I just looked at a polaris 250 and was thinking the same thing. Let me know if it works, I forgot to check if it had reverse. You are talking about the 2-stroke with cvt right? The only thing that concerned me was it looked like some wires coming out of the transmission, is it electronically controlled? These 4-wheelers can be had pretty cheap, and I have ridden one several years ago, it seemed to be plenty powerful, probably could put a good pipe on it.

let us know

 

Got the KPX Xterro last night. Exactly 2 weeks from the time I ordered it. Not bad, especially considering it crossed the country.

Everything looks great. Put it together, changed the oil, and started it up. Ran well. I did have to adjust the air bleed a bit for good idle and transition. Also adjusted the reverse gear for proper operation.

Paint looks really nice, (dark red)... seems to scratch easily though. Pretty much as if it really needs a clear coat over it for more protection. Doesn't really bother me though, I expect lots of scuffs to happen on this type of vehicle anyhow.


Thats about it. I'm pleased.

Runs nice, and the Lights are quite bright when compared to the Carter XTV.


I'm sure I'll be looking for the new air filter, jet kit and exhaust soon. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

When you get it broke in could you give us a comparison between the carter and the kpx?

Just looking at them from pictures, it looks like the carter has the potential for much greater suspension travel in the front. I understand that it is also american made (except for engine). Looks like turning radius may not be as good, and may not corner as well due to the front end being longer (looks like it may push the front end in hard corners).

thanks, just curious

 

I can give you some info right off the bat with some initial findings. One thing though, the used XTV I bought has what I believe is an aftermarket pipe. I havent seen any close up exhaust pictures to confirm this though. I also don't know if it was jetted yet or not. Haven't had time to check into that. It also has a performance air filter which comes standard.

The carter is a good machine, though somewhat more crude in construction in some ways. It is missing reverse, but it does come with a built in tach and hour meter. The lights are not so much for night driving as they are for being seen as they are pretty dim. Choke is manual on the carter XTV, which some people may actually rather have. Choke is actuated from the back of the machine... not while in the drivers seat. The XTV does not have a parking brake, so it must be parked on level ground. The XTV has a larger footprint than the KPX Xterro. The front wheels are place far in front of the driver, while on the Xterro they are right next to your leg. The XTV has a large turning radius. If a sharp turn is desired on the XTV, the rear wheels must be broken free from the ground, in other words, you have to gun it to kick the rear end around on loose ground. Pavement turning is more limited and difficult. Carter does not recommend running the XTV on pavement at all, actually. The 18 inch tires on the back of the XTV are very wide and allow the low end torque to really connect to the ground. The rear shocks on the back of the XTV are monsters compared to the Xterro, and the way they attach to the unit is quite agressive looking.

The XTV seems very powerful the way mine is set up. I have a lot of low end torque which easily spins the rear tires in dirt and allows large power slides and donuts. Internet information says the XTV can do up to 45 mph, and I don't have a reason to doubt that yet, it seems quite fast. I sill want to put a speedometer on it.

The KPX is much slower in stock form. The low end torque isn't nearly as pronounced and the machine is very quiet. I think the suspension travel on the KPX is actually more or equal to the XTV. I haven't adjusted preload settings on either machine to dial them in yet. I believe my XTV is currently on a stiff setting and the KPX feels really soft the way it is now. The steering is much better on the KPX and pavement turns are not a problem. I have the parking break on the KPX, of course, which is really nice. The reverse gear is really nice too. The seats are more comfortable on the KPX.

So, in initial impressions the XTV is a bit more crude of a machine, and not as user friendly, but it's also a lot of fun with all the power that is on tap the way mine is set up.

I bought them for totally different reasons... the two seater KPX was for giving the kids a ride, and slowly teaching them to drive a cart. While the single seater XTV was for me to rip up some dirt with and break loose from the daily grind. It looks like they are going to fill their rolls very well.

In the not so distant future afte breaking it in I'll likely upgrade the filter, exhaust and jetting on the KPX and I'll have a much more fair comparison to the XTV to give you.


In short... I like them both a lot for different reasons. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]


I'll have to take some outside shots of both of them this weekend to compare side by side.

-Steve

 

Hi all, Lurker here.

First of all. Thank you all for your thread. I had narrowed my choices down to a manco and a carter until reading it. Then, you opened my eyes to other carts.

First of all, have any of you ever drove/ridden/seen in action a manco XTC 713e? It has 404cc robin motor and was my first choice until recently. Seems it should be able to eat up a 150cc after mods? The cart doesn't look as cool as a hammerhead.

Now for my contribution. Been checking out and test driving carts. Unfortunately, the one dealer with a 713e just gave me a bunch of dealer crap and no test. I am 235lbs so suspension and welds are as important as engine. I basically jumped up and down, picked up and slammed down some carts and heres them ranked from best to worst.

1. Hammerhead - wow, that kart is solid. Love the suspension. Could hardly compress it standing on it. Side to side it performed great.
2.KPX - about the same. Springs slightly weaker.
3.Carter talon - side to side it creaked. Shocked bottomed out more easily, still solid.
4.Kaseo explorer and 150r2 - no complaints but not as stiff as the others.
4.Manco 713e. The back which was supposed to be fully suspended isn't. Frame seemed cheap although engine looked huge and awesome.
5.250cc peirspeeds -huge cart made poorly. I could actually move the wields.
6.toy junkies 250cc - crap, total.

I then road tested a few. I never topped out any of them but accelerating my weight was good enough.

1.Kaseo explorer. This thing is bitchin fast and powerful. As good as the Honda Odyssey fl250 but pricey as hell. I found one for 4k slightly used.
2.Kaseo 150r2 and KPX - Kaseo seemed like it had better top end, both were exciting to zoom around in. Very peppy, both of them pulled me up a large 30 degree incline easily.
3.Hammerhead - sluggish take off but great in the mid range.
4.250cc peirspeeds - They were faster than 2&3 above but took awhile to get there. Smoked like crazy.
5.Toy junkies -crap and leaked oil everywhere.

Price comparisons-I am sure you all know about the prices. Lets just say when I found out KPX was in tucson where I live, and I don't have to pay shipping, and I called them. Well, I am buying a 2 seater and a one seater for less than a single one of the others! That is, unless someone convinces me the 713 is better???

Thanks,

Heath

 

If I'm not mistaken, the Subaru-Robin motor is just another lawn-mower type engine with little performance potential. You'd probably be happier going the KPX route.

 

KPX engine update:

I just got done with the modifications to my blue KPX today. I ported and polished the intake manifold, the spacer, and the intake and exhaust ports. I also milled the head .050" and used a .010" thinner cylinder base gasket. The compression ratio went from a before as measured 9.1:1 to a measured 10.6:1. The cranking compression went from 150 psi to 180 psi.

Performance wise, it has a TON more off idle torque and hits the rev limiter pretty easy.

Look for my full report after next weekend from Glamis. I'll be putting it up head to head against my ported and polished big-valve Yerf-Dog headed black KPX.

 

It was mentioned early in this thread that a performance CDI helped these carts a lot. Anyone have any thoughts about which unit would be a good match for these??

 

Sounds like you should be able to play with ratios now for more top end speed.

 

[quote]
Originally posted by: hopsterguy
Actually, I'm still looking for more low end for better hill climbing ability.