First kart build, lots of trial and error!

[mysteryboy28]

jackshaft fabricated, engine mounted, chains shortened and linked together, new belt came in the mail today. test run - worked GREAT. a little less speed, but LOTS of torque! hauls a$$ around my little yard. lol. i used a larger sprocket on the receiving end of the jackshaft to change my gearing for less speed/more torque.

HOWEVER, upon inspection of the new belt after riding around for 5 minutes, i can see it's already getting carved up by comething. blah! feeling the surface of the clutches i can barely feel a couple of small bumps - but could that really be what's doing it? i'll sand them smooth tomorrow and then cross my fingers.

still need to adjust the brakes. only have one disc brake. 2 would be nice, but probably won't happen on this project.

 

[mysteryboy28]

New jackshaft.

 

[landuse]

Nice setup. I am glad you have it sorted out.

 

[mysteryboy28]

Took the kart for a spin over at the abandoned golf course across the street (yeah, I have one of those, I'm lucky. lol). LOTS of torque, not much speed. That's the price I have to pay till I get this clutch sorted out. Still a lot of fun to drive! Of course I hit a big mud/shlush puddle on my way back (it's 30 degrees out!). Brrrrrr...

 

[Fast Eddie]

...a simple adapter with a 5/8" keyed bore and a 1" keyed OD would work great and be relatively inexpensive.

My thoughts exactly.

Should really consider the Duster setup. Perfect for your situation, and you'll NEVER find a price for a new setup that low. You'll have a premium torque converter setup that'll handle almost any motor you'd want to swap into your project in the future, too!

 

[mysteryboy28]

Here's a video of my buddy and I riding my 2 11hp Manco Dingo go-karts at the abandoned golf course across the street.

http://youtu.be/kPQ-6KTWkl8

And here's one of him almost losing it on a little bump. Lol.

http://youtu.be/R8ZfWn1Y0Hk

 

[mysteryboy28]

Latest pics. Just need to add headlights and the battery.

 

[landuse]

Nice. You have done a good job. Lots of trial and error....but you got there

 

[mysteryboy28]

hey landuse, i just read your mini-bike thread. it was like i was reading this exciting book, and i'd get all happy and sad and frustrated and satisfied when you did. lol.

 

[landuse]

hey landuse, i just read your mini-bike thread. it was like i was reading this exciting book, and i'd get all happy and sad and frustrated and satisfied when you did. lol.

Thanks for that. It was frustrating at times, but I am glad how it turned out. Getting the engine to run properly was probably the most frustrating part of it.

It is running sweet now, and all I am going to do in the future is put some sort of chain guard on

 

[mysteryboy28]

Got the headlights mounted, no battery yet. I have a buddy that works at the local farm and tractor place that can get me out the dooor with a 360-ish cca tractor battery for $30 (no core charge).

Meanwhile, my brakes suck. Snapped the brand new cable where the cable anchor holds it to the pedal. Have to press really hard to stop the kart, and even then it takes awhile. I'm thinking it's time for a hydraulic setup. I know NOTHING about what would be the best/most cost effective setup. I see some motorcycle caliper/cylinder/resevoir deals on eBay for like $25 with shipping. Is there something specific I should be looking for? Is it a good or bad idea to leave the complete hydraulic assembly in the back of the kart and just run a wire cable to it from the pedal? I watched a couple of Youtube videos to see how to fabricate mounts and stuff...

On the plus side: my clutch and belt seem to be holding up. The gear ratio change and polishing up the surfaces of the driver and driven surfaces seems to have helped a lot. I miss the 35+ mph I was getting before the new jackshaft and gear ratio change (probably getting about 25 mph now), but the hill climbing and acceleration improvement are nice.

 

[mysteryboy28]

Headlights! Really just some $10 halogen fog lights from Harbor Freight, but they should work! I removed the little black caps that were covering the bulbs for more brightness.

 

[mysteryboy28]

Just ordered a rear brake caliper/cylinder/resevoir from a 2008 Honda CBR600 on eBay... for $24.99 including shipping. Hopefully it'll do the job and not be too tricky to install!

 

[Blazkowiez]

Consider silicon around the glass on those lights, the plastic holding them is weak and i've had them fall out on a bump before... picking up broken glass in a parking lot when you're trying to go somewhere is not fun.

 

[mysteryboy28]

Tried to install the motorcycle brake, the mounting bracket and/or mounting holes just wouldn't work for me. Got a snowmobile brake on the way now that looks much easier to hook up.

Sold my 90 amp welder. I think it was on it's last leg, just wasn't penetrating worth a dang. However, I need a welder to mount the brakes. So now I need to make friends with someone with a welder - or go buy one from Harbor Freight and return it when I'm done. Lol.

First 2 pics are the bike brake, last 2 are the sled brake. Sled brake just looks much easier to make a mounting bracket for, and has the clearance to do so. Bike brake mounting bracket was part of the assembly that held the pads in place, so i couldn't do much with it.

I'm HOPING I can use the hoses, cylinder, and resevoir from the bike brake with the sled caliper. All depends on if the "banjo bolt" (the bolt that connects the hose to the caliper, funny name, I know) is the right size. They look similar in the pictures, won't know till the sled brake gets here.

 

[r97]

Good luck with the snowmobile brakes. You got a great deal on the CBR ones, I'll be needing some similar ones soon. Not sure what your welder budget is (if you even want to buy one) but the Hobart handler 140, and 125 are both great machines, Northern tool has a good price on them too. The 90A Lincolns are pretty nice too, Look for used machines on craigslist.

 

[bighead]

Sled brakes are smaller for they have the brakes on the reduction units in most cases. This is why sled calipers are so small. They do not need lots of force for the reduction unit multiplies the force needed to stop. Are your sled calipers on the smaller side?

It looks like you have a newer sleds caliper. Those may be different than the older one I mess with.

 

[tvaughan]

hey, can you tell me how you made your a arms? like can i get a pic of plans or something?

 

[mysteryboy28]

i didn't use any plans, just basically winged it as i went along. here's some better pics of the A-arms and how i made and mounted them. i just used 1" square tubing for the arms, and 1" round tube for the ends (3/4" inside diameter to fit 3/4" bolts through).

 

[guitars11]

Just following along for the ride 'til the Harley thaws.

MysteryBoy and pals,

Thanks for brightening up my day. So cool to see all those brains and resources being put to such good (fun = good) use in these odd days. Everything from abandoned golf courses to recycling old bike and snowmobile (there's an oxymoron . . .) parts is just about as core American as it gets. You guys are sure a bunch of "half-full" types. That garage mentality is what made everybody from the Wright brothers to Steve Jobs. You guys ROCK!

MysteryDad