reason I enjoy traveling to the far side of the world. Many kindred spirits abroad!