Building a go kart

[ibrahim123]

Im very excited about building my own kart but ive got to plan it first in order to make a good one. And to plan it i have to think of what i am going to use to make it.

The kart will be off road. Will be also driven on the road but mostly on fields and maybe hilly areas. I dont want it to have alot of speed (probably up to 35 mph) but alot of torque. But rly lots of torque. It will be 1 seater.

First of all i got a 50 cc motorbike engine. Will that be enough to give me gd torque or do i have to look for something better?

I weigh around 60kg and duno about the kart. Will weight play a very important role to speed/ torque?

Also since i will drive the kart in hilly areas i will want the wheels to be big enough in order to prevent dmging the bottom of the kart. But if the wheels are bigger then it will be harder for the engine to turn them.

So if i want ok sized wheels will i have to get a powerful engine to provide me with better torque? Or will that be enough.

Since its my first kart i obviously dont knw exactly all the things that will have to be done so any further tips/ advice or w/e u think that may help me. Thanks all

 

[j.concepcion54321]

Do you have any idea how you want the frame? What access to tools do you have? A welder, grinder, drill press, etc. and what types of fabrication skills do you have. those all play a big part in how your kart trns out. make up a sketch of the frame and start from there.

Things to keep in mind when your making your frame:
* Suspension or no suspension
* Rear swingarm
* Engine size
* Live axle or one wheel drive
* Cost$$$

 

[ibrahim123]

i think suspension would be needed for off road go karts so yes, i would liek to have that.
Whats a rear swing arm?
Engine size? A 50CC bike engine is not very big. Although if i confirm that the engine wont be enough to power the cart then i am willign to look fora strnger one even if it is a bigger engine.
I will make it as a live axle
I currently have 400$ to spend on the kart.
Ive got all the tools needed to build it (welder, grinder, drill etc) My skills are the skilsl of a beginner but ive got my dad uncle, friends etc who can help me out.

I will sketch the frame today or tommorow and post it up here.

Any other tipe/help is welcome. THanks guys

 

[Doc Sprocket]

50cc isn't going to cut it. A popular choice is the 6.5hp Honda GX200 clone from Harbour freight, but you can use anything from about 3hp up.

Search on "swing arm" in this forum, there's lots of info to be had.

 

[ibrahim123]

Ok i found a yamaha dt engine. Would that be strong Enouhg? Also wat size
Wheels and tires should i use. Is there any reccomended size for the rear axle?

 

[landuse]

What cc is that DT engine. If it is still 50cc you might still have a problem. Anything bigger (above 90cc IMHO) should be fine.

 

[ibrahim123]

Yes it is well over 100cc. For sure it can handle it. One more thing though. The frame will be made from square metal. So u would like to know what the X by X dimension should be and how thick it would be

 

[landuse]

Yes it is well over 100cc. For sure it can handle it. One more thing though. The frame will be made from square metal. So u would like to know what the X by X dimension should be and how thick it would be

There are a million different combinations you could use. There is no one set size that you need to use. Surf around the forum a bit to see what others have done.

Sorry I am beeing a bit vague, but there is no real correct answer to your question

 

[ibrahim123]

Well obviously im not going to buy very thin metal because that will probably break easily? So what im asking whats a reasonable thickness that i should be looking at?

 

[fowler]

get some 30mm square tube with 2mm wall

thats just a basic start point

 

[landuse]

Sorry. with fowler

 

[ibrahim123]

30mm? Is that like 5 x 6 mm?

 

[fowler]

30mm is 30mm????

EDIT

oh i get it now

for future refrance square tube dimensions are just one side

for example 30mm square tube is 30mm x 30mm

but rectangle tube is refered to by two sides
for example 50mm x 20mm

 

[ibrahim123]

So i get a 3 x 3 cm tube with 2 mm thickness gotcha

 

[landuse]

Yup

 

[Rustydog2010]

So i get a 3 x 3 cm tube with 2 mm thickness gotcha

Centimeters are for dress makers, real men use millimeters.

Jeremy.

 

[Gillgamesh64]

Centimeters are for dress makers, real men use millimeters.

Jeremy.

Hahaha Agreed..... 30mm with a 2mm wall will be excellent, any thiner it will be a pain to weld and any thicker it will weigh too much

 

[ibrahim123]

One more thing. What a gd width for the cart (axle). Will it affect the driving of the cart or the drifting. I was thinking to make it quite wide so that it does not lip while doing a drift.

 

[landuse]

The wider you make it, the more difficult it is going to be to turn. If you make the kart low enough, you should'nt really have a problem with flipping. I am just throwing out a figure here, but 26-30 inches should be fine

 

[ibrahim123]

What size wheels shall i get? Im rly troubled about that. Is it the bigger the wheels the more power and the smaller the more acceleration?