To hire or buy motorbike.

[kimbo]

Hi

We will be in Bali for 6 months from May and we will need a motorbike, would we be better off to hire a bike or buy a bike while we are there.

We also know that we legally cannot own a bike but we have a Balinese friend who will put it into his name if need be.

Cheers

 

[Ipanema]

The cheapest I have seen a bike for hire is 20,000 a day, so I would do the math and way up the pros and cons, like resale etc and then decide.

At least with hire you don't have the worry of it breaking down or re selling it.

 

[Roy]

Buy it. Unlike motor vehicles, a motor bike does not require a kitas visa to purchase. At the end of your stay, you can sell it...and likely, close to what you paid if you purchased smartly.

 

[balijohn]

Personally for six months I would probably rent it. Average MONTHLY rent here is circa Rp400000 so for around Rp2.4 million you have it plus free servicing etc and repairs.

To buy a new bike will be between 10 and 13 million and, as Roy said you will not lose much on resale but do you really need the hassle and to have several million Rp tied up for six months?

 

[Jimbo]

What about a License (Sim) what does one do about that. Does it not cost about 300,000 a month for a tourist one?

Recently tried to get a Sim for car and bike but was told no way unless I have the appropiate visa.

 

[balijohn]

If you get an international licence proir to coming to Bali it is valid for a year.

If you don't have an I.L. you can get a local licencse if you have either a business visa or a KITAS. Business visa means you have to renew license each month which is circa Rp400.000 and with a KITAS license costs RP1.500.000 for a year (you must produce your own local country license for this.

 

[Roy]

You make some good points John, but renting a reliable used motor bike for an extended period of time is not so easy here.

As for the license (to drive) I personally don’t know any expat with an international drivers license. Eventually, we all show up, sooner or later, at a police office and get one from them...NO visa being required.

 

[balijohn]

You make some good points John, but renting a reliable used motor bike for an extended period of time is not so easy here.

As for the license (to drive) I personally don’t know any expat with an international drivers license. Eventually, we all show up, sooner or later, at a police office and get one from them...NO visa being required.

To address your first point Roy, Many colleagues and friends of mine regularly rent bikes for a year at a time with full service backup. Monthly rental around Kuta is not at all unusual.

And of course we both know that there are many ways to obtain 'a license' here. I was trying to point out the legitimate ones :roll:

In fact I also know one or two people who have never had a license and are simply happy to give the nice officer Rp50.000 if stopped

 

[drbruce]

Hi John,

I have SIMS for both a car and a motorbike. I followed normal (lega) routines to obtain them and paid 500,000 total. This is the normal KITAS price as far as I know. 1.5 million is higher than I've ever heard of. I also did not need a foreign license - just took a short driving test many years ago and renew every year.