[Dale Daugherty]

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[Dale Daugherty]

I had a similar situation on my Birel, but all the slop was coming from the J-Arm. That sucker was loose, and it allowed for a half inch of pull before it actually engaged the next gear. Used some Teflon tape, and tightened it right up. The slop from shifter lever itself is now fairly insignificant.

If all that slop is coming from the where the shift arm attaches to the body, then I would think you may be able to get clever with some drinking straws cut lengthwise, and then use them to “sleeve” the bolt. Use multiple layers, and then some lube to smooth things out and prevent any binding. I don’t know how the lever attaches on the TK’s, so this might not be possible.

[Dale Daugherty]

Ditto on the above; I have the Valhalla as well, and I love it. I have not had the chance to test it yet (thankfully), but I am fairly confident that it is going to be better than a neck roll, or the EVS.

[Dale Daugherty]

Here is a good pump-around diagram:

http://www.swedetechracing.com/news-events-blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/PumpAround-diagram.jpg

Mine was built by SRS and is a bit different. There is a “Y” split after the “Out” from the supply pump. One branch goes to the carb “in”, and the other goes back to the tank with a restrictor (unsure of restrictor size). Then there is of course the return line from the carb that goes through the return pump and then to the tank.

[Dale Daugherty]

I see no harm in trying something out before you go all in; in fact it’s probably wise. I guess you should ask yourself a qualifying question:

Are you doing this for fun, as a serious hobby, or are you wanting to become a career race car driver?

Regardless of your answer, Arrive and Drive is a good way to get an introduction to driving karts. Depending on your answer, how long you continue to do Arrive and Drive is a more appropriate way of approaching this.

Chances are, you will do an Arrive and Drive session, and become hooked very quickly. It’s the nature of the beast. If this is the case, and you confirm that karting is something you have passion and motivation for, I would then consider the following:

*Did you do well compared to other drivers lap times?
*Did you improve your lap times after multiple sessions?
*Do you feel motivated to dedicate a majority of your spare time to kart racing?
*Do you have a relatively nearby kart club/track in which to run your own kart?
*Do you have the sort of budget required to purchase, fuel and maintain a kart, and pay club membership and race fees?
*Do you have a vehicle in which to transport a kart.

Assuming the answer to the above questions are “yes”, then I think it is fair to say you have the necessary basics to buy a kart and start getting seat time, until you feel confident to race at the club level. It could be that you just want a kart to run on the weekends. If you feel like you can justify spending the money, then go for it. Only you will know whether or not you have the passion required. That is entirely up to you.

The problem you will eventually face is the same problem I faced last year:

You have been doing lots of arrive and drive, you are setting fast lap times, you are progressing your skills, and you are addicted. When you start spending $100/ weekend just to drive go-karts, its time to buy your own. At some point you may have to kill the arrive and drive, take a half year hiatus, save that money, get your own gear and a club membership, and go for it.

Just be honest with yourself. If you feel like you are addicted, you have a knack for it, and you are just going to keep spending money on arrive and drive… it’s time to get a kart.

But honestly: study the sport, go to the local kart club and observe/ask questions, do some arrive and drive races, and be honest with yourself. When you feel like you would be better off buying a kart then throwing money at concession karts, then it is time to buy a kart. Your motivation, and your pocketbook are the only ones fit to truly decide for you.

[Dale Daugherty]

I’m sure you would have probably noticed if the engine was sliding back, but is the engine sliding back? I forgot to set my engine stop once and after a few laps it began to pull itself back under acceleration, which of course pulled the throttle open. Very unnerving to have your kart develop a mind of its own and go full throttle when you aren’t demanding it. Double check and make sure your mount is tight and the stop bolt is set.

Probably not your issue, since it does not really fit the symptoms… but does not hurt to check :)

[Dale Daugherty]

You would be a danger to society if you tried to replicate the feeling of a kart in a real car on the road.

I’ll assume you mean a real car that you can drive on a track. In that case, the answer is always Miata. Unless of course you have the money for an Ariel Atom or BAC Mono or something of that sort. But as far as smiles per dollar are concerned: Miata.

[Dale Daugherty]

My understanding of it is that it increases top end power, which is the part of the power band where a kart normally runs. The downside is that it lowers midrange power; midrange is beneficial to the motocross guys, but not so much to us. So, we remove the valves and plug those ports to change the power band to what benefits us on track.

I am sure someone could more accurately explain it, but I think that is the overall idea…

[Dale Daugherty]

PM sent…

[Dale Daugherty]

I use Motul “Factory Line” Chain Lube. It sprays on fluid and clear, but dries tacky and waxy. It stays on pretty well, but still gets dirty, and still gets a fair amount all over the underside of the chain guard. Just the nature of the beast. I know a lot of folks use Tri-Flow, but I haven’t so I can’t comment.

Sounds like what you have may be a bit too “fluid”.

[Dale Daugherty]

What about something like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-1-8-in-x-2-in-Zinc-Plated-Steel-Mushroom-Head-Toggle-Bolt-Anchors-10242/100349321?N=5yc1vZc2eq

Maybe not this item specifically, but if you could get the toggle through the rubber mount inside there, and then stop the screw against the end of the chassis tube (with a washer or something), then as you tighten the screw, it should pull it out. Or just grab the screw with a pair of vice grips and yank like crazy. If you had a way to attach a slide hammer, that would be even better. If you could use a needle or something to get some lube between the chassis tube and the rubber mount, that may help. PB Blaster also may penetrate around the sides and loosen everything up. Can you bore it out with increasing drill bit sizes?

I’m just throwing suggestions out there to get the wheels turning. It’s rubber, and you can defeat it with willpower and cunning.

[Dale Daugherty]

[quote quote=32363]9/10 times it is the cable. Pull the cable out of the housing, clean, lube with motor oil and re install. if that doesnt do it, replace the assembly (excessive wear and/or corrosion in the housing)[/quote]

Thank you, Jordon.

I got pretty busy this last weekend, but I did cut the zip ties and “relax” the cable a little bit, which made a difference for sure. I am going to take it apart and clean it up this weekend as you suggest; I think it would be a good idea just to do it regardless. I’ll also take the clutch cover off and have a look at the guts, just to be sure there’s nothing amiss in there. I don’t think there is really anything wrong with the clutch though. I used screwdriver to lift up on the clutch actuator lever (basically taking the cable out of play), and it felt pretty good.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I’ll update if I have an “a-ha! moment”, and find anything unexpected. I think the cable is the issue though.

[Dale Daugherty]

Ditto what Brian said. The best thing you can do for yourself is FIRST get involved in the community, even if this means being a spectator, grabbing a pit pass, and asking questions. Observe, observe, observe… and then start asking more questions.

Once you have been trackside and witnessing how everything works, you will start to get a real clear picture of what kind of kart you should be starting in. Do not be afraid to ask for a test drive either. If you have a local club, email them and ask if they have anyone willing to give you a run in a Chonda, for instance. This is dangerous, by the way; as you WILL be hooked. You think you got it bad from driving a K1 kart? Just wait until you get out on the track in a proper kart.

Start in something you can afford, and when you are ready for bigger and better things, you will know.

Bottom line: find your local track and kart shop, and go to both. Talk to people. Introduce yourself, be polite, and don’t be afraid to ask for advice, a test drive, etc. You won’t get what you don’t ask for. There are so many great people in this sport who are willing to show you the way.

Welcome!

[Dale Daugherty]

Thank you both for the replies; I am going to spend some time this weekend taking a look at that cable, and having a peek at the clutch. I’ll share photos if I find anything that appears suspect.

[Dale Daugherty]

“THE” Terry Fullerton! Wow!

[Dale Daugherty]

Great, and here I was thinking I was going to be the only person out at Hill Country Kart Club pulling a Harbor Freight trailer with a Miata!

[Dale Daugherty]

[quote quote=30594]I have experience with street cars on tracks and i used to race dirt bikes with the same 125cc 2 stroke engine so I think I just might jump right onto a shifter. It it really that crazy for a beginner to be using a shifter?[/quote]

I jumped straight into a shifter this year. To be perfectly clear, I spent quite a while running the rental karts at Driveway Austin, and was consistently at the sharp end of the timesheets. I was very, very well aware of what I was getting into, since I have been sitting on the sidelines for about three years now, just observing. I decided to skip TAG/Rotax and dive into the deep end.

It IS that crazy for a beginner to jump into a shifter. They are terrifying in terms of speed and ability, and I am not even pushing that hard yet. It is a decision only you can make. Is it possible? Absolutely. Is there a better way? Depends on what your eventual goal and budget looks like. I feel confident that I would have benefitted from going TAG first; however, I made a decision based on budget and time. I like the low maintenance and low cost of running the shifter. It is a bigger initial investment, but I feel I would rather have the challenge of learning the shifter instead of the burden of maintaining a TAG.

You are the best judge of your own abilities. Having said that, you better have tons of confidence, and loads of patience to start slow and work your way up. If you think you are going to dive right in and hang with the big boys, I fear you will be in for a rude awakening. I have a mountain to climb in order to get proficient enough to go wheel to wheel in Stock Honda. But I like climbing mountains. I like the challenge. And I have loads of respect for what this kart can do to me if I get it wrong.

Cheers!

[Dale Daugherty]

Sent you a PM, Jason…

[Dale Daugherty]

Bump to get more feedback. I am curious as well.

At the very least I am sure there would be some impact on balance. If gearing stayed constant, a longer chain would push the engine further forward, and a shorter chain would move it further back. So definitely a change in weight distribution. The armchair engineer in me says it would be smarter to use a shorter chain when possible; however, I have found a few things to be counter-intuitive in the past :P

[Dale Daugherty]

Nobody has replied yet so I’ll bite:

I am fairly new to stock Honda, but I’ll hazard a guess that you have a 3 or four ring manifold. When you look at the cylindrical manifold sticking out of the engine, it should have grooves machined into it. These are grooves for o-rings, and you can find them fairly quickly through any of the usual kart parts warehouses online (SharkShifter, Fastech, Acceleration, etc…). They can be had for $1.00 or less each, or bulk packs for around $15-ish. Pay attention to what you are getting, as there is also an o-ring that is sandwiched between the manifold and the cylinder, and I believe it is a different size. At quick glance they look almost identical.

These are consumable of course, and you will want to replace them fairly often. The local kart shop here usually adds a bead of high temp RTV silicone (the orange stuff) around the o rings before slipping the exhaust over it. The seal is much improved this way, and it minimizes the gunk that can and will blow out of that slip fit joint. The downside is you will need to clean it off the manifold and pipe whenever you remove it/re-install.

Other than that it is straightforward. O-rings, sealer if you prefer, slip the pipe on and rest in in the cradle mount, put the springs back on, and tighten the clamps around the cradle and pipe.

[Dale Daugherty]

Thanks, David. Bingo!

I actually got some numbers off the chassis from the gentleman selling it, and it looks to be a Margay Brava II, 2001.

[Dale Daugherty]

Dave, please text me at 512-922-4818.

[Dale Daugherty]

Email sent…

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