At some point earlier in the year I started to go through motor vehicle withdrawal (I abandoned my poor car when we moved, since I live just across the river from my job). Abe has been obsessing on and off about scooters since a couple of years ago. He’s been anticipating the purchase of one in June of 2005, when he finishes his master’s. I’ve always just gone along with it, but I’ve been longing for a vehicle with an engine more and more. A scooter seems to be the solution, since I know I couldn’t trust myself with an actual motorcycle (and I couldn’t afford one anyway). So then the question was: which one?
There were a few formidable options. I really liked the Aprilia Mojito and SR50, but we don’t have a dealership around here, and I didn’t want to deal with getting one home. The SR50 was just too pricey, anyway, albeit really, really handsome. With locality factored in, the competitors were narrowed down to just two: the Honda Ruckus, and the Yamaha Zuma. It was a tough decision. Here’s what I figured out.
Advantage : Ruckus
Well, it’s a Honda, and you know how I feel about those. As a matter of fact, the whole spur of this scooter craze was the Honda Metropolitan. The Ruckus has a great look to it. The finish is great, and it’s a downright cool vehicle. The sheer utilitarianism makes it really fun. The gage finish is also strongly utilitarian, similar to that of an old tire pump. It was comfortable, too, and very quiet.
Advantage : Zuma
Well, the Zuma has pretty much every other advantage. What it lacks in appearance (which is subjective), it makes up for with performance. Acceleration and top speed are noticeably better than the ruckus, and the exhaust note is a little more aggressive. It has a nicer cockpit, despite a cheaper gage finish, in that it has a separate gas gauge. There’s an extra storage pocket in front of the left knee (nice for a cell or sunglasses), and the under seat area is enclosed and lockable. Stopping is also faster thanks to a front disk brake, and the wheels are alloy as opposed to steel. The body panels seem to be easily unbolted which would make for a seemingly easy repaint, since the available colors are somewhat cheapened by the ultra-glossy plastic.
The Decision
I wanted the Ruckus. I really did. But I needed/wanted a scooter that wouldn’t struggle to maintain the speed limit. As a result, we now own two red Zumas. I’d really like to refinish mine, ideally in a neutral color. It might be fun to do a flat color with a clear coat, and perhaps get some decals before clear coating it as well. We’ll see where it goes from here.