Anxious, I pull up to the right hand turn and head home - the 45 mph speed limit sign right there taunting me. Traffic is busy, so timing is critical. With a half block gap I wick up the throttle and pin it, slowly spooling up to 20 mph, 25 mph, 30 mph? 30 mph? 30 mph. I see the stoplight ahead ? but good lord that's a long, long ways away...
The Ruckus is abysmal for street riding, unfit for the majority of public roadways.
There, I said it. Not what Honda, or prospective Ruckus owners, want to hear ? but it's the truth. This isn't the 250cc-powered Big Ruckus of years past. Nor is it a buzzy 49cc 2-stroke powering the bare-boned Honda scooter design. The 2009 Ruckus sources a 49cc liquid-cooled, 4-stroke Single, which is simply too small for real-world roads.
The low-30s top speed severely limit the practical turf a Ruckus is fit to prowl. A lagging throttle and meager acceleration complete the overall poor engine performance. And it only gets worse with the slightest elevation change, as top speeds drop to freakish levels ? not even 20 mph in some instances.
On top of it all, the Ruckus is cold-blooded. During one week-long layover (one of many rider-less gaps, such was the disdain it generated?) the little scoot only started after about 20 frustrated minutes of deft throttling to warm up ? even with its internal choke. Oh, and did we mention it's really, really slow?
As for the reason why such a pitiful motor powers the scooter, our best guess is that some states don't require a permit or training to operate sub-50cc scooters ? making the Ruckus a popular, easy sell. The perverted logic makes less sense the more you analyze it: Give a completely un-roadworthy machine to riders yet to prove their riding ability. In fact, they may be purchasing one specifically to avoid doing so! It used to be sub-50cc scooters were more potent 2-strokes, but now 4-strokes are the default, casting the road-worthiness of the whole class in doubt ? at least if the Ruckus is a fair representation.
'After my first few rides I could hardly find the words to describe how disappointed I was,? says Motorcycle USA Dirt Bike editor JC Hilderbrand. 'There's simply no power. Big Red makes a 50cc, 4-stroke dirt bike that will stomp this thing in a drag, and they sell them to kids who aren't old enough to read. Why would you strap a full-sized adult on it and throw them into city traffic?? Check out how well it held up in city traffic in our Honda Ruckus Scooter Video.
Stick a 125 or 150cc motor in the Ruckus and this review would be quite different.
At first the Ruckus drum brakes seemed a perfect counterpoint to the anemic acceleration! Coasting stops were met with amused disbelief, but after an adjustment and a modest amount of commuting miles (modest because we honestly avoided riding it) the dual drum units scrubbed in, somewhat. But the overall braking performance almost made us grateful the Ruckus is so slow.
Take a look at the rest of the 2009 Honda Ruckus Scooter photos
'The brakes are woefully underpowered, not that it matters since it barely gets up to residential speed limits before the next stop sign,? deems JC. 'We haven't formulated a way to accurately quantify the drag coefficient of sneakers, but I would estimate putting your feet down offers an additional 30- 50% stopping power.?
At this point, bagging on the suspension and riding position doesn't quite seem fair ? like kicking the little Ruckus on the ground after a bully just stole his lunch money. True, it's a tiny scooter, with a low 28.9-inch seat and short 49.8-inch wheelbase. And, yes, it feels small in the saddle. The suspension units, a front fork (2.2 in. travel) and rear single shock (2.6 in. travel), aren't meant for test riders of our size (180-205 lbs). But to be honest, we don't have many complaints here, as the suspension/riding position is the least of your worries while rolling down the road.
Read the Complete 2009 Honda Ruckus Scooter Review Article at Motorcycle-USA.com
2009 Motorcycle-USA
