Help for starting out (:

[daftmachine]

Hey guys,as you see im all new on this site, but i have already found it really helpfull.

i have NOT startet building a gokart yet, but i will as soon as possible.

I know how to weld,even with a arc welder .Me and a classmate were so far ahead with crafting/sloyd, ( i really dont know what the name is in english) so that should be no problem.

but i am wondering what engine to use i have already found a few really nice ones please help me choosing one

^^

i can get an old briggs i found :

its a 7 hp

then i found another lawnmover, something japanese

5 hp

and last, and maybe most interesting, a old cz engine from a cz 250 sport, NOT the real bike, just to show which type it is, the 2 ones i found are not that "healthy

OKAY, i have gone a step further, by arranging with my uncle, which is a Bachelor of Technology Management and Marine Engineering... phew and also has a exam as plumber, so he is awesome at welding, and will teach me further, then he is of course a awesome mechanic and will help me getting things started.

i excuse for my extremely suckish grammar and punctuation :O

 

[metalthrashinman]

Choose a horizontal shaft engine for ease of installation, IMO. Like the Briggs you show in pic #1. 250cc is not too much, but is a lot for a kart. Problem is finding a torque converter to handle the power, with Comet out of business and all...

That Japanese lawnmower looks SCARY! Shingoto ga takusan arimasu! -- I speak Japanese.

 

[modelengineer]

I'd choose a motorbike engine every time, but not a good condition bike like the one pictured. That one could probably be sold for quite a bit of money. Try to find one which has been crashed, that way you know the engine was running when it was put away (otherwise how would they have crashed?)

 

[r97]

whats your budget, also i agree with model, get the motor bike engine, unless its in a perfectly good bike. isn't it sad how much plastic there is on that new briggs compared to the old one? if your budget isn't too low i might be able to get you a super reliable 9hp (subie) for about 300. http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=8983

 

[porsche930dude]

that old 7hp briggs would be your best bet. New they are way overpriced. That old mower engine probrobly wouldnt be your best choice. Thats probrobly a cast iron block and verrry heavy. plus who knows how good the internals are and the shaft might be not the right size for a clutch or tc. And please dont use a bsa engine. They deserve to be on a proper bike

 

[Bluethunder3320]

totally agree with porsche930dude

im giving my shot at making a cart as well so you may be able to learn from me.

dont buy the new briggs, the old one is probably going to last longer.
i suggest a torque converter if you have the money, or you can make it one wheel drive with one chain and cheap clutch, but i really suggest you get a live axle and TC

 

[daftmachine]

Thanks for the help guys im still open for answers, well about the motorbike,the one i have found is from a chrashed one but i found it in a " veteran vehichles trading magazine" so i couldnt get a pic of that one, but it cost's 280 bucks + i get the frame from the bike with it, it was more if the engine was to powerful/to weak.
another crashed motorbike i found in the magazine was a cz 250 SPORT engine but from my research the normal cz 250 has 26 hp, which is waaay to much, and if its then a sport engine, i guess its too much.

 

[modelengineer]

The CZ250 would be perfect. 26hp is just about right IMO, with a gearbox, for a street kart.

 

[daftmachine]

Sorry, but when i read some of the other threads, 12 hp is a powerful engine, so i thougth that with 26 hp, it would need alot of downgearing

 

[daftmachine]

Wow im really lost now, i just found another site that says the cz250 has 17 hp ? Wth, and the bsa has 33 hp :O

 

[modelengineer]

12hp is a powerful engine for people who have 6.5hp engines on their karts

Go bike engine from the start, that way you won't have to upgrade to a bike engine later

 

[daftmachine]

Go bike engine from the start, that way you won't have to upgrade to a bike engine later

So the cz?

 

[sideways]

Yes, the CZ250 engine will be perfect.

Thanks

Hayden

 

[daftmachine]

Thanks

Hayden

you do that everytime rigth =) ?

 

[Hendersonjk]

if you do decide to use a bsa please let me know so i can kick you in the nutts haha seriously though that would be sad for a bike guy like me to see a bsa or triumph on a gokart. I would go with the old briggs , the new one will probably be less trouble but the old ones were tanks and cheap in small towns like I lived

 

[redsox985]

if you do decide to use a bsa please let me know so i can kick you in the nutts haha seriously though that would be sad for a bike guy like me to see a bsa or triumph on a gokart. I would go with the old briggs , the new one will probably be less trouble but the old ones were tanks and cheap in small towns like I lived

Don't rip out a good motor from a good bike. From a wrecked bike, go for it, IMO.

 

[devino246]

That bike is wayyyy to nice to part out. If you use the engine out of it, i will find a way to reach through my computer screen, out of your screen, and slap you upside the face.

 

[sideways]

you do that everytime rigth =) ?

Yep.

If you can't get the CZ then I'd use the J.A.P engine in the middle picture. J.A.Ps are great engines, they last for ever and are pretty revvy for an older engine. It's probably only 5HP or so but will have tones of torque. I've got a few 1.2HP J.A.P 2S engines and I reckon they've got more grunt than a 3HP Briggs, they love to rev too! But, on the downside, apart from the pistons and decals, you will never find parts for them. You'l never need parts though because nothing will ever break, these and Villiers are IMO the most reliable industrial engines there are.

I believe the pictured J.A.P engine is a model 5 which is 412cc and probably made in the 1940s. Crank handle start too! No pull starters to brake there!

Don't use the BSA engine because (apart from the kick in the nuts you will receive from everyone) they are horribly balanced, it'l just rattle your kart to pieces and it'l most likely be temperamental too.

Thanks

Hayden

 

[daftmachine]

Wow im really lost now, i just found another site that says the cz250 has 17 hp ? Wth, and the bsa has 33 hp :O

I guess you didnt see that ^^

well about the motorbike,the one i have found is from a chrashed one but i found it in a " veteran vehichles trading magazine" so i couldnt get a pic of that one

or this, so i am, and never have been intending to use a bsa engine from a working bsa,and for the cz, i really think its a good deal.
280 bucks for 2x cz 250, which is exhausts ( 2 on each, and the look badass ) and 2 fuel tanks, and alot of extra parts ( gears,speedometers,lights ) And the bikes themselves ofc

 

[daftmachine]

Updated it, so its more like a " how i made my gokart" thingy