No worries, I’m not buying any bikes/cars/donors/major parts until the situation with my 453 is resolved. But I can still window shop, right? Anyway, I’ve not been able to sell the Gambler Ruckus. I guess it’s a little too rough looking and too late in the year to get anywhere near a reasonable price.
I’ve recently been having thoughts (and they may or may not have been sober thoughts) of engine swapping the beast. I’d end up learning how to weld and cut, dip my feet into a truly advanced project, and get a very unique bike in the end.
This idea came to me after seeing a Helix swapped Ruckus on YouTube. Apparently the engines of the Helix/Reflex use mounting points perfect for swapping into a Ruckus. Sure, you could get a big bore kit or a turbo, but a whole freaking bigger engine? :D
Broken Reflex clones show up on CL all the time. Usually they’re missing most of their panels, “ran when parked a few years ago”, and going for $100-$250.
What you’ll need to do is swap in the engine (leave the rear wheel and springs attached to the donor engine), relocate the wiring harness, and relocate the cooling bits. Some welding required!
And although kinda rare, I do keep seeing broken Linhai Aeolus 260 (260cc is such a weird displacement, but you do you Linhai) popping up. Or maybe it’s the same one and the seller can’t seem to sell it because idk...non-working Chinese scooter for $800? Pfft.
Unfortunately, the Aeolus uses an engine Linhai got from Yamaha and cheapened, so I doubt it’ll be as easy of a fit as a Reflex clone engine.
And if I’m feeling really insane, I could do something like this, but maybe with a two stroke? This DEFINITELY looks beyond my skill level, so probably not. lol
What say you Oppo?
In other news, I did check out the crankcase vent on the CF Moto this morning. Sure enough, the overflow tube is filled to the brim. I opened up the overflow and will probably just keep it open.