Honda Ruckus - HARD TO START Valve Adjustment (guided step by step) 

Absolutely essential piece of Internet gold here! Fixed my Ruck in about an hour thanks to this gem.

Lol, This would have been a great video to find about 3 weeks ago when my Honda metropolitan was acting like it was starving for fuel! Took a ton of digging to fin anything that referenced the symptoms that I was experiencing to valve clearance. Super easy to check and fix if you have access to the parts and a few simple tools. Really enjoy your channel, keep the videos coming! 😁

Hey bro Thank you, seriously for all these videos. I live down the road up in Colorado Springs so everything you do is for my elevation conditions everything. I just wanted to say thanks, sometimes it feels like your "nervous", don't be. Keep up the good job of helping those of us who wouldn't be able to enjoy the 2 fold of fixing AND riding without a Jedi to learn from.

But, I want to say a honest thank you to you, with your knowledge and very little experience on my side I was able to replace my valves on my Gy6 and get it going again, thank you man as its my only form of transport , big thanks regards ,Jeremy

Thank you sooooo much for this video. I've literally been pulling my hair out for weeks trying to get my Ruckus to just start. Only 450 miles on a 2019 and the intake valve was so tight I couldn't even get the smallest feeler gauge under it. I'm super cheap so instead of buying a shim kit I just pushed the existing shim around on a flat piece of 200 grit sandpaper until it was the thickness I needed. Runs perfect now!

Ordering the kit now!! Thank you so very much Matt!

Appreciate you. So much free knowledge

Great video. You explained exactly the problem I'm having with my Ruckus (2003). The only way I can get it to even start so I can wait 5 minutes is to run my wife's old hair dryer on the motor for 5 or 10 minutes first. I ordered the shim kit and already have the tools, I'll see what's up with the valves next week. The scooter only has 1800 miles on it so I was not thinking about the valves until you turned the light on for me. THANKS.

Awesome video, thanks man!

Just an update. I checked the valve lash and it was dead on for in/ex.. even though my symptoms were exactly as you described it was right there for me to do and it could experience. I've cleaned the entire scooter and I'm going to reset the ECU that's right.. and let's see what effect that will have if it checks out good I will continue reassembling and it's a good day. If I still have a problem it's going to have to be in the carburetor. Spark is good. And of course if the carburetor is fouled I guess I'll get the cleaning kit and I'm probably going to get a jet kit as well so in the future if I decide to change the exhaust and intake I'll be partially there with that modification. I think there's a fuel mapping tool as well so I'll figure that one out but hey thanks a lot that was very happy to find the valves were straight. I also discovered that some believe the tightening of the valves is due to cold start. I don't really experience too much cold weather here in Virginia but the cure for that would be some kind of heater pad or whatnot to keep it at the proper temperature. I'll post one more message when I'm complete with the final verdict thanks a lot

Your the man

I left my 2019 ruckus stock engine sit for a year. The battery was beat so I replaced it. Well starting it same symptoms as you have prescribed exactly. My first guest would be what fuel was left in the system was oxidized and turned to jelly or whatever. So I felt it was time to put the whole thing on the chocks and remove the seat covers etc so that I can clean and thoroughly inspect troubleshoot and repair. Pull the fuel tank out drained it flushed it cleaned it. Put a new fuel filter on it check the functionality of the fuel pump check. So I would either jump right into the carburetor or check the valve lash the valve lash was a little easier and it made more sense with the symptoms but I'm still have my doubts. But we're going to do it all because that's what we do right. But I want to know how does the valve lash get tighter. It's not adjustable other than the shim that we put in there. I'm pretty sure that the valves don't have a mechanism to make them turn every time they're depressed which would rotate everything I would imagine. So just visualizing and seeing that the shim sits in one position for the last 3,000 MI something happens causes the valve to kick a very small amount to One direction causing the shim to jump out of the wear pattern to a fresh piece of meat on the thing which would tighten up the cap. I've got it all staged up all ready to go I need to buy a caliper digital I'm going to take measurements and several different points of the shim to see if one side or one sector is more than the other. Of course unless you know why that happens and I'm totally off base I won't bother. And just one other question I have do I need to do the reset on the ECM probably do I don't have a manual so it drags me into your shop how about that I need to buy something from you anyway you'll be giving us some good good stuff for a long time now. If you want to send it on the comments here I'll give you my email you already have my email somewhere in your thing but I'll give you my email and hit me up when you get back all right be safe. Paul Hogan paul.e.hogan.jr@gmail.com 555-555-5555.. lol

Personal notes: 5:45 - Spark out - Line up IN: 0.10 0.03 mm (0.004: +/-0.001 in) EX: 0.19+0.03 mm (0.007: +/-0.001 in)

Thank you Sir.. you have eliminated any learning curve while doing it for the first time. I do okay in life but it seems like they're always something that is more deserving for my money then the total investment of upgrading and etc even servicing I would even think about servicing anything at a dealership maybe rubber on the rims and even that today could be problematic as far as money goes so thank you very much you have saved my paper appreciate it

Great video. Still a bit confused as to which 180° is tdc. You said lobes down but lobes were down on both lines. Any other sure way of finding tdc on the compression stroke besides wiggleling the rocker arms?

I just want to wish you and your family a happy holiday and I definitely have a question .

Thank you for this great info, question could a loose or a tight valve cause a knocking sound, I've removed everything in the cvt and I'm getting a knocking sound coming from inside the engine, the crankshaft has no play in it I'm at 4600 miles

I'm about to do my first valve adjustment on my SYM. Question? Do I have to drain the engine oil or is it unnecessary? thanks

I have a 2005 metro and when it’s cold it starts up perfects and runs great but when it warms up it takes about 1.5 seconds to build up rpm’s after sitting still at a light but never has any issues with throttle response while cruising. Would you say that might be an issue of the valves being too loose? I know it’s not the carb so I was thinking either the valves or a head gasket causing a vacuum leak when warm, however, I wasn’t able to find a vacuum leak while spraying with carb cleaner.

We need more info on that turbo build!

Would This would be the same for the “Chinese” version of the ruckus?

is there air.fuel needles on these?

If I’m doing this right I need a 1.10 shim and can only find 1.20 up ???

Why do the valves keep tightening on me. I have adjusted it every season since I got it. What happens when you run out of shims?

Can the cam be 180 degrees out of timing? I rebuild the engine and its fighting me to start

I did a valve adjustment recently and it worked great. The ruck started right up and runs strong except now it's smoking and consuming oil. The bike is stock. Could it be anything to do with the valve adjustment?

How about a link to that valve adjustable tool

Can you help me here... So i have 72cc kymco super 8 gy6. 18mm carb. But now after clutch spring etc. Scooter dont go more then 10kmh... Feel like it doesent get rpm or smtgnh. May the top of the carb the black thing O ring be fuckd.? Sry my terrible engl

Sup man, I appreciate this content, after completing the valve shim adjustment our ruck starts right up and kick starts on the first kick. I am noticing a tapping/clicking noise coming from the valves. My question is are the shims I installed to small and causing it to click and is that no bueno for the motor? You made this very simple to do with your video and it was easy as pie. Thanks for your work man keep it up!

Bro, I’m adding a breather hose to my 2020 Ice bear Chukus ! How do I make oil stop squirting out?

If the valves always get tight, and the intake is at the minimum spec, wouldn't you want to put in 1 step thinner shim anyways? This would give you much more time before it would be too tight. And since you are already inside. You should just change it so it would then be at .12 and give you much more time befor it would move out of spec.

Matt, I am looking at my THIRD valve adjustment at 500 miles on a 2020 Ruckus. I just can't figure out why the intake valve keeps tightening up, do I have a lemon? Seems excess for such a new engine I am running the balls out of it too, revving past 10,500 rpm on downhills and really giving it the beans. I started out a 2.02 intake shim went to 1.90 first time. Second time down to 1.75. I've shimmed down the exhaust the first time from 1.98 to 1.95. I am just perplexed about this, seems like I am having the worst luck with the GET ever. I noticed it was starting to not want to start up last three rides and today it died on me several times, just wait and pull the FLP tank cap and back on and it starts back up, THANK GOD I made it home this time, I was 15 miles from the house!

Hope you can help me i have a 2018 Honda Ncw50 with 5600 miles metropolitan never had any problem with it now it starts but will not ideal and runs poorly at high rpm what you think is wrong i already installed a new fuel pump.

Hey buddy…how did u figure the size of shim to put in the in? And which one do I use for the ex? I tried following along but I’m a simpleton!

Hey were these 7.48mm shims from hot cams?

For 80cc??

👍👍

Does that mean if hard to start in the cold weather. It need valves adjusted to..

When i tell you that morucka started right up booooi. Although last time i did this the shim was bigger. If its continuously getting smaller is this a worry

My Honda metropolitan 2007 only goes up to about 27 mph on flat. Could this be the valves? It is getting gas and starts up fine but won’t go as fast as it should.

Wish you would used a light in there

I’ve tried starting mine and it won’t ever turn over and crank it just keeps trying to start. New fuel pump, new fuel filter, new plug that has spark, new carb and can’t seem to figure it out

Get or gy6?

From my 30 years of experience with mechanical cams that they're too tight they're going to be even worse when the engine heats up I don't get that it's going to get started and stay running that's going to be even worse