thinking about building a badass go cart.

[quads14589]

ive always wanted to build a badass go cart not one with a roll cage but one that u can race on streets. me and my buddy that i am with in metals class wants to build one. so i was asking you guys what kind of motors are out there for this type of project? i was thinking like a old 450 motor or even a old street bike motor?

[wilkin250r]

A standard motor for those carts is usually a 125 two-stroke, and for a reason. The wheels spin so easily that more horsepower doesn't really get you anywhere. Once you break traction, do you really need more?

You could always gear it up so that the wheels don't spin as easily, but is that really practical? You get a greater top-end speed, but do you really want that much? Even with a 125, they'll typically do over 60mph, do you want to be going faster than that, three inches off the ground, with no suspension?

I honestly believe that there is indeed such a thing as "too much power", and a streetbike motor in a kart frame definitely fits that definition. Granted, the 125cc engines in them are usually highly modified, so you could easily go bigger with less mods and be around the same peak HP. Me, personally, I wouldn't shoot for anything over 400cc 4-stroke. Anything beyond that is just overkill.

[trick250r]

to build it... id go as big as you wanted. just build it so it will handle the speed that its capable of. as far as driving it, ill drive anything once.

[72 chevelle ss]

We think alike man. Me and my friends are building a go cart with a streetbike motor.

We started with a little fox 5 hp frame and so far have lengthened it in the front, centered the steering wheel, reinforced the whole thing, built a new rollcage out of 1/4in tubing, and are looking around for a motor.

We were looking at a 1000cc 4 cylinder motor out of some old suzuki streetbike, guy says he has had it at 140 before.

We have a radar gun to see what speed we get it to. Friends dad is a sheriff so we're gonna get some roadblocks for an old country road and see what we cang etit up to once we're finished.

[MentalState]

There was a movie floating around the net ..It was a cart with a 1100GSXR motor..All I can say is this thing hauled and was smoking the tires all the way around the track..And the guy driving was laughing his *** off...

[kawi_kfx13]

just got down putting a 250 2 stroke on one U WILL LOVE IT!

[whiteflash]

Originally posted by MentalState
There was a movie floating around the net ..It was a cart with a 1100GSXR motor..All I can say is this thing hauled and was smoking the tires all the way around the track..And the guy driving was laughing his *** off...


<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uE26moshnO8"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uE26moshnO8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>



or if that doesn't work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE26moshnO8

[rmz250]

^^^ That guy was barely usiing 1/4 of the power.