May 2009

The Genuine Rattler 110 (or Buck-Ten) easily answers the question of pre-destined fate or free will. It’s the “fate” one. When you ride the Rattler 110, you give up your free will. You KNOW you shouldn’t accelerate that hard from the stop-sign, there’s no reason to, it wastes fuel, etc. Sorry, with the rattler 110 you don’t have a choice. It’s your fate to twist that throttle and listen to the wonderful sound of a big two-stroke pushing you forward.

Though a 110cc engine may not sound very big (and it’s actually 106cc), when that engine is a two-stroke and it’s in a scooter that weighs about 200 pounds… it feels like a big engine. Without getting into greater depth, the simplest way to explain the “feel” of a two-stroke is to consider that every other stroke is a “power” stroke. With a four-stroke, only ONE of the four is a power stroke (suck, squish, bang, blow). A two-stroke engine is also easier and less costly when it comes to performance upgrades.

Right. So. Based on this introduction, it’s either your fate to get a Rattler 110 or it isn’t. Just in case you are still holding out for the whole “free choice” thing, I’ll actually continue with the review. In the interest of full disclosure (and because you’ll notice it in the pictures anyway) I do own a Rattler 50….. well, a Rattler 70. The Rattler with the checkerboard has a 70cc kit, Prima exhaust and so forth. When I make comparative reference to the Rattler 50 during this review, it’s my bike that I’m talking about.

Speedometer Reading/Speed/Fuel Economy 

The Genuine Rattler 110 has a small digital pod that acts as the display. At first, I wasn’t a fan of this display, but it’s actually pretty bright and easy to read. As is pretty typical for scooters, the speedometer is optimistic. On the Rattler 110 it’s very close to 10% optimistic. That means that when the speedometer indicates 30 MPH the actual speed is 27 MPH. I used a GPS unit for verification. Speed and fuel economy have been corrected to actual, as opposed to indicated.

The Rattler 110 is quick, very quick, off the line. Acceleration is strong up to about 50 MPH. The best top speed I got from the Rattler 110 was 56 MPH. That’s with an over 200 pound driver. Fuel economy was 72 Miles-Per-Gallon. I consider this to be quite good considering that the majority of the riding for this review was aggressive. I would expect that in general daily use under normal riding conditions that a person could expect about 80 MPG.

A two-stroke scooter is fairly easy to tune for performance. With the addition of an expansion chamber exhaust, compression spring, carburetor re-jetting and roller weight change, the Rattler 110 can become even quicker/faster than it is in stock form. At the time of this writing, ScooterWorks offers a “Stage One” kit for the Rattler 110 that consists of the above parts for about $230 (part number PKRAT110). Along with the improved performance, expect your fuel economy to fall off. Let’s just say that the 72 MPG we got on the rattler 110 during the review is better than what I get from Rattler 50 with several performance enhancements.

Features

Sorry, no comparison chart for this review. I just couldn’t think of another scooter that would be an honest comparison for the Rattler 110. The new Yamaha Zuma 125 is a similarly sporty scooter, but it’s a four-stroke. The MSRP of the Rattler 110 is $2,699 and includes a two-year warranty. The engine is a forced air cooled 106cc two-stroke fed via a carburetor and bringing power to the rear wheel through a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission). The oil is injected from a reservoir behind a small panel below the seat. Wheelbase is 46 inches, dry weight is 202 pounds and seat height is 31 inches. Fuel capacity is 1.3 gallons and the oil reservoir holds a liter of oil. Front suspension is a telescopic fork and a gas-charged mono-shock handles the rear. There’s a 120/90-10 tire in the front and a 130/90-10 in the back. The front brake is a dual piston caliber disk (a big disk) and the rear brake is a drum.

 

 

There’s an accessory plug in the front by a small tray and a nice, deep storage area under the seat. The naked handle bar is wide and offers excellent control and leverage. The floorboards are wide and offer several positions for the rider’s feet. The seat is flat, no real separation or  “hump” between the driver’s and passenger’s section. This makes it easy for a solo rider to slide back on the seat and adds to the potential riding positions for the Rattler 110.

 

My one complaint about the features of the Rattler 110 involves the fuel filler. The cap is located under the rear grab rail in such a way that it is tricky to get the key in and awkward to remove and replace the cap. Getting rid of the grab rail and installing the rear luggage rack solves this issue. You’ll notice that my Rattler 50 has the rack and a SHAD topcase. The fuel filler is EASILY accessible with this configuration. The wide handlebar makes for very good rearward visibility from the mirrors. Even a broad rider such as myself can see what’s back there – usually disappearing rapidly.

Riding Impressions

When I acquired my Rattler 50, the choice was made based on just how “over-built” a scooter it was. I knew I was going to add the engine kit, the performance exhaust, and play around in the CVT. I wanted a rock-solid base model to begin with and nothing has happened to alter that impression of the Rattler. The Rattler 110 is everything you’d want in a two-stroke sporty scooter right from the get-go. The suspension provides both excellent road manners and compliance over the rough bits. That big disk brake up front is as much, if not more, stopping power than this scooter would ever need. Even the drum brake in back is easy to modulate and didn’t exhibit significant fade. The wide bar gives lots of leverage for exceptional handling and control. Of course all of those comments could just as easily apply to my Rattler 50…. but add that wonderful bigger motor and you get a scooter that is simply addictive to ride. In dead stock form it’s possible to lift the front end. The Rattler 110 charges out of the gate on demand and almost feels like it’s daring you to push it harder.

The exhaust note (in stock form) lets you know you’re on a two-stroke scooter, but is not at all intrusive. The riding position can be anything from feet stretched out forward to a full tuck. This is possible because of the flat-top seat in combination with a wide floorboard. Rough road? No problem. The fat tires, strong suspension and wide platform make the Rattler 110 much more forgiving of lax road repair than most other scooters. The Rattler 110 is perfectly happy on just about any road surface up to about 50 MPH. It takes a while to get from 50 MPH to the top speed of about 56 MPH. At any speed from 0 – 45 MPH, there’s acceleration a-plenty.

A wide range of volunteers took the Rattler 110 out for a spin and they all had positive comments. From 5 ‘ 3″ to 6’ 3″ everyone was able to find a comfortable riding position. After several days of regular riding, my one complaint was that the seat foam seemed a little too soft and compressed to the point of discomfort after a long ride.

Fit & Finish

The Rattler 110 is manufactured by PGO of Taiwan for Genuine Scooter Company. The fit and finish and quality of components used is excellent. In my opinion, bikes from PGO (as well as Kymco, SYM and some others) are among the best in the world. The plastic panels fit well and appear to be thick and durable. The switches and controls look and feel like the first-rate components they are. There were absolutely no concerns or flaws in functionality during the review. The best proof of quality is time. My Rattler 50 has demonstrated the durability of the Ratter line and I fully expect the scooter to last for many years.

Conclusions

If you’re looking for the most efficient, fuel-saving, luggage-hauling, practical daily-rider scooter you can find, the Genuine Rattler 110 probably isn’t for you. It’s handling, braking and accelerating capabilities are so much fun, it would a shame not to exploit them. It’s nothing to do with free choice. If you were fated for a Rattler 110 – you already know it.