Bare bones -- naked bike, anyone? -- and gnarly, the Ruckus looks like it's right out of Mad Max. Even though it does have a 50 cc engine, no one is going to say, “Awww, isn't that cute?” when you ride by on a Honda Ruckus. Granted, you won't get going very fast on a Ruckus, so on-lookers will get a good, long look.

2015 - 2023 Honda Ruckus

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2015 - 2023 Honda Ruckus
  • Engine/Motor: single cylinder
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

Honda Ruckus Design

- Quirky styling - Analogue display - Low 29-inch seat height - Locking helmet holder

Do you want to ride a scooter for the ease of operation and the extraordinary fuel economy but don't want to look like a sissy? While not all 50 cc scooters are sissified, a lot of them are. They come in pretty pastel colors and cute designs, something that just isn't your style. How do I know? Because you're reading this. Enter the Honda Ruckus (NPS50 ), known in other markets as the Zoomer.

Stripped down naked styling, fatty-fat tires and dual headlights make the Ruckus look like it's ready for anything. Keep in mind, though, that this is a 49 cc engine. The Ruckus does get good fuel economy, but it won't muscle up hills very fast and it won't keep up with traffic unless you stick to residential streets so think long and hard about whether a 50 cc scooter like the Ruckus fits your needs.

With the Ruckus, you get a basic instrument cluster: an analog speedometer, odometer, and indicator lights for high beams, coolant temp and low fuel. You don't get a fuel gauge, but it has only a 1.3-gallon tank under the floorboards. The low-fuel light comes on with about a 0.3-gallon reserve.

Seat height for the Ruckus is 29 inches and while seat height on a scooter doesn't hold the same concern as the seat height on a motorcycle, 29 inches is low enough for just about everyone. What about you tall folks? Yeah, it looks small, but the Ruckus has room for your knees under the handlebars unlike some other 50 cc scooters. (::coughMetropolitancough::)

Storage, you ask? C'mon. Do you see any storage on this ride? The Ruckus doesn't get storage space, but it does have plenty of places to bungee what you want to carry or you can hit the aftermarket for panels to enclose the space under the seat. To secure your helmet, the Ruckus has a locking helmet holder under the seat so you don't have to carry your helmet when you walk away from your Ruckus.

Honda Ruckus Chassis

- Ten-inch rims - Proper underframe - Mechanical drum brakes - Fat dual-surface tires

A complete lack of body panels leaves little to the imagination and makes the Ruckus look like a de facto naked scooter. The absence of panels on the Ruckus leaves Honda with little choice but to run a proper underframe rather than a uni-body, or monocoque assembly assembly}} for structural rigidity. I prefer this method because not only are there no body panels to crunch up and have to replace, but you can also visually check the frame to get some idea as to whether you tweaked it or not in a little fenderbender. Not only that, but the underframe system on the Ruckus allows for a full step-through, a feature many scooter riders prefer.

The Ruckus' frame is comprised of a cast-aluminum forward frame with a steel subframe in back to support the solo seat. That's right folks, this is a one-butt bike unless the rider and passenger are both very small, and are very good friends. Tube-and-slider front forks support the front with around two inches of travel to soak up abuse from the road. The rear monoshock springs off the swing-mount motor assembly to support the Ruckus at the rear subframe, and it provides 2.6 inches of travel.

One very obvious design feature involves the tires, namely, they are quite fat. Though they run on 10-inch diameter rims front and rear, the tires come with 120/90 and 130/90 aspect ratios, respectively. Not only that, but the road rubbers come with a dual-surface tread that incorporates deep grooves for soft surfaces and large street flats for pavement work.

Drum brakes on both ends of the Ruckus tend to the braking action. While drums are probably sufficient for the 194-pound curb weight, personally, I'd like to see a disc and caliper on the front wheel, but . . . you know . . . 10-inch tire and all that.

Front Suspension:

Twin-downtube fork; 1.9 inches travel

Rear Suspension:

Single shock; 2.6 inches travel

Front Brake:

95 mm drum

Rear Brake:

95 mm drum

Front Tire:

120/90-10

Rear Tire:

130/90-10


Honda Ruckus Drivetrain

- Liquid-cooled 49 cc thumper - 18 mm CV carburetor - Push-button starter - Gas-sipping fuel economy

The Ruckus has a liquid-cooled, four-cycle thumper engine. The fuel-efficient 49 cc mill measures out a bit undersquare with a 37.8 mm bore and 44 mm stroke, and as usual with small-displacement engines it runs a moderately high compression ratio at 11.9 to 1. An 18 mm constant velocity carburetor manages the air and fuel induction with an automatic choke feature for cold starts.

Engine management falls on the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) that controls the timing of the capacitor-discharge ignition, choke, electric starter, and fuel pump. In addition to the push-button starter, Honda slapped a good ol' kickstart lever on the engine for a practical backup as well as some extra cool factor. Powertrain design forces the kickstarter over to the left side which might feel a little weird to those already accustomed to a right-side kicker, but I'm sure you'd get used to that quickly, if you ever bother using it, that is. I would, but sometimes I'm in the minority.

Honda's V-Matic belt drive provides the Ruckus with twist-n-go, shiftless propulsion, so there's no automatic transmission, and it comes geared for 40-45 mph and 114 mpg with a small fuel capacity of just 1.3 Gallons.

Engine:

Liquid-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke engine

Automatic Transmission Gears:

None

Displacement:

49 cc

Induction:

18 mm CV carburetor with automatic choke

Ignition:

CD

Bore and Stroke:

37.8 mm x 44 mm

Compression Ratio:

11.9:1

Transmission:

Automatic V-Matic belt drive


Honda Ruckus Pricing

MSRP on the 2023 Honda Ruckus is $2,899. The Ruckus comes in a more expanded choice of colors with a Gray single-tone colorway or two-tone colors Metallic Blue and White or Midnight Blue and Tan. It comes with a transferable one-year, unlimited-mileage limited warranty and offers extended coverage through the Honda Protection Plan.

Model Id:

NPS50

Warranty:

Transferable one-year, unlimited-mileage limited warranty; extended coverage available with a Honda Protection Plan.

Colors:

└2021:

White/Red, Black

└2022 - 2023:

White/Metallic Blue, Gray, Midnight Blue/Tan

Price:

└2016:

$2,649

└2017, 2018:

$2,699

└2019, 2020:

$2,749

└2021 - 2022:

$2,799

└2023:

$2,899


Honda Ruckus Competitors

Considering looks alone for a head-to-head competitor, I'd have to go with the Rowdy from SSR Motorsports.

The Rowdy has that same post-apocalyptic style that would appeal to a buyer looking at the Ruckus. For a scooter, however, the difference between a 50 cc engine and a 150 cc engine is huge, so let's stay in the 50 cc range. For that no-nonsense, bare-bones style, let's go head-to-head with the PMZ50-19, the Mad Dog at the head of their Mad Dog series over at Ice Bear.

Both rides are rather spartan in their body cladding, and the exposed frame lend each of them a minimalist air. However, while the Ruckus presents a typical, scooter-like profile with its vestigial leg fairing and step-through deck for the rider's feet, the Mad Dog strikes a different tone with rider footpegs outboard of the frame and a pipe luggage rack in the step-through. There's a marked difference in seat height as well. At 28.9-inches tall, the Ruckus falls within the norm for the genre, but the Mad Dog drops the seat down to a mere 23.6 inches off the ground. That's just a little lower than a stock Softail, lest you think it too low, but it's definitely down there.

Engines are comparable at 49 cc, and 49.5 cc for the Ruckus and Mad Dog, respectively. Honda goes with liquid cooling while Ice Bear opted for a simpler, air-cooled lump, not surprising considering the unimpeded airflow through the completely naked pipe frame. Both factories opted for electric start with a kickstarter backup as well, and they both run automatic transmissions. Not really much to choose between the two, but they are just biddy little mills, after all.

No doubt, the tires on the Ruckus look rather chubby on their 10-inch rims, but the Mad Dog rolls on a 120/70-12 up front, with a surprisingly wide and flat, 205/30-12 in back. That's almost big enough for a small car, so it has a large contact patch but I doubt the flat tread will help the Mad Dog in the corners very much. One thing I definitely like on the Mad Dog is the hydraulic front brakes versus the all-around drums on its counterpart.

In the end, the two are very similar, just different, so you just have to ask yourself just exactly how Mad Max you want to be.

Read our full review of the SSR Motorsports Rowdy.

He Said

My husband and fellow writer, TJ Hinton, says, “The Ruckus is a tough-looking little scooter, with its naked panache and on-off tires and on-off tires}}, and looks like it could be a blast on a trail or sand beach. While it's true that most scooters qualify as basic transportation at best, the solo seat and lack of cargo/grocery space makes the Ruckus very basic transportation indeed. Okay so it isn't a grocery getter, but still probably a lot of fun for point-A to point-B action.”

She Said

“I like this zombie-apocolypse style and the Ruckus has plenty of fans with rider clubs to attest to its popularity. With a 50 cc engine, you're not going to carry a lot of cargo, but it's awesome to zip around town and maybe to and from the campus. I'm a little surprised the Big Ruckus didn't last in the US market. It was a 250 cc version of the Ruckus that only lasted for the 2005 – 2006 model years.”

Honda Ruckus Specifications

Engine & Drivetrain:

Engine:

Liquid-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke

Automatic Transmission:

None

Displacement:

49 cc

Induction:

18 mm CV carburetor with automatic choke

Ignition:

CD

Bore and Stroke:

37.8 mm x 44 mm

Compression Ratio:

11.9:1

Transmission:

Automatic V-Matic belt drive

Chassis:

Front Suspension:

Twin-downtube fork; 1.9 inches travel

Rear Suspension:

Single shock; 2.6 inches travel

Front Brake:

95 mm drum

Rear Brake:

95 mm drum

Front Tire:

120/90-10

Rear Tire:

130/90-10

Dimensions & Capacities:

Wheelbase:

49.8 inches

Seat Height:

28.9 inches

Curb Weight:

194 pounds

Fuel Capacity:

1.3 gallons

Miles Per Gallon:

114 mpg

Details:

Model Id:

NPS50

Warranty:

Transferable one-year, unlimited-mileage limited warranty; extended coverage available with a Honda Protection Plan.

Available Colors:

└2021:

White/Red, Black

└2022 - 2023:

White/Metallic Blue, Gray, Midnight Blue/Tan

Price:

└2016:

$2,649

└2017, 2018:

$2,699

└2019, 2020:

$2,749

└2021 - 2022:

$2,799

└2023:

$2,899


Further Reading

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