Hi from the Royal Gorge region of Colorado!

[BUstinp_Critter II]

Just bought what I am quite sure is a Manco Critter II with a Predator 212 engine. Other than the Manco Dingo I bought when I was 12 this is my first go kart and would welcome any tips/tricks!

 

[panchothedog]

Welcome to the forum. Looks like a good one to have some fun with. Does it run? Your right rear tire looks plenty worn, but nothing alarming. Also the padding or lack thereof on the seatback looks like it could use some help. Is it a live axle, or one wheel drive? Hard to tell from your pictures. Torque converter
or centrifugal clutch? How old of a person are you? If you're going to put little kids in it I would put some seat belts back in it. You can tell from the mounting
brackets that it had them as well as headrest at one time. Keep us posted on any activities or upgrades.

 

[panchothedog]

Trying to look over your pictures a bit. Are the front wheel rims plastic or steel.
Plastic is a big no no. Won't hold up and if it fails at the wrong time could be harmful to kart occupants.

 

[BUstinp_Critter II]

Welcome to the forum. Looks like a good one to have some fun with. Does it run? Your right rear tire looks plenty worn, but nothing alarming. Also the padding or lack thereof on the seatback looks like it could use some help. Is it a live axle, or one wheel drive? Hard to tell from your pictures. Torque converter
or centrifugal clutch? How old of a person are you? If you're going to put little kids in it I would put some seat belts back in it. You can tell from the mounting
brackets that it had them as well as headrest at one time. Keep us posted on any activities or upgrades.

If you saw the good tread on the other tire it would answer your one wheel drive question lol. It came with two different sets of tires, one a bit warn and the other brand new which made me very happy. It runs great though but I haven't had much time to tinker with it I believe it needs some minor carb adjustments. I'm far from being a small engine guru but I believe its centrifugal. I'm 38 but it's for my 10 year old and he won't be driving it until I figure out which seat belt to get and how to dial back the engine.

Speaking of the engine, what is it? The sticker has come off but based on what I've read and seen it do I think it's a Predator 212 Ghost but with a few non-ghost elements like tank and airfilter. The previous owner was apparently quite the avid karter/racer/small engine guy who knew what he was doing and, with the exception of that terrible seat, really kept it up. I haven't had time to do anything with it but will post pictures as I am able.

 

[Denny]

Welcome! Looks like you have a great starting point to build from. We can help you fix it up and make it safe for you and the kids. (See what I did there.)
If you have any questions just ask away. Looking at your engine it’s hard to tell what it is. It could be one of many brands honestly.
What I like to do is look for an old couch on the side of the road and grab the old cushions for the foam material. I spray it with bug spray so I don’t bring home any new friends and use that for new seat foam. Throw away the old covers and cover with new Naugahyde.

 

[panchothedog]

The sticker on the tank says Predator so that's probably what it is. I don't think it is the ghost. If you look at the advertisement for the ghost, it has a Makuni
type or style carburetor, also no gas tank. The intake on your engine looks to be a completely stock predator carburetor that has had the outer portion of the air box removed. Also a header type exhaust. Nothing wrong at all with it being
a plain old predator. One of the most popular and easily modifiable engines being used on go karts today.