Jetting? noob

[heeh]

Hello Fellow Ruckus riders,

I am very fresh to the Ruckus scene and looking for some help. I recently purchased my Ruckus from a guy here locally, I'm very happy with my purchase but i think i may have a problem with my jetting, the Ruckus i purchased is 2009 and has some mods, mods include a fat tire kit, 10' engine extension, posh cdi, PC 20 big cart kit, 6 g rollers, blue clutch springs, intake delete kit from bowls, etc. when i purchased the Ruckus the guy i bought it from told me it would run 45 mph. When first riding it i only got to 40 mph on a down hill, i was lucky to get 30 mph on flat ground, on up hills 20 to 25 mph. i adjusted the air/fuel screw the guy had the screw six turns out i turned all the way in and came out 2 1/2 turns and it seemed to help but I'm not sure if its to lean now. Since adjusting i can reach 20 mph pretty quick, after 25 mph bike seems to bog and after 3/4 to full throttle. The bike has a straight exhaust and should be getting after market exhaust this week. i feel the issue is in the jetting the guy i bought it from did everything himself and I'm not sure it was done correctly (as for myself) I'm trying to find the correct jets to put in the carb. My concern is driving home late from work because my occupation is being a bartender and i don't feel safe driving 25 mph when there are drunk drivers out. I know I'm going to have to some adjustments here and there but I'm just looking for a main base to start with. I'm at 3800 feet above sea level in far far west Texas. Sorry for such a long story but any help would be appreciated. thanks


oh one more thing i have noticed when the bike is off and I'm pushing it it seems to roll smooth and then the back brake seems to slightly grab then release and continue to do it as you push it.

[heeh]

Here is a pic of my Ruckus

[kentuckyrucky]

the exhaust isn't a factor first of all, the brake issue is mechanical, so tracing that back and sorting it out should be just a matter of minutes if you dig into it. the speed issue is this- assuming its the stock 49cc engine in there; replace the stock air intake and stock jet and dial in. the parts are going to be a DIY task, but dialing in to factory with the jet may require a visit to the shop . trust me- stock jet and intake FAR outweigh any aftermarket BS. if you are running 49cc THE ONLY thing that will make you fell OKAY with dropping 2 or 3 hundred bucks is going to variator (i recommend Daytona Drag) and the UNI drop in high flow filter from battlescooter. outside of those parameters are nothing but tinkering, headaches, money pits, and performance let downs.

[kentuckyrucky]

on brakes- play with the hexagonal nut on either front or back brake shoe. its what the cable is connected with- righty tighty lefty loosey- remember that haha

[kentuckyrucky]

OH AND I FORGOT THIS AWESOME GEM- IT HAPPENED TO ME- perhaps, the previous owner tighten (by hand) the aforementioned brake cable nuts too much!! i did that once, and yea, it was soooo sluggish! basically the pads were hugging the drums so tight that the wheel couldn't spin freely.. friction, cant live with it, cant live without it!!

[heeh]

thank you guys very much.

[kentuckyrucky]

no problem, and remember- its better for the soul to spend $10 on a wrench instead of $60/hour on the mechanic!! thank you google- for now i require no one hahaha

[kentuckyrucky]

but yes i do sympathize with you, my ruck is my only set of wheels, so if im not on it then im not on anything. trial and error is great if you dont have anywhere to be, time is critical for ppl like me- so i hit the experiments fast and furious- gotta get results and NOW! anyways- good luck, post questions if u got em, im full of them myself haha- later

[heeh]

i agree with you about the DIY. I have worked on alot of my motorcycles in the past and i was looking for a base to where i should start at. I am running the stock 49cc motor and was just wondering where i could start at as far as the jets that i should start off with. I have a little box with jets in it with numbers on them i was wondering if you could tell me maybe where i should start at with them. I still have the factory parts as well. Thanks

[kentuckyrucky]

im not sure what number the oem jet is, but look it up and run that- assuming its the oem carb and all. and this might be pushing your ability at this moment, but id highly recommend running the stock air box/pipe and other associated vacuum hoses. ive done pretty extensive testing with the stock air system and there is an extremely fine line on what will be slightly better than stock performance-wise and what is counter-productive. if i were you id replace the entire stock intake system, auxiliary hoses and all, and run the stock jet- try to get back to oem as much as you can. aside from of course any drivetrain mods that have been made. also, i wouldnt run anything bigger than an 11" wheel- it kinda matters. 12" is pushing it on a 49cc.

[kentuckyrucky]

but i think you have 10x8? so no worries-

[heeh]

i have a 10x10 in the rear. i can run the stock air box with the pc20? sorry if i sound stupid. I will get some updated pics close up so i can show you i also have two other k&n filters on the bike. i will pic those pics asap. thank you once again

[kentuckyrucky]

i dont have any first hand experience with that carb so im not sure of its dimensions- but if you want to measure the diameter of the inlet (take off the air filter) and let me know what that is bc here in my possession is the oem airbox and main hose, so ill see if will fit for ya

[heeh]

brake problem is fixed. I just had to ajust screw.

[heeh]

ok i just pulled of the air filter and it was covered in oil on the bottom side and looks to be very dirty. Could this be a reason for the bog?

[heeh]

picture of the filters. I tried a couple of different jets and i think i found one that is running a little bit better. i am cleaning the filter i will let you know how it runs off i put it back together.

[heeh]

cleaning the filter helped (i think) alot. helped with the bog and i think i need to just toy with the air/fuel screw.

[AweShucks]

Things I don't like about these setups.. Filters attached directly to the carb especially the gauze style tend to plug and get dirty quickly from spitting out of the carb. Not to mention all the road grit the rear tire is throwing on it. Running a filter directly from the carb decreases performance I don't care what people say. You cannot get a smooth air flow like that. A good snorkel setup of some kind will work wonders and improve performance.


When your coming into a situation like this where the bike was clearly not setup properly you need to eliminate all variables or as many as possible.

Restore or return factory settings on the carb and jets and work from there if you struggle with settings.

on a stock motor you really don't need the pc20 carb


Also the crankcase breather/vent hose looks kinked in the picture above

[kentuckyrucky]

wow thats dirty. glad to hear the brakes are straightened out. and i second aweshucks on everything. my 09 stock ruckus did 43 going SLIGHTLY down high- popped in the variator and a drop in filter (stock intake setup) and itll do 45 going SLIGHTLY down hill and DAMN CLOSE to 50 on a bigger hill. so close in fact, that the needle hits the oil temp light and doesnt go further, also it feels as if its at max rpm. so im going to say 49-50, its an equal distance from 40-45 as it is from 45-to the oil temp light.

HEY THE GOOD NEWS IS: the ruckus and pc20 carb are extremely popular right?? so heres some return on investment for ya- ebay those aftermarket parts and take a fraction of the profits and replace the stock parts

[kentuckyrucky]

in fact id ebay everything except the variator and tire setup! if you want more zoom-zoom, buy a bigger engine! ruck has no stock restrictions.