Introduction - And What's the Real Scoop?

[bluejeanblues]

Hi Folks!

I've only been riding for a year but have had a lot of 'variety' for a newb- whole family rides, so I get to cheat and ride everyone else's, too! Couple that with scooter/motorcycle syndrome (I seem to have to have one of each), and we're bike happy and dirt poor!

What's the REAL scoot on the Big Ruckus? How does it handle- cornering, up and down hills, rough road surfaces, WIND- especially wind?

Know where I can pick one up for probably $4500, $4600- scoots don't sell well here...that's new and OTD-

Can anyone compare it to a Reflex? Silverwing? Vino 125?

Thanks in advance!

bluejeanblues

[izzynormal]

I, find the BR to be great in the wind due to low center of gravity. The gas tank and engine is low slung so it is a great wind fighter. Would like the leg sheilds that are shown of Japan website for Honda Power Sports and a windshield that covers handlebars for the cold months ahead. Wonder why we in the US and Canada are treated as second class Honda riders?

[Kami no Chiizu]

The same reason the Ford F-150 is the top selling vehicle in the US, and has been for years upon years.

[tedsmini]

[tedsmini]

Where are you located? The BR is a real fun machine. The wind is a def riding factor. Up to 45mph it is a pussycat. Past 55mph the wind causes you to forcefully hold your legs from being blown to either side and is a fatigue factor for me. You have to wear a full face shield or full face helmet to protect your puss from bugs, rocks etc. Sideways wind and truck drafts it handles very well. It compares favorable to a Reflex (I rode a Helix for 17 yrs) but it is a bit slower. Suspension is adequate as are the brakes. You cannot compare it to a Silverwing: that's apples and oranges, the Silverwing is a rocket and should be at 600cc's. I know nothing about the Vino so there my report ends. Good luck in wharever choice you make.

[izzynormal]

I've been customizing my, BR for better storage and driver comfort.
Seems the, Suziki Bergman in a 400 c.c. is the same price range. More storage, a windshield, full length running boards for driver and passenger along w/ leg streching position to the front, and a quality paintjob makes it a stiff competitor for the, BR. Had I seen them both when I was looking a month ago; it would have been a tough decision. I don't care for all the plastic on the, Bergman; but, it looks comfortable in the upcoming cold weather and doesn't look cheesie like many scooters on the market. If, you are shopping look at them both. You'll be in, CRISIS mode when you have to choose.

[silverwind]

I considered the Burgman 400 but CMG did a comparison of the big scoots and they criticized the quality, preferring the Majesty 400. I personally don't like all that body work and like the fact that the BG is a nice cross between a motorcycle and a scooter, i have saddle bags and a utility box mounted on the rear deck and together with the front rack i bet i have more carrying capacity than the Burgman. I certainly havent found the BG a problem with wind and at 90km on the highway it is comfortable. I love the BG and find it extremely practical transportation, of course if i was planning to do more long distance touring i would probably buy a Majesty.
The Reflex and the Big Ruckus have the same engine and spec's.

[silverwind]

I also wonder where you are located, if in the States you certainly have a better choice of scooters than we have in Canada, This year the choice has suddenly exploded because demand has substantially increased. We can now choose from the Piaggio 400,Derbi is introducing a 250, Vespa 250, Reflex 250, Daelims Wing Road,and of course the Burgman, Majesty and big Honda Silverwing. When i bought the BG in the Spring the BG was the only 250 scooter available in Canada and now six months later the choice is expanding rapidly. CMG online is a good source of info for the Canadian scene. I still prefer the BG and even faced with the choice i would still choose it for my type of use here on the Island and the occasional trip off island involving highway travel. I really appreciate the carrying capacity with the bags and box. Will post an updated photo soon. The only addition that i would like would be leg shields. For bug protection the slip streamer screen is great with the flip top edge deflecting the creatures efficiently, and i wouldn't ride without a full face mask to protect against the occassional bug that gets around the windscreen, whether it was on a BG or any other scooter/bike.

[bluejeanblues]

:)Hi Folks! Sorry I've been gone so long!

I'm located in Joplin, MO, and we have a lot of choices for scooters. This isn't a 'big Metropolitan area' but scooters are gaining in popularity rapidly, especially since the gas hike after the Hurricanes hit. Although prices have temporarily receded, we all figure they will jump back up again.

I've owned a Reflex and a Silverwing- the S'wing was too much scoot and I loved the Reflex, but those fairings catch a lot of wind (sidways gusts) and there were days I left it in the garage due to the wind conditions. (We have a lot of wind). I'm not afraid of wind at all- but when you can't hold a bike in a straight line, it's time to put it up.

The MCs would do just fine- I only had this problem on the full-fairing scoots.

So I was interested in the 'naked Reflex'- but had about given up on getting one. I'd only ever seen one in town and it finally sold.

Saw my second one tonight and test drove it- and it's mine now! Handles side wind MUCH better than it's 'fairing'd friends' and I had an absolute blast on it!

Only got in 40 miles tonight- didn't get to bring it home until after dark and a six point buck ambling across the road quickly convinced me "Tis the season to ride during daylight"- but I can't wait for tomorrow!

So here you have a former S'wing/Reflex owner- who honestly believes the Big Ruckus is the best I've ridden!

[silverwind]

Congratulations!! You are going to love the BG, if you need a windscreen check out the Slip Streamer universal models, i have details on my post "The Big Ruckus is just great", it really improves the comfort level and is not affected by the wind. I was all set to buy a Reflex but when i tested the BG i was immediately convinced and bought it on the spot. Your remarks on the Reflex have further convinced me that i made the right choice. Have fun and safe riding.

[Kami no Chiizu]

Glad to hear you like it. I think I'm going to sadly walk away from my first chance at owning one of the Big Guys... payment's would be just too high for me, right now...

[bluejeanblues]

Kami-

Sorry you're having to walk away right now. I understand the finances- I can afford the payment, but I'm going to be paying for mine for a long time. It was a hard decision to go in debt for one, but I don't think I'm going to regret it at this point.

Stormed here most of the day so I only got another 40 miles in- I'm hoping tomorrow will be nice and I'm planning to go for a long ride. Have to watch the roads, though,as many of ours run 55-65mph and I really don't want to push that hard during break in. So I may just 'wander' a lot to nowhere!

[Kami no Chiizu]

Well, it's like I told the guy. If I can't get the payment I need, I guess I'll just hafta wait and keep saving till I can afford one.

Rock on.

[izzynormal]

You might keep an eye on, eBay. Saw one with only 800 miles start at, $4,000. That was a, $1500 savings over new. I think I have the seller's ebay id, private message me, if you might want to contact the seller. In most cases, they will take the start bid when no one has bid on an item.

[Kami no Chiizu]

I think I'm just gonna keep on saving. It's gettin' cold anyhow, and that 70 mile round trip to work wouldn't be too fun, even though I keep tellin' myself it would be.

[motherruckas]

www.cycletrader.com has them all, search near you or all over the U.S. I'd consider the Reflex more like a Goldwing (along with the Silverwing). Check out the Yahoo Reflex board for more info on that, I hung out there, but decided to get 2 Rux instead of 1 Reflex, which I sometimes regret, until I think of its size & added insurance cost. But then I dream of customizing the Black Ruck on a daily (pink, sky blue, lime green..), something that would have been alot harder to do on the Flex.

Check out Sexxxim, an all girl Maxi scooter club, custom like crazy. I have a few of them on my page.

[gadgetgirl]

bluejeanblues said:

Hi Folks!

I've only been riding for a year but have had a lot of 'variety' for a newb- whole family rides, so I get to cheat and ride everyone else's, too! Couple that with scooter/motorcycle syndrome (I seem to have to have one of each), and we're bike happy and dirt poor!

What's the REAL scoot on the Big Ruckus? How does it handle- cornering, up and down hills, rough road surfaces, WIND- especially wind?

Know where I can pick one up for probably $4500, $4600- scoots don't sell well here...that's new and OTD-

Can anyone compare it to a Reflex? Silverwing? Vino 125?

Thanks in advance!

bluejeanblues

My first ride was a Vino 125. Although I liked it a lot, as soon as I sat on the BR, I knew right away that the BR was a more suitable bike for me. Here's a few differences/similarities between the BR and the Vino 125:

1. The BR has a lower (and, of course, adjustable) seat. Having short legs, I immediately felt better on the BR.
2. The BR's center of gravity is lower and therefore handles better in the wind -- a lot better than the Vino.
3. I kind of miss the under seat storage that the Vino had. However, the BR provides lots of opportunities to use a top box, saddlebags, tank bags, and even roll bags for the front.
4. The brakes on the BR do not seem as strong as they were on the Vino.
5. The BR, obviously, has less plastic than the Vino -- good when/if the bike should fall. In fact I did drop my BR during a slow speed maneuver. The only damage done was a few hardly noticeable scuffs on the muffler and one mirror. Had that been the Vino, I believe that the entire front fairing would have been damaged.
6. I feel that there is less chance of someone stealing the BR -- only because it is much heavier. With the Vino I always felt that someone could easily throw it into the back of their truck. I realize, of course, that if someone wants the BR badly, that they too could just throw it in the back of a truck, but the BR's weight does seem to make it a bit more of a deterrent.
7. At 250 cc, the BR obviously has more top end than the Vino. Since I ride on roads where the speed limit is 80 - 100 kph, I feel that I am better able to keep up with the traffic without "bagging" the bike.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with the BR. With its longer wheel base, lower center of gravity, and increased weight, it just feels like a much more solid bike than the Vino 125.

[motherruckas]

What are your two favorite gadgets?
Do you have a PSP?

[bluejeanblues]

Hi Folks-

Have had the BR for 3 weeks now and we're at 500 miles- riding is cut back some due to weather and schedules-

So far, I'm glad I bought the BR. Having experience on 4 different scoots before buying it gives me quite a bit to compare it to- and I can fault it and praise it compared to the others. The short story is I'd like a little more power and a lot better brakes (the Reflex's weren't anything to write home about, either)- and I do miss under-seat storage every now and again-

Other than that, I'm real happy with the BR. Those may seem like 'big' items, but they're minor compared to the issues I had on the other scoots with road surfaces and wind conditions. The BR is so much steadier that I can take it anytime I want and not worry about weather conditions.

I'm interested to see if the power issue changes much when we're really through break-in- So everything is kind of preliminary right now! Riding 'naked' does take some getting used to!

[geobug]

We have had our BR for about a month and ride, ride ride we go. We are looking for a back rest as both of us are riding at the same time. Anyone have any ideas? And what about a windshield?? We have found them for the small Ruckus but not the BR. Any help out there? [e-mail]