BKS Bob's Kart Shop "Budget Racer"? Looking for Info.

[Steveg101]

FYI: I accidentally posted in the "Crazy Craigslist Finds" section first, but I thought I would move it here as well as I'm looking to discuss my kart. Sorry if cross-posting on Forums is not allowed, but I couldn't figure out how to delete it from the Crazy Craigslist Find section

Hey y'all, I just wanted to introduce myself. My name's Steven, I'm 19, and I just picked up my first live axle kart. I ended up getting it for $300 for the small work that needed to be done to it (snapped fuel petcock, warped sprocket, etc), but looking it over, it seems to be something a bit more interesting than just another kart. From the small amount of research I've done, it seems to be a BKS "Budget Racer"? out of Wedron, Illinois. I'm assuming the original motor was a 5HP Briggs, but it currently has a Tecumseh HM80. I was wondering if anyone had any more information/details on what I have here, the history of Bob's Kart Shop, etc, and if it would be worth it to try to restore to original condition, or if I should just buy a replacement motor, like a Predator or Tillotson after I'm done with the HM80. Thank you in advance, and I hope to become very active in the karting community

 

[anickode]

That's an awesome looking kart. Nice find!

As for the engine, there are a lot of tecumesh haters out there. I'm indifferent towards them myself. That said, if you want to build a go-fast machine, you'll find a lot more reasonably priced aftermarket parts for a predator or tillotson 212 these days.

 

[Steveg101]

Thank you I was especially happy when I went to get it because the guy said it had a 5.5hp on it, and right when I saw it, I said to myself "wait a min, she's a little too big to just be 5.5hp" LOL. I'm definitely gonna stick with the Tecumseh for now, already have some general maintenance parts coming in for it (air filter, carb rebuild, new muffler). I find this kart so neat because it seems sort of frozen in time; although its got newer Bridgestone tires, they're wrapped around a set of Margay rims, the 70 tooth sprocket on it was from the company "Burco", and the seat is made of fiberglass and leather by the company "A&A". I'm just having trouble finding the details on where it came from because there's not too much out there on Bob's Kart Shop. Thanks again