Richard's Great East IDN Ride 2020

richnbel

Junior Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Bikes
Honda Super 4 + Wave 125, Yamaha WR200, H
Greetings all,

I’m Richard and I’m Singaporean.

Me and 3 others plan to do a ride from Medan to Java in 2020.

Plan is to buy a used scooter in Medan, ride to Laka Toba then south and cross the Sundra straits on a ferry for Java. In Java, we have not decide on route yet. End point may be Jakarta or Surabaya.

As we are working people, we can only set aside about 3 weeks for riding. Plan is to buy bikes, ride and sell off at end point. We may store bikes at end point for a future ride eastwards towards Bali.

Riders are in our 50’s, fit and have ridden extensively in Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, so we can ride on SEA roads. My wife is a Indonesian from East Java, therefore purchasing bikes and insurance is no issue.

The first question I like to ask all is suggestions for a good month to ride. We hate rains and for obvious safety reasons, will try to avoid the rainy months. I appreciate suggestions.

Second, as the bike will be a CVT scooter and I like the durability of Honda’s, what model do you all suggest?
2 bikes will be solo riders with strap on bag. Me and wife will be on 1 bike, so we like a bike with a longer seat and a bit of legroom to stretch. Do suggest please. I am even open to suggestions for “manual” shift bike such as Bajaj or even semi auto like the indestructible Honda Wave / Revo / Supra.

Third, my partners wish to fly into Medan and start from there. Lake Toba is definitely a must see. Any other must visit places in Sumatra?
We can ride 2 weeks in Sumatra, cross the Sundra straits and head straight for JKT and sell bikes there. This means the bulk of the trip will be in Sumatra, keeping Java for part 2. Good idea?

I have followed the IDN post on Rideasia extensively. I especially like the post by Rial Hamzah “The Great Java Bali Road Trip 2012”, all the post by the great Meratau, advice by Rocketz and others.

Thanks in advance and wish all safe riding.
 
Welcome Richard, hope you get the feedback you ask for. I am sure there is someone here who can assist you.
 
Welcome Richard, hope you get the feedback you ask for. I am sure there is someone here who can assist you.


Ally,

Thanks for welcome.

1st love is still Thailand and hope for a retirement home in CNX in 6-8 years time. Then endless riding on a Forza 300 ....

BEDBBC60-494B-4775-A463-327454D36DC7.png
 
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Hi Richard. I'm sure you will have a great time riding in Indonesia. I can't speak for Sumatra but from Bali to the east the dry season is April to October. But like everywhere the climate is not as regular as before. A few of years ago I struck heavy rain in Flores in July. In 2016 I struck heavy rain in Sumbawa. But on both occasions it was only a couple of days and not all day. So, during those months you will be ok.

I see one major problem with your plan 're selling the bikes. Vehicles in Indonesia are registered by the provincial government so buyers are reluctant to buy bikes that are registered in a different province to where they live because re-registration becomes a real headache for them. You may be better off hiring motorbikes. You will potentially save a lot of time and money as if you have to sell the bikes quickly you are at a big disadvantage. Their is a fellow in Bali who hires bikes and you can drop them off in Labuhanbajo and fly back from there. To give you an idea of times/distances, in 2016 I had to do a fast trip east from Lombok.

I rode Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Alor, Timor, Savu, Sumba, Sumbawa, Lombok in 17 days. Had to cos my visa was running out. So, in three weeks you can see a lot. I would seriously consider a trip east of Bali as an alternative to Sumatra. Silk Air flies SGP to LBK a few times a week. Regarding bikes. My wife and I have made a couple of trips on Honda Vario automatic scooter. Only 110cc but did the job ok. Serah is small. She wore a small back pack. I stored our bigger pack on the footplate between my legs. We now have a rack on the Vario so a pack can strap on there. Newer Varios are 125cc and fuel injected. My mate David owns a Honda PCX which is 150cc and has a bigger seat but there are not many available in Indonesia
Hope that helps. Happy to answer more questions.
 
Merantau,

So nice of you to reply and share.

Appreciate your advice. Did not realise the difficulty of selling off a bike bought from another Regency, let alone selling off on another island. Well, back to square one. As wife is from East Jave, will probably borrow family motorcycle.

She has proposed getting the relatives to send the 3 bikes by truck from her hometown of Trenggalek in East Java to Surabaya. We will fly in to SUB, pick up the bikes there and ride around Java. We could return the bikes to either SUB or Solo as both are about 4 hours by road to her hometown. Relatives will then “truck” the bikes to hometown.

Problem with the above plan is that my riding buddies are rather keen on Sumatra and Lake Toba.

I have another idea. We might still fly into Medan and ride Sumatra to Java.
Since selling the bikes will be a problem, so we just keep the bikes in wife’s hometown for relatives to use or future part 2. Bikes will not be sold. Anyway since we budget S$500 / US$360 / IDR 5.3M for each used bike, it won’t be such a big pain.

My question now is, will it be a issue for relatives to ride around East Java with a used bike bought and registered in Medan, Sumatra? Legal? Will relatives be committing a offence riding a bike bought from Sumatra? Want to be charitable to let relatives use but don’t want to get them into trouble.

Lastly, is my budget of IDR 5.3M for a used bike suffice to for a decent reliable used bike.

Appreciate your wise advice please.

Thanks in advance.

Richard
 
I rode through a good bit of Indonesia in 2015, spent 3,5 months there and did 13 k kms. Around 3,5 weeks in Sumatra. Arrived late June and didnt have any rain at all there. So I belive the rainys season is approx the same in Sumatra as it is further southeast as Merentau mentiones. Even though Sumatra is both south and north of the equator line.
I shipped my bike over from Penang and started from Medan. First stop was Bukit Lawang, just 90-100 kms from Medan, a 3-4 hour ride at indonesian speed LOL. Bukit Lavang was a pleasant and interesting experience, jungle trips to see orangutans and other wildlife was really interesting. Its just a small place and tourism wasnt that developed but enough to have a great time.
Next I rode up to Banda Aceh. I thought it was interesting to see all the traces after the tsunami in 2004. Theres a huge tsunami museum and a memorial as well. And that famous fishing boat that was taken several kms inland by the tsunami waves and which also carried some persons who saved their life by climbing that boat when the tsunami waves started to come in.
Then I rode down the west coast from Banda Aceh, and the road there is some of the most amazing and beautiful stretches I ever have ridden. And several hours of that ride is more or less without any other traffic as the stretch is not inhabited.
Lake Toba is of course a great place. Watch out for the magic mushrooms btw...LOL.
Further south - Bukittingi was a half decent town with some POI. From there I rode back to the west coast down to the city of Padang. Theres some interesting stretches on that road, one place is a steep descend to a lake where the roads have 40-50 hairpin turns after eachother, each turn are numbered!
I parked my bike in Padang and spent some time on the Siberut island with some of the Mentawai tribe, but you probably wont have time for that. Back in Padang I rode the west coast further south to finally end up at the ferry dock to Java island. I think I used 3 days to get there. I was totally lost as my GPS didnt have any roads in that area. I just followed the main roads and checked my maps on the phone now and then. It was a completely insane ride and I took several wrong turns and had to return. But it was a ride I not easily forget.
 
Merantau,

So nice of you to reply and share.

Appreciate your advice. Did not realise the difficulty of selling off a bike bought from another Regency, let alone selling off on another island. Well, back to square one. As wife is from East Jave, will probably borrow family motorcycle.

She has proposed getting the relatives to send the 3 bikes by truck from her hometown of Trenggalek in East Java to Surabaya. We will fly in to SUB, pick up the bikes there and ride around Java. We could return the bikes to either SUB or Solo as both are about 4 hours by road to her hometown. Relatives will then “truck” the bikes to hometown.

Problem with the above plan is that my riding buddies are rather keen on Sumatra and Lake Toba.

I have another idea. We might still fly into Medan and ride Sumatra to Java.
Since selling the bikes will be a problem, so we just keep the bikes in wife’s hometown for relatives to use or future part 2. Bikes will not be sold. Anyway since we budget S$500 / US$360 / IDR 5.3M for each used bike, it won’t be such a big pain.

My question now is, will it be a issue for relatives to ride around East Java with a used bike bought and registered in Medan, Sumatra? Legal? Will relatives be committing a offence riding a bike bought from Sumatra? Want to be charitable to let relatives use but don’t want to get them into trouble.

Lastly, is my budget of IDR 5.3M for a used bike suffice to for a decent reliable used bike.

Appreciate your wise advice please.

Thanks in advance.

Richard
My understanding is that when people buy 2nd hand motorcycles in Indonesia they need 2 things. First is the STNK which Indonesians call the "stenker". It is the registration paper. Surat Tanda Nomor Kendaraan. Next is the BPKB - pronounced "Bay Pay Jar Bay" This is the owner's book. But don't expect to see the name of the owner in the book! The bike might have been sold several times without changing the owner's name. It seems nobody, police included, seems to care about this. People when they buy a bike usually get a copy of the previous owners Identity card - KTP or Kartu Tanda Penduduk - phone number and even a letter to say that the bike has been sold on such and such a date. As you are a foreigner you cannot legally have a bike in your name so nominate your wife as the owner of the bikes. That is what I suggest.
 
That should be "Bay Pay Kar Bay" And I endorse Snakeboy's suggestions as he knows what he is talking about. The road with the 44 bends takes you down to Lake Maninjau not far from Bukittinggi
 
Re your budget. Yes IDR 5.3 should get you something that will do the job. I'm sure you know what to look for and bargain hard. Good thing - parts and servicing are very inexpensive.
 
I will third the suggestion on Lake Meninjau.

My Indonesian ride in 2011-12 followed this route


1542370048438.png


Meninjau, like Toba is simply fantastic

1542370117238.png


At the eastern end of Java, the volcanoes are well worth seeing

1542370266939.png
 
I rode through a good bit of Indonesia in 2015, spent 3,5 months there and did 13 k kms. Around 3,5 weeks in Sumatra. Arrived late June and didnt have any rain at all there. So I belive the rainys season is approx the same in Sumatra as it is further southeast as Merentau mentiones. Even though Sumatra is both south and north of the equator line.
I shipped my bike over from Penang and started from Medan. First stop was Bukit Lawang, just 90-100 kms from Medan, a 3-4 hour ride at indonesian speed LOL. Bukit Lavang was a pleasant and interesting experience, jungle trips to see orangutans and other wildlife was really interesting. Its just a small place and tourism wasnt that developed but enough to have a great time.
Next I rode up to Banda Aceh. I thought it was interesting to see all the traces after the tsunami in 2004. Theres a huge tsunami museum and a memorial as well. And that famous fishing boat that was taken several kms inland by the tsunami waves and which also carried some persons who saved their life by climbing that boat when the tsunami waves started to come in.
Then I rode down the west coast from Banda Aceh, and the road there is some of the most amazing and beautiful stretches I ever have ridden. And several hours of that ride is more or less without any other traffic as the stretch is not inhabited.
Lake Toba is of course a great place. Watch out for the magic mushrooms btw...LOL.
Further south - Bukittingi was a half decent town with some POI. From there I rode back to the west coast down to the city of Padang. Theres some interesting stretches on that road, one place is a steep descend to a lake where the roads have 40-50 hairpin turns after eachother, each turn are numbered!
I parked my bike in Padang and spent some time on the Siberut island with some of the Mentawai tribe, but you probably wont have time for that. Back in Padang I rode the west coast further south to finally end up at the ferry dock to Java island. I think I used 3 days to get there. I was totally lost as my GPS didnt have any roads in that area. I just followed the main roads and checked my maps on the phone now and then. It was a completely insane ride and I took several wrong turns and had to return. But it was a ride I not easily forget.


Snake boy,

Thanks you so much for the info on Sumatra, that’s useful.

May I ask about your crossing from Penang to (Medan?)
May I ask the country of registration of your bike?
Have read about the “Onion” boat ride, seen pictures of the bikes being hoisted onboard and contact details of that Chinese gentleman who arranges the transport.

What I understand is that rider and bike ride separately. I.e. rider cannot take same boat as bike. Bike will land in Sumatra and be placed in customs lockup till carnet de passage is produced. Rider takes a schedule passenger ferry to Sumatra. Please clarify.

Why I ask country of registration of bike is that Malaysian and Singapore bikes may face difficulty as Singapore bikes entering Malaysia need not have a carnet. We share a border and simply drive over a bridge. Now, when a Singapore bike goes on that Onion boat from Penang to Sumatra, there’s no record of that bike ever being in Malaysia, this creates some problems upon arrival at Indonesian customs. Obviously Singapore bikes still need a carnet.

I have thought of buying a Honda Wave 125 or similar in Malaysia ( cheap and Singaporeans can buy easily), cross over at Penang, ride Sumatra and then ship to Johor, Malaysia ( understand there’s a ferry from South Sumatra to Johor). This solves the rental and purchase problems. Only problem is getting a carnet for the Malaysian bike, could still cost a bit of $$$.

Comments please from all.
 
My understanding is that when people buy 2nd hand motorcycles in Indonesia they need 2 things. First is the STNK which Indonesians call the "stenker". It is the registration paper. Surat Tanda Nomor Kendaraan. Next is the BPKB - pronounced "Bay Pay Jar Bay" This is the owner's book. But don't expect to see the name of the owner in the book! The bike might have been sold several times without changing the owner's name. It seems nobody, police included, seems to care about this. People when they buy a bike usually get a copy of the previous owners Identity card - KTP or Kartu Tanda Penduduk - phone number and even a letter to say that the bike has been sold on such and such a date. As you are a foreigner you cannot legally have a bike in your name so nominate your wife as the owner of the bikes. That is what I suggest.


Merantau,

Great suggestion and advice.

Wife has been working and living in SGP for 20 years, so she’s not familiar with bike registration procedures. She is still a IDN citizen though so purchase is no issue.

Richard
 
Snake boy,

Thanks you so much for the info on Sumatra, that’s useful.

May I ask about your crossing from Penang to (Medan?)
May I ask the country of registration of your bike?
Have read about the “Onion” boat ride, seen pictures of the bikes being hoisted onboard and contact details of that Chinese gentleman who arranges the transport.

What I understand is that rider and bike ride separately. I.e. rider cannot take same boat as bike. Bike will land in Sumatra and be placed in customs lockup till carnet de passage is produced. Rider takes a schedule passenger ferry to Sumatra. Please clarify.

Why I ask country of registration of bike is that Malaysian and Singapore bikes may face difficulty as Singapore bikes entering Malaysia need not have a carnet. We share a border and simply drive over a bridge. Now, when a Singapore bike goes on that Onion boat from Penang to Sumatra, there’s no record of that bike ever being in Malaysia, this creates some problems upon arrival at Indonesian customs. Obviously Singapore bikes still need a carnet.

I have thought of buying a Honda Wave 125 or similar in Malaysia ( cheap and Singaporeans can buy easily), cross over at Penang, ride Sumatra and then ship to Johor, Malaysia ( understand there’s a ferry from South Sumatra to Johor). This solves the rental and purchase problems. Only problem is getting a carnet for the Malaysian bike, could still cost a bit of $$$.

Comments please from all.

Hola Richnbel

My bike is norwegian plated.
The latest news about the Mr Lims Onion boat is that it has ceased operating permanently. So thats sad news for the overland community.
Yes I had to take a flight from Penang to Medan as one are not allowed to go with the bike on the same ship. But dirt cheap flights Penang to Medan though. There isnt any ferry or passenger boat services between Penang and Belawan/Medan afaik.
I had to pick up the bike in Belawan and pay the agent there and of course get the Carnet stamped but quite easy and straight forward though.


I have never heard about any vehicle ferry between Johor and south Sumatra. I think if there ever had been one the overland community would have been all over it.

There is however a passenger boat between Port Klang and Tanjung Balai (the last might not be correct spelled) which also do take motorbikes. The biggest bikes might have problems load and unload but a 125 cc Honda shouldnt have any problem.

There is rumours about a new roro ferry route between Malaysia and Indonesia Sumatara.
I dont know too much sbout it but you can have a read here: Indonesia dan Malaysia Jajaki Pelayaran Kapal Roro Rute Dumai-Malaka - Tribunnews.com
 
Hola Richnbel

My bike is norwegian plated.
The latest news about the Mr Lims Onion boat is that it has ceased operating permanently. So thats sad news for the overland community.
Yes I had to take a flight from Penang to Medan as one are not allowed to go with the bike on the same ship. But dirt cheap flights Penang to Medan though. There isnt any ferry or passenger boat services between Penang and Belawan/Medan afaik.
I had to pick up the bike in Belawan and pay the agent there and of course get the Carnet stamped but quite easy and straight forward though.


I have never heard about any vehicle ferry between Johor and south Sumatra. I think if there ever had been one the overland community would have been all over it.

There is however a passenger boat between Port Klang and Tanjung Balai (the last might not be correct spelled) which also do take motorbikes. The biggest bikes might have problems load and unload but a 125 cc Honda shouldnt have any problem.

There is rumours about a new roro ferry route between Malaysia and Indonesia Sumatara.
I dont know too much sbout it but you can have a read here: Indonesia dan Malaysia Jajaki Pelayaran Kapal Roro Rute Dumai-Malaka - Tribunnews.com


Snakebite,

Thanks for info.

Sad to know the well known Penang - Sumatra onion boat service has ceased. It's been noted in many guide books.

Regarding the South Sumatra to Johor ferry: I will update all as I frequently goto Johor. I am sure there is a passenger ferry from Puteri Harbour in Johor to Batam.

Not sure they allow a small 125 bike on board. Even if they do, will there be customs clearance at departure point to clear bike for exports.

As my trip is planned for 2020. Plenty of time to update all here. We Singaporeans ride to Johor Malaysia very frequently.

Thanks to all who share the info.
Cheers and safe riding.

Richard
 
@richnbel i'm a european who lived more than 2 years in indonesia. i rode through the whole island of jawa couple of times, from Cilegon to Gianyar and Mataram and also once the south coast of kalimantan, from pontianak to balikpapan and went into the jungle after tenggarong and samarinda.

my first advice is to invest in a comfortable bike. I drove lots of bikes in my travels, from TS250 to NMAX, from Vario to Mio, from Burgman to Yamaha Nuovo 2002 (lol) and some custom bikes as well. in some travels I did 12 hours/day, other times (city breaks) only 3-4 hours/day. the best quality/price and fiability for Indonesian roads is a Vario 150 with less than 25.000 km on board. you can find it usually at around 3x your initial budget, 14-16jt (jt=juta=million rupiahs). think of it as an insurance (as is it much safer than many of the other bikes available on the market). an older vario150 you could get at even 9-10 jt.

second, if someone offers you a deal which sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't. for example, when buying the motorbike you have to be careful at 3 things: plate number expiry, STNK expiry and BPKB. the process of getting the bike in your wife's name is very laborious and is a no go in your "vacation" situation. you can do as most of the people do, by leaving the motorcycle in the old owners name but take the papers in original and a photocopy of the owner's KTP (identity card). of course you go also to a notari. if you find a bike without BPKB but with a valid STNK for at least 6 more months, you should get it at 50-60% the prices above. If it doesn't have papers, you shouldn't buy it, most likely you will run into troubles. look for bikes on facebook groups and on OLX.

Now, if you want to leave the bikes to your wife's relatives, they can drive it with a valid STNK with no problems, but they might be stopped by police for regular checks because of the different plate numbers. They would need the BPKB to renew to the STNK and the plate numbers.

third tip is to always keep 50.000 idr in the keychain to give to a policeguy when they stop you, to make the whole process more "lancar". These are called "uang licin". keep 100k in a separate pocket if you actually did something wrong and the rest of your money separate.

fourth tip is to get a health insurance from a local branch. First time I went to indonesia, I had this ultraexpensive travel insurance which I bought from my home country, and when I went to a local clinic, they couldn't accept it and I had to go to a bigger hospital. After those first 6 months, I got a health insurance of 250k per month from BNI which worked perfectly. In my opinion is cheaper: sooner or later, on 2 wheels you're going to crash.
 
Merantau,

So nice of you to reply and share.

Appreciate your advice. Did not realise the difficulty of selling off a bike bought from another Regency, let alone selling off on another island. Well, back to square one. As wife is from East Jave, will probably borrow family motorcycle.

She has proposed getting the relatives to send the 3 bikes by truck from her hometown of Trenggalek in East Java to Surabaya. We will fly in to SUB, pick up the bikes there and ride around Java. We could return the bikes to either SUB or Solo as both are about 4 hours by road to her hometown. Relatives will then “truck” the bikes to hometown.

Problem with the above plan is that my riding buddies are rather keen on Sumatra and Lake Toba.

I have another idea. We might still fly into Medan and ride Sumatra to Java.
Since selling the bikes will be a problem, so we just keep the bikes in wife’s hometown for relatives to use or future part 2. Bikes will not be sold. Anyway since we budget S$500 / US$360 / IDR 5.3M for each used bike, it won’t be such a big pain.

My question now is, will it be a issue for relatives to ride around East Java with a used bike bought and registered in Medan, Sumatra? Legal? Will relatives be committing a offence riding a bike bought from Sumatra? Want to be charitable to let relatives use but don’t want to get them into trouble.

Lastly, is my budget of IDR 5.3M for a used bike suffice to for a decent reliable used bike.

Appreciate your wise advice please.

Thanks in advance.

Richard
PLenty of Indos riding bike from other provinces in Bali so maybe not a big problem. 6 mill Idr is good price to pay for good bike. Get it properly serviced at start by a dealer then change oil regularly if going on long runs. Simple bikes and easily repaired. I might suggest Honda Varios 125 cc as very common nowdays.
I have an Yamaha NMAX, great bike as well. 155cc.
 
PLenty of Indos riding bike from other provinces in Bali so maybe not a big problem. 6 mill Idr is good price to pay for good bike. Get it properly serviced at start by a dealer then change oil regularly if going on long runs. Simple bikes and easily repaired. I might suggest Honda Varios 125 cc as very common nowdays.
I have an Yamaha NMAX, great bike as well. 155cc.


Rick,

Thanks for the reply.

Cheers
 
Lake Toba is awesome.
XIOw4Pm.jpg

I want to return there and also ride Western Sumatra.
I rented a Yamaha Nmax 155, enough power but the small wheels give a rough ride on many of the roads. Lower back got sore.
Regular 17 inch wheel bike would be good. I rented a Honda Versa 150 in Yogyakarta and that was excellent.
 
Lake Toba is awesome.
XIOw4Pm.jpg

I want to return there and also ride Western Sumatra.
I rented a Yamaha Nmax 155, enough power but the small wheels give a rough ride on many of the roads. Lower back got sore.
Regular 17 inch wheel bike would be good. I rented a Honda Versa 150 in Yogyakarta and that was excellent.


Iron Chef,

Thanks for advice. Appreciate reply.

Richard
 
Folks,

Many many thanks for the advice and replies.

Buddy and me have now decided on our final route for our 2020 ride.

Lombok eastwards towards East Nusa Tenggara.

Plan is to fly in to Lombok, buy / rent bikes, ride East as far as we can, hopefully reaching East Tenggara, u turn and head back to Lombok within 14 days.

Mainly because:

1. Less traffic as compared to Java
2. The novelty of ferry crossings
3. Constant views of the sea
4. Relatively in explored
5. ....fans of the great Merantau's rides!

So thank you all for contributing to "Richard’s Great Sumatra and Java ride in 2020" and standby for "Richard's Great East IDN Ride 2020" soon.
 
Excellent. I absolutely loved Flores. The roads are great. This image was taken by a friend, Keith, of the roads in Flores (I was waiting on Garmin to replace my GPS at the time)

1545365570537.png


Sunrise at Kelimutu was great

1545365713732.png


A side trip to Komodo is well worth it

1545365782669.png
 
I have a chart somewhere. I will dig it out, if you remind me (it's after midnight here now)

Also, got some good info on the ferry between Sumatra and Malaysia. Later.......
 
Big Fella,

Glad you agree.

Any suggestions for good time of the year for riding Flores? Wanna avoid the rains.

Richard
You should be pretty safe between May and Oct with July/August being optimal. Keep in touch because I may be able to help out with your planning/hiring etc. At the end of 2016 travelled Lombok to Larantuka in east Flores,ferry to Alor, ferry to Kupang, ferry to Savu, ferry Sumba, ferry Sumbawa, ferry Lombok in just 17 days. Rushed trip, not my ideal choice but had visa issues. So, A couple of weeks to reach Larantuka and return would make a decent trip. More time would be better of course but you can only do what you can do if you have time constraints.
 
You should be pretty safe between May and Oct with July/August being optimal. Keep in touch because I may be able to help out with your planning/hiring etc. At the end of 2016 travelled Lombok to Larantuka in east Flores,ferry to Alor, ferry to Kupang, ferry to Savu, ferry Sumba, ferry Sumbawa, ferry Lombok in just 17 days. Rushed trip, not my ideal choice but had visa issues. So, A couple of weeks to reach Larantuka and return would make a decent trip. More time would be better of course but you can only do what you can do if you have time constraints.


Merantau,

Thank you and will certainly get in touch with you before the big ride in 2020.

Have been reading your reports / post for a while and they are very informative and lovely.

May I ask where in Java / IDN you are residing?
Wife is back home in Trenggalek, East Jave for home visit till Jan 11. If nearby, wife would like to have coffee and a chat about our trip.

Happy New Year 2019 and wishing you a safe ride always.

Richard
 
Merantau,

Thank you and will certainly get in touch with you before the big ride in 2020.

Have been reading your reports / post for a while and they are very informative and lovely.

May I ask where in Java / IDN you are residing?
Wife is back home in Trenggalek, East Jave for home visit till Jan 11. If nearby, wife would like to have coffee and a chat about our trip.

Happy New Year 2019 and wishing you a safe ride always.

Richard
Hi Richard
Happy New Year. Hope 2019 is a great year for you. I am in Australia at the moment. When in Indonesia my wife and me run a Homestay in Kuta, Lombok called "Serah's Homestay." I have been to Java years ago and want to go back one day as I have a few motorcycle friends there ... so one day will catch up. 2020 is a long way off but I will keep in touch. We will be back in April and I will be going back to Flores and beyond.
Cheers
Steve
 
Hi Richard
Happy New Year. Hope 2019 is a great year for you. I am in Australia at the moment. When in Indonesia my wife and me run a Homestay in Kuta, Lombok called "Serah's Homestay." I have been to Java years ago and want to go back one day as I have a few motorcycle friends there ... so one day will catch up. 2020 is a long way off but I will keep in touch. We will be back in April and I will be going back to Flores and beyond.
Cheers
Steve


Steve / Merantau,

Thanks for reply.

We’ll certainly keep in touch.

If ever in SGP, Batam or Southern Malaysia (Johor + Melaka), do let me know. Would love to buy you dinner and swap takes.

Cheers

Richard
 
Greetings all,

I’m Richard and I’m Singaporean.

Me and 3 others plan to do a ride from Medan to Java in 2020.

Plan is to buy a used scooter in Medan, ride to Laka Toba then south and cross the Sundra straits on a ferry for Java. In Java, we have not decide on route yet. End point may be Jakarta or Surabaya.

As we are working people, we can only set aside about 3 weeks for riding. Plan is to buy bikes, ride and sell off at end point. We may store bikes at end point for a future ride eastwards towards Bali.

Riders are in our 50’s, fit and have ridden extensively in Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, so we can ride on SEA roads. My wife is a Indonesian from East Java, therefore purchasing bikes and insurance is no issue.

The first question I like to ask all is suggestions for a good month to ride. We hate rains and for obvious safety reasons, will try to avoid the rainy months. I appreciate suggestions.

Second, as the bike will be a CVT scooter and I like the durability of Honda’s, what model do you all suggest?
2 bikes will be solo riders with strap on bag. Me and wife will be on 1 bike, so we like a bike with a longer seat and a bit of legroom to stretch. Do suggest please. I am even open to suggestions for “manual” shift bike such as Bajaj or even semi auto like the indestructible Honda Wave / Revo / Supra.

Third, my partners wish to fly into Medan and start from there. Lake Toba is definitely a must see. Any other must visit places in Sumatra?
We can ride 2 weeks in Sumatra, cross the Sundra straits and head straight for JKT and sell bikes there. This means the bulk of the trip will be in Sumatra, keeping Java for part 2. Good idea?

I have followed the IDN post on Rideasia extensively. I especially like the post by Rial Hamzah “The Great Java Bali Road Trip 2012”, all the post by the great Meratau, advice by Rocketz and others.

Thanks in advance and wish all safe riding.

I have heard that Sumatra is very interesting so with only 3 weeks holiday may I suggest you use them for Sumatra then go to Jakarta and store your bikes there until your next trip. This would depend on cost of storage but at least you would know the short commings of your bikes and be comfortable with them. Good luck on your trip.
 
I have heard that Sumatra is very interesting so with only 3 weeks holiday may I suggest you use them for Sumatra then go to Jakarta and store your bikes there until your next trip. This would depend on cost of storage but at least you would know the short commings of your bikes and be comfortable with them. Good luck on your trip.


Rick,
Thanks for suggestions.

Originally buddy wanted to visit Lake Toba and cross the Sundra straits.

But the thought of empty roads, crossing islands on little "ferries" and riding alongside beaches and sea is so much stronger than congested roads of Java and Sumatra.

So it'll be Flores in 2020. Likely renting / buying bikes in Bali. Sure, prices may be higher in Bali but will be offset by cheaper flights from and to Singapore.

Fyi, at present, there's only 1 carrier operating the Singapore -Lombok route (Silkair). On the other hand, there's probably 10-15 carriers operating Sin-Bali route. Therefore cheaper flights and able to plan arrival and departure dates more accurately.

Again, appreciate your reply.

Cheers
 
Anyone knows how to change thread title?

Can I even change title?

Thanks folks.
 
Click on the edit button then you can change it
Captain_Slash !

Thanks. Think we’ve met before at Riders Corner, CNX.

Anyway, thanks for advice in CNX and for reading my humble post.

Catch up with you and the CNX gang this Nov as plan to take wifey to CNX for Loy Krathong.

Cheers
 
Hi Richard. I haven’t been on this site for a while. I guessed you were not able to go ahead with your planned Indonesia ride. Hopefully next year. Dry season is April/May to Nov/Dec. My wife has been in Lombok since end of July and it has just started to rain a little in the last two weeks. All the best.
 
Hi Richard. I haven’t been on this site for a while. I guessed you were not able to go ahead with your planned Indonesia ride. Hopefully next year. Dry season is April/May to Nov/Dec. My wife has been in Lombok since end of July and it has just started to rain a little in the last two weeks. All the best.
Merantau !

Nice to hear from you.

Yes, we have postponed our ride indefinitely.

We do hope to go in 2021 but as you know, the Covid19 situation is still quite bad in asia especially in IDN.

Stay safe and do keep in touch

Richard
 
Hi Richard. Hope all is good with you and your family. We are hoping to return to Indonesia but it seems unlikely that it will be this year - too much uncertainty. I think that, even when the world opens up, the Australian government will still insist that returning travellers will continue to have to pay for quarantine and this will be the case for a few years. My wife Serah had to return in July to care for her Mother who sadly passed away. Serah finally got back to Australia in late December and we have a AUD$2850 bill to settle for her 2 weeks of quarantine.
 
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