At the rental lot in Bali, most people do one of two things: grab the cheapest option or something flashy that they believe looks good. They then spend the rest of their trip dealing with a vehicle that was never right for their plans. It happens constantly in Bali, and I am kind of embarrassed to admit that I did it too. But as embarrassed as I am, I'm happy that I have that trial-and-error expertise that only failure can give you. So I can confidentially say to you today to trust me that this is an easy mistake to avoid if you just slow down for five minutes before you commit to anything!
Now, these four things tell you everything about which vehicle fits your trip: where you're going, your daily riding distance, who's travelling with you and your real true actual skill level on a bike. Everything else is just noise.
Same island, completely different roads - depending on which direction you head. Canggu and Seminyak are relatively forgiving with their smoother surfaces and shorter distances between hot-spots. Start pushing toward Ubud's back-roads or further into North and East Bali however, and things change quickly. Pavement gives way to narrow hillside tracks and patchy surfaces that look perfectly innocently accessible on a map but haven't seen any maintenance in years.
Tourism content is biased and describes roads at their most rose-tinted-glassiness. The trick is to find recent posts from travellers who just came back and were open and specific about conditions. That's the information worth trusting before you commit to a route.
For daily use, these areas suit scooters well. Traffic has some kind of rhythm to it, lanes exist and parking happens in gaps that cars can't even begin to consider. What catches people off guard though, is how suddenly other drivers brake when puddles or road damage appears just ahead - especially during Bali's wet season! (Which is when afternoon downpours are common.) Just remember to allow more following distance than feels strictly necessary and pay genuine attention at intersections - these two things will go a long way here.
Now, that long coastal ride down to Uluwatu, or that climb through Ubud's hills are completely different experiences from simple flat beach-town riding. Under-powered bikes will struggle on those inclines immediately. For remote temples, highland villages, or the longer stretches up towards Munduk or across to East Bali, your vehicle needs to match the challenge.
Match Your Vehicle to Bali's Roads
Same island, completely different roads - depending on which direction you head. Canggu and Seminyak are relatively forgiving with their smoother surfaces and shorter distances between hot-spots. Start pushing toward Ubud's back-roads or further into North and East Bali however, and things change quickly. Pavement gives way to narrow hillside tracks and patchy surfaces that look perfectly innocently accessible on a map but haven't seen any maintenance in years.
Tourism content is biased and describes roads at their most rose-tinted-glassiness. The trick is to find recent posts from travellers who just came back and were open and specific about conditions. That's the information worth trusting before you commit to a route.
Around Canggu and Seminyak
For daily use, these areas suit scooters well. Traffic has some kind of rhythm to it, lanes exist and parking happens in gaps that cars can't even begin to consider. What catches people off guard though, is how suddenly other drivers brake when puddles or road damage appears just ahead - especially during Bali's wet season! (Which is when afternoon downpours are common.) Just remember to allow more following distance than feels strictly necessary and pay genuine attention at intersections - these two things will go a long way here.
Ubud, Uluwatu, and Beyond
Now, that long coastal ride down to Uluwatu, or that climb through Ubud's hills are completely different experiences from simple flat beach-town riding. Under-powered bikes will struggle on those inclines immediately. For remote temples, highland villages, or the longer stretches up towards Munduk or across to East Bali, your vehicle needs to match the challenge.
Enduro bikes like the Kawasaki KLX are able to handle those back-roads well, because the ground clearance and suspension are built for exactly that kind of surface. A Bali-based rental platform called BaliBikeHouse breaks down which models suit which routes specifically, which takes the guesswork out of it if you're not sure what kind of surface you're looking at, or indeed what bike would work well with it.
Luggage and passengers settle this faster than any other factor. One person with a day-pack heading to Seminyak for the day is a completely different situation from two people with camera gear, beach equipment and all the goodies from Ubud's markets.
If you're travelling solo and packing light, scooters make sense for simple reasons:
If you're travelling with other people and have real gear, a car stops being optional. Rain gets into bags strapped to a scooter faster than most people expect, and Bali's wet season makes that a regular reality between October and March. Things left in a basket attract unwanted attention. A car keeps everything dry, locked, safe and accessible without you having to unpack it all at every stop.
Group Size and What You're Carrying
Luggage and passengers settle this faster than any other factor. One person with a day-pack heading to Seminyak for the day is a completely different situation from two people with camera gear, beach equipment and all the goodies from Ubud's markets.
If you're travelling solo and packing light, scooters make sense for simple reasons:
- Traffic jams stop being your problem when you can fit through gaps that cars can't
- Parking opens up spots that don't officially exist for four-wheeled vehicles!
- Fuel for a full day riding across Bali costs very little
- Daily rates land well below car rentals
- Stopping whenever something looks worth investigating is easier
If you're travelling with other people and have real gear, a car stops being optional. Rain gets into bags strapped to a scooter faster than most people expect, and Bali's wet season makes that a regular reality between October and March. Things left in a basket attract unwanted attention. A car keeps everything dry, locked, safe and accessible without you having to unpack it all at every stop.
Daily distance catch people off guard more than almost anything else. Scooters are comfortable enough for shorter Canggu-to-Seminyak style days on reasonable surfaces. Push toward longer routes like a full day in Ubud or an Uluwatu round trip and the vibration and heat accumulate in ways that only sound significant when you're several hours in and feeling every kilometre. Tropical humidity makes it worse. Air conditioning stops seeming like a luxury and starts feeling like a necessity.
Rental shops in Bali don't evaluate whether you can handle what you're renting. Nothing prevents you from taking a powerful bike well beyond your skill level. That falls entirely on the rider, which means being genuinely honest with yourself before signing anything.
Riders with real motorcycle experience behind them adjust to bigger bikes and Bali's varied roads without much drama. People newer to it need to start on small automatics regardless of how things felt in the parking lot. Bali traffic, particularly around Kuta and Denpasar, surprises riders who assumed that their home experience(s) would transfer directly. A day or two of easy, low-pressure riding around familiar areas before heading somewhere more demanding makes a real difference. Trust me.
Riding in the wet season deserves its own kind of respect. Blue skies in the morning mean very little about afternoon conditions here. Heavy rain arrives fast, roads turn slick and puddles sitting over potholes look identical to puddles sitting over nothing. Cars remove most of that uncertainty. Scooter riders find somewhere dry to wait, or they ride through conditions towards accidents that end trips early. The World Health Organization consistently ranks road injuries among the leading causes of traveller deaths globally and wet unfamiliar roads contribute more than people expect.
Safety Comes Down to Honest Self-Assessment
Rental shops in Bali don't evaluate whether you can handle what you're renting. Nothing prevents you from taking a powerful bike well beyond your skill level. That falls entirely on the rider, which means being genuinely honest with yourself before signing anything.
Riders with real motorcycle experience behind them adjust to bigger bikes and Bali's varied roads without much drama. People newer to it need to start on small automatics regardless of how things felt in the parking lot. Bali traffic, particularly around Kuta and Denpasar, surprises riders who assumed that their home experience(s) would transfer directly. A day or two of easy, low-pressure riding around familiar areas before heading somewhere more demanding makes a real difference. Trust me.
Riding in the wet season deserves its own kind of respect. Blue skies in the morning mean very little about afternoon conditions here. Heavy rain arrives fast, roads turn slick and puddles sitting over potholes look identical to puddles sitting over nothing. Cars remove most of that uncertainty. Scooter riders find somewhere dry to wait, or they ride through conditions towards accidents that end trips early. The World Health Organization consistently ranks road injuries among the leading causes of traveller deaths globally and wet unfamiliar roads contribute more than people expect.
Check every helmet before accepting it. Shell cracks and straps that don't close properly are common enough to recommend that you always check. Long trousers and closed shoes on every ride, regardless of how short the map makes it look, or how cute your beach outfit looks.
In Bali, you need a valid Indonesian SIM C or an International Driving Permit that specifically covers motorcycles for the entire rental period. A regular car license or standard international permit without the motorcycle category won't cover you during a police stop, and checkpoints around tourist areas are regular enough for you to take them seriously.
Daily scooter rates run well below car rentals and fuel costs on a small bike stay minimal across most Bali day trips. Cars burn through considerably more, as do parking fees in busier spots across a longer stay. Scooters fit in somewhere free almost every time.
Read the insurance terms before signing. Budget rentals tend to leave damage costs with you when something happens. Walk around the vehicle before leaving the lot, photograph existing scratches with the agent present, and test brakes and lights properly. That habit takes two minutes and prevents the kind of disputes that make returning a rental genuinely unpleasant.
The Real Cost and the Paperwork
In Bali, you need a valid Indonesian SIM C or an International Driving Permit that specifically covers motorcycles for the entire rental period. A regular car license or standard international permit without the motorcycle category won't cover you during a police stop, and checkpoints around tourist areas are regular enough for you to take them seriously.
Daily scooter rates run well below car rentals and fuel costs on a small bike stay minimal across most Bali day trips. Cars burn through considerably more, as do parking fees in busier spots across a longer stay. Scooters fit in somewhere free almost every time.
Read the insurance terms before signing. Budget rentals tend to leave damage costs with you when something happens. Walk around the vehicle before leaving the lot, photograph existing scratches with the agent present, and test brakes and lights properly. That habit takes two minutes and prevents the kind of disputes that make returning a rental genuinely unpleasant.
