nasikimchi: Indonesia, The Motorcycles Country

Did you know that Indonesia is the third largest motorcyclist in the world? Every year around 8 million motorcycles are sold around the country. The street is flooded by motorcycle and once an African friend said I'm not Indonesian since I cannot ride one. real Indonesian does ride motorcycle!

Top motorcycle brands are Honda and Yamaha. The two Japanese motorcycle manufacturers predicted that in 2017 there will be at least 10 million motorcycles produce by that year. In Indonesia someone should be at least 17 years old to ride motorcycle though the fact is many students less than 17 ride their motorcycles to school or somewhere near their neighborhood which is definitely against the law and dangerous.

How much does a motorcycle cost. Well the brand new Honda and Yamaha is about 13 - 15 million rupiah or $974 - $1,123 and of course it can be paid by installment. WIth only $70 or less down payment, people can get the motorcycles delivered to their home the following day and the installment can be arranged up to 3 years with interest and insurance. Each month installment is around $55. So basically motorcycle price is affordable. Even in one family can have 2 to 3 motorcycles. This is why the number of motorcyclist in Indonesia is quite a lot.

How do Indonesians ride their motorcycles? Sometimes solo and even 3 to 4 people can be on a motorcycle - this is actually against the law too. A policeman can give a ticket to these people. Even in dry season or in rainy season they motorcyclist cover almost all over their body. They wear face mask, gloves, and sometimes sunglasses with helmet. The hot weather makes Indonesians cover their body with jacket - sometimes a leather jacket. In rainy season too, a thick and thin jacket under a raincoat is used. Motorcycle has become a very common vehicle and many creative ideas has come from this 2 wheels machine ride.