Russian · 6 years on Samui
Russian travel blogger and safety advocate based on Koh Samui for 6 years. Elena specialises in practical first-timer advice for renting vehicles on the island.
Updated: May 2026
At the Chaweng rental shop last October I opened the XMAX 300's underseat compartment and loaded it methodically: one full-face helmet, one open-face helmet, a dry bag with two days of clothing, and a 1.5-litre water bottle. The helmets went in first and the remaining space absorbed everything else with the lid closing flat. The 39-litre figure is not marketing copy - it is a genuinely usable touring space. On the NMAX I fit one helmet only; the XMAX makes dual-helmet storage the baseline.
Riding pillion on the XMAX from Chaweng to Mae Nam last December - 28 kilometres on the north coast road - I tracked comfort against the same stretch I had covered as pillion on an NMAX the previous week. The XMAX's wider rear seat, firmer suspension calibration, and grab rail made the concrete road joins north of the Fisherman's Village noticeably softer to absorb. By Mae Nam the difference was clear: the XMAX is designed for a pillion who will be there for hours, not minutes.
On the ring road straight between Nathon and the Mae Nam bypass last February I tested the XMAX's windscreen at 85 km/h: helmet visor pressure was noticeably reduced compared to the NMAX's shorter screen. The XMAX windscreen deflects airflow at chest level, reducing the physical effort of maintaining riding posture across a long coastal section. I do not notice the screen on short urban runs; I notice its absence immediately when I return to smaller scooters after a full day on the XMAX.
Leaving the Nathon market after a two-hour stop last March, I plugged my phone into the XMAX's dual USB-A port under the headlight nacelle and continued south. By Hin Ta the phone had gained 40 per cent charge across 35 kilometres of riding. For a touring day that uses navigation throughout, the USB port is not a bonus feature - it is load management. Carrying a power bank and charging through the bike simultaneously eliminates phone battery as a touring constraint entirely.
Sitting on the XMAX outside the rental shop last November, I noted the 795mm seat height - 30mm taller than the NMAX 155. For riders above 168 cm this is natural; for shorter riders it requires a confident lean-to-one-side park stance rather than flat-footing. I am 165 cm and found the park manageable on flat Samui surfaces. The only location where height created genuine hesitation was the sloped car park at Big C Chaweng - a camber problem rather than a height problem on flat ground.
Six rental weeks on the XMAX 300 across three years on Koh Samui have produced a consistent assessment: the storage, windscreen, and pillion comfort are all meaningfully better than any 150cc scooter in the fleet. The USB port is genuinely useful rather than cosmetic. The seat height is manageable for most riders. Taken together, these features make the XMAX the only scooter on Samui I would choose for a multi-day touring itinerary without wishing for something different midway through.
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