The 2009 Honda Ruckus

Exposure can be a good thing or a bad thing. Thankfully, for the little Honda scooter, the 2009 Honda Ruckus, that sort of post-industrial bare bones look thrusts a bit of manliness in the general direction of the Honda scooter lineup. There’s no way to get around the general view of American males toward scooters. There’s just been far too much of the kind of talk and propaganda that scooters are “girlie.” The 2009 Honda Ruckus takes a stab at that sort of thinking, and thrusts a camshaft right in its heart. The 2009 Honda Ruckus is the kind of ride that even the most dedicated manly-man wouldn’t be ashamed to be seen on. Going camping? The 2009 Honda Ruckus looks like it was built to cruise around the campgrounds. Going to the car show? At 186 pounds, the 2009 Honda Ruckus will fit comfortably in the back of your truck, and two guys (or one big guy) can easily get it down without a ramp. That’s what the 2009 Honda Ruckus is all about- functionality. In a way, it’s not really a stripped-down Honda metropolitan, but rather an updated version of the old Honda trail minibikes.

The 2009 Honda Ruckus is powered by a 49cc single, a two-valve affair with liquid cooling, automatic transmission, and belt drive. For simplicity and thrift, the 2009 Honda Ruckus is carbureted, but includes an automatic choke to help keep things simple. The suspension up front is a twin-downtube fork which provides 2.2 inches of travel, while the rear of the 2009 Honda Ruckus is of the single-shock variety, and provides 2.6 inches of travel. Drum brakes both front and rear keep things simple, and fat, comfortable tires soak up bumps or backyard terrain with ease. The seat height is just 28.9 inches, providing a great starting point for riders just becoming accustomed to traveling on two wheels, and with a 1.3 gallon fuel tank, they’ll be doing a lot more learning than they will be spending time at the gas station.

The 2009 Honda Ruckus is available in two colors, red or black. The Red 2009 Honda Ruckus looks good, but is easily trumped by the black- it looks a bit like a Bat-scooter, except without the distinctive wheel covers and yellow graphics. For a small commuter, the 2009 Honda Ruckus is a tough ride to beat. Sure, it’s light on storage space, but this ride is more attuned to just getting from point A to point B, not with providing space for the extra junk you might want to bring along. Besides, that’s what bungee straps are for. Priced at $2499, the 2009 Honda Ruckus also makes a strong statement toward affordability. Literally, one summer of chores and mowing lawns could have your kid bringing one of these home in September. If that’s the case, just make sure that you put down in the rules that you get to have some ride time, too.