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: June 2026
I point the ADV 350 up the steep road to the Lamai Overlap Stone viewpoint and the 330cc engine makes light work of the gradient. These hilltop roads are where the ADV belongs - climbs that leave smaller scooters crawling are dispatched with power to spare. The reward is panoramic coastline views from a scooter that arrived relaxed rather than wheezing. For viewpoint hunting on Samui's steepest roads, the ADV 350 opens up the high ground effortlessly.
Riding the rutted approach to Hin Lad Waterfall after rain, I rely on the ADV 350's clearance and grippy adventure tyres. The tracks to Samui's inland waterfalls - Hin Lad, the upper reaches near Na Mueang - turn rough and slippery quickly, and this is exactly the terrain the ADV was built for. Where a town scooter would force you to park and walk, the ADV carries you right to the trailhead. Waterfall days are prime ADV territory.
I circle the entire 51 km ring road on the ADV 350 in one relaxed loop, stopping wherever a beach or viewpoint tempts me. The big tank and comfortable cruising mean the whole island is a single, unhurried outing rather than a series of short hops. From Chaweng anticlockwise through Lamai, Thong Krut, Nathon, and Mae Nam, the ADV makes the complete circuit a pleasure. It is the ideal scooter for seeing all of Samui in one go.
Turning down an unsealed lane toward a quiet stretch near Bang Po, I find the corners of Samui that most renters never reach. The ADV 350's capability lets me follow gravel and packed-dirt access roads to empty beaches and fishing spots that a low scooter would never attempt. These hidden coastal pockets are some of the island's best, and the ADV is the key to them. Exploring off the sealed network is where this scooter truly earns its keep.
Heading inland above Nathon, I thread the ADV 350 along quiet plantation roads that wind through coconut groves and jungle edge. These backcountry routes mix patchy tarmac with dirt, and the ADV's suspension and clearance handle the changing surface without drama. Away from the coastal traffic, they offer a cooler, greener side of Samui few visitors see. For riders who want to get genuinely off the tourist track, the island's interior is open on the ADV 350.
Bringing the best together, my ideal ADV 350 day climbs to a viewpoint at dawn, drops down a dirt track to a waterfall, loops a long stretch of ring road, and finishes on a hidden coastal lane at sunset. Every leg uses the ADV's strengths - power, clearance, range, comfort - and none would be possible on a town scooter. Plan a route that mixes hills, dirt, distance, and discovery, and the ADV 350 rewards you with the fullest Samui day there is.
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