A big feature about the Honda Ruckus that stands out is its headlights. They are big, bug-looking, and are part of what make a Ruckus a Ruckus. However, they are not the only lights on the Ruckus that can be changed or improved upon in both looks and function. We’ll go over what you should try to avoid first and in later articles explain what lights can improve the function and looks of your bike.
There are many parts that you can use to really make it look much more custom or radical. There is nothing more radically changing than the lights on a Ruckus. The Ruckus shocks can make the bike sit lower, a lower seat frame will make the rider sit lower, Ruckus disc brake conversions change how the bikes front end will look; but none of that makes as huge of an impact on the character of the Ruckus as changing the lights. Even changing from arrangement of the OEM tail lights make a huge difference in how the rear of the Ruckus will look.
First, some warnings; before you even think about changing your lights, consult your local laws. Even changing the position of the lights maybe illegal and many states have color requirements for the front, rear, and sides of the bike. Typically red, amber, and white are the only colors allowed; sometimes it is only for the rear. In many states only white and amber may be used in the front and amber only for the sides. This is where research will pay off for you in the end. Why? Because fix-it tickets suck.
Another thing I would recommend avoiding is mounting your lights wrong or using them for the wrong purpose, especially forward lights like your headlights. What I catch many Ruckus riders doing is using fog lamps in place of their headlights. If you do any night riding, this is a very bad thing to do. Fog Lamps are designed with flat and wide light beams that don’t go much further out than the front of most cars. What happens is that you can “outrun” your lights. Really, you aren’t going faster than the speed of light, but the faster you go, the further out you need to see and that is how you “outrun” your headlights. For most 35-40MPH city scooters, the light a fog light gives off enough light to be safe. However, you guys running in the country or faster than 40MPH need a light that will keep up with you and a fog light won’t cut it. You need at least a driving light or a proper headlight.
Even, then, you don’t want to mount the light in the wrong direction. Yes, common sense would tell you not to mount the headlight backwards. That’s not what I mean, what I do is mounting the light in the correct orientation. Going back to the fog light for a moment, I have seen one mounted and molded to the battery box on a Ruckus recently. Looks cool, but it was mounted 90 degrees from where it should. That meant that the light was now shining on only half the road and giving a tall beam of light. So, that airplane would see you at night, but you won’t see that dog you could have avoided off the side of the road. Yes, you can mount a good functional light into your battery box, but just be sure you are mounting it right!
