Derbi Gpr50r Vs. Honda Ruckus
Derbi GPR50R vs. Honda Ruckus
The coolest 50cc bikes in the world
MARK HOYER
IS IT A STUDY IN CIRCUS CLOWNISM? A CRUEL JOKE played on me by the boss? A return to the innocence and excitement of being 15 and trying to figure out what kind of two-wheeled transpo you could convince your mom to let you buy?
It was probably a little bit of all that as my 220 pounds and 6-foot-2 frame burdened the diminutive structures of what have to be the two coolest 50cc transport modes on the U.S. market: the Honda Ruckus and Derbi GPR50 Racing. The $1949 camouflage Ruckus is Frivolous Utilitarianism at its finest. The Derbi is the ultimate in almost-cheap chic, from its inverted fork, aluminum perimeter frame, radial front brake and underseat exhaust, all for $4000 or so (it’s so new, final price isn’t yet set).
While these bikes couldn’t be much more different, the simple joy they evoked was the same. This little motorcycle and small scooter have an unparalleled approachability, always extending the invitation to hop on and go.
Go we did. To coffee. To the sandwich shop. To the beach. To the store (where we saw another Ruckus!).
What’s your preference? Four-stroke curb-hugging camouflaged lawn chair, a sort of BMW GS of scooters? Or two-stroke Grand Prix wannabe, a sharply styled, hotorange sport-mini that even Carlos Checa probably wishes he had when he was a kid? It’s a tough choice...
The Ruckus has drum brakes and about 21/2 inches of suspension travel front and rear. Fat, knobbish 120/ 130mm-wide tires grace steel 10-inch wheels. The front suspension is a lot like what you see on a single-crown > mountain-bike fork, but the damping isn’t nearly as good! Like most scooters, the suspension is there primarily to keep you from chipping a tooth if you run over a discarded handgun from a late-night liquor store holdup while you’re on an urban recaffeination mission. Just be sure to sip at the coffee shop, for you will spill your latte if you try to take it on the road.
HONDA RUCKUS
$1949
Ups
Not afraid of dirt Stops on a dime...and runs on one, too! Urban commando chic for less than $2K Rule the campground
Downs
A little more power would mean much bigger adventures No closed storage Where are the aluminum panniers?
That said, this little camo’ed scoot’s agility in urban cutand-thrust is unparalleled. You can squeak through gaps hardly big enough for a toddler, park anywhere you like and, as near as we can figure, the Ruckus doesn’t actually seem to use any gasoline at all. (Okay, it does, but 80 mpg hardly constitutes consumption when you roll up next to a Cadillac Escalade.) A little more zap from the little auto-clutch, twistand-go sohc four-stroke Single would really widen the usability, though. The top speed of 37 mph means that you often find yourself altering your route to less-traveled roads, just so the automobile menace is lessened. Of course, this is no problem around the campground or in the pits. Still, add 8 mph more on the top end and a little more snap off the line,
and you could venture onto many more mean streets with a ton more confidence. Nitrous, anyone? The lack of closed storage makes the NOS bottle difficult to hide, though. Still, you can lash plenty of stuff onto the parcel shelf under the seat. If, for example, you have something a little ungainly like a 15-pack of Jesse James Coors Original you want to haul back to the campsite, you can stuff it under the seat easily or hold it between your feet on the floorboard. But everyone will know your shopping habits.
The Spanish-made Derbi, meanwhile, isn’t really for grocery runs. Its liquid-cooled 49cc two-stroke wails to the 10,000-rpm redline and beyond, sitting down afterward to a smooth, 3000-rpm idle! Yep, this ring-dinger zings. Derbi says it’s managed to squeak a couple extra ponies out of this new counterbalanced (and surprisingly smooth) engine, and it definitely feels faster than the last GPR50 we rode in February of 2000, and the dyno showed 7 bhp, up from 5.6. It easily pulls redline in sixth gear, which translates to just a tick under 50 mph. The engines have a bombproof reputation (Nikasil bore plating, good piston and oil injection), so pinning it in top cog and going for broke is apparently okay once in a while.
“Wring its neck!” said Derbi importer Doug Farrelly (www.derbiwest.com). ’Nuf said! We did, and had a grand time. But we also ordered a 13tooth countershaft sprocket to replace the stock 12-toother. It was no tougher to get redline on ^ flat ground after that, and you could get crazy top speeds (like 58 mph) if you got a nice SUV to draft. That’s plus 8 mph with my largeness aboard. It’s not too bad off the line, either, faster than the normal jump of traffic.
The aluminum frame is quite obviously overbuilt for 50cc use. In Spain, this very bike is already sold as a 125. And the plan in the U.S. is to offer a straight bolt-in eighth-liter mill as a “for racing use only” performance accessory, price TBA. We’d recommend taking up “racing” if you bought a GPR, although the 50 is itself pretty fun. There are even rumors of a 250cc four-stroke for the same chassis, but those are thus far just rumors. Remember, however, that there is also the low-cost, performance-improving option of eating less. Think about it...
Even if your plumpness remains, the radial brake at the front is really good for this class of bike, and the suspension damping is okay, too. (Or go for the $500 Bitubo shock option!) The bike steers like a real motorcycle, with a neutral feel and good feedback from the 17-inch tires.
Really, the final choice is simple. If your plan is to lash a two-wheeler to your motorhome with a bungee cord, then rack up a Ruckus. Around the KOA and into town for espresso shooters, the Ruckus rocks. But if you can convince your mother that the GPR is a moped and get her to co-sign the loan, go GPR. And make sure you leave a little financial room for the 125cc upgrade. Just don’t tell Mom about that last part!
DERBI GPR50 RACING
$4000
Ups
Smooth engine
Downs
Seat like polished Spanish marble Best for sub-6-footers Is that really a passenger pad?
