big ruckus squeaky?

There is a lot of talk here and on other forums about the prices on Big Ruckus scooters . While the asking prices are relatively higher than it’s piers , I don’t think they are overall that high . There are a lot of sellers right now asking some pretty high prices that they will probably not see for a long time ? The last one I bought a month ago had 1500 miles on it and was only $3,500 , not a bad price IMO . You can’t just figure the up front price on any vehicle , some day if and when you sell you will get money back . In other words the depreciation cost . My son and I both have BR’s set up exactly the same , I've put over 5000 miles on mine but he hasn’t put hardly any on his . While he would like to get more usage out of his , he has a young family running him in circles . Bottom line is , I could sell both of them for more than I paid for them right now . That’s even with me putting over 5000 miles on mine . No one knows what tomorrow will bring , but so far all of my BR scooters have been very good investments . Other than the 2 we drive , I have 3 basically low mileage ones in my collection . I would rather have those BR’s right now than money in the bank , money in the bank pays nothing , but those BR’s have had a very nice gain . I’ve been around a while , 65 years come June . One thing I’ve learned is that limited production vehicles lose a certain amount , then that’s it . Then over time they begin gaining in value , especially the pristine ones . I’m not trying to talk any one here into buying a BR , I’m just saying there’s more to it than just the up front cost . I know guys who have bought Harleys for $20,000 then dumped another $10,000 in them . Now they are lucky to sell them for $10,000 , and it’s the same with other so called high end bikes . Just sayin !

TheReaper!

Tell him to feed the mouse.

I've sent a couple of messages, over the last week or so, and gotten no reply.

http://omaha.craigslist.org/mcy/2916362186.html

Surprised this has not yet sold, get on it firebrick! Look it over and make a low offer ($3000?), see what happens.

I'm surprised too. Think there must be some problem with it? It must be really squeaky for the owner to state it in the description. I keep trying to justify the price when I got my ninja in perfect shape for under 2k. Of course I can't get all of my fire gear on the back easily. The big ruck looks like it has plenty of room.

Doubtful anything is seriously wrong with it. Could be dry engine hanger bushings, a dry speedometer cable, maybe something squeaking in the suspension. The engine and cvt are related to those found on 25 year old Honda 250cc Scooters which are known to be about as reliable as it gets. Regarding overheating, I've ridden mine to a Scooter Rally in Lincoln, then in town for hours of stop and go riding on two consecutive 100 degree days, then back to Omaha in the late afternoon and it never overheated.

Reaper I have to agree with ya about the big ruck and it's love hate issue. But since you have had so many I was wondering if you could answer a question for me.

Is the tubing on the big ruck and the chinky clone the same diameter. From the few pics online that I have seen of the clone, the tubing "looks" smaller. I also searched and cant find any reliable info about dimensions of the clone. If you could, let me know if you have experience in that area.

Don't know the Chinese but the BR is as follows .

Upper frame thickest part 1.521 inches or 38.7mm

Lower frame front 1.213 inches or 30.83mm

Lower frame rear deck area 1.971 inches or 50mm

FYI I sold a pristine 2005 BR with 500 miles on it , to a man in Washington DC who had a large collection
of motorcycles and scooters . He had one of the Chinese BR's , I asked him how he liked it ,
his reply was it was a piece of SHIT ! That is as close as I have come to a Chinese BR .

TheReaper!

LOL,I suspect as much... thanks for the reply and with those dimensions at least I have a point of comparison.

Mine sure hasn't shown me to be a piece of Shit.
My ZNEN Big ruckus clones upper bar is 1.523 with paint.
Lower front bar is 1.200.
Cargo area bar is 1.605

You are in for a big surprise if you think the gy6 will hold up. You have a BR clone so it is from china and I can guarantee you that that engine will need a rebuild before 10k miles and if you ride it hard as in 50mph all the time then it will need a rebuild by 5k miles. GIven the same mileage as a "real" BR say 30k miles the clone bike will end up costing you more the a real one will.

Also I see that you want to mod it to make it faster my recommendation is not to do it cause it will just cause money and headaches and you will reduce the life by half of stock.

I use to work in a scooter shop that sold only chinese bikes and man I've yet to see one that is worth the price. I have rebuild more gy6 then I remember, stock, modified what ever done to them even 500mile oil change intervals they just don't last.

The longest lasting one was by a fella that had 25k miles. When I saw it I was very suprise that it lasted that long. He came in with it on a tow truck and had a worn out tire and I replaced it. That thing was on it's last leg, every thing and I mean every thing was just about to fall apart. When he came to pick it up we had a talk and he rode off I finally figured how he was able to get the milage he got without needing a rebuild. He basically rode that scoot, 150cc, like they ride scoots in China, really slow. He rode in the bike lane only and never went above 20mph. Basically this is how they ride in China, people there never go above 30mph even when they are on the highway and road was empty and wide open with smooth pavement...the culture there is that they just ride that way.

Honda didn't corner the market on metal and oil. That's all these things are. A well-maintained engine will run reliably, regardless of who made it. There's no inherent flaw in the design of the GY6, so I don't understand the fear-mongering.

I was gonna buy a '12 Ruckus when I decided to read some of these forums and discovered the clones. I didn't understand what the worry was for when the GY6 is the upgrade engine for the Ruck. As long as you maintain the engine and the chassis is solid, you should be able to get years of life out of any bike.

You can build a reliable and peppy chinese scoot for less than a 50cc Ruck. That's why I ordered the bike I did. If you want the extra speed of the 250cc, then you might as well just get a motorcycle and get some real go.

I just don't think the pessimism towards the chinese scoots is well-founded. It seems xenophobic. Just because it's made somewhere else doesn't make it poor. Most of our stuff is made in some part in China. PEACE.

DBC, I have a lot of respect for the things you have done personally, and I think you have added to the scooter industry by making many aware of the capabilities of the smaller machines.

I wonder how long ago you worked at this scooter shop. I know that it's hard to extract anything but anecdotal evidence from the inmates here. I have seen many positive examples performance from chinese scoots as of late. Perhaps you time in the shop was prior to what seems to be an improvement in quality in the manufacturing of the chinky scoots. With your experience I might have concluded the same thing tho. And, I am seeing good experiences form people involving scoots from the PRC.

Price drop 4-2-12 http://omaha.craigslist.org/mcy/2935639926.html

Saw that, why dont ya go check it out since its right in town and give us a condition report?

If you are seriously interested I'll look at it. The fellow is wanting money to buy a house, $3k will get that.

I am seriously considering right now. My wife has family in papillon and ive been trying to talk her into going for a visit, with my trailer in tow of course!

Just a quick review. I bought a BR new (06). I used the hell out of it. I made it as useful as possible, storage and luggage.I used it around town not really long distance. It was trouble free. There is a slight hesitation upon acceleration, after much research, I decided to live with it. Seems a normal problem. To this day my wife is upset I sold it. Had to make room for the GS. If you decide to buy one I think its a decent investment (as much as any bike purchase can be). I sold mine after two and a half years I sold it for $400 less than I paid new! I can't believe the way they have retained their value. As far as style? Either you get it or you don't. Not alot of middle ground with the BR.

Two and a half years trouble free use for $400 is pretty good in my book , I would like to
see a Chinese or any scooter accomplish that one . I’ve owned a dozen of them and to date have
flipped seven for a tidy profit . That said I was buying them well before the prices went through
the roof .


The BR retailed here in the states for $5,500 , and depending on your state’s taxes about $6,000
out the door . Some people got better deals and some paid full retail depending on when and where .
I think eventually and it won’t be long , you will see the pristine super low mileage ones , going for
more than the original full retail of $6,000 . I think if I took a few to Europe right now I could get even
more than $6,000 .


TheReaper!

It looks great to me. It looks like there is enough room with the seat up to tie down all of my gear when I get shipped between fire stations. We will see, can't just run over and look at the one in omaha right now as its 3 hours away. Should have picked up the one just up the road from me last year. If it doesn't work out, the ninja 250 keeps me happy.