Updated: June 2026
French · 7 years on Samui
French motorcycle tour guide living on Koh Samui for 7 years. Marc leads group rides across southern Thailand and knows every road on the island.
I spent a full Samui day swapping between the Honda ADV 350 and Forza 350 because renters constantly ask me which premium 350 to take. The crucial thing to understand first is that they share the same 330cc eSP+ engine - near-identical power, torque, and economy. So this is never a contest of speed. It is a contest of character and purpose: one is a rugged adventurer, the other a refined tourer. Get that distinction right and the choice becomes simple.
I turned both down the rutted dirt track toward Hin Lad Waterfall, and the gap opened instantly. The ADV 350's long-travel suspension, taller stance, and 145 mm of ground clearance float over ruts that have the lower Forza 350 picking its line with care. On gravel, plantation roads, and washed-out beach lanes, the ADV is the obvious tool. If your Samui plan includes any real off-road exploring, the adventure-spec ADV 350 wins this category outright - it was built for exactly this.
Cruising the smooth coastal ring road past Bophut, I found the Forza 350 the calmer, more refined machine. Its lower seat, enclosed bodywork, and electric windscreen make sustained sealed-road cruising more comfortable and weather-protected than the upright ADV 350. For riders whose days are all tarmac - long, relaxed loops from Chaweng to Nathon and back - the Forza is the more serene companion. Where the surface stays smooth, the Forza reclaims everything the ADV gains in the dirt.
Loading a pillion and a day's gear at Fisherman's Village, I gave the practicality edge to the Forza 350. Its plush passenger seat and deep underseat storage - room for two full-face helmets - make it the better couples' tourer. The ADV 350 carries a passenger well, but the Forza is the more accommodating long-distance two-up scooter. Both have the comparable touring range of an 11.7-litre tank, so on a two-up road trip the decision comes down to the Forza's superior comfort and storage.
I keep the Yamaha XMAX 300 in mind whenever renters weigh these two, because it is the other premium maxi-scooter on the island. The XMAX splits the difference - smooth and comfortable like the Forza 350, with a bigger 13.2-litre tank, but without the ADV 350's off-road ability. If you are cross-shopping all three, the ADV is the adventurer, the Forza the refined tourer, and the XMAX the long-range all-rounder. All three are superb; the right one still depends on your route.
After a day on both, my verdict is that neither the ADV 350 nor the Forza 350 is better outright - they answer different questions on the same strong engine. I take the ADV 350 when the day includes hills, dirt, or rough coastal lanes, and the Forza 350 when it is smooth ring-road touring, two-up comfort, or maximum weather protection. Decide by the surfaces you will ride and whether a passenger is coming, and you will pick the right Honda 350 every time.
Riding in the Samui monsoon is nothing like riding in European rain. After a close call on a wet bend near Lamai, I changed how I ride - here is what I learned.
Running out of fuel on a remote stretch of the ring road is avoidable. I mapped every PTT, Shell, and roadside bottle stop so you never have to push your bike.
Most tourists do not understand what their travel insurance covers - and what it does not - when they rent a scooter. I spoke to an insurance broker so you do not have to.
