Indonesia | May 2023 |
Here are essential details on a 1-month solo motorcycle ride from Legian, Bali to Maumere, Flores and back via Lombok and Sumbawa, on a rental Yamaha Aerox 155. It was a great once-in-a-lifetime adventure, highly recommended for any other like-minded riders, and was relatively easy and safe to do.
Here's the key info on my trip, I hope it's of use to anyone thinking of doing the same route.
Planning & Route
Planning: honestly, I didn't spend much time pre-planning this trip; once I registered for a PADI Divemaster training in Komodo, I decided that, to get there, I would fulfil a goal to ride from Bali to Flores. In general, Indonesia is pretty easy touring and bike rentals a-plenty. One minor "challenge" was parking my bike for 1-month in Labuan Bajo ("LBJ") during the DMT; I ended up leaving with the family next door to my guesthouse (typical Indo amazing hospitality).
Rental: I worked out a deal with my friend Pande at Bali Bliss, my long-time rental connect in Bali. Paid him 5,000,000 rupiah for a 60-day rental no strings attached, travel anywhere in Indo. Most people go 1-way Bali to Flores (or vice-versa), or fly-in and rent in Flores and tour the island. I looked at the 1-way option, contacted a number of rental companies. But the cost of a 1-way rental from Labuan Bajo to Maumere, with a bike return fee, worked out to be about the same as a 2-month rental from Bali. Also, I wanted to ride through Lombok and Sumbawa. Some people think the backtracking and multiple ferries is a waste of time. But it worked well for me, gave me all the freedom I wanted on this route.
Reference: There's a video on the Bali-Flores ride here, not overly detailed with specifics. Flores was the key area I had never been to before, and wanted details. And there is not a lot online about motorcycle touring there. One god blog good I found with Flores info is Motorcycle Paradise.
License: I carried just the usual: passport, motorcycle DL & IDP (both Singapore), bike registration. The one time police asked me for ID, they were surprised to see I had all the right paperwork (as opposed to no moto license at all, as most tourists in Bali ride with)
Route: see below and in more detail in the Trip Reports section further down the page.
Bike & Gear
Bike: I rented a Yamaha Aerox 155, a popular bike in Indo. Oddly, this bike competes with the Yamaha NMax 155, the former apparently targeted more at younger riders, supposedly it's more "cool". Honestly, I would take the NMax over the Aerox any day of the week, the latter being much less comfortable for my 183cm frame. But overall the Aerox is a powerful, reliable bike and I had no issues at all with it, nor required any services on the 2,500 km ride.
Riding gear: AGV helmet, Revit Tornado 2 jacket, Ascics trail runners, Cardo PacTalk Bold, Klim Dakkar gloves (all carried from Singapore), jeans.
Luggage: I bought a Karrimor duffel at Sports Direct; it was ok, a good size for the trip, rain-resistant. But I would not purchase it again; overall it's pretty poor quality. My other bag was my trusted Pacsafe water-resistant backpack, which also served as a lockable portable safe. I had Apple Airtags in both bags.
Straps: I used my trusty Rokstraps to secure my bags on the back of the bike
Duration & Distances
30 days riding / 15 stops / 87.5 hrs riding / 2,700 km
Bali: 1 start/stop / 4 hrs / 200 km
Lombok: 2 stops / 18 hrs / 300 km
Sumbawa: 6 stops / 24 hrs / 1,000 km
Flores: 8 stops / 48 hrs / 1,200 km
Details of all rides and stops are below in Trip Reports
Ferries were an integral element of this trip, obviously. Overall my experience was good, I got sailing info (Instagram page of the national ferry service, forgot the name), or by going straight to the port on arrival and asking for details on sailings. I did have one bad experience, Bali to Lombok, mostly due to a national holiday, and almost another due to an upcoming regional ASEAN meeting in LBJ, which changed the schedule.
Cost
As with Indo in general, the costs were pretty low, around USD 50/day. I didn't do precise tracking, but can guestimate the following in USD:
Accom: $18/d
Gas: $3-5/d
F&B: $15/d
Ferries: avg $15/trip
Insurance
Motorcycle
Didn't take out motorcycle insurance (can't remember why, but I am pretty sure it was because the bike had insurance, and/or is was not available to me for the rental(?).
Travel/Medical
I used World Nomads travel insurance which covers motorcycle riding and other action-oriented activities, a relatively steep US$675 for 6 months.
Roads & Driving
The roads were mostly excellent, as is the case everywhere I have traveled in Indo (~5,000 km as of mid-2023). Flores in particular has spectacular riding.
The only mostly poor road I was on was the north coast of Flores.
Weather
Honestly, this was not much of a consideration when I planned and departed. But I got almost no rain at all in May.
Communication & Safety
No issues at all, English is spoken in varying degrees in most places. And it's totally safe! Seriously, the people in Flores are the friendliest I have met in my extensive travels worldwide and across much of Indo!
Mobile & Wifi
I used Telekomsel pre-paid. Just make sure you get a pan-Indonesia SIM, the others only work in certain areas, ex: West Nusa Tengarra SIM does not work in Flores, so you need to buy a new SIM - irritating. I only used data (no voice) and it was pretty good everywhere I traveled.
Accommodation
Great basic rooms everywhere, less than USD 20/day. Mostly no hot water in Flores. Shown below are 1) my hut at Scuba Junkie Komodo; 2) my room at Moni (Kelimutu); 3) a bunk on the overnight ferry from Labuan Bajo to Sape.
F&B
Indo food was great everywhere, as always. Decent western food can be found in major tourist locales like Kuta Lombok, GiliT, Yoyo Beach, LBJ. I found some decent Chinese food in Sumbawa Besar. I highly recommend La Cucina in LBJ - amazing Napoli pizza.
Alcohol is almost non-existent in Sumbawa, the most Islamic place east of Java. Flores is Catholic culture, beer and Arak are available everywhere.
Sights
Incredible! This part of Indo is packed with amazing must-see sights, including stunning views of volcanos on all islands, world-class beaches, Kelimutu volcanic lakes, Hobbit Cave, historic cultural sights, rice terraces, and the list goes on.
Activities
Place I visited and recommend and things I did there (and some I didn't do but are worth considering):
Flores: Komodo (diving), Kelimutu, Hobbit cave, Blue stone beach, Labuan Bajo; (didn't do: Riung island hopping, Bajawa hiking and hot springs, travel east of Maumere, Komodo dragon trip)
Sumbawa: surfing in Hu'u, Yoyo Beach, Sumbawa Besar sultanate buildings (didn't hike Tambora, dive with whale sharks)
Lombok: Kuta Lombok, north Lombok ride, Gili (diving)
Trip reports
Sumbawa: Lakey Beach > Sape
The maps below provide a good view of the road routes I followed. Click on the "window" top left for ride-to-from details. The maps look the same, but there is some slight variation for all islands ex Bali.
More Indonesia touring: North(ern) Sumatra
In early 2023 I did a 3-week ride in northern Sumatra on a rental scooter. Read more here:
Questions?
Drop me a line at sdasia@gmail.com, happy to help.
Comments