The Genuine Scooter Company filled its Rattler range back out ahead of MY2019 by resurrecting its Rattler 50. The Rattler carries itself with a youthful exuberance that clearly targets the entry-level market, and this newest iteration boasts a handful of improvements over the previous generation. It rocks the same look and feel as its big brother, the Buck Ten (110), just with a smaller engine to keep the price low and power/displacement manageable for newest/lowest-tier license holders.
Continue reading for my review of the Genuine Scooters Rattler.
2019 Geniune Scooters Rattler 50
- Make: Array
- Model: 2019 Geniune Scooters Rattler 50
- Engine/Motor: single cylinder
- [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
2019 Genuine Scooter Rattler 50 Design
PGO, under Motive Power Industry out of Taiwan, produces the Rattler for the Genuine Scooter Company. The designers were going for a naked-scooter look with this one, and it seems they did a good job of it with a cut-down front fender that provides minimal effective coverage and wastes not an ounce on superfluous material.
A narrow front fairing houses new larger dual headlights above a stylish lip that flows out and down to form a sportbike-like scoop; the leading edge of one anyway. A pair of vent grilles ride outboard of the lights to lend the visage even more sportiness, and that plays well with the bellowed gaiters that protect the swept area of the updated forks and the race-tastic red front caliper.
A naked handlebar area leaves the top of the control column nice and open, if not actually clean-looking because of the cables and such, and a small LCD display bundles all the instrumentation together in one neat little package, much like the LED winkers that are integrated with the mirrors.
Inside the legguard area you'll find a small cubby for your possibles and a USB port to power/charge your mobile devices, but it's open at the top, so ya' better keep an eye on the weather or get waterproof devices. In profile, the legguard is almost as thin as the old-school scooters as it tumbles down nearly vertical to the wide-open step-through. That's right, the Rattler runs with a full, wide-open and flat deck that leaves plenty of room for mounting/dismounting as well as carrying cargo between the feet.
Since the mill is mounted horizontally and the seat is kinda' tall at 32-inches off the deck, there is enough room for a full brain bucket in the underseat storage area or a whole passel of groceries/schoolbooks/whatever. As tall as the seat is, it's been lowered a skosh and moved aft to improve legroom from its pre-2010 position, and the seat itself comes with beveled sides to give your thighs a break when it's time to deploy your training wheels.
The break between pilot and pillion is very slight so your passenger doesn't exactly get stadium seating, and the grab rail is actually behind the p-pad so it isn't particularly effective as a J.C. handle or an anchor point for a bungee net. An LED taillight and combo mudflap/tagholder finishes off the rear end.
2019 Genuine Scooter Rattler 50 Chassis
The Rattler depends on a proper underframe for its structure rather than relying on a stressed-skin or monocoque assembly to keep everything nice and rigid. Updated forks float the front end on fixed preload- and damping-values, but the coil-over, piggyback monoshock out back does at least get a spring-preload adjustment so you can dial in for changing passenger/cargo loads.
A pair of 12-inch blackout rims round out the rolling chassis. That's right, it runs doughnuts, but at least they are fat donuts with a 120/70 and 130/70 profile on the front and rear, respectively, so they've got a sufficient contact patch area.
The front brakes run a 220 mm disc with a twin-pot caliper to bite it, but out back you'll find the old-fashioned drum brake that is so ubiquitous on these small scoots. A swing-mount drive unit fuses engine and transmission together as a stressed unit that replaces the swingarm, per longstanding scooter standards.
Tire Size: |
F: 120/70/12 R: 130/70/12 |
Braking: |
Front Hydraulic Disc: Rear Drum |
2019 Genuine Scooter Rattler 50 Drivetrain
Power comes from a two-stroke, 49.7 cc Minarelli plant. That's right sports fans, the Rattler rocks an air-cooled two-cycle, but since it's such a small mill it falls within the most generous of emissions brackets so it isn't considered “dirty” as such. It is efficient though, with a claimed mileage rating of over 100 mpg, though individual results may vary, especially if you like to treat every stop as an opportunity for a holeshot.
Naturally, the engine is governed down to deliver enough power for a 30-mph top speed, but if you don't live in an area with tiered licensing, you can modify the restriction and get something closer to 50 mph out of it. Power flows through a continuously-variable transmission that delivers twist-and-go operation via a pair of self-adjusting pulleys that eliminate the need for a hand clutch or even a shifter.
Engine: |
49.7 cc, 2-Stroke, Air-Cooled |
Transmission: |
Automatic (CVT) |
2019 Genuine Scooter Rattler 50 Pricing
The newly-released '19 Rattler can be had for $2,399. Color choices are rather narrow, however, with red and black as the only choices.
Warranty: |
2-year / unlimited-mile |
Colors: |
Black and Red |
MSRP: |
$2,399 |
2019 Genuine Scooter Rattler 50 Competitors
For my head-to-head, I would have liked to pull from beneath the Piaggio Group's umbrella, but in spite of the Rattler's twice-removed connection to that Italian giant, there's nothing in the lineup that quite fits the bill. Yamaha is my Huckleberry though. The Zuma 50 FX looks to be a pretty good match with its sporty front end and similar overall panache.
Yamaha runs with a cyclops headlight rather than dual beams, and it adds a flyscreen that veers the look away from the naked bent the Rattler presents to the world. Vanilla suspension and disc-and-drum brakes are constants across the board, but Yamaha steps up in the engine design with a 49 cc four-stroke and a claimed 132-plus mpg rating that comes governed down to 30 mph just like the Rattler. The Tuning Fork Company even kept the price down in the same neighborhood with a $2,599 sticker that's just a couple of bills higher than the Rattler, and from a much more well-known manufacturer to boot.
He Said
“That two-Benjamin price break isn't likely to steer anyone away from the Japanese heavy, but I have to admit that the Rattler is competitive in this bracket. Fit and finish will favor the larger manufacturers, but as a beginner's ride it's a good place to start.”
She Said
My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “So, why would you buy a Rattler instead of a Roughhouse? Think of the Rattler as the sporty version and the Roughhouse as the more adventuresome of the two. That is seen clearly in the choice of tires where the Roughhouse comes equipped with more knobby-looking tires. I like the rugged look better than the classic or vintage scooter styling. It seems like a sporty little ride if you're in an area that makes 50 cc practical.”
2019 Genuine Scooter Rattler 50 Specifications
Engine: |
49.7 cc, 2-Stroke, Air-Cooled |
Transmission: |
Automatic (CVT) |
Tire Size: |
F: 120/70/12 R: 130/70/12 |
Braking: |
Front Hydraulic Disc: Rear Drum |
Dry Weight: |
198 lbs |
Top Speed: |
30+ mph |
Mileage: |
100+ mpg |
USB Port: |
Charge cell phone / iPod |
Warranty: |
2-year / unlimited-mile |
Colors: |
Black and Red |
MSRP: |
$2,399 |
Further Reading
Yamaha Zuma 50F / 50FX
See our review of the Yamaha Zuma 50F / 50FX.