Motorbike rental scams in Bali: the eight tricks and how to avoid them

1. Passport held as deposit

The most common one. A rental keeps your passport ‘as a guarantee’. Now every disagreement is settled on their terms, because you cannot leave the island without agreeing. Immigration also requires you to carry your passport or a copy. Never leave it. A deposit is money, refundable, in writing. Iron Rent takes a cash or card deposit in any currency and returns it in the same currency.

2. Damage that was already there

You return the bike and are shown a scratch on the fairing ‘that was not there’. It was — but nobody photographed it. At handover, film a slow walk-around video of the whole bike, both sides, wheels, mirrors, the underside of the fairing, with the date visible on your phone. Send it to the rental on WhatsApp so both sides have it. We do this ourselves at every handover and at every return, and the deposit is settled from those photos, not from memory.

3. No registration papers

Every Indonesian motorcycle has an STNK, the registration document, and it must be on the bike. A rental that cannot show it is renting a bike it may not own, or one with expired tax — either way, a police stop becomes your problem. Ask to see the STNK before paying and check that the plate matches.

4. The 'police fine' paid to the rental

Some operators tell you that if the police stop you, you should pay a fixed ‘fine’ to the rental afterwards. Police fines in Indonesia are issued on a ticket and paid at a bank or court, not to a rental company. If you are stopped, ask for the ticket; if you rent from us, call us from the roadside and we talk to the officer.

5. Fuel games

Bike delivered on empty and returned full, or a ‘refuelling fee’ three times the price of petrol. Photograph the fuel gauge at handover and at return. Our bikes are delivered with fuel to get you to a station and the contract says fuel is not included — no surcharge either way.

6. Helmet and accessory charges

A helmet that ‘was new’ and now costs 500,000 IDR, a phone holder billed at return. Everything included should be listed in the contract with its condition. Two helmets and a phone holder are included with every Iron Rent bike, and any paid extra is on the booking summary before you pay.

7. Price that changes at the end

Quoted per day, charged per 24 hours plus ‘late return’, or a monthly price that turns into daily rates when you extend. Get the total in writing before you pay, including what happens if you extend or return early. Our tariffs are public on the price list page and the WhatsApp confirmation states the total.

8. 'Insurance' that covers nothing

A rental sells you ‘full insurance’ that turns out to exclude the only things that happen: scratches, drops and theft. Ask what your share is if the bike is damaged and get it in writing. Our two options are published with a worked example: your deposit plus 5% or 30% of the repair, and the company covers the rest.

The ten-minute checklist

• Company name and a written contract in your hands.
• STNK on the bike, plate matches.
• Walk-around video with the date, sent to the rental.
• Fuel gauge and odometer photographed.
• Deposit amount, currency and refund terms in writing.
• Total price for your dates, including extension terms.
• What you pay if the bike is damaged.
• Your passport back in your pocket.

FAQ