what do you guys think about go karts? i also need a 8+ HP horizontal shaft engine to put on one. if any of you have one and dont need it, email me, or reply. thanks
James

 

Off road go-karts have come a long way in the past few years. Many are powered by Cycle engines and have full suspensions like Honda Pilots. I have one that I ride with friends with Quads. It doesn't bother me much to have to wait for them. The best thing is that they are low to the ground, tend to handle better than a Quad and are much less likely to flip. This is also the biggest downside since being closer to the ground means you often have the pleasure of sitting in a cold muddy seat if you decide to cross that hole that you really shouldn't.
You can see pics of mine at clubs.yahoo.com/offroadgokartsin the Photos section labled Yerf-Zilla.

 

My son has an off-road go kart. It has 18x9.5x8 rear tires and 175-70-6 (I think) fronts. It has a 5.5 OHV engine, Max-Tourqe torque converter and about 7" of ground clearance from the frame. The only mods are: Govenor is disconnected,larger rear sprocket(54 tooth) and I installed a hydrulic disc brake on the rear. The band brakes that come on most kart only work in one direction-Foward. He couldn't make a hill once and he went down it backwards and hit a tree.He used to ride it with us when we were out on the quads. We would only have to help it evey once in a while. He now rides an Honda Odyssey.