Shelly and I popped over to Bali, Indonesia for a quick week of fun in the sun. Scooters are king in Bali; there were literally thousands everywhere you looked. Modern Hondas and Suzukis dominate the market but there were still a few old Vespas on the roads. Being a scooter manic, I couldn't help but take loads of photos.
Scooters and motorcycles are real workhorses in Bali.
A nice old VBB lines up with the new kids on the block.
A stripped down Honda 125cc.
Almost all the motorcycles on the road were small displacement. This 125cc Honda was typical.
Big engined monsters like these Harley-Davidsons were are rare sight and looked quite out of place.
Traffic in Bali was appalling and the roadsides were crammed with parked scooters. Surfboard carriers were popular with the tourists.
But if you don't have a surfboard carrier, who cares?
Who could miss this little Honda?
This old Vespa has seen better days, but was still on the road.
Your Asian restored Vespa probably once looked like this.
The greatest scooter ever made - the Honda Cub.
A beautiful VW T1.
While most of the Hondas on the road were standard spec I came across one or two which had been converted into cafe racer style. I had a chat with the owner of this little 125cc beauty but his English wasn't the best and my Indonesian was non-existent.
We were in a taxi to our hotel in Kuta when I caught sight of this old bike through the corner of my eye. It looked somewhat Soviet to me so I wandered back for a look. It turned out to be a badly distressed Czechoslovakian Jawa 230 Perak that was being used as a prop in front of a leather store. Note the bodged up air filter and toolbox. I took a couple of shots while the shop owner tried to interest me in a jacket. When he realised he was wasting his time he offered me the bike for 500 euro. Given its fairly decrepit state I had to say no. Maybe I should come back and offer him morning price??
Many stores used bikes and scooters in their displays
Here's a little beauty - the Daihatsu Midget MP5. The Midget was originally a copy of the Vespa Ape but soon became a much more complex vehicle. This one looks like a model from the early 1970s. I'd love one.
All of the Paul Smith clothing stores featured a Vespa painted in the company colours.
When we were staying Seminyak we came across this little shop with a bunch of old bikes on its front porch. It was Sunday and they were closed and the bikes were covered by tarps but the old wheels and drum brakes were instantly recognisable. Being a little bit cheeky I hopped up on their porch and snapped a couple of shots before the owner came out. He happily removed the tarps so I could get a better look and, of course, we talked about bikes.
This is a 1957 BSA. Note the lack of a dynamo cover. The owner was quite unconcerned about it - it still worked, so why worry?
The 1956 BSA outfit. They hire the bikes out for tours. We had a long chat about renting the bike for a drive, but given the madness of the traffic I completely understood that they weren't prepared to let me drive.
Another 56 BSA.
Sometimes restoration is not an option.... Vespa seats at an Italian restaurant.
A ubiquitous Bali petrol station. Why always Absolut vodka bottles?
Follow this link to part 2 - Balinese Scooter Restorers:
http://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2010/06/balinese-scooter-restorers.html
