Just saw in another post, you have a reflex not a ruckus. Mah bad.

You need has in the bowl to get it to fire. On the ruckus, you turn the key to "on" and let it sit for a few seconds while it clicks. This is the fuel pump. Repeat 3 times then fire it up. Assuming your bike functions similarly, then good to go. Else, get some gas into the bowl through other means.

any options for a half stripped main jet? what if it was completely stripped?

Replace with non stripped jet .

Removal options

vice grips, dremel another slot possibly. All depends on how stripped it is. How did it get stripped? Did you use the wrong sized screwdriver??

someone can't follow instructions!

i tried to use a good screw driver.. but the fucker was on so tight. the pilot jet came off easy.
i almost stripped it. i think a good screw driver will get it out. but then i have a risk of stripping off the entire thing..

i probably used the wrong size screw driver

Opened up the carb today. It wasn't as bad as I thought. Removed the entire carb and used thick screw driver to remove.

great write up doc, i effortlessly cleaned the carb last night, and used it as a guide when i changed out my jets last month. super easy job, i think most anybody could do it, even a blonde girl like myself lol

so i took it out for a test drive last night after getting new hex bolts for my stripped ones, and switching my jet cuz it was running rich, and BAMM! runs like a top. so a combo of cleaning the carb after over 5k miles and proper jetting and it's super peppy. just wanted to tell y'all to go do this now!

How often in normal conditions do you need to clean the carb?

I saw someone ask earlier in this thread and He gave His answer as every 1400 miles on an 2003, I own a 2009 with just over 1300 miles total, so is 1400 the answer or will it be different for the newer Ruckus?

Think of it this way: the more miles on the carb, the more the carb gets dirty, and the worse the tuning becomes. It's analagous to your car when it rains: the 1st time it rains, your car is a little dirty, so it doesn't look top notch. Then, the more it rains, the worse and worse it gets, to the poing of being unbearable. Personally, I like my stuff nice and tight, so if I wasn't so lazy, I'd probably clean my carb every damn weekend.

It all depends on how you want your ruck to run, tip top, or average? You could clean it every 100, 500, 1000, 2000 miles, whatever you want.

Thanks for the answer.

One more question do I need a tub for the carb parts that get sprayed with the carb cleaner? If yes, does it need to be metal?

i don't use a tub. I use the type of carb cleaner that comes with the straw which you apply to the nozzle of the spray can. That straw fits pretty damn good in the jet holes and carb openings. I just blast them in the open air. I try to watch out for any plastics on the Ruck though, i've heard of others having problems with carb cleaner on the ruck plastics.