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CrawfishStu · Dec 14, 2018

I'm looking at gokarts for my son.
Any advice on what to get? I'd love one with reverse and suspension but I really just don't want to spend out for a new one until I'm sure he's going to want to spend time on it.

What are your kids running? How fast do they grow out of the small ones and into a larger one?
Did you feel like reverse and suspension are worth it?
He's 8 and has been riding a 110 chinese quad and a crf50 for years.

Antarctica · Dec 14, 2018

I think you should build one with him that's a mini version of your avatar. Good father/son project.

BossmanPJ · Dec 14, 2018

I got my kids a Yerfdog with a 6.5 Tecumseh a couple years ago. My 7yo still isn’t big enough to run it herself. That thing flies. Has a full suspension and handles hills and rough terrain great. I would suggest looking for one of those. They are not made new anymore but can be found used on CL and other places. BMI Karts also stocks pretty much every part for them as well and the bonus is the Harbor Freight Predator 6.5 engines are a direct replacement for the tecumseh.

This is a few years ago when my daughter was 2 for size comparison. They are big enough for me to get into comfortably and haul ass around.

BossmanPJ · Dec 14, 2018

Here’s what they look like from the bottom.

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JTH20 · Dec 14, 2018

BossmanPJ said:
I got my kids a Yerfdog with a 6.5 Tecumseh a couple years ago. My 7yo still isn’t big enough to run it herself. That thing flies. Has a full suspension and handles hills and rough terrain great. I would suggest looking for one of those. They are not made new anymore but can be found used on CL and other places. BMI Karts also stocks pretty much every part for them as well and the bonus is the Harbor Freight Predator 6.5 engines are a direct replacement for the tecumseh.

This is a few years ago when my daughter was 2 for size comparison. They are big enough for me to get into comfortably and haul ass around.

+1, great carts. And the HF Predator motor really is a drop in replacement. Very easy swap

CrawfishStu · Dec 14, 2018

Nice.
Our trail at the house is pretty tight and not off camber, but I'm sure he will manage to roll it.

I'd love to build him a mini crawler, this is part of the segway to get him some wheel time and practice carrying momentum in a vehicle with an axle and a steering wheel.

namelessname120 · Dec 14, 2018

I want one with a motorcycle engine

CrawfishStu · Dec 15, 2018

We built one when I was a kid with a radian 600 motor and trans. Deathcart 1990.

madmantrapper · Dec 15, 2018

We built one with a 250 Yamaha twin in the seventies, I can relate to deathcart.

Ranchero50 · Dec 15, 2018

Get one for where you can run it. I found a junk one with no suspension, replaced the rear axle so both tires were driven and it was a blast, until the oldest kid shot the youngest across the blacktop sideways... No suspension is hard on your back, trust me.

BossmanPJ · Dec 15, 2018

When the kids outgrow this one I will go crazy with it. Maybe a 250 dirt bike engine or something like that.

I have always wanted to do a golf cart with an 883 sportster engine.

namelessname120 · Dec 15, 2018

Is is hard to put a motorcycle engine in a go cart or dune buggy? I’m interested in buying or building one

BossmanPJ · Dec 15, 2018

namelessname120 said:
Is is hard to put a motorcycle engine in a go cart or dune buggy? I’m interested in buying or building one

I’m not sure but I have seen quite a few of them done. I have a buddy that is damn near a mechanical genius. We will figure it out if I ever actually decide to do it.

Ranchero50 · Dec 15, 2018

Hardest part is putting the power down without eating tires. I did a solid axle on the 5 hp one I rebuilt and that locked rear tore up the front tires because it always wanted to go straight. Fun little thing and it was pretty quiet with a 4 cyl car muffler installed.

boothdoc · Dec 15, 2018

When my son was 7 he was racing an 80cc shifter kart setup, along with a 100yamaha set and another 80 clutch kart. Man we’re they fun. 80mph on some tracks , like the Rock , Daytona and such.

CrawfishStu · Dec 15, 2018

We have 3.5 acres of wooded trails. Plenty of room to learn to drive.

Antarctica · Dec 16, 2018

When I was a kid (14-15?), I got a little honda 110 three wheeler. Buddy of mine many-fold upped it with a 200x (top of the line four stroke that the had, one step down from he 250R ring trike). Then for some reason he sold it and picked up and old Honda Odessey - that's like a one seater 250cc two stroke go-kart.

Things got really nutty when he pulled that 250cc motor and shoehorned in a Kawasaki H2.... (500CC two stroke). Talk about a death-kart.

The next step, he found an old pinto motor and trans, and just built a little offroad car around it, but it didn't work out that well. The frame was made out of angle iron and was super heavy. The brakes couldn't stop it. It was fun, we were just kids learning to play with motors, welders, etc. Better than sitting around smoking pot.

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