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
On the Nathon switchback road last February at 7:30 a.m. - light mist above the ridge, empty tarmac, 24 degrees Celsius - I rode the MT-03 up the 4-kilometre switchback section without meeting another vehicle. Third gear through the gradual corners, second through the tight switchbacks, corner-exit acceleration in third to the next braking point. The MT-03 handled the road in a flowing, connected sequence that I have only experienced on this bike and this road together. The Nathon pass is not just the MT-03's best Samui route - it is the reason the MT-03 belongs in the Samui rental fleet.
Departing Chaweng on the MT-03 last March at dawn - the ring road south of Chaweng toward Nathon - I used fourth through sixth gear across the 22-kilometre section, averaging 85 km/h on the clear stretches. The MT-03's aerodynamics at that speed are not touring-optimised - the naked riding position catches wind above 90 km/h - but below that speed the bike is composed and unhurried. The ring road to Nathon is the MT-03's primary touring route on Samui: consistent surface, long sections at legal highway speeds, the reward of the Nathon pass at the end.
On the north coastal road from Chaweng to Mae Nam last January - 18 kilometres of gentle bends above the Gulf, well-surfaced tarmac - the MT-03 at 75 km/h tracked through each curve with the KYB fork communicating the road clearly through the handlebars. These are not technical corners; they are the kind of sweeping bends where a bike's straight-tracking stability and suspension compliance determine the riding comfort. The MT-03 on the north coast road is the most relaxed expression of its capability - fast enough to engage, smooth enough to enjoy without concentration.
Climbing the central viewpoint road from the Nathon side last October on the MT-03 - 9 kilometres of ascending tarmac with switchbacks at the lower section and straighter gradient above - I used second and third gear for the climb, arriving at the summit with the engine at a comfortable temperature and my wrists unloaded from the climb. The descent on the Chaweng side is where the MT-03 uses its braking system most actively: the dual 298mm discs with radial caliper handle the repeated braking points on the descent with consistent feel and no fade across the 4-kilometre downhill section.
On a beach access track near Hua Thanon last February - 300 metres of soft sand between the road and the fishing village - I carried the MT-03 rather than riding it. At 168 kilograms and road-biased Pirelli tyres, the MT-03 is not a beach or off-road machine in any sense. On Samui's beach access tracks, plantation roads, and any surface that is not compacted tarmac, the MT-03 requires the rider to manage the bike rather than ride it. The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 handles those surfaces; the MT-03 stays on tarmac where its entire specification makes sense.
Seven years of riding the Yamaha MT-03 on Koh Samui has produced four consistent route recommendations: the Nathon pass switchback road, the ring road circuit from Chaweng to Nathon, the north coast sweepers to Mae Nam, and the central viewpoint climb from either side. All four routes stay on tarmac. All four use the MT-03's 37 horsepower, KYB suspension, and dual disc braking in their natural operating range. These are the four Samui roads where the MT-03 is the most capable and most appropriate machine available in the standard rental fleet.
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