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
Leaving Chaweng at 6 a.m. last December on the XMAX 300, I completed the counterclockwise ring road to Nathon in 48 minutes of riding - a pace only achievable on the XMAX or a motorbike. The 62-kilometre circuit at sustained 85 km/h covers Samui's coast, the rubber plantation sections, and three significant climbs without the engine ever feeling stretched. On the NMAX the same circuit takes 65 minutes and feels purposeful; on the XMAX it feels like a measured warm-up for whatever the day holds next.
The mountain road above Nathon climbs 340 metres in 6 kilometres of winding tarmac. I rode it last March with a pillion - the road's steepest section peaks at a 12 per cent gradient - and held 55 km/h through the entire ascent without the CVT hunting. At the summit viewpoint I watched four other scooters crest the same section: two NMAX, one Scoopy, one Filano. Only the NMAX riders looked settled. The Scoopy and Filano riders looked finished. The XMAX is the correct instrument for this road.
Loading the XMAX 300 onto the Nathon-to-Thong Sala ferry last October was straightforward - the XMAX fits in the vehicle lane with standard width clearance. The 35-minute crossing followed by a full Phangan ring road day is a 70-kilometre circuit I recommend only on the XMAX or a motorbike: Phangan's gradients are steeper than Samui's and surfaces more variable. By midday I had covered the east coast and the viewpoint road without the engine's adequacy entering my thinking. It was simply not a concern.
The track between Laem Sor and the cape at the island's southern tip last February: 8 kilometres of hard-packed laterite with two sandy sections, covered at 35 to 40 km/h on the XMAX. The additional weight and 150-series rear tyre provided stability on the sandy stretches that a lighter scooter would not deliver confidently. The track ends at a viewpoint above the open Gulf - no tourists, no tuk-tuks, no noise beyond the XMAX's idle. This route justifies the XMAX on terrain its spec sheet never mentions.
Planning a two-night island circuit last April - Chaweng, Nathon, southern cape, back via Lamai - I loaded the XMAX with a dry bag under the seat and a second bag on the pillion seat. Total load: 12 kilograms above rider weight. The XMAX handled overnight load without any handling change I could detect. The extra weight compressed the suspension slightly on road joins north of Mae Nam - within designed range. No other scooter in the Samui rental fleet carries that load and maintains touring pace across consecutive days.
Seven years of XMAX touring on Koh Samui has produced one calibration route I run every season: Chaweng north at dawn to Choeng Mon, west coast to Nathon by 10 a.m., mountain road and viewpoint, south coast to Laem Sor, back to Chaweng via Lamai. Total: 94 kilometres. Riding time on the XMAX 300: 2 hours 35 minutes plus two extended stops. No other scooter in the Samui rental fleet completes this circuit without at least one moment where the engine's limitations become part of the rider's awareness.
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