Need help :(

[kerwin002]

i have a stripped out Suzuki 250cc quad bike with just a frame with just motor(no wiring) and gearbox(reverse gear) , wheels which id like to convert into a gokart
i bought it thinking it wouldn't be such a big job and it would work out cheaper but i need help with structuring the frame , widening the rear axel and wiring for ignition/spark
it will have to have a clutch
i plan on using the wheels and breaks what ever suspension parts i can from the quad.
please keep the words cheap in mind with advise guys

by the way u guys have some kick *** karts

 

[readymix]

Your best bet would be to look on ebay for a wiring harness. I picked up a wrecked 150cc chinese scooter recently for 300 bucks. The engine was shot, so I replaced the engine and found alot of problems with the wiring. A new loom was 30 bucks on eBay. I would imagine a Suzuki quad wiring harness would cost a little more. But that really is the way to go on something like that.

As far as mounting up the brakes and stuff, go to your local metal supply and hit the scrap bins. You should be able to make the mounts and such yourself with a welder and some basic shop tools. I used a motorcycle rear master cylinder and caliper on my beerkeg kart and just chopped the bracket that came with the caliper and welded it on to the frame.

 

[kerwin002]

i never thought about a totally new harness , thanx man .

as for the material , i have that , i just need a design for the frame

 

[readymix]

Yeah man, I'm an electronics tech and have been doing it for 16 years. And when I saw the mess that was the wiring harness on this bike, I said "no thank you" and paid for a new harness. You gotta pick your battles. Some guys get off on snipping and stripping a wiring harness and running all the new lines needed. I don't really feel like spending a week hunched over my workbench with a soldering iron and reels of copper, which isn't cheap right now, when I can spend 30-40 bucks and get one already put together.

But when it comes to "making things work" with regards to interfacing things like motorcycle brakes with go kart frames, that's more of an artform, and alot more rewarding to do it yourself. I don't mind spending a day or two doing that for the cost of welding wire rather than spending 100's on a gokart brake kit that 'just fits'

 

[mckutzy]

If you are making a buggy from the ground up, then plan with what brake setup you have salvaged from the donor vehicle. Some of the rotor are bigger than the OD of the wheels so you will bottom out on a solid axle, keep that in mind.

 

[kerwin002]

you have to realize that im from SOUTH AFRICA and it things cost way more here , for example a harness costs R500 . 1 R is about 10 $ and that is a lot if u look at our average salary yet steal and copper is not that expensive here considering its mined here so its worth the hunching over a work bench in this country.

any idea how i get spark to the spark plug

i must thank you guys for your help ... huge appreciation
mckutzy you got some mad skills my man , your work is really neat

 

[fowler]

Other way round
10R = $1

Interesting u guys get cheap steel
We mine a s*** load of iron ore
But still it costs us

It is quite hard to extend the rear axle due to the fact it is the drive axle
U will have to machine a new rear axle plus some other parts
The front on the other hand is quite easy

If u imagine the quad assembled looking at it from above
U need to cut a T in it
Cut it in half just in front of the engine so the engine frame+drive train+rear axle stays standard

Then cut the front end in half thought middle
So u leave the a arm mounts+a arms+shock mouts all standard

Then u need to full in the middle bit
If course u will need a seat
If u don't want to buy new brake lines thn run the rear brake cylinder as far forward as u can then use cable to get it the rest of the way to the front
The front brake cylinder should be able to be mounted to the pedle

U will need new tie rods
U can either cut and lengthen the existing
Or buy new ones
Or what I did was to buy a rack n pinion From a car then shorten it
It's not complicated to shorten a rack
I only used a grinder and a welder

 

[OzFab]

Interesting u guys get cheap steel
We mine a s*** load of iron ore
But still it costs us

That's because we mine it, sell it to the chinese who refine & mould it, then sell it back to us...

 

[Doc Sprocket]

That's nearly as logical as Canada's gas pricing. We've got a ridiculous amount of oil available, and we still get robbed for gasoline at the pumps.

If you can locate a wiring diagram for anything with a similar enough engine, putting together your own harness can be cheap and not altogether that complex. If you're willing to solder your connections (instead of direct-fit, snap together connectors) it can ultimately cost you as little as a couple small rolls of wire, a bit of solder, etc.

 

[B.M.800]

That's nearly as logical as Canada's gas pricing. We've got a ridiculous amount of oil available, and we still get robbed for gasoline at the pumps.

Something like $4.60 a Liter we saw it.
And if Im not mistaken, 1L is about a 1/4 gallon?

My uncle has a 96 Dodge Cummins with a 100 or 150 gallon fuel tank in the bed, when full he can go clean up there on a camping/fishing trip without having to pay for diesel up there...
Though, 2 trip into timmins and a long trip trying to find a lake didnt help much lol

 

[landuse]

I would have to say that just about everything is expensive here. I just wish my salary was as expensive as everything else.....

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Something like $4.60 a Liter we saw it.
And if Im not mistaken, 1L is about a 1/4 gallon?

My uncle has a 96 Dodge Cummins with a 100 or 150 gallon fuel tank in the bed, when full he can go clean up there on a camping/fishing trip without having to pay for diesel up there...
Though, 2 trip into timmins and a long trip trying to find a lake didnt help much lol

Fuel is currently at $1.30CDN/litre. There's 3.785 litres per gallon. That equates to $4.92CDN per gallon for the 87(ish) octane stuff. Diesel is usually around the same price.

 

[B.M.800]

Fuel is currently at $1.30CDN/litre. There's 3.785 litres per gallon. That equates to $4.92CDN per gallon for the 87(ish) octane stuff. Diesel is usually around the same price.

That sounds more like it, I remember my cousin saying at one point about there being a $ .20 difference between 2 places. It would have been $1.60 at Shining Tree when we were there.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

You were at Shining Tree? Amazing! I was there, what- 2 years ago I think? (I know- we might have had this conversation already, I'm a little dense ATM)

 

[B.M.800]

You were at Shining Tree? Amazing! I was there, what- 2 years ago I think? (I know- we might have had this conversation already, I'm a little dense ATM)

Yes, I think it was about a weeks difference, and about 30 miles on different lakes. I was on Haladay lake.
Why I remember that and not other things I dont understand lol

I think we are going to another lake next year, Capascong I think it how the name sounds but I cant find it on google.