Go Kart building - priorities?

[ferhankov]

Hi there guys, I'm new to the forums and have been interested in building gokarts for a long time. Reading through the main site as well as a lot of the threads have pushed me even more to build a gokart. First things first though, I struggle to order my priorities. Build frame or choose engine? (Sorry for the noob question, but we all start somewhere )

 

[landuse]

Hi there guys, I'm new to the forums and have been interested in building gokarts for a long time. Reading through the main site as well as a lot of the threads have pushed me even more to build a gokart. First things first though, I struggle to order my priorities. Build frame or choose engine? (Sorry for the noob question, but we all start somewhere )

Welcome to the forum! There are many things to think about, the first being what terrain you will be riding on. This will dictate whether it is best to have suspension or not, engine choice etc.

It is good to have some idea of the type of engine you are going to use, because you will have to build the frame in such a way that it will fit.

 

[ferhankov]

Welcome to the forum! There are many things to think about, the first being what terrain you will be riding on. This will dictate whether it is best to have suspension or not, engine choice etc.

It is good to have some idea of the type of engine you are going to use, because you will have to build the frame in such a way that it will fit.

Well there's my first problem. I'm thinking like half offroad half onroad because of the laws regarding on-road gokarts in Australia.

Regarding types of engines, what is a recommended start off? Money isn't a fuss as long as I'm happy with the end result.

 

[landuse]

What type of fabrication experience do you have? The ideal engine for offroad would probably be a motorbike engine, 250cc (or somewhere there). You will have gears and a lot of power. Other than that you will probably have to go for a 13HP engine, or something around that size. The only problem with that is that you would need to buy a comet 40 series type clutch to handle the HP. That could be a bit expensive.

 

[ferhankov]

Really good with welding and all so that isn't a problem. Whats the typical prices of 250cc engines or 13hp engines? And the size of the kart with it?

 

[landuse]

Really good with welding and all so that isn't a problem. Whats the typical prices of 250cc engines or 13hp engines? And the size of the kart with it?

That would be a regional thing. With me in South Africa, I find that things are really expensive. You might be able to get a good engine for cheap at your local wreckers or scrap dealer. Bikes that have been in accidents can sometimes be bought for cheap. Wait for some of the local Aussie guys to help you out with prices though. They would know better than me

Are you thinking of suspension, and what type?

 

[fowler]

The engine price changes from one town to anougther let alone Aussie prices verse South Africa prices

Really just hit up gumtree or the local classifieds

Try to find a wreaked quad or dirt bike
This provides the engine and a few other bits
A 13 horse is ok but finding a TC in aus is going to be expensive

Have a look at
www.edge.com.au
For some frames
Or really u can just design your own

Riding karts on road isn't legal in any country as far as I know
It's just the risk of getting caught

 

[ferhankov]

Alright guys, you're all opening my view up and really helpful! Now i'm thinking of buying a cheap dirt bike and gathering the engine and whatnot from it to use for the kart. How's this for a startoff: http://motoworks.com.au/products.php?product=MOTOWORKS-125CC-DIRT-TRAIL-THUMPSTAR-PIT-MOTOR-BIKE ?

 

[OzFab]

That's really cheap but, do you really want to tear apart a brand new bike just for the engine?

Don't get me wrong, great idea but, see if you can find something used, check ebay & gumtree...

 

[ferhankov]

Yeah that's true, i'm checking gumtree and there's a fair bit of engines for sale. Is it normal for engines to cost more than frames?

 

[sideways]

Yeah that's true, i'm checking gumtree and there's a fair bit of engines for sale. Is it normal for engines to cost more than frames?

Yes.

Pitbike engines come up on gumtree every now and then for under $100. I'd wait for one of those and get one of the wiring kits off eBay.

If you get one from a quad it will probably have electric start and reverse which is nice on a kart.

 

[ferhankov]

How's the B&S engines shown here on Edge: http://edge.au.com/Categories/Motors ? I understand getting a second hand not worn out engine is much cheaper than these, I'm just asking to gain some knowledge around the areas.

 

[sideways]

A pitbike motor will perform about 100x better.

 

[ferhankov]

So looking around, I found http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/LIFAN-12..._Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cd69c3570&_uhb=1 and looks pretty decent, is it worth it? Rather than buying an entire bike and paying about a few hundred bucks extra I can just get the engine for that price?

 

[sideways]

That's just a bare motor, on top of that you still need to get a carby, air filter, wiring loom, CDI, regulator, coil, ignition lead, switches, exhaust ect.

 

[ferhankov]

That's just a bare motor, on top of that you still need to get a carby, air filter, wiring loom, CDI, regulator, coil, ignition lead, switches, exhaust ect.

Comes with wiring harness, carby, air filter, electrical parts(CDI unit, coil, kill switch), exhaust pipe & muffler.

 

[sideways]

No it doesn't, it says they sell those items separately. It only comes with the bits you see in the second pic.

 

[ferhankov]

Ah, my bad. Back to searching again. So a pit bike is my best choice it seems.

 

[sideways]

Don't get me wrong, an industrial engine will get you along just fine and they certainly are easier to mount and wire in. It's just a pit bike engine has the massive advantage of having a gearbox and being a much revvier, more performance orientated engine.

It really depends what sort of kart it's going on. I'm assuming you're building a small yard kart type thing. If you're building a small buggy then 250cc+ motorbike engines are the way to go.

 

[ferhankov]

Yeah though I'm not having any luck with finding any well-treated pit bikes that are over 200cc, found nice 150cc and such, but don't know if that'll be enough for a small buggy. It will be good for karts though, right? This is just a first project and a kart will be more than satisfying for me.