8chpl
Ruckster
Posts: 158
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Post by 8chpl on Jul 18, 2006 11:16:49 GMT -5
Aother indication is the ridge at the top of the cylinder. The area above the rings does not get any wear, since it is not in direct contact with the rings. You used to have to use a "Ridge Reamer" to remove this ridge, or you could not often get the piston out through the top of the cylinder. I think modern lubricating oils as well as metallurgy have made the cylinder last longer. Those old Honda Cubs had replacement cylinders that bolted on, another boon for long life. Their use of ball or roller bearings for the crank and connecting rods also contributing.
You should be able to gget an idea of cylinder wear by measuring the cylinder at the original dimension above the piston rings and at the ring contact area as well.
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Post by Dandy Dan on Jul 18, 2006 11:33:22 GMT -5
Makes sense...too bad I sold my 2003 Ruckus a few months ago so I really can't check. I'm not too worried about it though because I moving in August and I'll be riding my Ruckus 3km to University instead of 30kms so the miles aren't gonna pile up very quick. I put 30,000kms on my 2003 Ruckus in under 2 years and I've currently got about 3000kms on my 2006.
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8chpl
Ruckster
Posts: 158
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Post by 8chpl on Jul 18, 2006 13:42:29 GMT -5
There's a wrecked Ruckus for sale on ebay, located in Indiana. I believe that motor still runs. That would be a good candidate for the Big Bore Piston. Do the work and just swap engines. Too far away from me (I'm in Nova Scotia).
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Post by Dandy Dan on Jul 18, 2006 13:57:34 GMT -5
I saw that too....$51 is a major steal (it's gotta go up). It would be great for someone in the area to have to swap the big bore piston in without any downtime but I think it's a local pickup only item so someone's in the area they should really consider picking it up. You could swap the big bore in the new engine and keep your old one just for peace of mind or sell it for a couple hundred bucks to someone else who wants to do the big bore. Better yet, do the big bore on both engines and sell one completely rebuilt with the big bore piston for $600 or so. Since people are shelling out $280 for the kit plus $50-$100 to bore it another $300 for a spare engine and all the labour is very reasonable...especially considering you can then sell your stock engine in turn and almost recoup that $300.
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suprtek
Ruckster
My wife thinks my Ruckus was a "sacrifice"!
Posts: 273
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Post by suprtek on Jul 18, 2006 15:54:20 GMT -5
I live in Indiana but I'm still about 2.5 hours from that location. That's a long way to drive a truck to get it. That means it would cost me about $60 just for gas to pick it up. Not worth it for me. Maybe someone else is closer?
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Post by Dandy Dan on Jul 18, 2006 16:09:15 GMT -5
I'd say that's worth it for you...Ruckus engines alone have sold for over $300 on eBay. You could buy the Ruckus for say $75 and spend $60 in gas and you'd have the engine for $135 total. Then do the big bore swap and sell your stock engine for what you paid.
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Post by jrcanoe on Jul 18, 2006 16:09:16 GMT -5
Yes I wanted that totalled ruck but it is too far. I am going to see if you can buy just the cylender half of an engine new.
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Post by Dandy Dan on Jul 18, 2006 16:14:18 GMT -5
According to RonAyers.com you can only buy the case as a set (both halves) so you can't get only the cylinder. RonAyers is charging $199 for the set which isn't too bad except if you don't have a 2nd complete engine than having an extra case half doesn't really save you much downtime. It might be better just to bore out your stock case and then if you have troubles down the road order a new case then.
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Post by jrcanoe on Jul 18, 2006 16:34:25 GMT -5
According to RonAyers.com you can only buy the case as a set (both halves) so you can't get only the cylinder. RonAyers is charging $199 for the set which isn't too bad except if you don't have a 2nd complete engine than having an extra case half doesn't really save you much downtime. It might be better just to bore out your stock case and then if you have troubles down the road order a new case then. It is the down time that is holding me back.and a new case would only save the time the shop had it for the rebore. I wish I had available enough cash to buy another ruck. That way I could have no down time and eventually two rucks |
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8chpl
Ruckster
Posts: 158
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Post by 8chpl on Jul 18, 2006 16:57:49 GMT -5
I think you could eventually recoup some more funds from the Indiana Ruckus by selling off the fuel pump, carbuerator, ignition parts etc. Unless you feel you need these for spares. One wheel and tire is likely OK. If I lived close I would bolt at it.
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suprtek
Ruckster
My wife thinks my Ruckus was a "sacrifice"!
Posts: 273
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Post by suprtek on Jul 18, 2006 17:18:27 GMT -5
I'd say that's worth it for you...Ruckus engines alone have sold for over $300 on eBay. You could buy the Ruckus for say $75 and spend $60 in gas and you'd have the engine for $135 total. Then do the big bore swap and sell your stock engine for what you paid. To tell you the truth Dan, I don't want to sound like I don't appreciate what you guys are doing in the name of Ruckdom, but I just don't think the big bore piston is for me. I knew what the Ruck was capable of when I bought it and I love it just the way it is. Eventually I may decide I want more speed on two wheels. If I do, I will just get another vehicle. But I won't get rid of my Ruck. There's just nothing else out there that performs as well for what I need it to do. I don't know if anyone has discussed this yet, but if I were to increase the speed of a Ruckus that much, I would have some real concerns about braking and handling. Even the best suspension is gonna hit a 3 inch deep hole HARD at 50+mph on our small wheels. Again, I don't want to say the big bore piston is not a worthy endeavor. I think what you guys are doing is great. ;D I'm just gonna stick with what I have for now. But that's just me.  |
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8chpl
Ruckster
Posts: 158
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Post by 8chpl on Jul 18, 2006 19:11:00 GMT -5
I would not want it for it's top end, but I have a lot of hills here and would like to climb them at traffic speed. I may swap the variator to get better acceleration. A wrecked Metropolitan would be a good option if it was reasonable. You ncould rebore the engine and have the Metro gears as well.
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Post by chanito on Jul 18, 2006 19:18:40 GMT -5
???Doing the big bore is just for the mod oriented crowd, my ruckus is for the first time in her life a real 45mph scooter, and that is with the stock variator but a CDI which allows me to see 8500 rpms in a flat road, the stock mufflers still flows pretty good, and the carburetor is working like a champ, having Metro gears will make the top speed even higher, the most rewarding feeling (at least for me) is the incredible feeling of accel from 30 to 40+, stock Katrina had a hard time doing it and it seemed to take forever, now it just go forward and the speed climbs up, that said it need to have the carb re-jet (which i have not done), it idles super low and when cold it rides miserably, part throttle is iffy, i will order a set of slow jets and a mixture adjustment tool and go to the mall with a warm engine and do some tunning. To set the record straight, i started this over a year ago, just because a lot of people say it can not be done, i called some old friends, ask a lot of people and pull some favors and now is a reality, the results have surpassed my expectations, i wished some of the scooter business people had done it but it had to be done and i did it. Would i do it again? Heck Yeah!  The braking surprisingly enough is good even on a 45 MPH scooter, but who knows maybe in the future we can make a front disk brake kit and sell it here  A toast to the ruckdom and proving that a big bore ruckus is doable SALUD! |
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Post by chanito on Jul 18, 2006 19:34:11 GMT -5
 OK now to the technical stuff, the steel in the ruck engine is a new generation steel, it will last for over 100,000 thousand miles without a noticeable ridge, Honda did not see the need for over size pistons so they are not available, if for some reason the wear on the cyl is too great you are suppose to invest on a new engine case, the engine design is extremely efficient with some huge water-cooling passages on the head, which is HUGE for such a small engine, this engine will out last any 2-cycle 50cc at least 5 to 1, the Wiseco piston being forged and coated as well as the stamped steel and coated Cometic head-gasket should outlast the owner of the ruckus. The numbers are there because the boring needs to be slightly smaller than the finish so there is room for the honing, otherwise the cyl will end up being too big, some machinist like to take more material than others while doing the honing so they request a specific size
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suprtek
Ruckster
My wife thinks my Ruckus was a "sacrifice"!
Posts: 273
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Post by suprtek on Jul 18, 2006 19:59:17 GMT -5
Chanito, I was not a part of this board when you first started your quest. However, even if I were, I can't imagine I would have ever doubted your ability to succeed. I'm sure that goes for most everybody here. Despite my complete lack of any power or authority, : I officially declare you the First Knight of Ruckdoom! Sir Ruckalot! ;D  ;D |
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Post by tedsmini on Jul 18, 2006 20:21:15 GMT -5
Chanito, maybe your brakes are better than mine were. I was going down a hill at about 42 and I tried to stop at the bottom of the hill and sailed right through the stop sign: no lockup no skidding: no stopping. The lack of front suspension and weak brakes means we all need you to be careful. (Carry a small anchor or grappling hook  ) |
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Post by Dandy Dan on Jul 19, 2006 8:56:49 GMT -5
To tell you the truth Dan, I don't want to sound like I don't appreciate what you guys are doing in the name of Ruckdom, but I just don't think the big bore piston is for me. I knew what the Ruck was capable of when I bought it and I love it just the way it is. Eventually I may decide I want more speed on two wheels. If I do, I will just get another vehicle. But I won't get rid of my Ruck. There's just nothing else out there that performs as well for what I need it to do. I don't know if anyone has discussed this yet, but if I were to increase the speed of a Ruckus that much, I would have some real concerns about braking and handling. Even the best suspension is gonna hit a 3 inch deep hole HARD at 50+mph on our small wheels. Again, I don't want to say the big bore piston is not a worthy endeavor. I think what you guys are doing is great. ;D I'm just gonna stick with what I have for now. But that's just me. Very understandable...the big bore piston is an intense mod and it is a lot of work and for most people 40mph is fine and if it is then spending all the time and money is not a good idea. I'm really just addicted to modifying this scoot...if it came from Honda going 20mph I'd be paying thousands to make it go 30mph and if came going 60mph I'd want it to go 70mph...it's not about the actual speed (because I would actually be okay with 30mph) it's the fun of doing the mod which is strange because I didn't give a rip about engines before I got my Ruckus. Anyways, just to quickly comment on your concerns about braking, suspension and handling. I don't think handling is a big issue because a lot of other scooters go way faster on smaller likes like many 150cc and 250cc vespas that go 60mph and use tiny rubber. With the wheelbase extension kit I don't think handling is a huge issue. Suspension and braking are an issue though....pot holes do throw us pretty good but I think it's mainly because our suspension bottoms out almost instantly and the brunt of the impact goes straight to our bodies. I think Dio forks will help but ultimately, we just need to be careful when we're using our extra speed. |
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Post by Dandy Dan on Jul 19, 2006 9:01:42 GMT -5
Chanito, maybe your brakes are better than mine were. I was going down a hill at about 42 and I tried to stop at the bottom of the hill and sailed right through the stop sign: no lockup no skidding: no stopping. The lack of front suspension and weak brakes means we all need you to be careful. (Carry a small anchor or grappling hook ) I think you've always just had bum brakes tedsmini...you've always felt that your brakes were terrible where as myself, Chanito and others feel they are okay. I'm not sure why there is a difference but there definately is because if I grab my rear brake very hard I can lock up the tire and if I grab the front hard I can actually do a small nose wheelie. |
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Post by Dandy Dan on Jul 19, 2006 9:03:55 GMT -5
I would not want it for it's top end, but I have a lot of hills here and would like to climb them at traffic speed. I may swap the variator to get better acceleration. A wrecked Metropolitan would be a good option if it was reasonable. You ncould rebore the engine and have the Metro gears as well. That would be sweet because you'd have both but in your case Metro gears seem like they would hinder your ultimate goal of better hill climbing since your top gear ratio is taller...you might be better off selling them and covering some expenses. A new set of Metro gears is over $100 US and if you can track down a used set I'll be the first in line to buy them off of you. |
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Post by Dandy Dan on Jul 19, 2006 9:07:03 GMT -5
my ruckus is for the first time in her life a real 45mph scooter...the most rewarding feeling (at least for me) is the incredible feeling of accel from 30 to 40+, stock Katrina had a hard time doing it and it seemed to take forever, now it just go forward and the speed climbs up This makes me so stoked...I'm so excited to go for my first test ride this weekend! All the other Ruckus mods make such a minor difference that an honest 5mph gain is gonna be out of this world. |
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