 Review of the
Genuine
Rattler 110
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.
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