First post here, so here goes...

Anyone know anything about the sandstorm / sand storm karts on EBay? I just won an auction and will be taking delivery of a 250cc sandstorm kart in a week or so. Got it for $2300 shipped. My father-in-law got a Twister 150cc for $3k earlier this summer, so I figure even if I gotta sink a grand into this kart, I'll still be money ahead. I'll make sure to post here with pics and what-not when it comes. But at $1800, it'll be tough to beat. Who knows, if it works out well, I might just become a distributor for these things and make an upgrade package...

I was also thinkin, there's a belt going from the engine to the transmission, right? So, why couldn't you just rig up, say, a Yamaha Blaster engine with a belt drive instead of a chain and use that for power? Or even swapping in a carb off of, say, some 300cc quad? I'm gonna have some fun modding this thing...

 

All these karts use the same basic engines. Which are all scooter based. The transmission is actually part of the engine assembly, like most motorcycles. So an engine swap would also require the use of a different transmission. As for a carb swap, I put a 400EX carb on my 250cc Sand Devil and am very happy with the results.

 

Yea, it's only been a few days since I won the auction, but I'm still all antsy-in-the-pantsy about getting this thing. After reading a lot of posts here about purchasing things from shady dealers, especially those on Ebay, I feel a little more at ease. I got an e-mail back from the guy I'm getting it from, so I know he's at least a REAL person. Also, I found him in whitepages.com, and it matches the address he had posted in his auction, so that's another plus. Another bonus, I googled the manufacturer of the buggy (SunL), and discovered that pretty much any part I break or wear out, I can order directly from SunL, and not have to worry about going thru a middleman.
Hesitantly waiting in St. Louis...

 

Took delivery of my buggy last Wednesday, 1/4. It came fully assembeled except for the seats, roll bar, steering wheel, radiator, and front fenders. Took about 45 minutes to put it all together. Took a while to get it to fire up, but it eventually started and ran like a champ. Actually ran quieter than my FIL's 150cc buggy. Went out to his place Saturday afternoon and outran em all. A LOT better torque off the line, ran smoother, and feels a bit beefier than theirs. One of the first mods they made was to buy a set of rear shocks and put them on the front, and my front shocks were beefier from the factory than their modified shocks. After slamming into a tree attempting an exit from his creek, I bent one of the steering arm mounts on the DS strut, so when I got home, I beefed those up a lot better, as well as fabricated up a free-er flowing intake and made a new fender from some conveyer belt material I have. I also made a couple appearance pieces from some aluminum diamond plate and riveted that on, and made a couple mud guards that I zip-tied just inside the front tires. I was a little concerned about weight, but after feeling how much the mud weighed vs. how much the guards weighed, I think I'm better off. Just a few things I want to do yet. I'd like to get some 22-9-8 tires for the front for a little more ground clearance, and some 25-11-10 tires for the back for top-end and ground clearance. I think it has enough torque to handle the 3 inch taller tires. I'll just switch mine with my FIL's from his Twister (he's got 25" tires from the factory) and see how it handles it. I'll load some pics of it later today.

 

Here ya go. So many pages I didn't know if anyone had seen this one.

http://www.extrememotorsales.com/pilot250.htm

 

I have a 2003 Kasea mini dune buggy 150cc with after market exhaust and jets and K & N filter. We are going to buy a set of paddle tires and try it in the dunes. Are we waisting our money? Does anyone know if this buggy will go up small dunes? We mainly just want to be able to get over to watch some races at glamis dunes and play around the camp sites. It will be holding probably about 230-250 lbs with the 2 girls.
Thanks!

 

Yes. I've had my 150's at both Glamis and Buttercup many times. Traction isn't a problem. It's power. They just don't have the stuff to go through the dunes. At Glamis, they'll cruise the flats and washes just fine. And they'll even go through some of the smaller dunes, but that's it. Mine do a little better paddles, but not enough to justify the cost. Especially since the buggy's weight, around 750lbs with two passengers(in your case), eats paddles rather quickly.

 

Thanks RaptorAZ. How does you Joyner Sand Devil do in the dunes? I was looking to buy one of those instead. Maybe I will just sell this one and get a 250cc. Ofcourse, would be nice to have a 800cc, but not right now!

 

After I re-geared it, my Sand Devil does very well in the dunes. In fact, I've duned it all the way to China Wall. It does take some skillfull driving though.

 

forum seemed to peter out......which brand is best in the 250cc? is the blade any good?
are they all junk?
how fast are the stock 250s?
how bout the boxer as seen on ebay
thanks to all