250 CC
Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana (Katadata.co.id, Jakarta)

Hedonism is no longer just a school of thought, but it has become a consumptive lifestyle chosen by the urbanites. Increased income is usually followed by an upgrade in lifestyle. Many eventually choose to live in debt instead of making adjustments to their lifestyles.

This can be seen in several members of the Kawasaki Ninja Club – Cikarang. The members, who are outsourced as factory workers, choose to live a “happy” consumptive life. Maslin, a 25-year-old man from Cirebon, reveals, “For my hobby, I even ‘school’ the certificate of ownership of my motorcycle.” What he really means is taking out loans using the motorcycle’s certificate of ownership as collateral.

For Maslin and his friends, a consumptive lifestyle cannot be separated from living a hedonistic life. This consumptive lifestyle and behavior pattern gives them pleasure and satisfaction, both physically and psychologically.

“I was first attracted to these Ninjas after seeing the 250cc motorbikes being displayed at numerous dealers here in the “1,000 Doors” area. My factory worker friends started to buy them and I eventually joined in.” Maslin claims to be an outsourced staff at a factory in Cikarang. With a monthly salary of Rp3.9 million, he allocates a large chunk of it (Rp3 million) for his 250cc-motorcycle hobby. He pulls many tricks to survive. Along with his fellow Kawasaki Ninja Club members with similar dispositions, Maslin willingly works overtime and looks for side jobs to get additional income.

“If other workers do 12 overtime shifts in a month, we do it continuously. If possible, we will also do side jobs like online ojek or hard labor work, so we can pay the ‘the school tuition.’ You know, the monthly installments,” he explains (30/12/2018).

Furthermore, Maslin admits that he is doing this to boost his social status in the eye of his family and the society where he lives, as well as to attract women.

“Nowadays, they seize men by their material possession, Mbak. They don’t even care about our position at work. As long as we have Ninja motorcycles, they will like us,” Maslin adds.

This consumptive behavior towards motorcycles is reflected in the motorcycle sales in Indonesia, which continues to show a positive trend. According to the Indonesian Association of Motorcycle Industry (AISI), the monthly increase in motorcycle sales has the potential to reach its annual target set at 6,383,108 units—an increase of 8.6 percent compared to 2018. The number of motorcycles sold in domestic distribution sector in 2016 and 2017 are 5,931,285 and 5,886,103 units respectively.