Hi
- Thread starter KinPer
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pearl111
Well-known member
Welcome to DIY. ....No, he should be okay if he is willing, also as long as you take all the safety precautions that a child that age would wear to keep him safe. Also make sure that the go-kart is safely maintained and everything is in good condition breaks steering and such.
I would also set some ground rules as far as safety goes. Also there are many people here with children who ride at a young age they would also be a good help if questions are needed to be answered.
I would also set some ground rules as far as safety goes. Also there are many people here with children who ride at a young age they would also be a good help if questions are needed to be answered.
Probably have to pay the mechanic double the price to check everything meticulously. I'm still worried.
Thanks for the tip. I'll have to ask the other parents.
pearl111
Well-known member
I think if you're willing to follow along with the DIY form here, that you could learn all the things you need to know to make sure all the adjustments are correct. I believe if you're going to own your own go-kart you should be able to learn how to maintain it yourself. It's not hard once you learn and there are many people here who are willing to guide you along for all the help that you would need. I don't believe that it's as hard as you might think that it is
A great opportunity to do something with my son
I'll think about it, thank you!
BaconBitRacing
Well-known member
We have a lot of parents here. @joshw0000 has fairly young kids, he may be able to help you out. Welcome! Don’t pay a mechanic to work on your kart, you can both learn. After all, we are DIY go karts.
Denny
Canned Monster
Now is the perfect age to get him into karting. What kind of karting is he wanting to do? If it is racing he should have started at age 4. If just a yard kart you have come to the right place, we can help you. Anderkart who is a moderator here used to race with his kids.
G.W
Well-known member
9 isn't too young, just don't make him pay for it. It'll take him forever to have money to work on it. I started my project when I was 9, I'm 16 now and the majority of the work I have done most of.the work to it in the past 2 years because I've actually had the money.
panchothedog
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My 1st Grandson started a couple of weeks before his 5th birthday. He's now 19. 5 Grandchildren and 4 karts. I'm BIG on saftey. Get a kart with a roll cage, shoulder and lap belts, ( or put them in yourself ) a helmet and a Working Kill Switch. Depending on where you live, the streets around your house are usually NOT a good place to learn. Maybe if you can cone off a culdesac would be the exception. You want a place with not a lot of obstacles to hit. I drove 140 miles each way to get to a dry lake bed. Perfect conditions.
student👍
Active member
Ya i agree with GW, i mean i dont think any parent (that encourages) karting would make you pay for it but just in case, don't. I actually have a similar experience as GW i got mine at 13 (a little later than him) and because i didn't know anything bout them it just sat there until i turned 16 (16's just that age right GW) and i actually got back to it and found what was wrong and everything which leads me to my next point, don't let him have to figure it all out by himself, because otherwise he might get overwhelmed and frustrated when he doesn't get something, i mean im 16 and im still figuring stuff out(idkw much) some stuff is pretty confusing, i suggest that you (since ur older) learn as much as you can and then teach him as you go, you have to balance not helping him and doing everything for him, also do the math with him, that way he'll get better at math and if he ends up relating math with the kart then hell prob start really liking math.
but i woudn't kw i'm not a dad, just some suggestions.
but i woudn't kw i'm not a dad, just some suggestions.
G.W
Well-known member
It is really frustrating and stressful when you have to pay for all the expensive parts and figure out how to put them together when you have to pay for them with money from mowing lawns. It also adds to the stress when people around you think you don't have the ability to do what you want to but also try and rush you to finish it.
My dad has been really discouraging about My go kart. This might bring some people down, but this just pushes me to succeed. My dad doesn't have confidence in my abilities of alot of things until he sees me do it. It took him seeing me pass a total of 4 welding certificates in 1 day for him to let me use a welder at home. He also wants me to build my projects the way he wants it done, not the way I want to do it.
My advice is if you want your son to listen to the advice you give him on this project(and others) is let him do what he wants even if he messes it up, he will learn his own ways of doing things. Only help him if he asks for help, but most of all be encouraging.
There have been times that people have been so discouraging about my go kart that I almost loaded it onto a trailer to haul it to the scrap yard.
Denny
Canned Monster
These kids here are offering some great insight on how to work with and bond with your kid. The only thing I don’t agree with is not making him work to earn it. By making him earn it you teach him financial responsibility, budgeting, and respect for the machine.
G.W
Well-known member
To some extent yes, but all the parts can be a little spends. I'm not saying buy all the parts for it, I'm saying give him some money when he needs parts, not all of it.
student👍
Active member
ya i mean let's be real you can't ask 9y old to pay for things, SPECIALLY go kart parts,
but it is true that u should teach him budgeting and responsibility so i say give him a monthly budget and teach him to handle it
also let him do his own things own in a while (smaller) kids are very creative and they could be onto something.
but it is true that u should teach him budgeting and responsibility so i say give him a monthly budget and teach him to handle it
also let him do his own things own in a while (smaller) kids are very creative and they could be onto something.
BaconBitRacing
Well-known member
It depends on how motivated a kid is to get ‘er done. If the kid does all the work, finds the kart, saves, rebuilds it—it’ll take awhile. Maybe not get finished—but if it does you know that kid can handle just about anything. He’ll figure it out. But not every kid is like that, most just want to drive, not spend 2 or more grueling years fixing and learning. This is a great post I Don’t Know Much
.I agree with Denny, too many parents hand things to their kids on a golden platter, and kids don’t learn how to make stuff outta other stuff. Make him work some, not for everything just yet. At least have him do some of the hard jobs with the kart.
G.W
Well-known member
Let him figure out everything except for the heavy lifting(aka mounting the engine), and internal engine work. I think he'd have fun removing all the wheels and replacing them with new ones.
Another thing to help him feel more involved is find the parts you know he needs, but find a couple of them, and let him choose from them. It'll make him.fwel like he has chosen all the parts and he has made it the way he wants.
Another thing to help him feel more involved is find the parts you know he needs, but find a couple of them, and let him choose from them. It'll make him.fwel like he has chosen all the parts and he has made it the way he wants.
panchothedog
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Kinda sad to hear G W talking about his father discouraging his interest in the
go kart. So many young people today have no idea how to use tools. I suppose that many of their parents don't either. As a society we are losing practical knowledge at a rapid pace. I have written about this subject before, so l will shut up before I get carried away.
go kart. So many young people today have no idea how to use tools. I suppose that many of their parents don't either. As a society we are losing practical knowledge at a rapid pace. I have written about this subject before, so l will shut up before I get carried away.
student👍
Active member
my dad encouraged me until he saw me reach 37mph, from then on he didn't talk bout it and only lets me go when one of my siblings is around the zone where im gonna go, so i barely get to go now, i only go like twice a week
i understand and appreciate his concern though
just saying this cause maybe its the same with GWs dad, maybe he just thinks its too dangerous or maybe he doesn't think you like it enough, that you won't stick with it
idkw just possibilities, im sure your dad doesn't disapprove just cause.
i understand and appreciate his concern though
just saying this cause maybe its the same with GWs dad, maybe he just thinks its too dangerous or maybe he doesn't think you like it enough, that you won't stick with it
idkw just possibilities, im sure your dad doesn't disapprove just cause.
BaconBitRacing
Well-known member
It's really nice when parents are encouraging or at least stay out of the way of kids trying to learn. I suspect in the next few years skilled mechanics will be in high demand. Fabricators too.
IDKW some people just don't understand us. Whether it be our love of classic cars of our need for speed, it doesn't make sense to some folks.
G.W. once ya finish, you would have showed him. Maybe he'll understand. I'd be proud of you with all the welding certificates.
G.W
Well-known member
My dad is discouraging because he thinks it's a waist of money, especially since I won't do things the way he would. I have a different way of looking at things with a go kart than my dad does.
He thinks of it like I have all the parts to put it together, so why not do that? The teeth is I am always ordering parts and sometimes they are wrong, but I am trying to build it. When I bought it it was hardly a rolling chassis, and I completely rebuilt the chassis before I moved on to the engine. The chassis was the expensive part.
He thinks of it like I have all the parts to put it together, so why not do that? The teeth is I am always ordering parts and sometimes they are wrong, but I am trying to build it. When I bought it it was hardly a rolling chassis, and I completely rebuilt the chassis before I moved on to the engine. The chassis was the expensive part.