How did you get your start?

[souperman000]

So, I have been apart of this forum and posting for about six months now, and I have realized that the members on this site are very knowlegable on this kind of stuff. Some have overall knowledge and some have their specific fields where they are total experts.

I was thinking today, "I wonder how these people got started with go karts and small engines?"

That is basically the point of this thread.

The question I have for you is: How did you get involved in karts? What was your motivation, your inspiration, your draw to small engine powered things? How did you get your expertise on engines and karts? I am interested to hear some of your stories and see how you got this involved with this hobby.

Thank you.

 

[Jake.B]

Well i had this fantastic idea to mount a motor to a bicycle. So my neighbor overheard me talking about it and gave me his 1961 3hp briggs and stratton 30 gallon air compressor. Took apart that puppy cleaned it all put it back together she fired up. From there on i loved small engines all the way to quad engines. Never really cared for cars just because they are all electronic, that takes the fun outta it for me. Old
Cars though, i love em especialy the HEMI CUDA. Im not the most knowledgeable on here ive been corrected a few times by toystory he always gets me, i have great respect for his knowledge though he definantly knows his motors.

 

[crazyman]

Got started about 5-6 years old. The more stuff you break, the more stuff you get to take apart and learn how it works, then how to fix what broke, then how to make stuff work that shouldn't. 32 years old now.

 

[landuse]

I started about 2yrs ago, when I thought it would be a good idea for my daughter and I to build a gokart from scratch. After pricing everything, I found that it would be better just to buy a gokart and fix it up. Everything from that point on is history. I bought a welder, learned how to weld, and has finished a few projects now.

 

[bighead]

Working with my old man on hot rods and hanging out at the track. It all started then.

 

[klicky96]

Well, started with helping my dad work on cars, trucks, etc, while growing up. And when I was about 10, I couldn't work on cars so my dad got me an old minibike. Got the minibike running great, then turned it over on its side and rolled it across the pavement into some rocks. Bent up the frame but I kept the motor. I thought it'd be better to get a 4-wheeled vehicle so Dad bought me an old 50's frame for $40. I mounted my motor on it, and loved it. I just got rid of that kart frame too. Best kart I ever had but I kinda hit a concrete pillar going around 50MPH, and tore the frame all to hell. Let me tell ya, It hurts when you wreck. It through me out of the kart completely. No seatbelt, no harness. The only thing I had was a helmet. And I was glad that I had the smarts to wear it that day.

 

[Jcotz]

I've always been one to take things apart and figure out how they work, and the idea of building a small car intrigued me as an 8 year old. I built one from scratch out of wood when I was 8. No engine, foot steering, but great all the same. After that I lost interest for a while until this summer I was 90% complete in building another wood one (this one would have an engine), when the guy at the lawnmower shop gave me an old-battered frame for free! I spent a bit of time fixing that up, and now I am working on my first mini-bike. Rode it yesterday.

 

[fowler]

I started out helping dad doing little things around the farm like fixing water pumps and servicing the vehicles

Iv always loved building anything with anything
Iv always understood machines better than school excluding math
So I preferred building stuff
Started with lego then wood then steel
Then started helping our farm mechanic
Found it fun
Finished school and used the school to get a good deisel fitter apprentaship

Mutilated a rideon mower when i was 10 then built my first buggy at 17 second buggy going now

 

[jamyers]

When I was 10, Dad took my brother and I down to the hardware store and got us fitted for our lawnmowers - seriously, I had mine and Dwayne had his. Whenever they needed work, we did it ourselves (with Dad's help of course). Ever since then, I've liked messing around with mechanical things.

And I HATE hard-to-start engines, pull-to-start ones especially, so I've pretty much taught myself the finer points of how they operate, and like to keep them tuned to the point that they crank and run better than new. (used to have a Buick 350 that'd fire off with just a bump of the starter, and outrun lots of 455's, he said smugly).

 

[souperman000]

Bump

This thread died pretty quick...I Dont think many of you got to see it

 

[raposak]

I started last year when I was trying to put a 26cc motor on my kids electric scooter. While searching that, I came across this site and was hooked. I first picketed up a rolling manco that I totally redid with the help of this site now i'm building one from the ground up. This stuff is addicting. I think i'd rather build them then ride them. The next one will be an offroad cart for my 6 year old.

 

[OzFab]

Mine is a long story. I did 3/4 of a mechanical apprenticeship about 25 years ago & have been playing with everything mechanical since (& a bit before then too).

About 15 years ago I bought a 550cc powered buggy but didn't get to enjoy it much before my "friend" seized the motor & sold it on me (yeah, good friend).

Soon after that I did a panel beating apprenticeship where, among other things, I improved my welding & fabricating skills

Last year I bought a model engine; you know the ones, clear block & head so you can see the internals working. My daughter saw it & wanted to help build it. When she was reading the manual she noticed an advert for a book called "Build your own go kart" & asked "can we do that?" I've always been good at making/fixing things so I said "sure, we'll give it a go".

That's the short version...

 

[kmy]

Came here to the US with my parents in 1992(5yrs old) and as soon as I first step foot off the plane I notice there's a small gap where I can see the side of the plane. I was always very curious on "machines". Been loving anything mechanical since. Had lots of toys during elementary school. Started loving go karts during middle school because I love cars so much but than I realize its a "motorized" vehicle which I cannot have yet. During high school I lost interest a bit on go karts and started focusing on my first car. Didn't get that until fall after graduated high school in 04(sucks huh?). Since then go karts wasn't really on my mind til somehow, I don't remember how I got Harbor Freight, but I saw the 212cc motor($139 at the time) in store and though maybe its just a replacement for some generators and wouldn't be great for go karts. Knowing ZERO knowledge about go karts I didn't pay attention about it. Few months later I kept getting coupons for that 212cc motor for $99. One day, few months after that, it just HIT me. I'm gonna built a motorized Bicycle. Got the motor. Got the clutch...and here I am now. (except I exchange it for a 99cc and made a scooter instead)

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Oh, wow- looong story, that started like this:

When I was two years old, my mother made the fatal mistake of letting me run free in the grocery store, instead of making me sit in the shopping cart like usual. I disappeared for about 5 minutes. Somewhere around the time that mom started to panic, the store manager came around the corner. In one hand, me. In the other hand? The wheel I had somehow managed to wrestle off a shopping cart! (oops- my scrap guy's here- gotta run- more later!)

 

[cumminsbayou4x4]

i got started with off road stuff when i was 4 and we had 4 wheelers when i was 6 i got a blue carter brothers gocart with a 5hp briggs on it and when i got older i worked on it to fix it and that was what really got me in to working on stuff like motors

 

[Bluethunder3320]

nothing better to do

i always wanted a dirt bike or something with a motor to ride and when i was in 4th or 5th grade i wanted to put a lawn mower engine into a power wheels jeep with my friend but it never happened