Off shoot to "why" (a discussion about vintage kart events and ideas going forward)

[steve miller]

woops sorry brian never thought to look in for sale section ..
did you see the restored moss kart in ohio I think Toledo ..it was 400.00 but man it was far far from being restored ..
lots lots karts out there ,. I just picked up Percival 63SL for 75.00 off Rochester ny craigs ..has perfect go powers on front real nice rupp wheels on rear and dang nice orig. seat ..the rest is not so good .Lol..

[steve welte]

Thing is the orig post was about cost for one area of concern. It may have been for a kit but as David L. mentioned I itemized every part needed to BUILD a kart minus the frame and you are in the $1200.00 + range. So his kit can't be cheap. Any of the karts Brian mentioned or like Steve M. mentioned would be far cheaper if your not trying to replace or replicate every part. Plus you then go to the track with a kart you know can get around the track, unlike trying to take a yard kart kit and making it work. Most new people have no idea at what performance level we actually run at. At some point they need to figure out if they need a 2 1/2 hp Clinton or a K 78 or anything in between. Attending an event can be eye opening.

[ted johnson]

Amen to that. Most newbies start out small, then graduate to more power. This usually means better tires, wheels, clutch and soon a better chassis to handle the power. Better to buy a Dart, a Bug or one of Steve's predatory Kats right up front and know that when you feel the need for more POWER, you'll already have the kart and accessories to accommodate that new 820 West Bend. Ted

[Tom Day]

Amen to that. Most newbies start out small, then graduate to more power. This usually means better tires, wheels, clutch and soon a better chassis to handle the power. Better to buy a Dart, a Bug or one of Steve's predatory Kats right up front and know that when you feel the need for more POWER, you'll already have the kart and accessories to accommodate that new 820 West Bend. Ted

820 West Bend would be an excellent choice for newbies!

[steve miller]

..yes ..820,s are very good motors to start out with ..
to bad couldn't be a national warning on buying used mcculloch,s been on shelf 30plus years ..
there great motors but if a person don't know about the dang wrist pin bearings they are bad investment ..
I have herd so many horror stories about new folks grabbing up a mcculloch taking it home and first thing clean off dust and try for half a day to get it to start ..then finally after getting lucky or having help they put carb kit in it file the points and it RUNS PERFECT ...
then the next day I read my motor stopped and now it wont turn ...what could be wrong ...

[johnnyrocket temporary one month membership. member needs to add real name to membership to become full member. contact administrator for help]

Amen to that. Most newbies start out small, then graduate to more power. This usually means better tires, wheels, clutch and soon a better chassis to handle the power. Better to buy a Dart, a Bug or one of Steve's predatory Kats right up front and know that when you feel the need for more POWER, you'll already have the kart and accessories to accommodate that new 820 West Bend. Ted

820 West Bend would be an excellent choice for newbies!

the 820 that you are referring to is that the newly built engine from catkart?

[steve welte]

The 820 West Bend is by US MotorPower. Cat Cart is one of the dealers. The last 2 stroke manufactured in the US of A. You can google both to learn more.

[Tom Day]

The new 820 is a very durable engine and you can get it with the tapered crank like a McCulloch. You have 2 classes to run it with the small carb, dry clutch and box muffler: Sportsman Rear for the older rear engine karts and West Bend only class for sidewinder karts thru 1979. In the Sportsman rear it would compete with 100cc Macs. There is nothing that is trouble free in vintage karting but this setup is real close. Properly setup and maintained you could go to the track and have loads of fun without working on a kart all day and have plenty of time to turn laps and socialize with some of the best people I have ever met. You may want to go faster later but this is as good as it gets for a newbie.

[David Luciani]

the us820 is a great basic motor choice.
they' have over fifty years development is it and now it's pretty bullet proof.
parts are available though getting them sometimes can be frustrating.

in stock form it's plenty fast especially for a new vintage karter.
modified properly they are hard to catch.

There's a couple three vintage guys working on getting the company to provide builder kits with un-coated cylinders.
after the ports are reworked to racing spec the motor will be returned to the factory for nikasil plating and cylinder hone.
this allows builders to modify the ports less expensively.
i think the project is stalled while better piston rings are found but i could be out of date with my info.

[Tom Day]

the us820 is a great basic motor choice.
they' have over fifty years development is it and now it's pretty bullet proof.
parts are available though getting them sometimes can be frustrating.

in stock form it's plenty fast especially for a new vintage karter.
modified properly they are hard to catch.

There's a couple three vintage guys working on getting the company to provide builder kits with un-coated cylinders.
after the ports are reworked to racing spec the motor will be returned to the factory for nikasil plating and cylinder hone.
this allows builders to modify the ports less expensively.
i think the project is stalled while better piston rings are found but i could be out of date with my info.

Jeff Brown is one of the promoters of the new West Bend only class and is building these engines now as far as I know.
The Welte's are also running them.