new ruckus won't start

[fredwesley]

Hi all, I got a new 2018 Ruckus (was a demo model that the dealer had) delivered to me in August and have been out for a few short rides around town. Only have 44km on it now.

I am certainly a newb so perhaps I am missing something obvious but I can't get it to start now.

Rear brake is locked, engine stop switch is in the run position, key is on, I press the starter button and the starter engine rumbles for a few seconds but the engine doesn't fire up. I've tried giving it a little throttle as its starting as the manual suggests but that hasn't made a difference. The first few times I had it out it fired up right away with no issues.

I took the battery out and charged it and filled up the tank to full with new gas thinking that perhaps it had old gas sitting in it from the dealer but tried again tonight and I'm having the same problems.

Any thoughts?

thanks all

[marusho]

Surely you've figured it out by now, but if not I'll ramble a bit and comiserate with you. I have 9 bikes so don't get to ride any one very often. When the Ruckus is good it's fantastic, but if I neglect it it punishes me. The first thing I'd do is drain the fuel that's in the bowl. You can reach the carb drain slotted screw with a VERY long 3/16" (most common) blade screwdriver and a flashlight. Slip it in under the white coolant overflow bottle. Unscrew it enough to dump the gas through that drain hose in front of the back tire. Then do the 5-second-click thing 3 times to hopefully fill the bowl before wasting precious battery trying to fire it. If it doesn't start and run, unscrew that screw again to see if the fuel pump actually delivered anything to the carb. If not, assume that the fuel pump is shot. 44km isn't much, but neither is 1000 miles, the point at which mine failed. Despite anything you have been told or saw on Youtube, changing the fuel pump is a nightmare. If you are rich I'd take it to the dealer. There is a good chance that the fuel pump worked but your teensy jet plugged up, in which case it will run terribly. Despite anything you have been told, removing the carb to access this plugged mini-micro jet is another nightmare. If you are rich, go to the dealer, otherwise this will be a real learning experience as you remove the seat frame, the battery cover, the floorboard and the ten items that are connected to the Keihin carb (intake manifold, air intake, honking big air hose at 9 o'clock, two vacuum hoses at 12 o'clock, throttle cable on the RH side, gas line at 4 o'clock, drain hose at 5 o'clock (though I suggest leaving this attached), wiring harness to throttle position sensor at 8 o'clock and choke harness at 10 o'clock. Then the fun begins as you loosen the 2 hose clamps and try to wrestle the carb free from the grip of the hard plasticy connector tube at the front. I didn't mention all the miniature hose clamps made out of sharpened steel which you will need to somehow squeeze. Be sure to not install them again. Honda has to but you don't. If you succeed it will be something you can be proud of. Keep a record of which tools you used to save time because you'll be doing this a lot unless you find a station with ethanol-free gas, drain your carb after every ride and don't leave old gas in the tank. If you aren't going to ride it much, which sounds like the case, just fill it until the yellow light goes out, use your trip odometer and learn how far you can go on reserve only. I use a siphon with a bulb to empty my tanks. If the gas isn't too old I can use it in my mower, which is apparently built to a higher standard because it doesn't fight me. When you change your battery, I have been very happy with my pricey LiFePo by Shorai, which I installed 8 years ago. It is still way more powerful than the original lead acid, and I charge it with a cheap charger when I have mistreated it. It really will turn the bike over a long time even when not used for a year.

PS When you drain the carb, just pour it back into the tank. Personally I installed a petcock on the LH side frame tube and ran the fuel lines to that. Now I can just turn off the gas a few blocks from home and let it idle until the bowl is dry. Less work than getting on the ground with a flashlight to drain the bowl.