e-KMI.com Fun Times

Visit Kart Expo Online

CLICK HERE

International Karting Industry Buyer's Guide

Kart Expo International
ExhibitorInformation and Show Directions

FUN TIMES

INTRODUCTION TO THE FUN KART INDUSTRY
By Paul Dilger – Courtesy of OPE Magazine

Beginning this month, I will be doing a series of articles on the fun kart industry. I have two main purposes from writing about this topic. First and foremost is to familiarize outdoor power equipment (OPE) dealers and technicians with the fun kart industry and to have them realize what a great, and largely untapped, opportunity awaits them in selling and servicing fun karts. My second purpose is to make consumers aware of the practical and recreational applications for these karts, especially for farmers and other people who live in rural areas with lost of open space. They are also a ton of fun!

Historically, these machines have been referred to as ‘go-karts’ for lack of a better name. Today, the industry has a variety of small gas engine-driven, low-to-the-ground vehicles, so more descriptive names are used based on the karts’ intend applications.

Concession — Amusement and arcade parks rent the more heavily constructed karts for fun seekers to operate on a confined track.

Racing — Then there are the paved (or dirt) track racers that are commercially and/or association operated, where drivers bring their high-speed, low-to-the-ground machines to the track.

And finally…

Fun Karts — There is the OPE fun kart industry that supplies karts for unstructured recreation in wide-open spaces; these are the karts that I will be covering in the series.

I enlisted the services of my 10-year old grandson, Dean, to help me in the preparation of the materials for these articles. When Dean was about 3 years old, her received his first battery-operated riding toy: a Power Wheels® vehicle. By the time Dean was 5 years old, he had pretty well out-grown it. Although it lasted him only a short time, the Power Wheels® is an excellent tool for preschoolers to begin learning initial driving skills.

Dean’s next mode of transportation was the bicycle. Like most kids, he gained a sense of independence, learned new skills (balance), and experienced new thrills (speed)! He discovered that unforeseen circumstances can lead to personal injury. He also learned valuable lessons about looking ahead for hidden dangers and judging distances in the event of having to make an emergency stop or maneuver. Bike riding is great preparation for learning to drive a fun kart.

Then Dean and his brother Jacob rode in an entry-level fun kart. This is where driver training really gets serious. This fun kart has a steering wheel, accelerator and brake pedals and three-point safety seat/shoulder belts. Due to their low center of gravity, the two-seat model safely carries a passenger and driver — when driven as recommended by the manufacturer (at a safe speed for the present road conditions and hazards). All fun karts are required to have overhead brush guards to provide limited protection against obstacles, in compliance with American Fun Kart Association (AFKA) standards. All karts are also required to have drive-train guards to protect against entanglement of such objects as clothing and hair.

Next on Dean’s list is his Dad’s quad, even though he is not allowed to drive it. Although many quads are driven by youngsters, too many of them have terrible accidents because of excessive speed, a high center of gravity, and a lack of rider protection. Also, handlebar steering and the coordination necessary for hand and foot braking are not skills that will carry over to driving a street-legal vehicle.

Another popular recreational machine is the motorcycle which comes in all sizes. These machines pose the most potential for serious injury and require both bike-riding and driving skills, but are not training vehicles for someone just learning to drive.

Children growing up on a ranch, farm or other rural property traditionally spend more time with family activities that children living in a city or town. They also assume more responsibility for helping with the work required to keep such a lifestyle running smoothly. Farmers are especially notorious for teaching their children to drive tractors, trucks and other equipment at an early age. Fun karts are an ideal way for these families to introduce their children to the skills and responsibilities of driving vehicles and machinery. Some models are powerful enough to pull a small trailer for hauling feed or doing chores around the homestead.

In Dean’s case, he learned some very important points regarding service, preventative maintenance and driving skills when he helped assemble and test-drive his first fun kart. The lessons include:

1. How to read and follow instructions.
2. How to use the correct tools to assemble a fun kart.
3. How and why to check engine oil before each use.
4. How to inflate tires to the correct pressure.
5. How to place a vehicle on safety stands before testing or working on it.
6. How to start a rope-pull engine.
7. How to block a wheel when parked.
8. The importance of proper brake adjustment.
9. Why you should keep your foot off the brake pedal until you need to slow or stop.
10. Wet brakes will not stop a vehicle.
11. What speed is too fast for the road conditions
12. How to think and plan ahead so you don’t get into compromising situations where you can’t back out because your kart doesn’t have a reverse drive.
13. With small wheels and one-wheel drive karts, you have to get out and push when you get stuck in the sand. This helps one learn to plan ahead.
14. How to back down a winding road if you are headed uphill and your engine runs out of gas or stalls. I tied a safety line onto the front of his kart and continuously pulled him back up the hill to start over and over again until he learned to back down with full control. This training also taught him to do if your brakes can’t hold on a hill. This may save his life someday. (Many a person has died trying to back down a road on a hillside and making a simple braking or steering mistake.)
15. How to lose privileges when you don’t follow directions!

I also learned a valuable lesson. A 10-year old who is anxiously waiting to drive a fun kart does not have the cognitive reasoning power to understand all the safety points you are trying to explain. I found it necessary to give him visual examples along with verbal explanations in order for him to fully understand. Remember, when instructing children, your explanations come from your powers of reasoning and are developed by your experiences. Many of the points you are trying to make should right to them, but they don’t have the mental and physical skills to carry out your explanations. You must be a constant and patient presence while they practice. “Learn by doing” is what develops skills.

One advantage youngsters living in rural areas have over city kids is that they can usually practice driving every day. City kids, on the other hand, have their opportunity to practice driving restricted to those times when their parents can transport their fun karts to a location where they are allowed to operate. Regardless of where youngsters drive, they must have close parental supervision at all times.

When teaching inexperienced, young people how to drive, experienced adults should first drive the kart to show how to drive safely. They must also show learners where they can and cannot drive. For example, my grandson is not allowed to drive along the levy road or any other place on the property where accidentally getting off the road might cause the kart to roll over. Be firm with this rule!

Up to now, I have mainly been discussing an entry level fun kart that is suitable for pre-teen drivers, but there are plenty of fun karts for grown-ups, too! Fun karts can be exciting and enjoyable as touring machines on both private and public lands. Some models come with suspension systems that smooth out the ripples and bumps, and have padded seats for extra comfort. The larger touring machines not only carry a passenger, but could carry your camping gear and spare fuel as well. Summer-night runs with a full set of lights can be extremely enjoyable. Some of you more adventurous types will enjoy the speed of the more aggressive machines with a full suspension system.

The fun kart’s low center of gravity makes dirt-track driving lots of fun. Fun karts are also great in loose sand because they don’t lose traction like motorcycles and bicycles can. Beach running and desert running are popular for larger karts with wide-profile (ATV-type) tires.

Fun karts are not engineered—nor designed—for competitive, wheel-to-wheel racing and do not have the safety features that racing karts are required to have. Fun karts are designed only for recreation use and cannot knowingly be sold to anyone who intends to race them.

Sales of fun karts are not limited to seasonal market conditions. Ski packages are offered by one manufacturer to overcome he problem of the front wheels from “bull-dozing” through the snow. Such accessories make the fun kart available for year-round use!

As I previously mentioned, OPE dealers who do not carry fun karts are missing out on a tremendous opportunity not only to expand their businesses, but also to be of service to their communities. I live in a country that has many farms (both large and small), and countless numbers of homes on parcels of 20 acres or more. There are also miles and miles of ATV trails on public land. The city nearest to where I live has several OPE businesses, none of which carry fun karts in their showrooms. Most kart sales are made to customers who see the karts on display and stop in for a closer look!

In the next three articles, I will be covering karts from Brister’s Design and Manufacturing Company, Carter Brothers and Manco Power Sports. Each of these manufacturers has a full product line. The choice of kart was only intended to be representative of some the classes popular in the industry; it is not a statement of preference of one kart over another in that particular class.

I asked Brister to provide a model that would represent a typical low-cost, competitive, entry-level kart for beginners, with standard equipment only. I asked Carter Brothers for a model that represents a typical high-output, aggressive, cross-country, trail-blazing, double-seat kart. Finally, I asked Manco for a large and powerful, fully packaged, touring cruiser for couples.

Below is a list of variations or options available when selecting the make and model of a kart.

Horsepower
Type/size of tires
Lights
Vehicle length
Type of shocks
Tire tread
Fuel capacity
Color
Chain type
Drive mechanism
Suspension
Seat adjustment
Vehicle width
Engine kill switch
Seat-to-pedal distance
Method of construction
Cargo box
Tubular foam cushioning
Axle type
Number of seats
Vehicle weight
Engine RPM
Safety shields
Positive traction
Lube fittings
Load capacity
Brakes type
Electric/Manual Start
Parking brake
Type of seat belts
Chain adjustment
Engine location
Tachometer
Clutch type

I am impressed with the overall quality of these manufacturers’ products, especially their safety and serviceability. Brister’s, Carter Brothers and Manco design their fun karts to be safe and easy to service, making them appealing to consumers and technicians. Using ASTM’s “Standard Safety Guide for Consumers Recreational Use of Fun Karts”, each company supplies an abundance of safety instruction, including a comprehensive training video, with its products. Brister’s Carter Brothers and Manco also follow ASTM’s standards for fun kart engineering and construction. As evidenced by the following list, these fun karts are professionally designed and engineered.

Standards:
Frame design with materials specifications
Steering column supports
Engine throttle controls
Crash design
Pedal controls
Load bearing on tires
Safety shield and guard designs
Brush guard design
Floor pan construction, size and fit
Steering controls and hardware
Engine kill switch
Seating
Paint content
Battery installation
Seatbelt design and installation
Plastic UV characteristics

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the management of Brister’s, Carter Brothers and Manco Power Sports for the generous cooperation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Paul Dilger is a retired professor of agricultural engineering at Cal-Poly State University in California. He worked as a mechanic in the U.S. Army before attending college. After graduating from college, Dilger taught mechanics for 25 years. He is currently a private consultant helping companies develop quality service training programs.

Article is © April, 2003 by Outdoor Power Equipment (OPE) magazine and used here with permission. OPE magazine is published monthly by Adams Business Media at 833 W. Jackson Blvd., 7th Floor, Chicago, IL 60607. For subscription information and requests, call Subscription Services at 847-647-7399.

END

View Past "Fun Times" Articles

Kart Marketing Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 101
Wheaton, IL 60189 USA
Telephone: 630-653-7368
Fax: 630-653-2637
Email: karting@msn.com

Back to Home Page

Neatconcept, Inc