CycleKarting.com | Cycle Karts

I didn’t finish cutting my side pieces, but was pleased to be able to take pictures of one side at least.  I am using 3/4″ plywood for most components and then cutting sections out for better weight savings.  I expect to reinforce the frame in several places as well.  If the frame looks small, it actually is.  I am 6’5″ and will have to squeeze to fit, however in keeping with idea of “cute” dimensions, decided it is easier to make the cycle kart larger than trying to make an over sized cycle kart smaller later.

The right side of my Cycle Kart

I will try to cut the left side of the cart soon to snap some pictures of the pieces together to show how this cycle karting project is progressing.

1971 Honda CT 90 Wheels, Front and Rear

There is some dry rot on the rear wheel, but the chrome and spokes look great.

This past weekend my wife and I celebrated 5 happy years of marriage!  As if spending a weekend away together wasn’t enough, my wife gave me this book (thus showing her immense love for her geek).

A little Cycle Karting Inspiration

Surprisingly, there is a big picture of some great vintage Indy car on every page.  I read it through last night and really enjoyed the history, like the first ever rear view mirror was used in the Indy 500.  I also enjoyed all the pictures, that I suspect it will be very helpful in determining what lines I want my build to take and how work the suspension if I feel adventurous and decide to fiddle.  I will mention there are no Bugatti’s pictured, you’ll have to pick up a book on the Grand Prix for that.

Next up, cardboard prototyping the dimensions I laid out in tape previously (thanks commenter Steve for the tip).

I halted my hunt for wheels briefly to go to Texas to visit my parents and 14 beautiful acres of Cycle Karting  paradise (or so I hope).  Upon returning home to Pennsylvania, my search resumed and I am now the proud owner of two 1971 Honda CT 90 wheels.  Now that I have 2 wheels I can begin prototyping the Cycle Kart, nailing down proportions and resume searching for the remaining two 17″ wheels I need.

This weekend I had Cycle Karting on the brain so I decided I would also tackle the frame and an idea I had for materials.  We bought our home about a year ago and I have been busy renovating and eliminating projects from the to do list since.  One such project has been to remove some junk the previous owner graciously left under the back deck.  One item of junk, pertaining to this Cycle Kart project, is a steel queen sized bed frame.  I squeezed into the 2 ft crawl space under the deck and unearthed bed from beneath a heap of leaves.

Judging from the condition of the metal the previous owner must have tossed it there as she moved out, unknowingly providing me with what I hope will be the perfect Cycle Kart frame. Typically 1×3″ rectangular steel tube is used, but with adequate reinfocement I think the bed frame will suffice.  I also hope it will cut the weight down since the bed is a light gauge angle iron.  The bed is also too short, so I wil splice in an extra section that will become the motor mount. There is also some light surface rust I’ll deal with before painting, but otherwise it seems to be in good condition to start fabricating.

This weekend I tackled a quick cycle kart project with the help of my two year old son.  I grabbed a roll of blue painters tape and got to work scaling out some proportions on the living room floor.  I thought painters tape would be great for “prototaping” my cycle kart dimension and, sure enough, it let me adjust and tweak elements with ease.  If you try “prototaping”, be sure you jot down your specs as your wife may not love a scale cycle kart taped to the living room floor.

Quick Cycle Kart Dimensions

Although my dimensions are slightly shorter than usual, I decided a shorter wheelbase would lend itself to a cuter look and would save on weight as well.   My son and I were also able to sit in our cycle kart which in turn meant the living room was soon filled with cycle kart sounds and spiddle as we reved our imaginary cylinder.   The width will be around 30″ which means a young enthusiastic passanger can sqeeze in beside me, which is important since I want this project to be something we enjoy as a family.