Update 03-05 Ruckus crankcase vent to 06+ spec?

[Crusader]

Did a search for this however I'm not finding anything yet on how to update the older Ruckus to NOT be prone to main bearing failure.

[yaris]

I think you need the cam chain tensionner and the solenoid valve of the 06+ ruckus, and maybe others things.And its the 06+ ruckus that have the PCV system not the 05

[Crusader]

Thanks for the input.

Everything I understand about it is that condensation/moisture gets trapped in the oil it doesn't get a chance to every really evaporate or boil off like it should. So I'm wondering if the easy fix for older Rucks is to just change the oil every 50 miles or so and be done with it an not try to rig up or update the engine PCV system etc.

I'm wondering if anybody in the Ruckus Zoomer world [on the pre-2006 models] has done precisely this [change the oil every 50 miles] and racked up well over 20,000 miles with no main bearing failures or any problems?

There is a listing for 2005 Ruck not terribly far from where I live with only 100 or so miles on it. Just don't want to dismiss the older Rucks because of this issue.

[Dandy Dan]

Good post, there is info out there on this but not in a nicely titled thread. I recently wrote how to retrofit the improved crankcase ventilation about half way down this page:
battlescooter.proboards27.com/index.cgi?board=De&action=display&thread=848&page=44

I don't think the problem is condesation/moisture so much as it is blow by gas fumes from when the engine is cold and the rings haven't expanded yet. Regardless, it's a ventilation issue. The 2003-2005 Ruckus's use one hose to vent the foul and breathe in fresh air. As you can imagine, it doesn't work so good to try to breathe out foul air and inhale fresh air through the same tube.

The 2006-present Ruckus's have two hoses, one is dedicated for the fresh air and the other vents the dirty air. This works much better. You can read about how to retrofit this (including some money saving ideas) at that link at the top of this post.

To answer your question, yes changing the oil every 50 miles should avoid this problem. You need to be diligent with this though. I was changing my oil diligently every 500-600 miles and I still got this problem every 5-8000 miles.

The other issue with older Ruckus's is that they are slower. Look for a top speed of 36-37mph instead of 40-42mph.