Apart from working on David's Harley last semester, this week, I got my hands on and successfully repaired a 2004 Honda Ruckus with some peculiar problems. The scooter, yes, scooter bogged down at full throttle. The scooter ran great providing you didn't want to do more than 5-10 miles an hour but when you opened her up, she fell flat on her face. After doing some internet searching I found that it was a common problem with the Ruckus but no one really posted a solution. So, here goes...
The very first thing I did was read the Fuel System section in the manual. From all the symptoms, the scooter behaved like it was running too lean. So, I checked was the filter and found a Briggs and Stratton Filter on it, not an OEM. Does it matter that it wasn't OEM? YES! Although the Briggs and Stratton filter looks similar it has LESS air flow restriction than the OEM. Remember I said it behaved like it was too lean? Walla! That was part of the problem. Don't be fooled by look-a-likes.Moving on...I disassembled the carburetor and found the slow jet (the idle jet) clogged. I cleaned the carb and adjusted the idle because I thought it was idling too rough.
The next thing I did was reset the ECM input data. Reset the input data? Why would I do that? Because when you disconnect the TPS (Throttle Sensor Position) you must reset the ECM data. Don't believe me? Check it out yourself on page 6-8 of the manual. I know. It doesn't make any sense. Usually you only have a TPS when you have a Fuel Injector system. Well, not here folks and no, you can't conveniently bypass this step because the scooter isn't fuel injected.
Now that the Ruckus is in good working condition, I start working on a 1989 Virago. Yea me!
Keep you posted folks :0)
Oh, I didn't forget. Here's the info on resetting the ECM data:
(Taken directly from the Service Manual, page 17-10)
