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.
Updated: May 2026
At the Chaweng motorbike rental shop last February, a German rider with seven years of experience on naked bikes inspected the CB300R before signing the rental agreement - checking the chain tension, squeezing the levers, sitting for the riding position. He was not a tourist looking for transport. He was a motorcyclist who wanted to ride Samui's mountain roads properly. I followed him up the Nathon pass that afternoon on my own rental. He took every corner at the CB300R's natural pace, not below it. The bike matched his skill level exactly.
Riding the CB300R from Chaweng to the central viewpoint last January - a 14-kilometre mountain climb with sustained 8 per cent gradients and tight switchbacks - the 31 horsepower single-cylinder motor pulled cleanly through every corner without the gear-hunting of a smaller engine. A Honda Click 125 would have managed the same road at 25 km/h in low gear. The CB300R took it at 55 km/h in third, with headroom remaining. The CB300R is for riders who have ridden larger bikes before and want to use Samui's roads the way they were built to be used.
Seven years of guiding tour groups on Koh Samui's roads has shown me that the CB300R suits first-time Thailand renters who hold a motorcycle licence and have ridden 250 to 400cc bikes at home. The CB300R's 286cc engine, combined braking system, and light 147-kilogram kerb weight produce a forgiving character that accommodates unfamiliarity with Thai road conditions without sacrificing engagement. For a licensed rider who has never ridden Samui's mountain roads before, the CB300R is the most instructive and honest entry point in the motorbike rental fleet.
On the full island ring road circuit last October - Chaweng to Nathon, north coast, back to Chaweng, 52 kilometres - I used the CB300R's sixth gear for the first time at 95 km/h on the clear Nathon straight. The top gear gave the engine a relaxed note at highway speed that the Yamaha MT-03 shares but the smaller scooters cannot approach. For a rider planning a full island touring day on Samui's highway, the CB300R covers the ring road sections with the engine working in its natural range - not strained, not bored.
At the rental shop last November, a first-time motorbike rider asked about the CB300R after seeing it on the forecourt. I redirected him to the Honda Click 125. The CB300R requires a motorcycle licence, prior experience on geared bikes, and comfort with two-wheel dynamics at speeds above 60 km/h. For a rider who has only ridden automatic scooters, the CB300R's manual gearbox, higher centre of gravity, and 31 horsepower demand experience to ride safely on Samui's narrow mountain roads. The bike earns its place in the fleet for the right rider - not for every rider.
Seven years of motorcycle tour guiding on Koh Samui has produced a clear CB300R rider profile: licensed, experienced on geared bikes, planning routes that include mountain roads and ring road sections, and looking for a bike that responds to rider input rather than one that merely transports. These riders return from their rental days having covered the island's best routes at the CB300R's natural pace. They are, almost without exception, the most satisfied renters on the motorbike fleet - because the bike and the route are properly matched.
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