Hi guys,
A lot's happened since my first post in October 2015, and I'll catch you up
later. Sometime soon.
Meanwhile, I intend to spend half my time in Bali and half in Australia starting
about now. Up to now I've only managed a week or so every couple of months.
My partner and I usually go about Denpasar on her scooter or in her SUV, mostly
the scooter. The scooter is ideal for Bali and I'm very confident on the back of it.
But now I'm thinking about getting my own transport. Of course a scooter comes
first to mind, and while I'm confident on the back of my partners scooter, I'm not
so sure I'm ready to brave the traffic in Denpasar on my own account. Motorcycle
traffic is so dense here.
Let me clarify a bit. When I get on the back of her scooter I relinquish all
responsibility for what might happen, and I'm happy to do so. I'm confident with
her. Now those of us who ride motorcycles ( and I have one here in Australia )
know full well, that no matter how well you ride, accidents happen when some
other idiot does something stupid.
In order to improve my safety I'm looking at "cargo motortrikes". I've seen a few
in Denpasar and I like the idea. With a 250cc motor, a width of 1.3 mtrs and a
top speed of 80ks per hour they seem to be a good compromise between a car
and a scooter. I think they are about $3000 aud. My Balinese partner doesn't like
the idea. Shes only seen them used for collecting garbage, and she thinks that
every time I stop, people will throw garbage in the back of it. lol
Anyway Google "Cargo motortrikes". Tell me what you think.
Personal transport
First things first - get a local driving licence (SIM C) for whatever you buy or you'll lose it the first time a cop stops you.
Next up - the cargo things have three wheels so they tend to stand up in a bump, and they a lot of metal to break through before another bike or a car hits you but the ones I see around have front drum brakes so can't stop from any speed.
If slow is okay, and you really don't want to drive above about 30 kph on one of those things, you can buy them with cabs so you don't get wet.
Another option might be
Hi Fred,
Well, I have reservations about these machines. The first is that they're
built for commercial use and are heavy and clunky. They are also not
as maneuverable as a motor bike and are as restricted as a car in traffic.
Also parking would be as restrictive as a with car, although they have a
reversing function which might make things a little easier.
The ones I've seen on google have drum brakes front and rear, and top
speed for a 250cc machine is 80ks an hour, and for a 200cc machine 65ks.
Best thing I think is to find someone who'll let me have a ride on one.
Ideally I'd like to keep the 250cc machine but reduce the cargo area from
1.7mtrs length to 1mtr and the width to 90cm or 1mtr.
But maybe the whole idea is nonsense.
Nothing wrong with exploring possibilities and using a bit of imagination, especially for a newcomer to Indonesia's "interesting" roads.
There's no argument the three wheel things are far safer in an accident but the are a bit clunky and take some getting used to.
As for the top speed, forget it, the drums mean you can't stop easily at anything much above 30kph.
I considered one when I lived in a village but rejected them because of the terrible brakes, not because I gave a flying rat's bum about style.
Frankly, apart from the mechanical issues it would have been really handy as they can carry so much stuff in the back and it would have been pretty good for popping into town and so on.
The early ones used to rust like crazy but I understand the newer models are much better.
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