New guy with go kart build in progress

[outcrydrummer]

Well I guess I'll go ahead and start a project thread.

What I have going on is basically a 1 seat kart with a honda 6.5 clone.

I've already got the go kart setup and running but this build is going to be more for the performance aspect of the engine.

I'll be ordering the new air intake and exhaust in a day or so and then I'll start hacking away at valve springs and eventually a billet rod and flywheel.

As for right now I believe I'm going to leave my governor on until I can afford the billet parts because I"m a bit of a lead foot and I'm sure I will be rev'ing the mess out of her

This is her in her current state. And yup thats a car battery running led lights on the front lol

And this is my next project. Looking for a 125cc 2 stroke motor and tranny right now for an on road project

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Looks like the start of a coupla cool rides- The one with the cage- I don't know what that is, but the bolt-together cage is interesting... I'll say this though- if the lighting is LED, you could save a lot of weight going to a little AGM or gel cell, such as used in a computer UPS or portable jump-start pack.


...And welcome to the forum!

EDIT- Do yourself a huge favour and put a floor in that second kart, and a harness or seatbelt in the first one.

 

[outcrydrummer]

The car battery and lights I just had laying around and figured it would be cool since I like to ride at night. I'm going to put a 5 point harness in it and actually remove most of the frame. My head hits the two runners and I don't really like it and I feel like it will actually just twist up if it ever does flip so its out of there. Should save me some weight.
I plan to cut the cage but leave the rear section of it for engine protection.

The second kart is getting a floor and a lot of fab work done to it before any kind of real engine goes into it. I plan on welding up a floor, and half of a cage on that one and strapping on some 2 stroke fun

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Okay- further thoughts on safety- If you're cutting the cage off, leaving no occupant rollover protection, please do NOT install a harness. Cardinal rule as follows

Cage/roll bar/hoop? Harness
No rollover protection? No harness.

 

[outcrydrummer]

Yeah your probably right there. Be easier just to leave it alone. I don't do much high speed stuff in that kart anyways, it's mostly my woods romper. I won't be doing too much performance stuff to it, just whatever I can to get all the bottom and mid range power out of it that I can.

 

[souperman000]

If you're cutting the cage off, leaving no occupant rollover protection, please do NOT install a harness.

with a harness and no cage you will get thoroughly thrashed if you flip, without a harness you can jump out/get thrown out therefore minimizing injury...thats kinda why school buses dont have seatbelts, think of unbuckling all those kids wile upside down! lol

 

[Keegan]

You're right, think less school bus and more motorcycle. You want to be thrown clear.

 

[souperman000]

think less school bus and more motorcycle.

Thank you keegan, that is a much clearer analogy

 

[Doc Sprocket]

On the flipside (pun intended), if you have a bar/hoop/cage, odds are VERY good you're going to get tangled in, or collide with the bars. Perhaps get partway clear and trapped half out of the rolling vehicle, so you NEED to be restrained inside. The other half of that is training yourself to keep your hands on the wheel as you go over. For some unknown reason, people have a tendency to put their hands out as they go over- maybe it's the brain thinking that you can stop the roll. Guess what- you can't. You WILL break limbs!

For a pretty explicit visual explanation of things, do a Youtube search on "Go Kart Crash", "Go Kart Jump" etc. Amazing.

 

[souperman000]

if he leaves a cage for the motor, the seat is high enough to protect him from getting tangled in it I would think

 

[outcrydrummer]

^^^^ true. That should keep it from rolling on top of me or pinning me under the kart as it rolls. I've been in quite a few rollovers and accidents and I've just about got it down to a science now

 

[karl]

The cart with no roll cage looks to be whats left of a manco dingo. My old one is below, thats what there supposed to look like.

 

[outcrydrummer]

Yeah I think your right. Thats cool that you chimed in. I had no idea what kind of kart that was. I definitely have a lot of work to do to that one

 

[Blazkowiez]

The first one is a Ken-Bar, the second is a Dingo, and do I see a Honda Ody in the side of one of the pictures??

 

[B man]

The first one is a Ken-Bar, the second is a Dingo, and do I see a Honda Ody in the side of one of the pictures??

It's the three wheeler i think it's a 125cc

 

[outcrydrummer]

It's the three wheeler but its a 200s not a 125.

 

[outcrydrummer]

I made a little bit of progress. No performance parts yet. But I did remove the roll cage and cut it up to leave just the rear protection for the engine area of the kart.

The weight made quite a difference in acceleration. Feels like a different engine now lol.

I also sanded it back down again and repainted it gloss black. The paint didn't turn out as well as I wanted. It wanted to pool and not apply evenly.... not sure why as I sanded the mess out of it .

Pics here in a min.

 

[outcrydrummer]

You'll have to excuse the red steering wheel and the glare it causes on the gloss black paint. I'm getting a new steering wheel today and my daughter wanted me to paint it red lol.

 

[outcrydrummer]

The cart with no roll cage looks to be whats left of a manco dingo. My old one is below, thats what there supposed to look like.

You wouldn't happen to have any pictures of the rear wheel would you? like a side shot. Mine has a weird axle with a really weird wheel nut..?? if thats what you would call it. It's a circle and keyed on the inside so I can't even figure out how to remove it. Pic incoming.

 

[outcrydrummer]