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 rental strip last February I booked the XMAX 300 for the first half of a week and a Honda Forza 350 for the second half, using the same ring road circuit as the comparison route. The objective was to find the differences on Samui's specific road conditions - not on paper. Both scooters are 300cc-class touring machines with ABS, large underseat storage, and adjustable windscreens. The differences that emerged were smaller than the spec sheets suggested and more useful than any comparison I had read before starting.
Loading both scooters with the same gear - two helmets, one dry bag, one camera bag - the XMAX 300 accepted everything under the seat with the lid closing flat. The Forza 350 required the camera bag to move to the front storage compartment. In practice this means the XMAX stores one full-face helmet plus touring luggage for two; the Forza stores one full-face and forces additional decisions. For a multi-day touring rider, the 11-litre storage advantage reorganises what can be packed without a top box.
The north coast road between the Fisherman's Village and Choeng Mon carries a consistent series of concrete road joins spaced 8 to 12 metres apart. I rode this section on both scooters last February at 65 km/h. The XMAX absorbed the joins smoothly. The Forza was perceptibly firmer through the same section - not uncomfortable, but more present. The XMAX is calibrated for two-up loads; the Forza is calibrated lighter. Two-up on a 70-kilometre day, the XMAX's suspension calibration is clearly the better fit.
On the west coast road at 80 km/h last February, I compared both windscreens at the same body position. The Forza's screen is manually adjustable through a wider angle range than the XMAX's - at maximum it deflected wind 15mm higher than the XMAX. For riders above 180 cm, the Forza's adjustment is a genuine advantage. For riders between 165 and 180 cm - the majority of Samui's tourist rental market - both screens perform comparably. The XMAX's screen reached its practical ceiling at 85 km/h; the Forza's 5 km/h higher.
Hard braking from 70 km/h on wet tarmac on the Chaweng-to-Lamai road last February: XMAX stopped in 20 metres, Forza in 19 metres. The Forza's ABS modulated more aggressively - more pulses per second through the lever - than the XMAX's smoother intervention. Both stopped safely within a controlled line. The Forza's feel is more mechanical and direct; the XMAX's is softer and more progressive. Riders who prefer to feel ABS working will choose the Forza. Riders who prefer invisible ABS will choose the XMAX.
Seven years of watching both scooters on Samui's roads has produced one clear recommendation: choose the XMAX 300 if storage volume and suspension compliance for two-up riding are the primary criteria; choose the Forza if windscreen adjustability and braking feedback matter more. For the majority of Samui touring riders - a couple with luggage, 70 kilometres planned, mixed road surfaces - the XMAX is the correct answer. The Forza is a marginal upgrade for the rider who has experienced the XMAX's specific limitations and wants to resolve them.
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