Renting a scooter in Bali without getting scammed
Scooter rental is cheap, fast and by far the most flexible way to see Bali — but it's also where most tourist scams happen. Almost all of them are avoidable with a five-minute check before you ride off.
Photograph the bike before you leave
Walk around the scooter with your phone and photograph every scratch, dent and scuff, including the tyres and mirrors, with a timestamp visible if possible. This is the single best protection against the "you damaged it" claim at return time — a scam that specifically targets rentals with no paper trail.
Choose a rental shop with a track record
A shop with visible online reviews, a proper storefront and a written rental agreement is worth the extra IDR 10,000–20,000 over the cheapest stall on the street. Ask what "insurance" actually covers — many quoted prices exclude it entirely, and some only cover damage to the bike, not third parties.
Check your license situation
Legally, riding a scooter in Indonesia requires an Indonesian license or an International Driving Permit (IDP) that covers motorcycles, obtained in your home country before you travel. Police checkpoints do fine tourists riding without one, and — more importantly — many travel insurance policies will refuse a claim after an accident if you weren't correctly licensed.
Basic road safety
Wear a proper helmet (the shop should offer one, but bringing your own is safer), avoid riding after dark on unlit rural roads, and expect the traffic patterns — lots of horn use as a courtesy signal, not aggression — to feel different from home for the first day or two.
If a shop asks you to leave your passport as a deposit
Don't. A cash deposit or a photocopy is standard and sufficient; handing over your actual passport gives the shop leverage in a dispute. Walk away if that's the only option offered.