New guy here

[V8Blazer]

Hello all...

I just picked up a new kart and figured it was time to register. Best I can tell its a Ken-Bar Streaker, not sure which model. Its pretty good looking, and surprisingly punchy. Clearly the previous owner had a pretty good impact on the front right tire, so Ill be replacing the front tube and spindle hangars. Brake pedal is bent and soft now. I bet they were standing hard on it when they hit. I want to clean up the motor a bit, its a little bubba.

Whats the deal with this differential?

 

[itsid]

uhhh big feet.. I no like this..

anywho, diff.. great thing to have with dragging feets that huge,
but be careful it's a rare gem and there are no replacement parts available
(other than a handfull of shafts and a box of grease)
that's the Comet GCD-1 in case you wonder

A broken tooth or a broken case half and you need to have a gear cut or replace it with another diff

'sid

 

[V8Blazer]

Thanks. I appreciate the information. I am trying to learn as much as I can before I dive into the repairs with my kid. Good to know the diff is fragile.

Why are you concerned about the bigger tires?

 

[itsid]

I'm not concerned for the most part..
the only "concern" there is with big wheels, is that most people forget that wheelsize is an essential part of gear ratio (it's the last rotating pinion gear running on the rack we call road )
and because of that they mess up increasing the wheelsize and the kart handles like crap,
they burn through clutches or TC belts and wonder...
With wheels that big your axle sprocket is too small IMHO
yes I've seen the TC.. but still I'd say you want to step up in sprocket size or down in wheelsize..
Main reason: if it looks like a heavy duty off roader it's good to not get stuck on the driveways curb for lacking the power to crawl up

Most is just "I don't like" though
I don't like how it looks,
I don't like what large heavy rotators do to the kart steering,
how they increase the turnigng radius while upsetting the overall agility.
but that's all personal preference more than anything else
Nevermind such in your decisions

The diff itself is all but fragile, it's in fact rather sturdy for something that small,
but bad maintenance, inappropiate gear reduction and/or some unlucky hit and it's gone...
Just do not expect to replace it with a new GCD-1 off some shelf

'sid

 

[V8Blazer]

Ooooooohhhh... gotcha! Thanks for the information! The kart seems to have plenty of power and launches nicely, but that could be the motor masking it.

 

[itsid]

good to know
In that case: no concerns!

And if you're good with how the kart handles,
who am I to differ

'sid