Hey there,
So you know when you one of those days…the days on which your mind finds these really dumb ideas and locks deep focus on it and you subconsciously come up with ways to fund these ideas and make them a reality?
Well…this is one of them.
Here I shall lay the ins and outs of bringing one of these dumb ideas to reality….and…in chronological order.
The start
It all started with me having a 2001 CBR 600 F4 engine and a rental go-kart. The engine originally was meant for my Cagiva 600 build, but I was quick to realize that it would be hard to make it a reality with the tools and budget I had at the time, so 600cc in the rental chassis it was! But before it all, I had to do take the rental kart around the block. *wink *wink
Additionally I also got the engine/half bike to run – I ditched the OEM Honda ECU for a Ignitech TCIP4 aftermarket one as I was not up to dealing with the lack of the original key (Honda IMMO system) and I wanted the option of ignition tuning and external inputs aswell.
So it was ON!!! The first major parts were ordered and pipes and steel plate was bought for the frame modifications and it was soon ready for the first mock up.
After upgrading the belt on our old and tiny drill press it was time to cut the tubing and start fabricating.
There were many design mistakes made in this stage, as there always are. Learned a ton.
After the front mounts were done (or so I thought) I started working on the rear mounts, or again, so I thought. – had to scrap them afterwards.
Then came the time for the exhaust manifold, so by cutting up the old exhaust and some shit wields, I got this.
Magic package number 2 arrived, this was painful ,but damn…all new and shinny
As you might have noticed, I decided to use the front brake caliper from Honda CBR600F4 as the rear caliper for the kart, this meant some CAD designing and 3D printing some prototypes.
Time for test fitting + another mockup
MOOOAAARRE parts, CRG Racing kart front brake and spindle kit + a beefy chain to transmit the torquesssszzz
Got a sweet deal on a used Carbon Yoshimura silencer, which I restored to its former glory. *mint
More things!
Front two way adjustable spindle mounts done, chain mockup
And it was time for the FIRST START and a run around the block!
The kart felt not sorted out at all, but damn the acceleration and sensations it gives, damn. Time to head to the nearby air strip and do some proper testing. Expecting thing to break, but have fun while that happens.
And it did, broke not only the chain tensioner, but also destroyed the radiator (shit placement, gets hit by all the things from the front slicks) and the clutch pull rod was chewed as well – might have not checked the oil level…. ups
While waiting for the new parts to arrive, it was time to paint the frame, add a belly plate and do some wiring. Also I redesinged the whole chain tensioner thing, now the whole rear of the engine has adjustable height, therefore tacking out the slack.
After the final assembly it was time to head out to the air strip again…
Still trying to chase the same old issues – carbies acting up and its just running poor on in the upper RPM, I did figure it out later…much later…only because I actually didnt care that much and the tires exploded before I could do proper trial and error…
After the last test run, I was confident enough to participate in the Denmarks Largest Motorcycle Festival. So..we did.
After the Motorcycle Festival we had a lot of free time to do stupid shit with the gokart, here are some prime examples. It got 800k views on Car Throttle tho…
After all that and some test runs at the air strip it was time to get the kart ready for AutoShow Denmark – Yep, we got invited.
Because of reasons unknown to man I decided that it would be a great idea to try and hit top speed of the kart on the way home from the Autoshow. Little reminder – the kart had non bleeded brakes and ran choppy. So here it is.
I made a straight pipe add-on for the kart, needless to say, it was never used. – WAY TO LOUD
Then started the silence period nr 1 – I moved back to Latvia and the kart was in storage waiting for me in Denmark for half a year.
Then I drove to get it and….transported it on the roof of my Cadillac to my friends at Drifta Halle here in Riga.
There it sat for another 6 months or so, it did get some action tho…
It even appeared on the Drift King of Riga Official Aftermovie…woohoo.
Well and this brings us to today, where the kart stands with burned out ECU (died at the last event in Drifta Halle) – my bad, bad placement, makes it susceptible to extreme temperatures and vibration.
I have since moved to my own garage – http://motostudija.lv
Plans for the kart are big – CBR600RR injection (already have it), high volume fuel pump, fuel regulator, all new wiring for a all new ECU – Speeduino…yep, shes going EFI.
I also plan to re-do the whole front end of the kart to make it steer better and more rigid.
Some 250mm wide rims are in the list as well.
I shall make a update video sometime soon, as of right now, the kart is sleeping and waiting for me to get some funds to bring it back better, faster, stronger and way way more extreme – I mean…boost extreme…yep…it is going to be turbo charged, meth injected…e85 running beast….someday. 😀
What sized tires are those that you got for the build? Really nice shiny rims too, looks like the ones I’m getting for mine, 11×7.10-5 backs and 10×4.5-5 fronts.
What a nice job, especially considering your selection of tool available. I am a 76 year old retired machinist living in Oakland California.
I hope you get the cheese to do the mods you have planned soon.
Stay healthy, stay crazy!!!
W