50cc ADVenture Ruckus?

[mikesova]

I'm considering a trade for a Honda Ruckus. I think it would be nice for zipping around town, and my wife could easily use it. I was wondering about it's off-road capabilities? We live near a state forest with ORV trails. I have a Xr200r for riding the trails and I'd like something for my wife to use with me. We wouldn't necessarily be doing any hardcore riding, but just slowly along the trails (sandy and whooped out). My goal is to be able to go out in the woods, be one with nature and do some camping. So we could ride around and carry some camping gear. How well do you think the Ruckus would do? It seems to be utilitarian looking enough, plus it doesn't require insurance or anything to use around town.

[approachbears]

Originally Posted by mikesova

I'm considering a trade for a Honda Ruckus. I think it would be nice for zipping around town, and my wife could easily use it. I was wondering about it's off-road capabilities? We live near a state forest with ORV trails. I have a Xr200r for riding the trails and I'd like something for my wife to use with me. We wouldn't necessarily be doing any hardcore riding, but just slowly along the trails (sandy and whooped out). My goal is to be able to go out in the woods, be one with nature and do some camping. So we could ride around and carry some camping gear. How well do you think the Ruckus would do? It seems to be utilitarian looking enough, plus it doesn't require insurance or anything to use around town.

Its a decent dirt road scooter with better sized/suited tires than most 50cc scoots. Mine is fine in the sand and great on dirt roads. Anything much more and you need to go slow, real slow. You can plod through things fine, but neither acceleration nor suspension will be anything near your XR200.

Your other decent scooter choice is the Yamaha Zuma. It has better low end torque (since its 2 stroke instead of 4 stroke), but it sits taller, has more plastic to break, and has similar tires and suspension. You might also check out the SYM Symba, but its an auto-clutch shifter that's more of a small motorcycle (with an engine size that requires moto endorsement and plates) than a true twist-n-go scooter.

The Ruckus front shock doesn't have much travel. There are a few things you can do cheaply (http://foxed.ca/ruckus/Front%20Fork%...B1%5D.%208.pdf), but a full fork replacement is pricey.

The Ruckus rear shock is super soft as stock. Replace it immediately. Even the cheapest Daytona or NCY shock from http://www.battlescooter.com/ or bowls is well worth it. Its only $60-$70 (or even less on ebay or the flea market section of TotalRuckus) and worth every penny even if you do nothing else.

You can make it a little more of a climber with some very basic drivetrain tweaks. Blue clutch spring are the best 10 buck modification you can make for cheap. Playing with the variator and roller weights for acceleration is usually a top end trade-off, but you can make it take off the line better for less than $100.

[mikesova]

Originally Posted by approachbears

Its a decent dirt road scooter with better sized/suited tires than most 50cc scoots. Mine is fine in the sand and great on dirt roads. Anything much more and you need to go slow, real slow. You can plod through things fine, but neither acceleration nor suspension will be anything near your XR200.

Your other decent scooter choice is the Yamaha Zuma. It has better low end torque (since its 2 stroke instead of 4 stroke), but it sits taller, has more plastic to break, and has similar tires and suspension. You might also check out the SYM Symba, but its an auto-clutch shifter that's more of a small motorcycle (with an engine size that requires moto endorsement and plates) than a true twist-n-go scooter.

The Ruckus front shock doesn't have much travel. There are a few things you can do cheaply (http://foxed.ca/ruckus/Front%20Fork%...B1%5D.%208.pdf), but a full fork replacement is pricey.

The Ruckus rear shock is super soft as stock. Replace it immediately. Even the cheapest Daytona or NCY shock from http://www.battlescooter.com/ or bowls is well worth it. Its only $60-$70 (or even less on ebay or the flea market section of TotalRuckus) and worth every penny even if you do nothing else.

You can make it a little more of a climber with some very basic drivetrain tweaks. Blue clutch spring are the best 10 buck modification you can make for cheap. Playing with the variator and roller weights for acceleration is usually a top end trade-off, but you can make it take off the line better for less than $100.

thanks for the info, I'm also looking at some Yamaha C3's because I like the idea of four stroke. I'm thinking those might not work as well as the Ruckus though.

[approachbears]

The C3 has more plastic to scratch and break than the Ruckus. On the plus side, it has fuel injection instead of a carb which makes for better cold starts and drastic changes in elevation.

The C3's storage is kind of strange. Its big, but odd shaped. Its less spacious than you'd think from the outside. It couldn't fit my full face helmet (though the Yamaha Zuma did).

Nobody I personally know with a C3 has had problems mechanically or otherwise. The Ruckus owners I know first hand and myself have had similarly positive experiences reliability-wise.

[jackmood]

Wow, one of the coolest ride reports I've seen yet.
My road trip bug is getting bigger than I can control, I think this trip in reverse sounds quite doable.

[cbolling]

Originally Posted by jackmood

Wow, one of the coolest ride reports I've seen yet.
My road trip bug is getting bigger than I can control, I think this trip in reverse sounds quite doable.

[JEDI 2.0]

approachbears is dead-on; get the Ruckus & do a few simple upgrades. It's a PERFECT scoot for your wife if she's a novice rider, they're quite off-road capable and it'll take you back to the days when you first rode go-karts & pitbikes! Even with a few simple mods mentioned (variator weight change, clutch springs, etc) you won't get much over 40-45mph under ideal road conditions, though.

here's a great read about a Korean guy who went cross-country (U.S.) on a Ruckus:
http://totalruckus.com/phpBB2/viewto...er=asc&start=0

[TX Spike]

I ride mine all the time on the beach - it floats all over the sand and my 3 yr old grand son rides up front whenever he is around (he has his own attgatt) - all I ever do to mine is put gas in it - ride it more the my wr250. Your wife will have a blast on it - if you ever let her ride it.....

[rizzlesticks]

I beat the ever loving crap out of mine for a year or so before it got stolen. I modded it with a polini variator, kickstand, bigger horn, and a CBR600 seat (lower...and free). In that 5+K miles, I proceeded to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, commute every day, rode some light trails -- you can lift it right over logs, hit it with some nitrous (not recommended), lay it down once on black ice at night, and once in the rain during the day, etc. It can carry a case of beer between your feet and a 12'er under the stock seat, and rides 2-up slowly as hell.

It can take a beating, and be cheap as hell on the maintenance/gas side, and those big tires grip dirt damn well.

I miss it, and hope to recover it one day (not likely).

[MHaz01]

I met a Japanese kind on a 50cc Ruckus last summer, one night in Coldfoot, half way up the Dalton Highway. He was on his way back from Deadhorse, heading to Fairbanks the next day. The Ruck was packed like a mule.


The kid's story was that he shipped the Ruck form Japan to Anchorage, outfitted it there, then rode the Dalton to the farthest north place he could get to in the Western hemisphere. From Deadhorse he was working his way south to Tierra Del Fuego, the farthest south place he can get to in the Western Hemisphere.

My point: With good planning, a lot of luck and good skills, you can go anywhere you want on that Ruckus. Except the fast lane.

[Yukoner2]

Hell, we got one woman here in Whitehorse who rides her Ruckus daily , Two summers and she has over 30,000 kilometers on it.

[DaBinChe]

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...ghlight=denver

[rich_mc]

Originally Posted by DaBinChe

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...ghlight=denver

Damn fine report....Makes me miss my Ruck....

[LandPirateMBC]

Have you looked into the genuine rattler? Its alot like the zuma in the fact that its a solid 2 stroke bike with beefed up tires, but its stronger 110/120cc I took one on a day trip through the woods and it handled great, plus they are already pretty rugged looking so if you happen to ugly it up it'll only add to its appeal.

[mikesova]

I'm still keeping an eye out for a ruckus. :)