No more 2-strokes in Indonesia

Indonesia will soon ban the sale of 2-stroke motorbikes, meaning the TS-125 trail bike, that is very popular here will be out of dealerships. Not being a mechanic myself, I can’t really give you the inside scoop on what the difference is between a 2 stroke and a 4 stroke, other than the 2-stroke needs oil to function. Its very easy to tell the difference in the street, because 4-stokes have a low sounding engine, and 4-strokes have that high pitched whine.

Mick Turnbull has a 2-stroke Aprilla 125, with a top speed of 180km. People tell me the 2-stokes have more zip, but they leave a nasty trail of fumes behind. The US and other western countries banned 2-strokes years ago and Indonesia is finally getting with the program.

Air pollution in Indonesian cities is bad and is a time bomb for bad health. An expat told me that you can walk around in Jakarta all day without getting sunburn because of the smog layer! Bandung is another place that is getting bad. Locals here in Bali buy 2-stroke scooters because they are a couple of million rp cheaper than a 4-stroke.