Black Cat 50 - RH Sport 50

The spirited black sheep of the Genuine lineup

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skipper20
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Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:19 am
Location: Des Moines, WA

Black Cat 50 - RH Sport 50

Post by skipper20 »

What are the differences, if any, between a Genuine Black Cat 50 and a Roughhouse Sport 50?

Bill in Seattle
'14 170i Hooligan Matte Green
'15 170i Hooligan Titanium (AZ scoot)
'15 RH Sport 50 Matte Red
cummingsjc
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Posts: 367
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 5:43 am
Location: College Station, TX

Post by cummingsjc »

About 9-years, I believe.

Mechanically not much. Same 2T Minarelli engine and frame. Also, most of the plastic is interchangeable, with the exception that the front windshield (the big painted plastic part on the front) on the Black Cat is different in shape (smaller dual lights that don't protrude as much as the later Roughhouse's windshield); however, the parts are interchangeable regardless since all the mounting points are in the same spots (I know this because my Black Cat has a Roughhouse windshield on it). The BC and RH both share a standard low profile seat.

The Roughhouse sport has upgraded shocks and LED lighting as well as 12" road wheels vice the 10" knobby wheels that are stock on the Black Cat and regular Roughhouse. The RH Sport has some nicer bits and pieces (hugger front fender and hand guards for instance) as well as having a DC power outlet that did not come installed on the BC back in 2006 (I am kind of mad at Genuine for not anticipating the rise of smart phones and the need to power them back in 2006 :x).

My BC is actually a Frankenstein scooter put together out of Black Cat frame and body with bits and pieces of several regular Roughhouses added on to make it work. It is a great little bike that is lots of fun to ride (with a fun ratio way out of proportion to the 50cc engine) and I would love to have a Roughhouse 50 Sport. You should be very happy with your purchase of that bike.

Incidentally, for a guy that has over 600 posts on this forum, it surprised me that you didn't know that there was a BC, RH, and Rattler forum also on this site. :lol:
skipper20
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Posts: 836
Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:19 am
Location: Des Moines, WA

Post by skipper20 »

cummingsjc wrote:About 9-years, I believe.

Mechanically not much. Same 2T Minarelli engine and frame. Also, most of the plastic is interchangeable, with the exception that the front windshield (the big painted plastic part on the front) on the Black Cat is different in shape (smaller dual lights that don't protrude as much as the later Roughhouse's windshield); however, the parts are interchangeable regardless since all the mounting points are in the same spots (I know this because my Black Cat has a Roughhouse windshield on it). The BC and RH both share a standard low profile seat.

The Roughhouse sport has upgraded shocks and LED lighting as well as 12" road wheels vice the 10" knobby wheels that are stock on the Black Cat and regular Roughhouse. The RH Sport has some nicer bits and pieces (hugger front fender and hand guards for instance) as well as having a DC power outlet that did not come installed on the BC back in 2006 (I am kind of mad at Genuine for not anticipating the rise of smart phones and the need to power them back in 2006 :x).

My BC is actually a Frankenstein scooter put together out of Black Cat frame and body with bits and pieces of several regular Roughhouses added on to make it work. It is a great little bike that is lots of fun to ride (with a fun ratio way out of proportion to the 50cc engine) and I would love to have a Roughhouse 50 Sport. You should be very happy with your purchase of that bike.

Incidentally, for a guy that has over 600 posts on this forum, it surprised me that you didn't know that there was a BC, RH, and Rattler forum also on this site. :lol:
I just didn't think about it as there has always been a fair amount of RH 50 chatter on the Buddy forum. It was Whimscootie's comments on one of my first RH 50 posts that pointed me to this forum. Thanks Whims!

Yes, I am very happy with the purchase. I made a 560 mile RT trip to pick up the scoot. A Genuine dealer in Walla Walla, WA was having a clearance sale. $2215 OTD which included sales tax, license, doc. fee, dealer prep and original shipping. It was worth the trip.

Bill in Seattle
'15 RH Sport 50 Matte Red
cummingsjc
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Posts: 367
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 5:43 am
Location: College Station, TX

Post by cummingsjc »

Ironically, my daughter and her family live in Bremerton and her husband has expressed interest in learning to ride a motorcycle for his daily commute. My daughter has some limited experience with riding scooters, specifically a few days on a Ruckus and about 2 months on an MP3-250, so she was trying to push him towards a scooter. I was looking on Craigslist up in that region for good buys on Genuine scooters for them and saw the same advertisement for the RH 50 Sport that you did and thought that it was a good deal. It is always a bit surprising how all the fees add up quickly above the retail price and being able to have them disappear must feel good.

As a curiosity, was the dealer clearing out this bike due to the riding season ending or for some other reason?
skipper20
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Posts: 836
Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:19 am
Location: Des Moines, WA

Post by skipper20 »

cummingsjc wrote:Ironically, my daughter and her family live in Bremerton and her husband has expressed interest in learning to ride a motorcycle for his daily commute. My daughter has some limited experience with riding scooters, specifically a few days on a Ruckus and about 2 months on an MP3-250, so she was trying to push him towards a scooter. I was looking on Craigslist up in that region for good buys on Genuine scooters for them and saw the same advertisement for the RH 50 Sport that you did and thought that it was a good deal. It is always a bit surprising how all the fees add up quickly above the retail price and being able to have them disappear must feel good.

As a curiosity, was the dealer clearing out this bike due to the riding season ending or for some other reason?
The dealer, Tom's Cycles, is primarily into motorcycles and power equipment. All of his Genuine scooters, including another RH Sport 50, were significantly discounted in price. Like 3 Hooligans at $2,650 each and the 2nd RH at $1899. I had the feeling that he just wanted to get out of the scooter business and concentrate on MCs. It seems to reflect the industry trend as in the greater Seattle area just a few short years ago, there were 5 Genuine dealers. Now we're down to 2.

Bill in Seattle
'15 RH Sport 50 Matte Red
cummingsjc
Member
Posts: 367
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 5:43 am
Location: College Station, TX

Post by cummingsjc »

That is unfortunate since it really sucks to own a scooter and then lose your local dealer support. I would have assumed that there would be a drop in scooter sales due to the relatively cheap price of gas versus the stronger sales that went on several years back when gas was over $4 a gallon for a number of years.

Additionally, the closing of dealerships means less people have the opportunity to buy scooters and therefore less folks riding them overall. I bought my first real scooter as a way to lessen the cost of my daily commute but got hooked on it as a recreational activity also. I can't imagine not riding now and can't stand it if I go more than a few days without being on at least one of my bikes.
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