New member looking into gokarts

[elemein]

Hey guys, I'm Sebastian, a 15-year old aspiring auto engineer, and I've been looking into gokarts.

As a 15 year old, I obviously was looking at cars. At first I was thinking of buying and insuring my own vehicle as a DD. Unfortunately, that is extremely expensive, an insurance is over 300$ a month on EVERY car (and everyone in my highschool has similar experiences), so that option is very likely to die out. Secondly, I was looking at perhaps getting a project car to tear into and learn about; that's still a possibility, but then there comes space restrictions (I live in a smaller house), cost (I only have a part-time job, and have some saved up), and usage boundaries (the car will have no insurance and strictly for track use), and that option is still quite alive, but not definite.

So with two unlikely options, and a burning urge to get an engine to tinker with (I'm dying here not having an engine to tinker with and learn about ) , I looked into gokarts. I've always loved them and an old friend of mine used to have one until he sold his when it broke down and he fell out of love for it. That is unlikely to happen for me as I want to be an automotive engineer and just LOVE engines. Period.

So I was wondering a few things about gokarts, and would love if you could help me get answers to them.

1. How much does the average gokart cost?
2. Can a gokart be had with a manual transmission? (I know most gokarts only have 1 gear, but the sound of having more than one gear sounds delicious to me.)
3. Can they be had with a tachometer and speedometer?
4. What kind of tools will I need to work on a gokart?
5. I plan to do all the work myself. I know quite a bit about engines and love learning, but will there be things in a gokart project that just will be "undoable at home"?
6. Are gokarts reliable?
7. What kind of gasoline do gokarts run on? I plan to go the gas route, and hopefully, I'd love to run it on pump gasoline as there is a gas station only 300m from my house.

Thanks for any and all answers! I appreciate it greatly!

 

[souperman000]

First off, Welcome! I hope you figure out your car career

Answers for your questions:
1. Go karts range in price, I would check you local craigslist (for america IDK where you live but you said meters so I imagine not in the US) or other internet buy/sell site

2. As You said, most gokarts do only have one gear. You could puta motorcycleengine on a kart and then you have to operate the gear shifting

3. Most people use gps for speed, but if you out in the time and effort, you could hook a speedo and tach no problem.

4. you need the generic tools, such as wrenches, screwdrivers, ratchets etc. If you go more advanced you can get welding and other specialized equipment

5. If you put in effort, time, and have the right tools, you can do pretty much everything at home. But this relates to question #4 as well

6. As long as you take care of it and build it right, I dont see why they wouldnt be

7. most engines run on regular unleaded, you shoulnt have to wprry about that

Hope this helps

 

[elemein]

First off, Welcome! I hope you figure out your car career

Thanks for the welcome and yup it's all coming together nicely

Answers for your questions:
1. Go karts range in price, I would check you local craigslist (for america IDK where you live but you said meters so I imagine not in the US) or other internet buy/sell site

I live in Canada. I checked sites like kijiji and craigslist. There are a few, I saw a few full carts (though really small and low power) ones for around 200$, and I saw a "pro" one for 2 grand. I was thinking something like buying a smallish-medium full-kart for really cheap and building it up; learning along the way.

2. As You said, most gokarts do only have one gear. You could puta motorcycleengine on a kart and then you have to operate the gear shifting

I wouldnt mind that, but I'd really prefer a car-like gearbox. If that's "impractical", "expensive", or other negative adjectives, I'd be totally fine with a motorcycle-style manual. Even if I cant get that, then one gear is alright.

3. Most people use gps for speed, but if you out in the time and effort, you could hook a speedo and tach no problem.

Of course I'd have the time and effort I'm 15! I love the idea of a tach and speedo on it, I love having information about my engine.

4. you need the generic tools, such as wrenches, screwdrivers, ratchets etc. If you go more advanced you can get welding and other specialized equipment Got it, got it, got it, and can get welding stuff. I'd imagine a stick welder would be suitable for th type of welding I'd need to get into? Other than that, it seems like basic tools.

5. If you put in effort, time, and have the right tools, you can do pretty much everything at home. But this relates to question #4 as well True enough. All I can really do is stuff at home to be honest, so I'll have to do my best.

6. As long as you take care of it and build it right, I dont see why they wouldnt be As with most cars.

7. most engines run on regular unleaded, you shoulnt have to wprry about that Great! That's good news as if I ever run low on gasoline, I can just take a bin and walk 300m to the gas station and be done with it. No problemo!

Hope this helps

Replied in bold. Also, I know this is sortof an odd question; but whats the avg MPG on these things?

And yes, you're reply helped a whole lot

 

[souperman000]

Replied in bold. Also, I know this is sortof an odd question; but whats the avg MPG on these things?

not sure if anyone has actually measured their fuel consumption, most tanks arent even a full gallon anyways

 

[elemein]

not sure if anyone has actually measured their fuel consumption, most tanks arent even a full gallon anyways

Ah I see. I'm sure the consumption is quite low anyway; I'm not asking for like 90 mpg; I just dont wanna be spending more time walking to the gas station than driving the thing.

Is there any reccomendations you can give me that you would pass onto a beginner?

Personally I'm looking into getting a 4-stroke motor, running on gasoline. I dont need it to go extremely fast, but it definetely need to accelerate quickly. It should be easy to work on, modifiable, reliable, and just fun to work on and drive.

Any engines to look for? Any to stay away from? Etc. etc.

 

[souperman000]

lots of people on this site have had a lot of good experiance with the Horbor Freight predator engines, you can sometimes find them on sale for $99 6.5hp. It is a clone and very modifiable. Your speed and acceleration depend on teh clutch and sprocket combo you use. I recommend a centrifugal clutch for you.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Welcome to the forum! Canada's a big place... Anywhere in particular? I am just north of Toronto, and in my experience karts are pretty hard to come by for a reasonable price. A lot of what I see is either total junk (and way overpriced), or just ridiculously expensive. If you have the resources available to you, you're better off to find a frame and build it up, or even scratchbuild the whole schmeer. Do you have a Princess Auto in range? They have a good selection of very useful componentry including wheels and tires, shafts, bearings, collars, hubs, sprockets, pulleys, clutches and even engines. TSC has a narrower selection and the prices aren't as good, but they have some of this stuff too.

If you are proficient with a stick welder, you'll be fine. If you are new to the art of melting metal, I strongly recommend a MIG machine, a convertible MIG, or even a straight flux-core welder. Canadian Tire has a suitable model or two, and watch Princess and TSC for good deals. I recently got a screaming deal on a Century flux core machine at TSC, and converted it to MIG using my existing Lincoln parts. Princess has a base-model flux core for $200 that they throw on sale every so often for $100.

Take some time and search the snot out of this forum- there is a wealth of information here that will have you armed and ready to build your own in no time!

If you're really resourceful, you can do it quite cheaply, too. I built my kids' kart from scrap metal, lawn tractor parts, motorcycle parts, and all kinds of mechanical outcasts including an industrial ventilation fan for just about $200- which included a new engine and clutch from Princess Auto on sale...

Regarding engines- If you're shopping new on a big budget, get a Honda GX. There's also Briggs and Stratton, Subaru and a few others. The big brands are pretty safe, but I'm a Honda believer. Some of the Honda GX clones are pretty good, too. It is my understanding that Champion is a better quality clone. The older Powerfist clones from Princess are decent, but I don't know about the new generation. They're fairly new on the market. If you buy a used engine, reliability may be an issue, not knowing what state it's in. That's where you'd get the appropriate service manual and bring that puppy back up to spec. A lot of people don't like Tecumseh engines, I can't imagine why. The carbs can be b!tchy if NEGLECTED. Maintained, they are a thing of beauty.

Anyhow- keep researching, keep asking, and happy wrenching!

 

[elemein]

Welcome to the forum! Canada's a big place... Anywhere in particular? I am just north of Toronto, Mississauga, Erin Mills Area! Aha looks like I got a neighbour on here! and in my experience karts are pretty hard to come by for a reasonable price. A lot of what I see is either total junk (and way overpriced), or just ridiculously expensive. If you have the resources available to you, you're better off to find a frame and build it up, or even scratchbuild the whole schmeer. Dont wanna scratch-build my first frame :/ Just personal preference Do you have a Princess Auto in range? Yes. They have a good selection of very useful componentry including wheels and tires, shafts, bearings, collars, hubs, sprockets, pulleys, clutches and even engines. TSC has a narrower selection and the prices aren't as good, but they have some of this stuff too.

If you are proficient with a stick welder, you'll be fine. If you are new to the art of melting metal, I strongly recommend a MIG machine, a convertible MIG, or even a straight flux-core welder. Canadian Tire has a suitable model or two, and watch Princess and TSC for good deals. I recently got a screaming deal on a Century flux core machine at TSC, and converted it to MIG using my existing Lincoln parts. Princess has a base-model flux core for $200 that they throw on sale every so often for $100.

Take some time and search the snot out of this forum- there is a wealth of information here that will have you armed and ready to build your own in no time! Great to hear

If you're really resourceful, you can do it quite cheaply, too. I built my kids' kart from scrap metal, lawn tractor parts, motorcycle parts, and all kinds of mechanical outcasts including an industrial ventilation fan for just about $200- which included a new engine and clutch from Princess Auto on sale...

Regarding engines- If you're shopping new on a big budget, get a Honda GX. There's also Briggs and Stratton, Subaru and a few others. The big brands are pretty safe, but I'm a Honda believer. Some of the Honda GX clones are pretty good, too. It is my understanding that Champion is a better quality clone. The older Powerfist clones from Princess are decent, but I don't know about the new generation. They're fairly new on the market. If you buy a used engine, reliability may be an issue, not knowing what state it's in. That's where you'd get the appropriate service manual and bring that puppy back up to spec. A lot of people don't like Tecumseh engines, I can't imagine why. The carbs can be b!tchy if NEGLECTED. Maintained, they are a thing of beauty. Good to know. I was looking at the Honda engines actually as Honda's just seem to have good reliability all over the place

Anyhow- keep researching, keep asking, and happy wrenching!

Thanks for the information! And definetely cool to know you're around my area (sortof)!

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Ahh, excellent! Haunt the he// out of the Princess at Dixie and Derry. I'm not in that area much, but they've got a very good store! I used to do a lot of work in the airport area and would go there to kill my lunch break (under the guys of eating at the Wendy's next door!).

 

[elemein]

I've got a question that I've searched for but cant really find a very good answer for; actually two sortof.

What are suspension on gokarts for?

I know what they are on cars for; but gokarts just seem to be such a different beast when it comes to suspension as most karts go absolutely fine without any.

I plan to use my kart mostly for on-road use, with slight offroading (light grass, gravel, beach), and I'd like it to go over speed bumps (if possible. If not, I'd like it to be able to go around speed bumps ) .

I dont mind if the ride is shaky, but I do worry that my engine would be affected by the bumps and such. So what exactly are the benefits of suspension on a gokart?

Also, I'd like the kart I build to be able to hold up to 250 lbs (it'd be selfish to keep the kart all to myself when I got a family who loves gokarts but has none around ), would suspension be necessary to get to that goal? Or is it dependant on frame?

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Suspension ultimately serves the same purpose on ALL vehicles. By definistion, the purpose of suspension is to keep the tires in contact with the ground. Be it running over a small divot in the ground, a hump, or a boulder, it's all the same thing. Lifting (or dropping) a tire adversely affects the available traction on all tires. Be it a slight redistribution of weight, or a total loss of traction with one tire in the air.

From a karting perspective, it works like this- race karts don't use suspension because the tracks are dead flat and smooth. Any slight variation tends to be soaked up in frame flex. Most fun karts don't use suspension because it's cheaper, lighter, and much less maintenance. At typical "fun kart" speeds, a lack of suspension over moderate terrain ranges from manageable to dodgy. Increase the speed and/or roughen the terrain, and it gets downright dangerous. Take this from a guy topping out at over 70 km/k on a pothole-laden gravel road with no suspension! (Which is exactly why I built front suspension, and am now reworking my entire rearend to include suspension.

The other factor is comfort. With no suspension, I was getting tossed around so much I fisrt installed a lap belt, then a shoulder belt, and finally a 4-point harness to try to keep my body in place! When you're getting battered around hard enough, it becomes difficult to drive with your feet bouncing off the pedals, your torso getting tossed around... Sore butt, and lower back, too! And after a day of thrashing, my whole body hurt!

 

[elemein]

Suspension ultimately serves the same purpose on ALL vehicles. By definistion, the purpose of suspension is to keep the tires in contact with the ground. Be it running over a small divot in the ground, a hump, or a boulder, it's all the same thing. Lifting (or dropping) a tire adversely affects the available traction on all tires. Be it a slight redistribution of weight, or a total loss of traction with one tire in the air.

From a karting perspective, it works like this- race karts don't use suspension because the tracks are dead flat and smooth. Any slight variation tends to be soaked up in frame flex. Most fun karts don't use suspension because it's cheaper, lighter, and much less maintenance. At typical "fun kart" speeds, a lack of suspension over moderate terrain ranges from manageable to dodgy. Increase the speed and/or roughen the terrain, and it gets downright dangerous. Take this from a guy topping out at over 70 km/k on a pothole-laden gravel road with no suspension! (Which is exactly why I built front suspension, and am now reworking my entire rearend to include suspension.

The other factor is comfort. With no suspension, I was getting tossed around so much I fisrt installed a lap belt, then a shoulder belt, and finally a 4-point harness to try to keep my body in place! When you're getting battered around hard enough, it becomes difficult to drive with your feet bouncing off the pedals, your torso getting tossed around... Sore butt, and lower back, too! And after a day of thrashing, my whole body hurt!

Is it expensive/very troublesome to include suspension into a gokart? I dont have extremely high plans for the kart (not planning on going 100k/h or being able to take off and fly away or anything), but I want it to be reliable, powerful, and just plain clean. If suspension is expensive I'd probably opt for getting thrown around so I could save a little more money, but if it's cheap then I might be apt to get some.

Whats the approx price if you dont mine me asking. I know it's very hard to give approx prices in this sort of stuff, but what would be generally a good suspension budget to be looking at? 50$? 100$? 200$? 300$? etc. etc.

 

[souperman000]

well, obviously no suspension would be the cheapest and easiest. But If you really want one, A rear swingarm would be the best. Cant find a pic right now but there are a ton scattered around the forum. It is bascally a hinge that splits your kart in two to let it flex with the bumps. For a first time builder with no experience, I would suggest no suspension because you can always add/modify later.

A budget.......:toetap05: I would budget $100 just to be safe but It probably wont cost that much. look around for a used quad to salvage the suspension off of, that seems to be the easiest option ive seen.

Speed bumps you can probably go over with no suspension, just make sure your tire diameter is big enough to avoid bottoming out the kart and/or ripping off the sprocket when it hits the bump.

 

[elemein]

well, obviously no suspension would be the cheapest and easiest. But If you really want one, A rear swingarm would be the best. Cant find a pic right now but there are a ton scattered around the forum. It is bascally a hinge that splits your kart in two to let it flex with the bumps. For a first time builder with no experience, I would suggest no suspension because you can always add/modify later.

A budget.......:toetap05: I would budget $100 just to be safe but It probably wont cost that much. look around for a used quad to salvage the suspension off of, that seems to be the easiest option ive seen.

Speed bumps you can probably go over with no suspension, just make sure your tire diameter is big enough to avoid bottoming out the kart and/or ripping off the sprocket when it hits the bump.

Thanks and yeah I've been throwing around options in my head and been thinking of ways to go without suspension to keep it stupid simple. One of the biggest traits I want about this cart is reliability and that isnt just for the engine; if I have a suspension that means I have a suspension to break. I've been thinking and I really dont seem to be planning to do any serious offroading; I mean really. Some light gravel and flat beaches is the wildest I'll go, so I dont think suspension is necessary.

I think I'll just get some comfy puffy seats to queal out some vibrations and see if I can get big tires for the bumps and the light offroading.

Also, I think I've set a speed goal of 40-50MPH. Is that reachable for a first-timer? Or should I set my goals lower?

I was looking around on Kijiji and this looks nice; http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-other-5hp-factory-made-gokart-W0QQAdIdZ366043048

Any comments on it? I probably wont be pulling the trigger on it as i still have some details to throw around, but dang. That just looks clean.

 

[souperman000]

yea, that would be a good kart for a first timer, kinda expensive though (canada i guess). With an average 6.5hp clone engine, 40-50mph is a little much to hope for. the top speed all depends on the ratio between teetch on clutch and teeth on sprocket. YOu could theoretically get 40mph but you would have to push it really fast to get going cause it would have no acceleration. id set you goal for between 20-30mph. plenty fast when your arse is only 6 inches from the ground.

 

[elemein]

yea, that would be a good kart for a first timer, kinda expensive though (canada i guess). With an average 6.5hp clone engine, 40-50mph is a little much to hope for. the top speed all depends on the ratio between teetch on clutch and teeth on sprocket. YOu could theoretically get 40mph but you would have to push it really fast to get going cause it would have no acceleration. id set you goal for between 20-30mph. plenty fast when your arse is only 6 inches from the ground.

True, but would I be able to keep the same frame for the 40-50mph project as I would the 20-30 mph one? I really dislike switching whole platforms and I'd like to keep the same frame if thats possible; also, I dont want get more than one kart.

Also, what kind of HP engine would I be looking at for the 40-50 mph project? I dont really plan to be sticking at 6.5 HP forever, and 99$ isnt my upper limit for engines (though I like cheap engines of course )

 

[r_chez_08]

You can get 45 from a clone and a tc. You may want to put on an aftermarket exhaust and air filter, and reject carb. Up to 2hp gain just there.

 

[elemein]

You can get 45 from a clone and a tc. You may want to put on an aftermarket exhaust and air filter, and reject carb. Up to 2hp gain just there.

This is going to sound newbish; and probably because I'm new to gokarts but... TC? Reject carb? I know what a carburator is but whats the reject part for?

And really, you can get 45 MPH reliably and with good acceleration from a 6.5HP?

 

[Doc Sprocket]

That's re-JET carb. To install a larger main jet for more fuel delivery. And although it's been accomplished, I would recommend a larger engine for 45 MPH depending on intended usage.

 

[elemein]

That's re-JET carb. To install a larger main jet for more fuel delivery. And although it's been accomplished, I would recommend a larger engine for 45 MPH depending on intended usage.

I'll cross that bridge when I get there but will most likely will choose whatever is cheapest, easiest, and cleanest. Though I do like the idea of a 2-cylinder engine; but they seem to be much more expensive than it needs to be to for power I can comparably get out of a single cylinder.