Last summer, I bought a 21-year-old Honda Ruckus. For those unfamiliar, the Ruckus is a scooter. Its design is utilitarian, lacking fairings and storage. The tube frame is exposed, with the only somewhat decorative part being the battery box on the front. I’ve seen it described as a cult classic. You can still buy them new, for the 2025 model year (yes, it’s still on 2025, because it hasn’t changed), for less than $3000; the design hasn’t changed, and the parts are all interchangeable.
My original intention was to use it at Woodhaven. It’s a scooter with a 49cc engine and a low max speed, so riding it on roads seemed like an alien idea to me. I weigh more than the Ruckus, so I wasn’t doing the already-slow acceleration any favors. But all of the pictures on Honda’s website show people riding it on streets, so clearly it was meant to be ridden around town.
Being a cult classic, the Ruckus has an extensive aftermarket. And I mean extensive. Everything from wheels to engine can be modified or upgraded. Some parts of the previous generation of Honda Metropolitan can also be swapped in; however, the current version is fuel-injected, while the Ruckus still has a carburetor, so that’s no longer the case. I got curious, so I started poking and prodding.
I believe every model year has had an all-black color scheme and one other, including the current model year. For 2025 the non-black scheme is actually pretty nice: the battery box is beige, the rear frame is green, the wheels are bronze (I’m a sucker for bronze wheels), and the seat is brown. The one I bought was black with red “RUCKUS” lettering along the rear frame, so I figured adding some red would be cool. First modifications, then, involved some red: I swapped out the battery box, installed a lowered seat frame, added a cargo rack, installed foot pegs for more comfortable seating position, and installed some fancy bolts with red anodized washers. I also got a classy seat cover with red stitching, and added storage beneath the seat in the form of an open-top plastic bin.
Next up: lighting. I like LEDs, and the Ruckus is not so equipped. Swapping LEDs into the existing turn signals and brake light didn’t do the trick, though, so I swapped out the assemblies entirely. That was alright for the time being … and that turned out to be the last modification for summer of 2025.
Over the winter I got the urge to modify it some more. There was no way to get it from Woodhaven to the house in a reasonable amount of time without loading it into a truck or something, so in late April I grabbed a U-Haul and loaded a bunch of stuff into it, including the Ruckus. Shortly after I got it home, the real work began. Since the first week of May, I’ve done:
- Removed rev limiter
- Removed airbox and replaced with short air intake
- Replaced exhaust pipe with free-flowing carbon fiber exhaust
- Replaced coolant tank with something that just looks cooler
- Re-jet carburetor for improved fuel-air mixture
- Install Honda Metropolitan fuel sending unit (shows fuel level instead of just lighting up when it’s near empty)
- Replace taillight with Yamaha R6-style taillight assembly
- Relocate license plate to former airbox location
- Install lightweight variator to improve acceleration
- Install stiffer rear shock because I weigh more than the vehicle
The next two modifications, which are currently in transit, will be a GPS-linked digital dashboard and front turn signals. The current turn signals are vertically-oriented and are easily blocked by the barrel-shaped front cargo bag I use, so I’m replacing them with horizontal ones.
So where does the title of this post come into play? Well, I rode the Ruckus to work once last week. It was my first time riding a two-wheeled vehicle on public roads. Nobody told me how much fun that would be. Yes, with a 49cc engine the Ruckus is slow; no, that doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of the experience. Nobody told me how much fun it would be to work on the vehicle. The feedback with each modification feels immediate, so you know if you messed up with no delay.
I want to get the M endorsement for my license now so I can ride something with an engine larger than 49cc.