Ruckus Big Bore or Swap?

Ugly Duckling Burnout Machine

By May of 2003 I was already doing my first Ruckus engine swap. After riding for a while I decided the Ruckus was too slow (^_^) I rode it for a while with the Honda Elite 150 engine fitted until I figured I was missing something from my good ol slow Ruckus...

For me tuning has always been half the fun so sticking some huge engine in seems like cheating. Sure you'll get more speed but it may be at the cost of your soul (^_^)

With a good tuck this one would do 75mph on GPS. Ya, no "JDM" aftermarket parts on this one, just JDM. In 2003 there were no aftermarket parts. That's why we did it (^_^)

Enter the BEAST

After years of trying to talk people into swapping in the Honda CH150 motor I've come to the conclusion that people want an easy swap. The rise of china motor Ruckus has made it pretty clear that people want more power, just not crazy amounts of work to get that power (^_^)

So, I did something nearly as evil as installing a china motor in a Ruckus. I installed the motor pictured here. It's a Yamaha Riva 180. I know Honda guys will want me hung but I'm against the wall here. When I did my first swap in 2003 I was looking at a Riva parked next to the CH150 Honda I bought and thought, "Too bad it's not a Honda". Well, this is a war so sacrafices must be made. To get 180cc for next to nothing I installed a Yamaha.

The Riva Ruckus does..... 63mph on GPS just in front of the shop and more on tap!

Reality in an 80cc package

Like I said before big fast motors ruin the Ruckus magic. While I like riding a 180cc Ruckus my 80cc Race Ruckus is a charmer.

I installed the Honda Elite CH80 motor to make the perfect Ruckus... Well, almost. It looks funny. The short CH80 motor requires little tires and a shorter frame and forks. This Ruckus has 6" out of the frame and still looks a little odd.

In race trim this little scoot hauls the bacon and then some. If you don't mind the size, doing this may be an option for you. Like the Riva, no parts are really made for the Elite 80. It's all Hot Rodding, which makes it fun. The Riva and Elite respond great to a little good ol fashion tuning magic.

2 Stroke Terror

The other option for a fast Ruckus is a little more glitsy.

This Ruckus has a full race 70cc Vino motor. It's pretty quick. It can be faster too!

The good part about a 2 stroke is light weight and less parts. You can also omit the electric start on the Zuma and Vino motors which also means you can ditch the full size battery and just run a RC car battery or the like. A 2 stroke Ruckus is great for Drag Racing but you need to think about fuel economy. 2 strokes can use a ton of fuel if they are setup to be fast so it's something to think about. You can spend as little as you want on hop-ups for a 2 stroke but you are better off only buying the good stuff. We only sell the good stuff!

Bigfoot or Big Bore?

The elusive Ruckus Big Bore. While some have made an oversize piston for the Ruckus we made a true big bore.. Well, been trying to make one for you.

To get a true big bore out of your Ruckus you need to go about it the same why you do on a car. The Ruckus and Met have the cylinder as part of the case. This means you can't just pop on a new head and cylinder and call it a day.

It gets even tougher. Due to the placement of the water jacket in the case and head a lot of work has to be done. You need to make a case as shown in the picture to the left.

You also need to modify the head for the larger bore and oring the head or block.. Like I said it's a lot of work. We have done it but it's not easy. Ideally making new heads and cylinders are the way to go. Due to the costs involved and market we no longer do this. I have a couple new ready to go cases (top and bottom) for sale. Click on the picture to purchase.

Battlescooter