A look at the “Big Ruckus” from POCPhil at Pride Of Cleveland Scooters:
It has been officially introduced in Cycle World magazine, and I’ve just
gotten a pre-dealer expo look at one.I had really high hopes for this bike, but now I’m feeling kinda let down.
It’s big…way too big to go anywhere near dirt.
The Reflex 250 is 60.3″ long….The Ruckus is 57″ long only 3 inches
shorter.The Reflex weighs 375…or so it says in the spec. sheet (our scale put the
Reflex at 420 with an empty tank)…according to Honda the “Big Ruckus”
weighs 363 lbs. I’ll go out on a limb here and suggest the Ruckus weighs at
least 400 lbs.The price….$5299…wait, that’s the same price as the Reflex.
The Ruckus doesn’t have the rear disk brake found on the Reflex. Just a
cheapo drum.The Reflex gets a 13″ front wheel, The Ruckus gets a 12″.
The suspension travel on the Reflex and Ruckus is damn near identical
too…anyone else seeing a trend here? Reflex, Reflex Sport, Ruckus
250….all $5299. All variants of the same base machine.The Ruckus has very little storage room, just whatever you can strap to the
rear deck, and then only if the backrest (Ironing board) is folded up.
About that backrest, when it’s in the “up” position it becomes a true farm
implement. This thing has the exact same ergonomics as a John Deere.Floorboards…we don’t need no stinkin’ floorboards. The saving grace of
vintage scooters was what they lacked in actual enclosed storage, they made
up for with “just put it on the floorboards and hold it with your feet. For
what little storage space it has it has absolutely no floor, just 2 Harley
style foot boards. I hope you like where Honda decided you should put your
feet, because that’s your only option.I still have my hopes up for the TnG Baja 150, obviously it won’t be as fast
or powerful, which is a shame, but if your goal is a battle scooter, or good
field scooter, the “Big Ruckus” isn’t going to do it.My recommendation is to find an old Elite 250 and strip it down, install a
set of Reggae tires and call it done. Your total investment should be under
$2K and they’re quick as the devil.Phil Waters – Pride Of Cleveland Scooters
[Editor’s Note: In the interest of disclosure, Phil is a scooter dealer who sells TnG scooters (among other brands) and not Hondas, but we here at 2sb consider him an honest, experienced, and unbiased evaluator of all things 2-wheeled.]
For reference: the “Big Ruckus” on Honda’s US site. In Japan, it’s called the Hirojoku Mass Delight Motor Goober. Just kidding, it’s the PS250.