Teh Car Blogz

The automotive industry in the US is facing it’s toughest challenge yet. The price of gasoline in this country has been on an extremely rapid rise in the last three or four years, to the point where people are either tired of filling up their tanks, or unable to afford the luxury. Sales of America’s top automotive product, the pickup truck, have been in the tank for a good time now. Ford announced their new business plan this past week which includes a massive cutback on truck production and a big push on cars. Makes sense to me. When I started driving about 4 years ago, the price of regular unleaded gas was $1.77. Yesterday, it hit $4.00 per gallon. I for one have pretty much had enough. I don’t drive for the fun of it nearly as much as I used to - my car takes 93 octane gas at a rate of about 28mpg on the highway and 22 or 23mpg around town. While I don’t have it as bad as most people, I simply can’t afford to put 50-60 dollars of gas in my tank a few times a week. I just don’t have the money.

So I’ve decided what my next automotive purchase is going to be, when funds allow:

This is the Honda Ruckus. It’s 49cc’s of four-stroke, single cylinder FURY. Has a Honda V-Matic single speed centrifugal clutch transmission, and spits a furious 3.4 horsepower to the rear wheel. Perhaps it’s not the most masculine vehicle for a person such as I, but I love it. Many people don’t appreciate how perfect a 49cc scooter can be for getting around town. It’s got a lot going in it’s favor.

-near as matters 100mpg.
-1 gallon fuel tank
-3 or 4 dollars a week to put gas in it
-has no problem maintaining traffic speeds in downtown - like 35-45 miles an hour
-Lots of fun to ride
-Park it LITERALLY wherever you want to. As in, just ride it up on the sidewalk and put up the stand. Or lock it to a bike-rack.
-Simple enough to do all your own work on it
-Cheap.

I mean, sure, it’s not going to do any favors for my masculinity. But to be honest, I’m fairly comfortable with myself and I’m pretty sure I can rock a scooter without feeling weird. They’re a hoot to drive, the ladies LOVE them, and you can keep them running with the change you find hidden in your couch. In a town like Chapel Hill, it’s the best form of transportation around. They’ll get you where you’re going as quickly or quicker than anything else due to being able to ride them on sidewalks and paths, they can be parked as you please, and they have enough range to take you out of town for shopping - Carrboro or Durham are 5 or 10 minutes away on a scooter.

And of course, being a gearhead, I have researched and yes there IS an aftermarket for the Ruckus. In fact there’s quite a big one. And while a lot of it is cutsie crap (like mirrors shaped like hands giving the peace sign, and under-seat baskets for groceries, etc etc) there are some parts available that add useable performance. I’ve picked out a few for future purchases.

A set of RPM 12-spoke alloy wheels look great, they’re cheap, and they work with the Dio-ZX type forks, which allow you to mount disc brakes.

with the Dio ZX front fork you get better damping and weight capacity, and it also allows you to mount this pretty 220mm front brake rotor and single-piston caliper. Pimpin’.

Battlescooter.com drag exhaust is crucial, of course.

Now here is just some fanciful thinking. This is Battlescooter’s race camshaft, which allows the 49cc motor to pull hard up to it’s 11,000 rpm redline. Add on this racing ignition module and an NGK plug and cable, and you get a few thousand extra useful revs to scare the crap out of pedestrians.

And short of a bore kit, the next step would be a bigger carb. Battlescooter also sells an adaptor manifold so you can stick a bigger Keihin 20mm carb on your Ruckus, which flows much better. With these mods you can probably more than double your power and then lifting the front wheel becomes a concern.

And of course maybe you can get an 80cc stroke kit, then run a 1.5′ stretch swing-arm and a widened rear frame for a wider tire to get traction… a new speed variator kit, lighter roller bearings for less inertia, stiffer clutch springs, and maybe a 25 shot of Nitrous and you an probably top 100mph on an 80cc machine… Then again, maybe it’s best to just leave it at that.

Of course, I’m still going to keep my car. But just how work is easier when you pick the right tool, living is easier when you pick the right transportation.

Until next time, dear reader, stay safe and enjoy the ride.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 at 6:13 pm and is filed under Car Theory, Thought Of The Day. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.