Modern Buddy

They're both 2 stroke so it's an apt comparison (please don't add the later 4T Zuma to the mix). They both have an off-road look, they both sport dual headlights, they both have bigger wheels and tires than your typical 50cc moped/scooter and I'm guessing their fuel capacity, weight and measurements are pretty close to the same.

Putting aside your loyalty to Genuine products, which one do you think gives you the most bang for your buck? Yes, I know you have other favorites, but for the purpose of this excercise, let's please just stick to these 2 brands. Thanks!

Bill in Seattle
'14 170i Hooligan Matte Green
'15 170i Hooligan Titanium (AZ scoot)

I got my 2015 RH for $1999. Dealer support (small mom and pop store) is fantastic.

Can you say the same for a 2015 Zuma from Corporate Yamaha? Oh that's right, they don't make them anymore...

Having owned many Zuma 2t scooters (pre-bug and bug eye), and currently still have a 05 in the garage thats for sale-but I would pick a Rough House. No loyalty involved, just the Rough House has a bit more leg room. Plus, you can still buy one new if that is an issue. Now, I still have a obsession with the Adly RT50 (looks like a Suzuki Street Magic). Oops, I tossed Adly into hat-sorry. Rough House gets my vote.

I have never owned either scooter but did own a Yamaha Vino 125 for several years. Fit, finish, and reliability of that scooter were excellent, and servicing dealers were far more common than Genuine or Vespa dealers.

Both are great scooters. Yamaha parts are cheap and easy to get. Plenty of information on mods and after market performance parts. I'd say it comes down to personal preference. Test ride each, strike your best deal. Go with the one you like the best given the cost of each. Can't go wrong either way.

Got the Roughhouse Sport and it does an honest 45mph. Great handling. Great looks. Cheaper that the Zuma and great dealer support in my area.

Both are great scoots. With very similar engines and power delivery.

I would go with the RH for the simple reason I fit better on it, and the aftermarket goodies are better. It has more easy to find accessories.

First scoot was an '09 zuma, last of the 2t. It was fine, but I thinke the roughhouse is going to be a little more fun and better suspension.

skully93 wrote:First scoot was an '09 zuma, last of the 2t. It was fine, but I thinke the roughhouse is going to be a little more fun and better suspension.

The Sports piggyback shock is awesome. Plus the front disc is beefy. The rear brake is pretty useless, lol

FromHereToThere wrote:Got the Roughhouse Sport and it does an honest 45mph. Great handling. Great looks. Cheaper that the Zuma and great dealer support in my area.

What's the difference between the Sport and the non-Sport RH? Performance? Appearance? Or both?

Bill in Seattle

skipper20 wrote:

FromHereToThere wrote:Got the Roughhouse Sport and it does an honest 45mph. Great handling. Great looks. Cheaper that the Zuma and great dealer support in my area.

What's the difference between the Sport and the non-Sport RH? Performance? Appearance? Or both?

Bill in Seattle

Piggyback rear shock and better front disk. And 12 inch wheels not 10 inch.

Plus the titanium color is badass. And LED blinkers.......just $200 more.....well worth it..............the engine is the same rockin 2T.......no worries there.....the rear shock helps take corners hard.....its nice.

This is a link to the regular Roughhouse web page on Genuine's website: http://www.genuinescooters.com/roughhouse.html

Here is a link to the Roughhouse Sport's page:
http://www.genuinescooters.com/roughhousesport.html

Lots of appearance, functional, and performance upgrades that should exceed the $200 premium over the regular Roughhouse if you tried to upgrade on your own. It is still only a 50cc engine (same engine) but a better overall value with the upgraded parts, similar to what Genuine has done with some of their recent limited edition Buddy's like the 10th Anniversary Edition. I have not ridden one but has seen lots of comments about them being great bikes. This is the way that I would go if I was in the market for a new 50cc scooter (and I have left drool stains on the ones at my local dealer).

Im a fan of the balloon tires myself, as I have taken all of my Zuma's off road and the balloon knobbies are just better off road. Now, if your not doing any off road riding at silly speeds-spring for the Sport! The Sport will still take any abuse you can throw at it.

FromHereToThere wrote:

skipper20 wrote:

FromHereToThere wrote:Got the Roughhouse Sport and it does an honest 45mph. Great handling. Great looks. Cheaper that the Zuma and great dealer support in my area.

What's the difference between the Sport and the non-Sport RH? Performance? Appearance? Or both?

Bill in Seattle

Piggyback rear shock and better front disk. And 12 inch wheels not 10 inch.

Plus the titanium color is badass. And LED blinkers.......just $200 more.....well worth it..............the engine is the same rockin 2T.......no worries there.....the rear shock helps take corners hard.....its nice.

Are you sure about that 10" wheel size for the non-Sport RH? According to Genuine's specs, front wheel is 12" and rear wheel 13".

Bill in Seattle

I just reviewed the links posted in this thread and the Genuine website shows 10" for Roughhouse and 12" for Roughhouse Sport.

Billy

skipper20 wrote:

FromHereToThere wrote:

skipper20 wrote: What's the difference between the Sport and the non-Sport RH? Performance? Appearance? Or both?

Bill in Seattle

Piggyback rear shock and better front disk. And 12 inch wheels not 10 inch.

Plus the titanium color is badass. And LED blinkers.......just $200 more.....well worth it..............the engine is the same rockin 2T.......no worries there.....the rear shock helps take corners hard.....its nice.

Are you sure about that 10" wheel size for the non-Sport RH? According to Genuine's specs, front wheel is 12" and rear wheel 13".

Bill in Seattle

My bad. The Genuine specs do list the non Sport wheels and tires as 10". I was going by this Seattle CL ad http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcd/5802204133.html which describes the wheels and tires as 12" and 13". So, the dealer must have done an upgrade at some point in time. Anyway, their price is right at KBB suggested retail. What do you all RH fans think of the scooter? Good deal or not?

Bill in Seattle

skipper20 wrote:

skipper20 wrote:

FromHereToThere wrote: Piggyback rear shock and better front disk. And 12 inch wheels not 10 inch.

Plus the titanium color is badass. And LED blinkers.......just $200 more.....well worth it..............the engine is the same rockin 2T.......no worries there.....the rear shock helps take corners hard.....its nice.

Are you sure about that 10" wheel size for the non-Sport RH? According to Genuine's specs, front wheel is 12" and rear wheel 13".

Bill in Seattle

My bad. The Genuine specs do list the non Sport wheels and tires as 10". I was going by this Seattle CL ad http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcd/5802204133.html which describes the wheels and tires as 12" and 13". So, the dealer must have done an upgrade at some point in time. Anyway, their price is right at KBB suggested retail. What do you all RH fans think of the scooter? Good deal or not?

Bill in Seattle

Unfortunately, you're reading the tire sizes incorrectly. Tire Size: F: 120/90-10, R: 130/90-10 are both 10 inch tires with 120mm and 130mm width respectively. Their aspect ratio, or sidewall height, is 90% of the tire width, or roughly 108mm and 117mm respectively. The dealer did not do an upgrade.

Overall, it doesn't seem like a bad price, particularly if there is actually a two year warranty left on a used bike. Maybe you can talk him down a bit if the warranty information was a bad cut and paste job. And based on the disclaimer that the price not including freight, set up, documentation fees, etc, I definitely would assume that this was somebody cutting and pasting a new Roughhouse description into their advertisement accidentally.

Sport has low profile seat, slicker narrower tires, hand guards, beefed up rear shock.

I'd go for the basic RH with the fatter tires for some trail or back road riding.

I test rode one briefly and it was a fast, feisty little machine! Fun and light and responsive.

My local Yam dealer has Zumas gathering dust.

Me? I'd go for the RH and it is on my short list to keep my Met company next year.

Whimscootie wrote:Sport has low profile seat, slicker narrower tires, hand guards, beefed up rear shock.

I'd go for the basic RH with the fatter tires for some trail or back road riding.

I test rode one briefly and it was a fast, feisty little machine! Fun and light and responsive.

My local Yam dealer has Zumas gathering dust.

Me? I'd go for the RH and it is on my short list to keep my Met company next year.

Actually, the WIDTH of the RH Sport tires are exactly the same as the OEM RH tires at 120mm and 130mm respective to front and rear tires. Their aspect ratio (sidewall height) is smaller but the tires are essentially the same size (technically the 12" front is fractionally bigger than the 10" front (18.61 vs 18.5 inches diameter) while the reverse is true on the rear (19.17 vs 19.21 inches).

The better determination about which one to get specific to tire type would be based on riding style and primary riding surface. I would bet that very few Roughhouse owners really ever do trail riding on their scoots where they need knobby tires with the vast majority of riding being done on hard surfaces (I could be wrong though, but the suspension isn't really designed for true off road use). I understand that the road tires on the RH Sport help it to achieve a higher speed, better cornering performance, and perhaps a slight gain in MPG. Ironically, most RH owners would probably be better served by switching tires to the Michelin Boppers road tires in the 120/90-10 and 130/90-10 size for the same reasons I mentioned above rather than stay with the knobby OEM tires.

From what I know, if you want a 2 year warranty and road side assistance, it's either a Rough house or Adly Bullseye. The Adly list for $1699 or $300 less than the Genuine. Quality is good on both but don't know if you have an Adly dealer. My Adly has been great, after the complete carburetor was replaced free of charge. The Adly is Imported by Bintelli in South Carolina.

If you can get a clean one that nobody has tried to modify, the Zuma would be my first choice. It's a great scooter and there are more real aftermarket parts for it than just about any other small 50cc bike sold in the US. It's the original that started the balloon tire, bug eye scooter look.

I've ridden both. I think the RH is more comfortable, but the Zuma looks better. A stock Zuma with no mods would be hard to find though.