Just as we mentioned last week, one of the first cosmetic modifications made to the Honda Ruckus is the removal of the OEM floor board. This means that the front frame is bare and the cast aluminum frame is not exactly a sight to behold. You cannot have an ugly bike, but there are solutions for that problem, the best of are the DROWSports Carbon Front Neck Covers.
There are other solutions to the bare frame, too. Most of those are very labor intensive; requiring special tools, polishing, or both. The labor intensive part is polishing the frame which requires polisher disc, an electric polishing tool, and rouge. You take the rouge and put some on the polisher disc, then proceed to polish the frame until you get the luster of polished aluminum. You won’t be done nor is it a final solution. Anytime you ride your bike and get it dirty, you’ll have to clean and sometimes even polish the finish again and is what makes this solution very labor intensive. It does look beautiful, though, as the polished metal does leave a nice shine.
The next solution is to paint the frame. There are simple, quick, and inexpensive ways to paint your frame, but preparation will always determine the outcome of your paint job. You should always clean and primer the frame, because if you don’t, your paint will just end up flaking off if it sticks at all. Once you have prepared your frame, it will be time for paint. You could use a rattle can for both primer and your final paint job, but don’t use the spray cap that comes with the can when you buy it. Try and find the wide spray pattern nozzles like graffiti artists use to get maximum spray area. This will not only speed you up a little, but will also give a nice and even coat. You also want to use multiple coats and let them dry. Do too many coats or use too much paint and you’ll end up with runs, blotches, or other bad looking painting mistakes.
If you’re going with the flat, hotrod style black or “matte” colors, you will want to use a flat clear or a clear made for matte colors. Normal clear will give off a shine even on flat colors. Clear will protect your paint and help fix minor scuffs your frame will encounter, but won’t stop deeper scratches. You’ll also not want to wax your flat painted parts as this will also cause a shine to develop, but you will want to still wash your bike with normal car wash soap (with no carnauba in it) and water, then dry. On shiny or flat paints, you’ll get water spots if you let the water dry on them without wiping it off.
The easiest solution, especially if you have the DROWSports Carbon Gas Tank Cover, is the DROWSports Carbon Front Neck Covers! These covers bolt onto the front of the neck of the Ruckus and require no modifications to the cover or the frame. Not only are they stylish pieces, but they are also very tough pieces made of true carbon fiber. Not only are they in two styles with the Shark Fin and Air Dam models, but also come in carbon black or carbon Kevlar. Just like all DROWSports Carbon Fiber products, they are made here in California and use true carbon fiber resin and not an epoxy mix or use a fiberglass backing. These are high quality pieces for your Honda Ruckus, not cheap imitations.
Like what was mentioned before, they come in two different versions. The Air Dam neck cover is inspired by race cars and gives the front end a slight aerodynamic addition. The Air Dam can be trimmed with a metal cutter to suit your needs and is held in by three bolts to the frame. The Shark Fin is inspired by its namesake, the Shark. While it does not provide any aerodynamics, it does help to close up the gap between the frame and the front tire by following its arc. It is also held in by three bolts, which are provided for both neck covers by us. These are held in tightly and are molded to the Ruckus frame for perfect fitment and at worst only require minor trim work for slight frame differences.
Getting your naked frame to look good has never been easier! Just takes good preparation, time, and quality parts. You can get those Ruckus parts from us here at DROWSport and you can start making your bike look good, too! In the final series about how to improve that cast frame, we’ll talk about rear neck options!
