My last thead on 'riding with gangs' got a bit heavy so I thought I'd lighten it all up to see if KB'ers have any oversea's bike experiences.
I lived in Bali for 4 years, yeah I know, bummer, but hey. I was working the boats back here in NZ and leasing a villa in the ricefields to the north of Kuta. really nice. It was always 2 months work in NZ and 4 months Bali, and coupled with the 15 years I have been going backwards and forwards chasing waves I've seen some mad things on the roads.
Most people in Indonesia get around on bikes, mostly steppies but more recently fast steppies, 125cc 2 stroke 6 speed steppies that would leave a car for dead. I've been in Denpasar when there are illegal gatherings of these guys racing in the city. A 1km hard out stretch of road, on the picks and then back to the other end, and so on, round and round. They race until the cops turn up but by then there's 500 spectators and as soon as plod appears theres bikes going in every direction. These guys fang in jandals and t-shirts.
Theres not many big bikes as the largest capacity Wayan is allowed is 200cc. There are some Harleys and the odd sport bike, but mostly for daily hire.....but expensive. Stay clear as the roads are too dodgy for these bigger bikes. Theres even a Balinese HOG club and I've seen some amazing old BMW's around, left over from the war, in pristine nick.
The road from Kuta to Padang-bai, up the east coast to where the ferries leave to lombok is mad. From Kuta to gillimanuk on the west coast is worse. KBers would freak, its like a complusary defensive driving course every time you step out. I've been forced into the gravel many times as a there's 3 oncomming vehicles lined up all passing each other! The traffic density would rival anywhere in the world and as you head east the human obstacles give way to horse and cart and roaming animals. Go further into never-neverland, say Sumba, and the whole village will come out to meet you as you pass down narrow winding dusty paths.
'Hello mister' rings in your ears throughout Indo.
The kids stick their hands out to give you the high 5, make contact at 60kms and hell it hurts your hands, both the kid and you, yooouuch....
The most people I've seen on a bike was 6. It was something like a C90. Me and a mate were off to surf Sumbawa, boards strapped on the side of the bikes and we came accross this family struggling to ascend this mountain pass somewhere near Bima. The son no1 was standing on the bike in-between dads legs, dad was driving, there was another smaller kid behind dad, then mum with a baby in a sarong draped off the side and then another older grommet on the back guard. Geese we got it lucky here. Hanging over the bike was 3 cages of chickens and all their belongings, it made a sight.
I once had this pesky grommet from Whangamata want to follow me to scar reef on his bike through some mean tropical forest teaming with butterflys and 'micro' dust tracks. I found him crawling through the undergrowth an hour later after he failed to turn up, compound fracture and balling his eyes out. We were in the middle of absolutley fucking no-where. Another whole other story how I managed to get him out.....he vowd to never come back to Indo....he did have no respect that kid and didnt believe in Karma...silly boy.
Geeze I've done so many hours on bikes over there I would ramble for ages.
On the piss in Kuta, as you do, and the boys all head off to another watering hole through Jl padma's twisties, about 6 of us, going too fast. My mate goes down infront of me on the pea-gravel, sparks flying as I watch him straddle the side of his bike, almost surfiing the thing as it fast approaches the kerb. As he hits, the bike stands up and deposits him, feet first on the sidewalk. Not a sctrach. Only in Bali.
The Bali tattoo? It's when the tourist gets off their bike and burns their inside leg on the hot pipe which leaves a huge blister and a nice scar... seen many.
Oh the cops are funny. Sport when you live there. They block the roads off to get some 'smoke' money. ie youre not wearing a shirt, or dont have or licence, anything... then they proceed to they to try and reem every last rupih in your wallet, or US$ if youre unlucky. The best way was to have a nice crisp 50,000 Rp note in the licence, no questions asked. I ran many times and got away, sometimes. One time, real slow cruisng past the police block, dodging the officers until the indo girl on the back fell off, fark. The keys got ripped out and we got man-handled, she had no KTP (indo indentity card) and I was the dodgy, fluent Indonesian speaking 'bule', (whitey). They hauled us back to the cop shop in the back of an open pig-wagon as another cop drove my bike. We got there just to witness this 'D' beat up on this whore in the cells, imagine trying to concentrate with that going on. We got away with $20 US, I never paid up so quick.
Watched a row of bikes on a ferry one day, all tied together, about 30 of them, all hit the deck in heavy seas, the place was a zoo.
Saw a mad tourist (must have been good mushies) drive his rental off the end of the whalf in Jimbarin one day, straight into the piss. Wish I had the video camera for that one.
I've got to stop, I have many more mad Indonesian bike adventures to tell but perhaps later.
I'm sure there are some other interesting adventurous KBrs out there???
A nice Pit
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What a riot of a read, sounds like keystone cop shennanigans and comedy central all rolled into one! Glad to hear you lived through it all! 
Originally Posted by saltydog
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