A Little Ruckus

This is how I got started. A 50cc Honda Ruckus.


Good looking and capable scooter but ultimately at 50cc it's underpowered for Vancouver streets. If it were flat city would be a different story. I'm 190 lbs, on flat I can get it up to 65 km/h (41 mph) but with hills throughout the city I just could not keep up with traffic and that did not feel safe. Car drivers tend to be aggressive when something slow is in front of them. If you live in a relaxed town that doesn't suffer from a severe traffic congestion then a scooter like that would be plenty for getting around. In fact I would still have it if not for the traffic.
In the end I decided to go and take motorcycle riding lessons to see how a real motorbike would do. Indeed it was the right thing to do. I got my license in 2007 and after riding the Ruckus for just 4 months (~2000 km) I sold it almost without loosing any money off the retail price I paid at the dealer.
Yes, they are fun and popular but it was time for me to move on to something bigger.

PROS:

lite and good looking for a scooter

49cc so no motorcycle license required in Canada, just your regular driver's license.

fuel efficient. This thing runs on fumes. I was getting 40 km/L (94 mpg) commuting to work.

great resale value. Honda Ruckus' are reliable and have quite a fan base with many mods available. See http://www.battlescooter.com .

CONS:

like all 50cc scooters it's a bit underpowered for busy and hilly streets

designed to carry only one person

tags: moto "Honda Ruckus review" "scooter review" "moped review" "customer review" "scooters in traffic" "mopeds in traffic" "riding in traffic" "riding to work" "gas efficiency" "fuel efficiency" "cheap commuter" "50cc scooter" "49cc scooter" "small displacement engine" "user Honda Ruckus review" "Honda Ruckus PROS" "Honda Ruckus CONS"