Aftermarket pistons HELP!!

[Dandy Dan]

Aug. 12/06 - 42/83 jetting:

[earwax]

i was thinking about getting one of these kits but i thought it was supposed to make it a 50 mph scooter. any chance that is still going to happen?

[chanito]

earwax said:

i was thinking about getting one of these kits but i thought it was supposed to make it a 50 mph scooter. any chance that is still going to happen?

Yes but you will need to install the gears from a metro so you can reach a higher speed and take advantage of the extra power, if not you will still be limited by the rev limiter, and only will get the better acceleration

[Dandy Dan]

earwax said:

i thought it was supposed to make it a 50 mph scooter. any chance that is still going to happen?

Oh it's definately possible....right now I easily have the power to pull 50mph but it can't because I hit the redline at 45mph. My drive belt is almost worn out which decreases my top gear ratio and if I replace that I'll be redlining around 47mph with my 06 but to get to 50mph I need to install the metro final drive gears which will gear me 13% taller so I'll redline around 53mph which I should be able to pull.

If you want a 50mph scooter you need:
- big bore piston
- variator and metro gears OR just a CDI
- some sort of a higher flow intake, could be a simple as modifying your stock airbox snorkel so the hole is bigger.

With that setup you'll be around 45mph with an older Ruckus or about 50mph with a 2006. Then to get over that you can squeeze a bit more juice out with the H.O. cam and an aftermarket exhaust and a porting job.

[earwax]

i was hoping someone would have done this already. hope you plan on putting those metro gears in soon so we can see the full potential of the overbore kit combined with all these other mods you have done. don't mean to pressure you.

[turbowagon]

Any chance of someone doing a writeup (maybe with photos and a list of required tools) of the procedure for swapping out the piston?

I would definitely consider doing it with some guidance...

Alternatively, is there a good procedure to follow in the service manual? I have experience doing exhaust/turbo and suspension bolt-ons on my WRX, but am reluctant to attempt any kind of engine rebuild. At the same time, I think it would be a great learning experience.

Also, are there any specialty tools required other than basic mechanics tools (socket sets, extensions, wrenches, torque wrench, etc...)?

Sorry if this was already covered. I guess I should read through the 30 pages.

[Dandy Dan]

earwax said:

ihope you plan on putting those metro gears in soon so we can see the full potential of the overbore kit combined with all these other mods you have done.

Understandable...the problem is I'm getting married next week and I'm a broke university student who's deeply in debt so I can't really afford the Metro gears right now. However, there is a used Metro engine on eBay and I'm hoping to contact the winner of that auction and see if he'll sell me the gears since he likely doesn't need them. Sanjuro is having his piston installed today (or yesterday?) I think and he doesn't have the Metro gears either but his bike is setup a bit differently so he should be redlining around 50mph

Honestly, I think whatever speed the Metro gears raise my redline too, I'll be able to pull. I can do 45mph right now hitting the redline and I could probably get close to 50mph without tucking at all and probably well into the 50's in a tight tuck.

[Dandy Dan]

turbowagon said:

Any chance of someone doing a writeup (maybe with photos and a list of required tools) of the procedure for swapping out the piston? Alternatively, is there a good procedure to follow in the service manual? I have experience doing exhaust/turbo and suspension bolt-ons on my WRX, but am reluctant to attempt any kind of engine rebuild. At the same time, I think it would be a great learning experience.

Also, are there any specialty tools required?

A writeup would be cool but it would be harder to do a better job that what's in the service manual because it really does lay it out step by step for dummies complete with pics, torque specs, the correct order to do everything etc. I didn't know anything about engines when I got my Ruckus and back when the crankshaft bearings went on my 2003, I replaced the crankshaft just by following the service manual. It might seem daunting because you're tearing apart your engine but it's really not that bad.

I think your best bet is just to get the service manual and use that and if you did get confused along the way we could help you could for sure but I think you'll be fine.

Regarding specialty tools, other than what you listed, you'll need a flywheel puller (you might be able to get away with a normal gear puller, my 2003 flywheel was very hard to get off so I bought the official tool but my 2006 flywheel came off super easy by hand) and metric hex/allan keys for a couple bolts. The fan is attached to the flywheel via three 5 or 6mm allan bolts. You'll also need sealant for the case and I think that's it...well fresh oil and coolant too...it's a pretty simple engine once you're in there and definately an awesome learning experience. Oh, you also need a pretty small flat bladed screwdriver for the cam chain tensioner.

[Dandy Dan]

This coming weekend I"m gonna take a screenshot with a digi camera of my Veypor VR2 screen so you guys can see the actual graph just so you know I'm not making these results up. I won't be able to overlay multiple runs but I'll post before and after screenshots.

[turbowagon]

Thanks, Dan... your performance curves look very promising, making this a very hard-to-resist mod.

I just ordered a service manual from repairmanuals.com ;D

A few more n00b questions:

Where's the cheapest place to get the official flywheel tool? For Subarus, there's a few websites where you can get OEM parts for about 15% below retail. Is there a similar site where you can get OEM ruckus parts online?

I assume the engine is small enough where you don't need a hoist or anything... can you just set it on a table or something to work on it once it is dismounted?

I think this will be a fun winter project.

- Joe

[Dandy Dan]

turbowagon said:

Where's the cheapest place to get the service manual and official flywheel tool?

Service Manual: RepairManuals.com or HelmInc.com
It's about $40 at these places and about $100 as your local dealer. If you have a 2003-2005 Ruckus you can get one off of eBay for less but Honda tweaked some stuff for 06 so if you have an 06 get a new manual.

Flywheel Tool:
www.RonAyers.com and BikeBandit.com (use 2005) both sell Ruckus parts for less that what you'd get them for at the dealers but I think you'd have to call them to order a tool because I don't think they're listed.

Alternatively, you could borrow mine for $5 plus shipping both ways but getting your own is nice because it's probably about $25 and then you've always got it. You can find these on eBay sometimes too but search for Honda flywheel puller or tool, don't put Ruckus in or you won't find on. I'm not sure if all Honda motorycle flywheel pullers are the same so if you find one post the link and I'll tell you if that's what you want.

turbowagon said:

I assume the engine is small enough where you don't need a hoist or anything... can you just set it on a table or something to work on it once it is dismounted?

Yeah it's light and dismounting it is easy...unbolt the shock and the main pivot bolt and the whole engine will come right out (along with the swingarm and rear wheel) once you disconnect all the hoses and wires. Then there's 4 bolts to disconnect the swingarm and you've got the engine all by itself which probably weighs 10 lbs? It's definately small/light enough that you can just toss it on a table. I bet my 9 year old sister could carry it around.

It took me 3 hours to remove the engine and completely disassemble it to a naked case ready for boring (including clean up) but that's working solid and I've done it once before so for your first time allow about 6 hours of solid work to get it apart if you work steady. Whatever it takes you to disassemble it, double that for the reassembly becauses it's way slower since you're double checking everything, torquing everything and applying sealant etc.

BTW,

[turbowagon]

OK, just read through all 30 pages! There are some great pictures taken by Chanito hidden in the middle. I think I'm going to attempt this over the winter, taking my time to learn and do everything right. I'll probably start a thread will all of my n00b questions that may be useful for others tackling the job for the first time.

Dan, I'm assuming this flywheel puller will work? (need to copy/paste the whole link)

cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FLYWHEEL-PULLER-HONDA-50-KAWASAKI-SUZUKI-LT-SCOOTER_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ43972QQihZ001QQitemZ110004038936QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V

Oh, and since Dan is still holding on to that pic of the wifey, here's a shot of me and my girl:

[Dandy Dan]

Nice pic ;D Where is that? I want to do a lot of adventures (backpacking, skiing, alaska etc) with my wife.

I actually did post that pic of my soon to be wife (married next Friday) but I started a new thread in the out there section. Here she is though (I look like I'm about 12 in this picture ):


About the flywheel puller, that looks like it should work fine....slightly different than the Honda one but similar.

Also, just as a general note to anyone, if you want to do the big bore piston swap but don't feel comfortable disassembling your engine and you can't afford to pay a shop hundreds to do it then I'm willing to do it for $200 which includes me paying my local shop (www.cycleimprovements.com) just over $100 to bore/hone it so I'm making less than $100 for a complete engine rebuild. I've rebuilt several Ruckus engines so I know what I'm doing and I could also port your engine at the same time for minimal extra cost ($30?) since it's already disassembled. You're total cost would be $280 for the piston, $200 to me for the boring and rebuild and then shipping costs both ways. One downside is the downtime which would probably be about a month cuz I'd need 1-2 wks with your engine (my local shop takes their time) plus shipping both ways.

[ZOOMER46]

at last a pic of dan and the lovely wife to be,(good work dan ! ), ;D

dont worry about thinking you look too young,in years to come you will be
wanting to show pics that don't make you look old !

best of luck next friday,from man in england trying not to be envious

[sanjuro62pt1]

Damn, you both look so young!

[Dandy Dan]

I'm almost 23 and she's 22.5.

[turbowagon]

One more piston sold!

I can't believe what I'm getting myself into. This is going to be a really fun project for me. I may even take the time to photo-document the entire process and post a writeup if I get the motivation.

Dan, the photo is atop one of the high peaks in the White Mountains. I live in the Mt. Washington Valley of New Hampshire amidst tons of good hikes and climbs. Looks like you found yourself a keeper! But I'll try to stay on-topic in this huge thread.

It looks like the Battlescooter store is sold out of H.O. cams. Hopefully they'll get more in stock, as I may want to swap that at the same time.

[Dandy Dan]

Congrats on the piston ;D Have fun with it!

Battlescooter should get more cams in soon. It's not mandatory to make the piston work but it does help a bit and it's a lot easier to install it then. Just make sure you re-shim your valves when you do it (Timber just posted a great how-to on this...it's got lots of nice pics)

[honda919rider]

I am old . . . .

Good thread

[jrcanoe]

turbowagon said:

One more piston sold!

the photo is atop one of the high peaks in the White Mountains. I live in the Mt. Washington Valley of New Hampshire amidst tons of good hikes and climbs.

I went to high school at the White Mountain School in Littleton and Collage at New England Collage in Heniker, so I know your area well. What a great place to have a ruckus; just don't try to ride down Hillman's Highway !

I also will be doing the piston as a winter project.