school project, maybe.

[r97]

you mean a Tiapan?
http://edge.au.com/Categories/Taipan

well, i have bean looking at that alot now that you have mentioned it, it actually looks perfect, aside from 3 things
-the price seems a bit out of range, but i bet i could make it cheaper using parts i have, or get from the scrap yard, or just get cheaper than what edge is selling them for, i would have to get some prices on stuff and see if i can afford it buying stuff at the american/scrap yard/free price.
-suspension, other than some huge tires, suspension is no where to be found, i would be riding on mostly sand, snow, packed dirt road, and atve trails with some patches full off rocks, do you think i would be fine?
-its only one seat, but maybe i would be better off having something that handles better when i drive it, and then make something else from my friends to scoot around on, some of my friends have ATV's too.i was thinking maybe sidewinder to get the suspension, but i don't think its worth the extra cost unless y'all think the ride on the Tiapan will be horrible.


anyway, if this deos happen, it would probbalby happen over the summer, after my b-day when i can get some cash, maybe i would even use some parts off my other kart and sell the remaining parts from it to gather up a bit more cash.


as for road legal, i would find that unlikely, i would probably be better off buildinga trailer and installing a trailer hitch onto moms car, or just renting something for the day.

thanks for the idea though, now i have something to think about , i don't think my wallet is happy about this...

 

[fowler]

no i was thinking of the vulture

http://www.minibuggy.com.au/edge-vulture.html

 

[Rustydog2010]

Looks just like a 2 seat Piranha.

What kind of performance do you want on this thing, r97?

Jeremy.

 

[fowler]

its a two seater barracuda

iv seen suspension on the tiapan

i still like the idea of extenting a quad like bengo did
or just useing the parts like i did

 

[r97]

preformance:
-spin tires on dirt with no trouble
-climb the side of a sand pit (maybe 45 degreees, 30 to 40ft tall, loose sand)
-drive through loose sand
-drive through snow (maybe a max of 8" of wet, heavy snow)
-pull me up STEEP hills
-navigate atv trails
-top speed, not looking for much, i would probably be happy with 35mph, i wont usually have room to get up to that speed on the trails.
i was thinking tiapan and a 250cc motorcycle engine would be good as long as no suspensions isn't too bad

that two seat barracuda looks expensive! and after thinking about it i may be better off saving a bit of cash now and getting something i can enjoy, then having another project for later (the other project would be building/re-building an atv for friends to drive). although a two seat would be fun, making a two seat would probably completely kill the idea of no suspension.

as for modifying the plans, i could do that i suppose, although i would rather not its still something to keep in mind. mmaybe i will go over to the edge forum and ask ppeople how bumpy it is in the taipan.

not sure about extending a quad, but i will probably get a parts vehicle of some sort if i can get a good deal.

 

[fowler]

side winder might be good

didnt model engineer say he put abot 2 grand into his

save up for a few years and that will keep u impresed for many year

 

[r97]

i would like too, but if i spend 2 or 2.5yrs saving up, and then half a year building, i will only be able to use it for two years before i'm off to collage!
like i said before too, i'm kinda limited in where i can drive something, and i think a 600cc sidewinder would just be a waste, super fun yes, but a bit of oover kill.

i think i would be better off building a tiapan as cheep as i can (for example, edge sells four tires with rims for almost 1 grand, i can get four tires and rims for $180, not as good quality, but come on, $180!).

maybe i will take some pics, show you guys the main place i have to ride stuff. i also just checked, it looks like i can ride it on the beach near my house, no donuts though..

 

[Bluethunder3320]

in a few years, ill be buying a old truck, and building that up from the frame LOL thats another reason i dont want to spend so much building a buggy like were talking about.

or just find a car that crashed and dented in all the doors and stuff and use every part of the drivetrain.

for example.. a car like those GEO trackers or metro.... small enough to build a buggy from. yet real cheap cars.

 

[r97]

yea, thats exactly why i don't want to build a piranha (well i do, but i think y'all understand), and the main reason i am choosing the Tiapan is because i think i can get away with huge tires for suspension, and even if i needed suspension, the sidewinder would be over kill, not to mention expensive!

if i build the Tiapan my budget would probably be a bit above 1,000 (i'm going to hope i can save enough, might be mowing the lawn for free all summer though ) i know that is a small budget compared to 2-2.5k like it says, but have you looked at what they charge for the parts

anyway, i went exploring on my bike today, this place has way more to it than what i remember/have found before, the trails aren't too rough either, i think some big tires would be fine as long as i don't go flying off the little hills.
as for 2 seat, that idea is unfortunately scrapped, the trails should be just wide enough for the tiapan, i suppose there is a chance i could squeeze 2 seats into a kart to go on 5ft wide trails, but the extra weight may be too much for the "suspension".
the best part is that it seems like people have been driving there a lot, and its 32 acres of privately owned land!

i' really getting excited now! (i sure hope this idea doesn't get crushed ) anyway, check out some pics!

 

[r97]

more pics!

 

[r97]

LOL, how many pics did i take? as for the last pic, i swear i didn't do that, i was just riding along and came up to that and was like, hhhmmmm what have we here?

 

[r97]

hmmmmm, you think something like this may be worth it?
http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=10801
only thing is that i really want to make sure thing thing handles like a beast.

 

[r97]

ok, well i am really serious about building this, its exactly what i was looking for when i started thinking about go karts, it may take me a year to build while i gather funds, but that will only mean it will turn out better!
it was probably to early to do so, but i was bored and very curious and bought the plans! i'm even more enthusiastic now, these plans make the other plans i got from spider carts look like a napkin drawing, they are just very detailed, show you how to make everything, tell you every washer to buy, and go through everything, they are in metrics so i will have to work around that, but what ever, i'm sure i can manage!


I'm pumped!!!

 

[gokart14]

DANG i wish i had a place like that to drive my kart WOW U ARE LUCKY

 

[fowler]

wait so u want to make an old sindwinder or a tiapan

 

[Rustydog2010]

its a two seater barracuda

The Barracuda doesnt have RHS in the mid section, hence being a 2 seat Piranha. :arf:

R97: Go for it! I say build a simple offroader, A arms at the front and maybe a 250cc MB engine on a swing arm at the back.

Jeremy.

 

[r97]

DANG i wish i had a place like that to drive my kart WOW U ARE LUCKY

yea, didn't know there was this much space up here! unfortunately the driving on the beach idea is a no go unless i get a license and get it registered, but i'm sure i can find a few more places to ride(will have to make/buy a trailer and equip my moms car with a trailer hitch). maybe i can have an off road go kart party!

wait so u want to make an old sindwinder or a tiapan

i'm going to go with the Taipan!
-extremely simple
-cheep (i'm going to shoot for a budget of 1k and maybe a bit more. i better start mowing the lawn!)
-its advertised as about the same or better than a Honda odyssey fl250, which is about the level of performance i want.
-i think the terrain i have to drive it is perfect for the Taipan, as i said before, the sidewinder would be cool but would be over-kill.

there is this huge sandpit near my house that would be perfect for a sidewinder, or maybe an even bigger buggy, but it is illegal and covered with police .

The Barracuda doesnt have RHS in the mid section, hence being a 2 seat Piranha. :arf:

R97: Go for it! I say build a simple offroader, A arms at the front and maybe a 250cc MB engine on a swing arm at the back.

Jeremy.

Thanks!
i think i'm going to skip the expense and complications of the suspension, i don't plan to go fast, and its not too bumpy around here. i would kinda like to stick to the plans i already bought for 50 bucks! if its really bad i might add some a-arms, and convert the rear into a swing arm.

as for the engine, i'm looking for about 250cc, so far on craigslist i have found a Kawasaki ninja 250 for 500, and a Honda 1979 cb400 for 250 with trailer! both look like good deals, but they are both parallel twin cylinder engines, if i recall it is suggested that i use a single cylinder to reduce weight. i'll keep checking, and maybe try and find an insurance holding yard to get a crashed bike.

i'm very happy with the edge plans! they are pretty straight forward and are pretty much exactly what i would want. the only bad thing i have to say (this is not edge's fault at all) is that the metric to imperial stuff is probably going to be a bit of a pain. i want to keep things in metric as much as possible, but it doesn't look like metric sized steel is readily available. i guess i will have to use imperial sized steel with measurements about the same, but i'm not sue where i can get 1 3/16" sq tubing(near 30mm), i will have to call the local steel yard.


i better start looking for parts!

 

[r97]

hmmm...... maybe i should start a new thread.

 

[Bluethunder3320]

you should.

anyways, looks sort of like the place where i used to bike, but the town closed it all off because they were afraid someone would get hurt.

also the tobacco feilds were good.

 

[fowler]

i ment the sindwinder in the link u posted
(the modded ody)