Roughhouse 50 questions

[gitsum79]

I was considering a Buddy 50 for my son, but we both decided the Roughhouse 50 was the way to go.

1. Does a 110 Rattler windshield work for the Roughhouse 50?

2. Does an expansion pipe give a significant boost in performance
and would up jetting the carb be necessary? I'm assuming a larger
main jet might be needed, but I don't know what the stock size is
and how much bigger would be a good place to start?

3. A 70cc BBK looks tempting. I have seen conflicting views on needing
extra oil for a lower ratio. Would adding extra oil to the fuel in addition
to the oil injection be adequate and is there anyway to adjust the oil
injector/pump itself to increase the amount of oil added to the fuel?
On the other hand I have read where a lot of people installed a BBK
and did nothing to the oil ratio.

Thanks!

[agrogod]

For your first two questions I can't help you with. But for the third, as it was explained to me when I got my R50, is the electronic oil injection system will make the necessary adjustments from 32:1 to 100:1 mix's. Adding more oil to the gas will just be overkill and unnecessary. Also be very careful when getting any after market parts, the Roughhouse isn't one of the more popular models (yet), and knowing your parts sizes, bolt patterns, clearance's, etc. will really help in ordering the correct parts. This link has the manual in PDF format if you need it.

PM 50 and 110 Service Manual Zip

[gitsum79]

Thanks for the link.

I got my son down to the local Genuine dealer and we sat on a Roughhouse 50.

We really like the way it fit either of us, much better than a Buddy 50. The front part of the seat was very comfortable, actually softer than my Elite 110. We tried two up and it was way too small. It would work in a pinch, but anything more than a few minutes is way too cramped for both rider and passenger.

The Roughhouse seat felt so comfortable for one rider that it actually inspired me to remove my Elite 110 seat and add about 3/4 inch more padding. Took almost two hours to fit the padding in and staple the original upholstery (was a really tight stretch). But when I got done it looked perfect and worked even better, so nice and soft now.

The Roughhouse 50 is perfect for a nimble, peppy and economical runabout. We'll leave the two up riding chores to the Elite 110.

My next project is making the Elite 110 work better in loose dirt or sand.
I don't go off road or trail riding with it, but a simple ride to a lake driving down to the beach area proves difficult. The stock street tires suck on anything softer than hard packed dirt.

I see the Roughhouse 50 has some semi-knobby tires and I am sure it can handle softer surfaces much better than the Elite tires. I hope that by going with a wider (but same diameter) tire size with some aggressive tread will help. I'm looking for something that would be a good compromise for street and the occasional loose stuff one might encounter at any picnic area, campground or beach. When I took my Elite 110 through some loose sand on a slight hill I had to dump off the passenger, and then ride less that 5 mph with my feet down and the scooter slipping all over the place (not fun!).

Does anyone have any suggestions for good tires that will work well both on and off the pavement?

[bigbropgo]

Did you guys test out the rattler? A little different look than the rough house but similar. If I had the money I'd like a zuma 125 or the new blur 220. How you liking the elite 110. Strange to read all the different reviews. Some loved it and others liked it fine but had some complaints. Can't please everybody I guess.

[gitsum79]

We didn't check out the Rattler 110. My son is 15 1/2 and about to get his drivers license. I thought sticking to something small and light that doesn't go over 50 mph might be better for an inexperienced driver/rider. We can always get something bigger for him later.

I am loving the Elite 110. It's better at some things than others, but overall it can do almost everything.

A couple of things the Elite excels at is storage and fuel economy (over 100 mpg consistently). It could be better for the highway (top speed rev limited to 53 mph). It also handles two up riding well even with only 110cc's and is extremely agile.

I guess since no one scooter can do it all, I would like to fill my stable with a Roughhouse 50 (coming soon!), the Elite 110 (already there) and something like the Kymco Downtown 300i (hard to justify a third scoot, but maybe if I can talk my wife into taking over the Elite 110...).

[agrogod]

Those knobby tires on the R50 are good for on/off road. Here is another one by Continental Tire, rear

There are others, this is just an example.

[robby]

Those knobby tires on the R50 are good for on/off road. Here is another one by Continental Tire, rear

There are others, this is just an example.

I'm looking at this tire right now for my Roughhouse 50. I ride year round in New England rain and snow, so traction is as important as it gets. I will happily trade useful life or pay a higher price for a tire with better traction. Do you guys this is my best bet?

[vespatech]

the downtown 300i is a damn rocket. kymco usa let us demo one a year or so ago before release. great sport scooter faster than a BV 500. but kinda funny rear end. 0-60 i would say is extremely impressive