Should travellers ride scooters in Bali or Indonesia?
Do not treat scooters as a Bali accessory. If your licence, insurance, traffic confidence or helmet discipline is weak, use drivers, Grab/Gojek or taxis instead; the cheaper option can become the most expensive mistake.
Answer
Scooters can make parts of Indonesia feel wonderfully flexible, but they also concentrate a lot of risk into one casual decision. Bali traffic, uneven roads, rain, night riding, unfamiliar rules and weak helmet habits are not small details. The question is not whether other travellers do it; it is whether you are legally covered, insured, experienced and sober enough to make the risk sensible. For many visitors, a driver, ride-hailing app, taxi or organised transfer is the better choice. That does not make the trip less independent. It just keeps transport from becoming the story you wish you did not have.
Recheck before you go
Conditions can change. Check current official advice before you travel.