good place to start

[frankjuda]

Hey guys new to this site and was curious about making a shifter kart.
I'm working on a frame desgine rite now and will post a pic later but curious what would dicent motor that could do about 125ish? And this even sounds dumb to me but if I go with a bike motor is it possible to turbo it?
Thanks for the help

 

[I like karts]

125? Wow. For that, you're probably going to need a rotax max 125 for that. And yes, it is possible to turbo anything, you'd just need a very very samll turbo. This sounds like something I would try.

I say go for it.

 

[frankjuda]

thanks for the quick reply and the reason i said 125 is me and all my friends are gonna be building karts and are going to be doing almost auto cross with the karts and i want to be able to slide easily and i just want a turbo to turn heads lol

i had trouble desgining the kart frame myself so i decided to steal a desgine from a fellow member of the site so i will give him credit for it thanks JEEPMAN09

and lastly i have goo fabrication skills (welding, cutting, bending ect) but i am a total newb when it comes to kart motors, gear ratios and such. and im possible thinking of starting out with a smaller motor like a honda clone 6.5 or something along the lines of that with a live rear end. and input on the frame desgin or gearing ratios or anything it would be a great deal of help so hopefully if you guys say the frame is good i could start building the fame once i figure out what motor i should use.

thanks

 

[I like karts]

That is good.

Here's a little tip though: If you're going to want really good handling and sliding, remember to keep most of the weight to the front. With a live rear axle and no differential, it's hard to turn, as one of the tires has to slip a little bit. So mount your seat pretty far forward, and try to put the engine ahead of the axle instead of right over it.

 

[frankjuda]

Thanks for the advice ill keep that in mind for sure when I start the build because. I was gonna tweak the frame a little bit from the orignial plans would it be a smart idea to do more of a side mount engine like actulaal shifter karts for just in fron of the the axel more or less?

 

[I like karts]

I think side mount would be your best bet if you're going to do a shifter

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

Depends on engine size, if you want 125mph, your going to need a decent size bike engine, which may not fit to well by your side.

 

[frankjuda]

Well 125 was just a rough guesstimate but I'm probly gonna be shooting for like 70ish because right now after lookin at my checking account I only have 556 and change so right now I'm on a little budget so if I buy the motor I can atleast build the frame so would it be best for me to do a side motor or a rear engone

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

Grab a 250 2 stroke bike engine (CR, RM, YZ, KX), side mount. That could easily get you 80-90mph.

 

[lemegacool]

go for a turbo it WILL look bada$$

 

[freakboy]

why does it appear that your frame is bent? and a wheel is up farther then the other one?

 

[frankjuda]

Lema I'm likein what your doin there what kind of speed are you doin in that? And is it only one gear or whatnot but I'm still lookin for a good motor like 5.5 or 6.5 hp

 

[jr dragster T]

125 MPH on any cart is extremely fast and isnt something you build in your garage sort of thing. Try going 50-60 MPH, I gurantee you it will be fast, Your only like 2" off the ground.

 

[toofarnorth]

Is that a turbocharged shopping cart?

 

[freakboy]

hit a bump at 60+ you are going to know you hit something not at 120 your gona be dead.

 

[frankjuda]

ok guys and gals? now that the shannagians are over lets get a little more serious about this because i really want to started on this project. First ive decided not to go for the 125mph mark any more because the last thing i need is to be splattered all over the pavement so what king of 5.5 to 6.5 hp motor can you reccomend and does the frame look good? and lastly where should i mount the motor? on the side or just infront of the rear axle?

 

[freakboy]

The frame looks great and i would try to mount the engine right behind the seat. and i 5hp briggs flatheads are nice but apparently parts are gettin scarce so i would do what im doing and complete over kill with a 20 hp lol naa a harbor freight 6.5 should work cheap and hey its cheap mod to your hearts content

 

[frankjuda]

ok did some research on the harbor freight motors and they seem to have a good repuation so im gonna go to my local store and see what they have in stock. but still gotta make it to the metal yard and pick up some stock to use. i will be using 1 1/4 x 1 1/4 stock but what thickness do you guys recommend? and is aluminum a good idea?

 

[Justin]

ok did some research on the harbor freight motors and they seem to have a good repuation so im gonna go to my local store and see what they have in stock. but still gotta make it to the metal yard and pick up some stock to use. i will be using 1 1/4 x 1 1/4 stock but what thickness do you guys recommend? and is aluminum a good idea?

i think most people use mild steel. aluminum will be expensive and you gotta have some kinda welder i believe. as of thickness i have no idea.

 

[I like karts]

You've got to have a TIG welder to do aluminum