Jerry said "a decent sized slide carb", I have been looking at Tillotson/Mikuni carburetors but I have no idea what size i would need. Any suggestions?
Top speed is not that important. We don't have a lot of space to ride. We want it to be quick with a lot of torque. (it's no fun going around corners unless you are sideways )
The carb I was thinking of trying to hunt down would be a 22mm Mikuni or equivalent. That would keep the intake velocity up within your projected RPM range which brings me to part 2 of the quote box....
Box stock, these motors are torquey wheel-spinners, and with a torque converter you'd be tearing things up pretty well. Rather than "building" the motor, I'd invest in a good drive system (torque converter) that will take advantage of what you already have. A 22mm carb is very close to the same size as the stock one, but the big advantage is the better fueling, and it's less upset by bumps, turns, etc. I would think that as long as the motor is in good tune, clean oil, fins/blower cage kept clean, that it should serve you well up to 4500 rpm-ish without a problem. With proper gearing, you won't be able to top that, and you'll still have great acceleration (THX to the torque converter).
As an aside, in a late 70's/ early 80's car magazine, some guy, who was after ultimate gas mileage, took a stock B/S 8hp, a torque-converter, and put it into a VERY aerodynamic 2- seat body that looked like a Lear-Jet with the wings removed, (About 12' long in length)... this guy was getting top speeds just above 70mph, with the STOCK B/S! Of course the mag downed the guy for using the B/S instead of a more efficient motorcycle engine, but in retrospect, at the time, most "utility/project" engines that were self-contained and had their own cooling were pretty much flatheads. (I don't think the Honda OHV's were around 'til quite a bit later.) The point (is there EVER a point to my drivel?) is that the stock B/S 8hp is a pretty kart-able package, with the right mods to the drive/vehicle.
Readers of my threads will ask, "Hey Jerry, if the stock B/S 8hp is soooooo great, why is yours collecting dust on the back porch?" Two reasons.... NONE of my present karts will handle it's size/power safely, and I would've built a lowrider specifically for it, but the snowmobile motor landed in my lap at a crucial time. I chose to invest my VERY limited funds in the better motor. The 8hp will have it's day, though.