Interested in getting my kids into Go Karts...anyone got any tips or BTDT on what Karts to get, where to go, or for sale?

good starters for kids are 911's then later they can upgrade to 914's

QUOTE (Sammy @ May 9 2005, 08:07 AM)

The guy I bought the 911 from has a racing kart for sale, he bought it and all the goodies for his kid, and the kid flaked out. Wasn't interested. What the heck is wrong with that kid? Now he's stuck with a real nice kart, spare tires, all kinds of gearing ,etc. If interested i can find out more details. He's in Yorba Linda.

Thanks Sammy...that would be nice.

Hey Scott

They are 9, 11 and 11....

QUOTE ("Z" @ May 9 2005, 09:16 AM)

QUOTE (Sammy @ May 9 2005, 08:07 AM) The guy I bought the 911 from has a racing kart for sale, he bought it and all the goodies for his kid, and the kid flaked out. Wasn't interested. What the heck is wrong with that kid? Now he's stuck with a real nice kart, spare tires, all kinds of gearing ,etc. If interested i can find out more details. He's in Yorba Linda. Thanks Sammy...that would be nice. Hey Scott They are 9, 11 and 11....

do they get a cell phone while driving gokarts?

practice for the realworld ya know

We bought one for $150 from Schucks (Checker or Kragen or CSK in other states) It goes 20 MPH. You can get a better model with the rollbar and everything for $399 each.

another

Racing karts were 5K+ ready to go.

Used previous models 2-3K range

Place in Buena Park that I don't remember handled them.

I looked into it for my kids Z..... bring your wallet.

For the small fry, my boy is 6, beginner cart was going to run me about $2800. Add tires, racing suit, helmet, shoes, gloves and fuel, probably about $1000.00 to 1500.00 per year.

For my daughter, she is now 14, mid-advanced cart was going to run me $4500 to $5000. Ditto for the tires et all.

Also, I visited the track where the kids race around here. It was freakin vicious. There was one dad who was balling out his 8-10 year old son for finishing third overall. Kid was cryin' his eyes out and his old man was like... didn't I tell you to take that kid out in the turn blah blah blah.

Most of these guys were waaaay to into it. All kinds of RV's, campers and shit all set up for tuning thier carts. Just way to freakin much for me.

I don't want my kids around that kind of crap.

I'll stick with little league... at least it's cheaper.

Arrghh...kinda what I thought.

Just get yourself a golf cart, strip it, put seats on the floor, and double the voltage. That's what I did.

My Kart is for sale, Mike. Older, but still plenty good enough for a kid to learn and be somewhat competitive. Yamaha powered Invader. Reliable in a world where reliability is pretty uncommon. Starter included, but it needs tahrs. BTW, I recomment the Jim Hall, Jr. Kart school. BTDT, and it's great. The Cap'n, clearing out ALL the projects! The Norton COULD be for sale, as well .............................

QUOTE ("Z" @ May 9 2005, 10:13 AM)

Arrghh...kinda what I thought.

Yup, it's the parents that screw up most of these things. Told one dad he could not come to the next game when I was coaching Soccer.

But my son's venture into 125MX when he was 12, took the cake. We had a nice 2 year old Yamaha. Other dads put shitloads of money into the bikes, cheated like crazy, and screamed at their kids if they didn't win. We went to Indian Dunes half a dozen times and quit. Lot more fun just going to the desert.

Rent the karts at golf-n-stuff

QUOTE (Cap'n Krusty @ May 9 2005, 10:25 AM)

My Kart is for sale, Mike. Older, but still plenty good enough for a kid to learn and be somewhat competitive. Yamaha powered Invader. Reliable in a world where reliability is pretty uncommon. Starter included, but it needs tahrs. BTW, I recomment the Jim Hall, Jr. Kart school. BTDT, and it's great. The Cap'n, clearing out ALL the projects! The Norton COULD be for sale, as well .............................

ALL the projects, eh?

NO! I have to many already!

What? The but Cap'n has so much cool stuff!

I don't have the space for more projects!

But I just sold a 914!

NO!!!

YES!!!

NO!!!

YES!!!

(end project related schizophrenia)

Z,

I raced karts (mostly shifters) for better than 25 years; mostly roadrace. Here's my (very brief) perspective:

Doing it stricktly for fun is by far the easiest. Stick with sprinter's. Show up to the track, and have your kids drive around and learn, have fun, and take things easy. Enter an occasional race, and don't be concerned with your competitiveness.

Getting into the whole racing program requires an incredible amount of work on YOUR PART. You will be surprised at just how much effort, time, and money it will take to race a regular schedule and being competitive. It sounds a bit discouraging, but many are driven away from karting just because they weren't prepared for the commitment. However, if you're competitive by nature, and want to really get involved with your kids, there are few things that compare to karting to bring a parent close to their child. I've seen it many a time. Also, the friendships you make through this process is something that I cherrish .

I'd suggest you attend some sanctioned events, ask lots of questions, and look over the equipment very carefully. Best bet, is to first put your child through one of the kart racing schools (we have Jim Hall's school in SoCal) to see if they are enthusiastic about it. Better to find out BEFORE you invest in any equipment in case your child ends-up only luke warm about the whole deal. i.e. My daughter grew up at the track, and was keen to try it. Took her to Jim Hall's Kart Racing School. Best $125 I spent, as she found it wasn't for her.

I could write for a long time on this, but I'll save everyone from that .

Andy

Lest I forget. if you join the Santa Maria Kart Association, you get a key to the track. We're not that far from you, Mike ...................... The Cap'n

If you're talking competition, then you could try what a friend did with his 12-yo boy. Rather than use a kid-sized kart (and this kid is small for his age), they went with a full-sized kart equipped with a small seat and the appropriate engine for his class. It's proving competitive, once the driver was trained (took about a season to get into the front half of the grid). They needed a LOT of ballast, so there are quite a few diving weights bolted to the seat. He can graduate to higher classes with the same chassis, and just replace the engine. The bigger karts also seem to be easier to sell if the kids turn out to lack interest.