Interesting kart

[Mrmonk7663]

I saw a unique kart today. I only grabbed one picture due to the nature of the situation but regardless, pretty sweet. It looks to be a vintage kart. Possibly a Bird Engineering kart or an old Manco. I don’t know. . The unique part is the rear. It is a reverse trike. One wheel centered in the rear with a fat tire. Looked like it was done well too. I wonder how something like this would handle and feel on the road.

 

[mrdeadman1]

its a manco 405 that someone made into a reverse trike instead of 1 wheel peel

 

[Mrmonk7663]

Ahh ok. Thanks for the identification. I was tempted to get it although I don’t know why haha.

 

[Dingocat]

Maybe 445 and cut axle.

---------- Post added at 09:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:43 PM ----------

You should get it.

 

[Mrmonk7663]

Lol I should...maybe if he drops the price. It has a predator setup on it so that is familiar to me. I’ll see if he goes down on the price. Then maybe.

 

[Dingocat]

Sucks you don't have a pic of the back half.

 

[Mrmonk7663]

Yes I know. I wasn’t feeling very safe honestly. It was in an area I generally would not venture to. The kind of place that when you get out of your vehicle everyone looks like they want to shoot you because they think you are an undercover cop. In any event it was fine and I got the kart I was after. I’ll make a post shortly about it.

I told the guy a bit ago that I’ll bite at $200 for the trike, but it’s owned by his friend so I’ll see if they get back to me. Zero use for the trike but I think it could be a cool novelty kart, and it might be pretty fun if it’s stable. It would certainly be lightweight, probably around 125lbs with engine.

 

[Mrmonk7663]

Going out tomorrow to check out the reverse trike one more time! Owner says it runs and drives and has functional brakes.

 

[Hellion]

I'd fix the 'reverse trike' nonsense and restore it to 4 wheels, but only for a good price.

Removing a wheel doesn't add value to an otherwise OK kart.

How much he/she/it askin'?

 

[Mrmonk7663]

Wanted 300. Down to $250. Predator 212 engine.

 

[Hellion]

That's decent. I figure $100 engine/$100 frame, give or take. So there's an added $50 for the ghetto location you're describing

Rotaderp doesn't always mean perfect. Could be abused to bits, but yeah.
The 212 is a known-good commodity.


EDIT: if the seller still has the missing pieces (the old wheels, wheel/axle setup) ask for those too.

 

[Mrmonk7663]

Yep. That’s how I’m breaking up the pricing too in my head. Ghetto tax is real haha, but the majority of karts in Houston happen to be in this type of area for one reason or another (the realistic prices ines anyway) We will see tomorrow. If I do get it I’ll play with the trike for a bit, and if it sucks then convert to a live axle later.

 

[Mrmonk7663]

Alright. I got the kart. Welds in rear look good. Seems whoever did the conversion had some knowledge. Frame is in good shape. Floor pan is intact and sound. It’s been sitting in the weather under a tree so it needs to be cleaned up. A bonus I wasn’t aware of prior to picking it up today was a mechanical disc brake in the rear and a torque converter that looks to be in good shape. These 2 things combined with an overall good frame and a predator make it a decent deal at $250.

Current plan is to clean it up. Remove engine and go through it and the torque converter. Remove govenor and throw on a header and intake. Sandblast and refresh the paint.

I’ll post pictures tomorrow.

 

[Mrmonk7663]

As promised here are the pictures of the reverse trike contraption. The engine turned out to be crap but it had a replacement warranty so I picked up a brand new 212 today for it. The torque converter can probably be cleaned up but I’ll put it in the spare parts bin and get a fresh Chinese 30 series. I have a spare comet belt lying around. I need to add a couple small welds but overall the thing is ready for the engine. Biggest problem is the steering slop. It has a lot. I’ll add bushings to take care of that.

Paint will be flat black with silver fender. Need to pick up a new chain and throttle cable. Rear wheel has chain adjuster bolts which will make for easy tensioning. Also need a new axle/bolt. Other than that it looks like $100-$150 give or take will get this thing where it needs to be.

The foot pegs are removable. The best I can tell is these folks put a passenger on the rear lol. Not very safe.

 

[mckutzy]

Well thats interesting........whatever it is...
If you do intend to ride that thing.. be sure to remove that seat belt...unless you intend to also build a cage...

 

[Mrmonk7663]

It almost looks like someone grafted a mini bike rear to the kart. Seat belt is getting tossed in trash for sure.

 

[Mrmonk7663]

Took it all apart tonight. Also looked into the wheel and tire. Evidently it’s from a Chinese scooter and is pretty pricey. The wheel is $150 and the tire is $150, before shipping. Fortunately both wheel and tire are good. The wheel is 11”. The tire is a 205/30. Here is a comparison pic next to the standard gopowersports 15x6-6.

 

[Bansil]

Do the skulls eyes light up?

 

[Mrmonk7663]

Lol no they don’t.

 

[Bansil]

They should, so 1st project? Make eyes light up