Get Your (Mini) Bike (Trike) Ready For Spring

Here are some tips for getting your 2 (mini bike), 3, or 4 wheel go kart up and running for the season.

Maybe you don't have a go kart. Why not build one? Here are some other instructables on how to build yourself your first kart:

Make your own Go-Kart.
Design and Make Your Own Go-Kart

It doesn't matter how many wheels it has, it doesn't have to be a 3 wheel like mine, it could have 4 wheels or even 2 (mini bike), the same basic principles apply.

Stay tuned because the engine section applies to any small engine, like what is found on lawn mowers, pressure washers, generators, etc.

Step 1: Brakes

Arguably the most important feature when using your kart is the ability to stop. Before you forget about it, check the break hardware first.

Pull the brake lever(s) or push the brake pedal (left pedal) and try moving the kart. You shouldn't be able to move the kart and have the wheels with brakes on them turn. Also check for "slop" in the brakes. The brake should engage when the lever or pedal is just moved a little bit. If you have to pull the lever almost all the way to the handlebar or push the pedal almost all the way down, your brakes need adjustment. Hydraulic brakes are self adjusting. You can tell if you have hydraulic brakes if there is a reservoir for adding brake fluid.

To adjust a brake lever, unscrew the cable retainer from the lever a little bit and try the brake again. The retainer is the green thing in the picture below. You should need pliers when you first start unscrewing the retainer. You might have to unscrew the lock nut in order to get it to turn freely. When it's adjusted right, the brake should fully engage by only pulling the lever a little bit. If the retainer unscrews all the way, this is a sign that you either need new brakes or they need to be adjusted down at the caliper/band/drum. If you don't know what you're doing down there, take it to someone who does. The health of you and/or your children is more important than a couple bucks saved by doing an adjustment yourself.

To adjust a brake pedal on the 4 wheel karts, follow the rod linkage from the petal to where it ends. There should be some threads and a nut there. It should be apparent now how to do the adjustment. If it isn't, take it to someone who knows what they're doing.

You'll also want to check the amount of brake material on the pad/band/shoe(s) that it isn't below the wear indicator or isn't excessively worn. Again, I highly recommend taking it to someone unless you've done brakes before and are confident with your own work.

Comments

[quadracer]

For gaping your plugs, IMO It is more important to have the ground level to the electrode, And to check for wear on the porcelain, rounded edges, cracks or chips are overlooked. Good Ible

[frankfarms]

NICE! This might seem like no big deal but I have the exact same schwinn grips on my bike

[cody316]

how much hp does the engine have, you have for yours?

[The Lightning Stalker]

8

[NX13]

how much did the engin cost

[The Lightning Stalker]

It came with the kart. If you keep your eyes out, you might find something with an engine in the garbage. If there's scrap yard in your area, they will definitely have engines from time to time.

[battlebotrock]

nice go-cart. This summer I will learn to weld. Then after learning to weld I am going to build a go-cart but it will be a street only. I already have my engine. It is a Honda Civic. It will be my first time making a go-cart but my dad will be able to help me.

[cartster]

well acually heres a vid i might try to ollow with but you can guys can also look at it too.
its the link at the tp of my mesage

[The Lightning Stalker]

That's a very nice kart. Good job on the welding, the frame looks really straight. The suspension is a nice touch for a smooth ride when you're off road. Did you really do all the cuts with that little die grinder? That would suck. If you plan on building metal frames, you should really get a chop saw, or better yet a cold saw. At least get an angle grinder because those take larger cutoff discs. It would also make the wire brushing easier. If you put a Comet torque converter on that it would really fly. Even better would be a snowmobile CVT that can do overdrive. With one of those you could probably out drag most cars. Do that and it will be 10 times better than mine. Again, very nice kart!

[cartster]

i didnt make it but now my dad says that we wont build it! so i am goeing to make some thing different but ohwell

[cartster]

realy nice trike man, but how do you acually build it?

[The Lightning Stalker]

I linked to another Instructable on building go karts in the intro. I didn't build my kart. It was manufactured by MTD in the 1970s. The main part of the frame is just a single 2" piece of tubing. It has some bends in it though so in order to build an exact replica you'll need a hydraulic bending table and the right dies which will cost quite a bit. The idea of the Instructable though was go kart maintenance, not how to build one.

[Coati]

That is definitely the coolest go cart I have seen in a while,and a great instructable.

[nitrox027]

how much would it cost to build one of those

[The Lightning Stalker]

Not much, probably a few hundred in materials. You can get mini bike front forks from BMI Karts. The rest would have to be custom fabricated and welded though. You probably won't find a really nice fiberglass seat but any go kart or homemade seat will work.

[nitrox027]

thanks

[nitrox027]

do you have a building plan for the frame? I totally want to build one of these how big is that motor and where can i find one

[packman]

dude this is tight can you tell me were you got the trike i just dont like reading long stuff thanks

[The Lightning Stalker]

More pics of the kart at my Photobucket

there are also some pics of my mini bike

[sotsirh194]

I am thinking about building a simple go kart and I have a few questions. 1) Are they belt or chain driven? 2) Can a lawn mower enginr power it?

[The Lightning Stalker]

The final drive to the wheels is always a chain and sprockets. Sometimes the chain goes right to a centrifugal clutch on the engine, but you also could install a comet torque converter which uses a belt and couple pulleys instead of the centrifugal clutch. Torque converters are better than a clutch IMO. Either way, the final drive to the wheels will still be chain and sprockets, but with the torque converter it will connect to the driven pulley instead of the engine more or less. It sounds complicated when I explain it but it's really simple. As for your second question, yes, a lawn mower engine can power it. There is a catch though. The engine has to be horizontal shaft. Otherwise you will need a special setup with a rubber wheel to get a horizontal shaft but those things are a pain since the rubber wheel absorbs some of the energy and eventually wears out. So you end up losing some efficiency and power/speed.

[The Lightning Stalker]

I forgot to mention that there are a ton of instructables on building a go kart. Just do a search for go kart.

[ll.13]

Nice go-cart!

[The Lightning Stalker]

Thanks. It's an old Montgomery Ward Kart.

[LinuxH4x0r]

Good tips!