THE OFF ROAD GOKART
"HIGH ROLLER"
As we dig deeper into the powersports genre, FB marketplace ends up being a good place to hunt down our next project to play with. I ended up finding a unique specimen in the form of a gokart that sits higher than most gokarts out there. It was sitting on racing slicks and looked like something that was pieced together from scraps in a weekend. It was unique enough that I just had to get it. I immediately came up with a name for this thing, "High Roller", since well, it is a high roller. The thing is, this gokart needed a lot of work to get it road ready. Luckily I had access to a spare Predator 212 engine, among other bits and pieces.
The work that had to be done involved moving the steering column to the center since this gokart is going to be a single seater for an adult. Afterward, I had to remount the seat a little better since it wasn't locked down, then get the engine mounted, along with a torque converter to drive the machine. A centrifugal clutch would not be enough to pull this large machine and my large ass at the same time so a torque converter system was necessary. I also had to hook up the brake system, which is a crude drum brake/band setup, using a solid linkage hooked up to the pedal to pull on the band to grab the drum.
The work that had to be done involved moving the steering column to the center since this gokart is going to be a single seater for an adult. Afterward, I had to remount the seat a little better since it wasn't locked down, then get the engine mounted, along with a torque converter to drive the machine. A centrifugal clutch would not be enough to pull this large machine and my large ass at the same time so a torque converter system was necessary. I also had to hook up the brake system, which is a crude drum brake/band setup, using a solid linkage hooked up to the pedal to pull on the band to grab the drum.
The gokart rode as it should, with a couple exceptions. One thing is the seat. The seat has no cushioning and is solidly mounted with no springs so the ride on this gokart is horrible. With no suspension on the gokart, I feel every single little bump, this thing will shake the soul out of you. The other problem is how this thing doesn't want to steer good at all. Between the wide slicks and the narrow footprint of the front wheels, this thing steers like a battleship. The turning radius is horrible and I have to power into a turn just right otherwise I won't turn. Depending on the terrain, I will sometimes pull up one of the front wheels, making steering almost impossible during that moment. The first thing that I wanted to try was to substitute the wide slick tires with some narrow profile trailer tires. The 4 lug x 4" bolt pattern hubs were odd enough that the only rims/wheels I could find on short notice for relatively cheap were a pair of trailer tires. Unfortunately, even this mod didn't help, due to the other problems mentioned.
While testing the new wheels I had to make a quick repair to the steering as I later discovered that the steering was even more cobbled together than previously thought. It also means that I will be adding to the future mods a new steering assembly, and possibly extra framework to widen the wheelbase of the front end to aid in better steering. New tires with more tread will also be on order. I also plan on upgrading the seat, looking at the idea of adding some kind of spring base, homemade obviously. Anything commercially made will be cost prohibitive and wouldn't make much sense on such a pieced together machine. I figured making a frame to hold a homemade bucket seat with some automotive valve springs might give me the cushioning I want without adding a suspension to this gokart, which would raise the overall investment in this machine much, much higher. I haven't even gotten around to modding the engine and drum brake yet.
