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Posted by: Kell
Oh, yeah, on the way through the garage this morning I checked my rear sprocket. I think it was 39 tooth but I may have mis-counted. My tires say 22x10x10 but I measured and they are more like 21. I am happy with the way the square shaped tires handle, not too good in the creek though. Also, they seem really heavy with those big steel 10" rims. I am not sure I am getting the top speed you guys are.
Posted by: Kell
thats the dude I talked to on the phone. thanks for the heads up. He quoted $1,800 including shipping on the phone but when I e-mailed him it was $1,700? $1625 including shipping is a pretty good bargain considering what you get. Heck I figure if I do blow it up I still have a disc brake equipped chassis waiting for a bigger engine! I actually was impressed by how good these things handle. I can't see how the carter xtv would handle as good and it doesn't have reverse. The wheelbase on these buggies are shorter and more weight on the front wheels. Your feet are out in front or near the tires. I definetly like the looks of the kpx single seat better than my buggy, the whole rollbar and front end just looks cooler.
Posted by: Kell
What should I be looking for?
I took my to the dealer to get the previously stated wobble in the gear assembly looked at. You can guess the result of that. I said I would bring it back when it blows up and then they can fix it! I don't know why this is such a big deal to them, what do they care, its under warranty. Just order the thing, I'll put it on myself! Good grief.
Posted by: Kell
I am not sure, but the single seat looks more than 75lbs lighter to me. when you factor in no extra seat, way less floor pan, no steel protective skirts for the sides of the rollbar, no fenders, smaller rack, less rollbar etc. At least that is what I was hoping. Put some alloy wheels on their and I bet it would be a lot quicker than my 2 seater. I still like taking my oldest along though.
Have you seen the sandhighway forum?
that cracks me up!
lots of anonymous posts there.
Posted by: Kell
I don't know, we are talking about 150cc here. It's not like any of them are fast. But it is fun! It's my adult sized power wheels. My wife and I call it the super happy family fun machine. She doesn't know as I was tearing up the backyard last night (by myself, no kids) I got that puppy on 2 wheels and about flipped it. It was pretty easy to control, just like a four wheeler. Felt like it was about 45 degrees, I am sure it just felt like it though.
When I go to buy something, I think it do death and then don't even enjoy it when I get it. Fortunately my wife doesn't suffer from the same problem. I do like shopping for bargains, but when we saw this buggy at Gander mt. (we actually had a date night without the kids) we bought it on the spot, paid too much but who cares, life is short.
When I took it riding by myself, I thought, what a dog. But after I got used to it (being slow) and put the pipe on it, I LOVE driving it, much better than my brothers Rhino. That thing feels like you are sitting in a skyscraper ready to tip over at any moment. It does have LOTS of power though.
Posted by: Kell
You can tell its a slow day here at work,
http://www.eastsidems.com
I think they called it a hp kit, I called to make sure they had it in stock (which they didn't at the time)
I had to pay $286 including shipping, but I think they forgot to give me the 10 bucks off.
Got the pipe, intake with air cleaner and jet.
Now it takes off and climbs much better. Pretty pricey though.
You are welcome to ride it with the pipe to see if you think it is worth it, if you can catch us home!
You could probably make your own out of an 8N exhaust from Tractor supply (hey Ive put them on 4 wheelers before)
Posted by: Kell
After further scientific analysis, there probably isn't much more than 75 pounds difference between the single and double seat models. This is after looking at three 25lb plates and thinking, that is a lot of metal.
kell
Posted by: Kell
Looking for a little advice here.
I ordered some warrior spindles to but on the back of my Twister.
I think I will keep the stock tires but want aluminum rims. Anyway, I think the stock rims are 9" wide, will it hurt to go to an 8" wide rim with these tires. The tires "say" 22x10x10, and I believe the offset of the rims are 4&5 with the 5 on the inside of the wheel (can't remember if they call this negative offset or not). Anybody have any advice? I am trying to reduce the rotational weight, ideally I would like lighter tires but I DON'T want wider tires. It's already hard enough to spin them. If I go to a narrower tire, they all seem to be 18's and that would really reduce ground clearance. The 10" steel rims seem really heavy to me.
Also, somebody previously stated they made aluminum skid plates and I was thinking what for? Then I looked under my sprocket and sure enough there is a hole in it with a corn stalk sticking through!
Posted by: Kell
I could scan a picture of my manual but I don't know if that would help.
How many hours on the cart before this happened?
I hadn't heard of any trouble with the transmissions before, but will get a backup belt pretty soon if it is a problem.
BTW: I rode with some Pierspeed buggies this weekend at Turkey Bay. I will probably post my views on this type of buggy when I get some more time if someone wants to know.
good luck
Posted by: Kell
I just posted my review of the pierspeed style buggy if anyone is interested.
It is in a new topic in the Kids Quads and other atvs entitled: Pierspeed review etc.
Posted by: Kell
Glad to know there was no major problem.
Saturdays weather was great for riding, not as muddy as I thought, although we did get pretty muddy.
Turkey Bay is finally starting to grow on me again, a few years ago we used to ride dirtbikes there all the time and I got burned out.
It was pretty neat to see so many buggies, we also rode with 3 other rhinos. My brother even got stuck on a really big hill and had to be winched up (no backing down this one). And this was in 4 wheel drive with dif locked.
Do you know the guys phone number in cadiz who carries the twisters?
I am thinking of getting a single seater in the future.
I think the name of the business was Classic something.
Posted by: Kell
Oh yeah,
check this out!
http://www.winspeedmotor.com/showroom_motor_show.asp?id=35
what in the world is this, joystick controls?
I looked around at their other cart, if you look at the photo gallery, you'll see how they just stuck a dented in blue gas tank from a twister or something on it with some really long bolts.
Posted by: Kell
Visited Gander Mt. last night and guess what? theve got the new 2005 Twisters in (after I already purchased mine).
Now they have alloy rims, new hubs, a snorkel, chrome clutch housing, and the reverse gear assembly looks different and is silver instead of black. Oh yeah, a NEW BRACKET for the reverse that doesn't look like an afterthought. Thats just great, now they put aluminum rims on right after I purchase mine!
here is the only picture I could find (please overlook the bikini model)
http://www.powersportsnetwork.com/enthusiasts/pre_owned_detail.asp?PreOwnedVehicleCode=141639
although the one at Gander had no silver on the frame.
I am not sure what the snorkel is good for, by the time the carb is under water, your whole waist would be wet.
Eddie, called classics and they said they only carry double seaters, I guess a single would be a dumb idea anyway.
Raptoraz, let me know where I can order one of those heads, I have a little extra play money right now.
Posted by: Kell
raptoraz, Is there any problem using the cam etc. with this head?
I put an e-mail into sandhighway but they haven't responded with prices yet, I will call them today, if they don't want to sell me one, I will call Scooter Invasion.
Posted by: Kell
Quote
Originally posted by: DuneCountry
I have been doing some measuring and it looks like a Polaris 250 engine and trans will go right in with a few mods.
I called the importer yesterday and told them if they refund me $500 they can keep the engine.
Have yet to hear back, but I am going to start on the re-fit.
I will keep you posted.
I just looked at a polaris 250 and was thinking the same thing. Let me know if it works, I forgot to check if it had reverse. You are talking about the 2-stroke with cvt right? The only thing that concerned me was it looked like some wires coming out of the transmission, is it electronically controlled? These 4-wheelers can be had pretty cheap, and I have ridden one several years ago, it seemed to be plenty powerful, probably could put a good pipe on it.
let us know
Posted by: Kell
When you get it broke in could you give us a comparison between the carter and the kpx?
Just looking at them from pictures, it looks like the carter has the potential for much greater suspension travel in the front. I understand that it is also american made (except for engine). Looks like turning radius may not be as good, and may not corner as well due to the front end being longer (looks like it may push the front end in hard corners).
thanks, just curious
Posted by: Kell
You would think with all the kids 150cc quads out there there would be some more options. They gotta be racing those things. Been wondering if they would let me and my brother (with his rhino) race in the local tt races in the utility quad class.
Went to gander to pick up some aluminum ramps (which of course they didn't have) and saw the carter talon 150 2 seater sitting out front. Everything was exactly like my 2004 twister except it had a bench seat, different tires, no blinkers, slightly different front end, but it did have a cool camo bikini top. It did not have the updates the new twisters have like the alloy wheels, reverse gear mount, airbox, etc. but it is 500 dollars cheaper! I definetly would have bought this over the twister with that price difference, still can't figure out what i need blinkers for? Whenever I run through some water, the dash makes that clicking sound until it dries out.
Oh yeah, the new twister also has a different airboot for the cvt that points up and back.
Posted by: Kell
Finally some decent action shots!!!!!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=46105&item=4506324324&rd=1
just saw this on ebay,
has anybody seen an exhaust like this before?
looks like it has k&n also
Posted by: Kell
I don't know, might as well run a drag pipe! not much exhaust packing there.
I am sure these are either kpx's or identical. I don't know why they even bother to change
the look of the front end on these things. I think at the factory they just slap whatever tire combo they have at the time onto them with the directional tractor tread being the newest. I would like to bolt on the smaller tires and try them out, should spin better which is needed in creek beds. weighed a back wheel a few days ago and it came in at a whopping 30lbs!! thats a total of 60lbs just for rear tires and rims!
Posted by: Kell
Quote
Originally posted by: RAPTORAZ
The pipe and filter kit on that one is the same as what I am running. And they are very near a drag pipe. VERY loud. I'm planning on building my own here soon. As I think they are now costing me some power on my modified motors.
One thing that would be nice is making a downturned tip. My brother says when following me that he gets a constant blast of exhaust fumes in the face. My exhaust is at a somewhat upward angle, standing several feet behind it you can feel the pulses as the single cylinder fires. Mine is at a reasonable sound level, wouldn't want it any louder.
Posted by: Kell
Raptoraz, I "borrowed" one of your pictures to see what my buggy would look like without the rear rack.
here is the results:
http://www.vci.net/files/ttrout-kpxblue2.jpg
I'll try to fab some brackets to hold the gas tank over the holidays, I've got as far as putting the fox decals on (those twister decals had to go) but haven't decided whether to paint the wheels yet.
should save about 20lbs I think. I don't think I'm going to get a whole lot more horsepower so I am resorting to trying to save weight.
Kell
Posted by: Kell
bickel76, I think the pipe made the biggest difference, the intake made little in comparison but does a much MUCH better job at trapping dust. If you are just out to have fun, the four wheelers shouldn't be hindered much by the karts ability. There was however a pretty large improvement between the first time I went (no pipe) and the second time (with pipe). I believe your cart was a 125 so that may be an issue also. I had absolutely no problem with hills but my brother driving his rhino could blow past me anytime he wanted.
As far as KPX's and Twisters and even the 2005 Twisters being different, I am not sure. However, when viewing the Carter Talon at Gander, the motor, reverse, Etc. was exactly the same as my 2004 Twister. When viewing the pictures of KPX's, I can tell differences like the bracket that holds the reverse assembly is completely different than mine. The 2005 gearbox on the twister looks slightly different and is a different color. Some of the stuff like more horsepower maybe marketing hype. Since twisters are marketed at a higher price level and have a few more options, they may come standard with some of the things kpx is saying is now an improvement. Comparing the carter with mine, every single engine feature looked just like mine, it also had the place for a trailer hitch. Then youve got the fact that the 2005 twister is already out and has alloy wheels, snorkel etc.
gotta go do some work now.
Posted by: Kell
I posted in a hurry earlier, I AM NOT saying Twisters are better than other carts and am not trying to justify my spending roughly a thousand more dollars on mine. If I had it to do over I would definetly order a KPX and save the cash. I was only saying I think Twister markets theirs better and has MANY more dealers. I think this is the reason they seem to come out with updates before the others. I am not sure how this works because obviously they are made in the same factory at the same time. I guess they just specify different components. The carter even had the same goofy square badge thing welded to the grill like mine, it just had a different sticker on it. (I hacksawed mine off immediately anyway)
As far as the carb it has a big K on it and says made in japan, electronic choke. I wish it had manual, because I worked on a kids quad that had this goofy elec. choke and it is nothing but trouble, I finally just converted it to a manual. I know Keihin (sp) jets fit it, but am not sure if it is a copy. the K looks like the Keihin tm. On a side note, I checked out the engine and it had the 125cc carefully ground off, so apparently it is the same casting as used by both 150 and 125.
I will be very interested to find out if the Yerf head alone just bolts on.
Posted by: Kell
No, I haven't heard about any changes beyond what I have already seen. Not sure why they would want to do much more to this engine, why not just make it bigger? I don't see an oil cooler adding much, I haven't had any overheating problems. One of the things I like about it is the simplicity. Adding a bigger carb sounds like it would take some low end torque away from it, which is where your hillclimbing needs it most. As far as 45mph on flat ground, mine may reach this before hitting flat ground, after falling off a cliff.
I would like to know how everyones reverse cable has been breaking? I would like to prevent this if I can, but I can't find a weak spot in mine. Are they talking about the housing breaking or the cable itself? Is it visible, or if it is the cable itself, is it right where the housing enters the noodle right before the reverse assembly?
thanks
Posted by: Kell
One more engine option for these carts I have been researching is transplanting one of the 90cc kids quad engines into it. They are roughly the same size, and have LOTS of performance parts available. They are 2-stroke if you are not familiar and can be picked up used for a reaonable amount. They also have what looks like an identical cvt. I have ridden a couple and was not too impressed with stock form but having much more experience with 2-strokes than 4, I know the potential for probably more power is there. If you haven't ridden a modern cr80 lately, you would be suprised at the power they can put out. They run like a good 125 used to and a 50cc now runs like an 80.
Posted by: Kell
Yeah, I'm sure you are right about the weight issue, I do believe this size motor will make more peak horsepower though. There are apparently lots of clutch kits available for them that will raise the rpm that they engage. You would definetly have to keep it on the pipe.
This place has big bore cylinder kits (doesn't say what size) and clutch springs (which may fit the twister?) and pipes for the 2-stroke 90's
www.wrhracing.com
My issue with the polaris 250 is that it is piston port and somewhat large. I rode one once, if I remember, it wasn't too fast but a pipe would help alot. I know from experience that a slightly worked on blaster 200cc is faster than a stock 400ex, and about even with a pipe on the 400. Hillclimbing and trail use on a 4-stroke blows a 2-stroke away, but I like the wheelspinning fun potential of a 2-stroke.
Posted by: Kell
Quote
Originally posted by: bedo
well, i found this on the internet tonight. i think you guys would agree that these should have enought power.
www.hotbuggy.co.uk
um, i think the ram air on the blades might be a snorkle type breather.
you may also want to check out this:
http://www.git.com.au/~theedge/buggies_sidewinder.htm
Posted by: Kell
120 sounds pretty lean for near sea level. I would call and make sure they adjusted for your elevation. When I ordered mine, they where running 112 at their elev. but when he adjusted for my elev. he came up with 145 main.
I am running 140 main at apprx. 400' with good results, it will occasionally pop on decel when it gets really hot but I think this is mainly due to the fact that I haven't gotten around to raising the needle yet.
I am running the eastside pipe with unifilter and they sent me a 145. I believe my pipe is much longer and larger in diameter, but I think it also has a larger internal diameter so I don't know how it will compare to yours. I am very satisfied with mine and would purchase another, although I would prefer a k&n.
Anyway, I am sure yours is too lean, assuming you have put the k&n with no airbox on. I have never heard of putting both jets in, even on bikes. I think eliminating the stock air system makes a bigger change in the jetting than even the pipe.
FYI: I make no claims at being an expert at jetting!
Posted by: Kell
Joseph, I think if you look back over the whole thread, nearly all your answers are there.
As far as reliability, since I believe these carts are in fact identical in nearly every way they are all about the same. I wouldn't be scared of getting a twister, mine has been through some torture with no problems, and if you look at pedullabass (sp?) posts, he said he resolved all of his issues with it. It is very easy to work on and if you are mechanically inclined any you should be able to put it together.
I think hopsterguy said he had his kpx delivered for about $2000, that sounds like a great deal to me.
If you look through all these pictures, you will find what one looks like before assembling, after removing from crate, looks pretty basic.
http://www.menintools.com/twisterhammerhead.html
also shows the new alloy wheels etc. on the new hammerhead
oh yeah, I think 35mph is pretty average for these, you could gear it to go faster but it wouldn't climb very well
Posted by: Kell
Ohhh, mine had that nice sealant too, I think it was leaking where you screw the lid on and also the filter is just not very good. What is up with that goofy metal screen AFTER the foam filter? There is not that much dust this time of year now that it rains every day. Back when it hadn't rained in a couple of months I literally could not see my brother 20 feet in front of me when riding. That is when I replaced the intake and noticed all the dust, I think it was just going right through the filter.
Joseph, As far as claimed speed and weight, I wouldn't believe any of it.
Posted by: Kell
Wouldn't the single seat carter weigh less than the kpx? This would seem to make at least some difference in performance. Putting an adult or even my kid beside me in the cart can make it feel slower. Also, the carter should be geared different because of the smaller tires, Ive seen the single seat carts with the 18's in the back have much smaller sprockets. What kind of intake does a yerf dog have? the rubber one like mine or the metal one like the carter? I think the yerf has the same type carb as the kpx style but am not sure.
Posted by: Kell
I don't think I would like riding without reverse in my neck of the woods. Also, the carter looks very long, like turning around on the trail might be tough. It is very cool looking though, more traditional I guess. That is one long steering column. Not sure that one would fit in the back of my truck (I downloaded a picture of mine in my toyota).
Swapping the engines sounds very doable as long as the output shaft is long enough for the reverse. If it isn't you might be able to swap shafts also. Hmmm, I will have to keep my eye out for a local yerf dog for sale, I have seen them pretty cheap in the area. I could just swap the jugs and heads etc. and re-sell it without losing hardly any money. Like I have time to even ride, let alone work on mine!
Are you saying you like the kpx because it is more agile? corners better or something, or is the suspension softer? I know mine definetly handles more like an atv than a go-cart. Sort of what I imagine a rally car is like on a much slower scale. I know the short wheelbase makes turning at speed fun, I can get my back tires sliding on dry pavement going around our cul-de-sac.
Posted by: Kell
Joseph,
you will be able to back the cart into the truck without going over the wheel wells. If you look at my pictures (click the camera by my name) then you can see mine in the back of my small truck, however, since I have a small truck, it sits on the wheel wells. These buggies are wider in the front so it will not fit in my bed that way but it should fit in yours, you will just have to drive it over the wheel wells. I think mine is 49" wide in the back (outside to outside) and 52" or 54" in the front.
I use cheap wood ramps with the metal pieces you buy at the home improvement store for loading lawn mowers. These get too slick when it rains or is muddy though, the aluminum ones are much better for wet conditions.
Posted by: Kell
Somebody is gonna have to get some action shots on here at some point. The last time we went riding I guess we were having too much fun cause we didn't take any.
I think the oil made for it works best. It is real sticky and a quart will last forever. However, in a pinch just about any oil will do, on 2-strokes I ran the same oil as in my pre-mix, and sometimes even motor oil.
Did you notice the extra large rear fenders on the blade? Those would come in real handy.
It is possible to send your carb out and get it machined, or you can pick up a 28mm motorcycle carb (I think stock blasters are also this size) for cheap and probably squeeze it in the rubber intake. If you don't really want to mess with the stock cables etc., milling it out is an option.
Posted by: Kell
Allright, I don't know what I was thinking, I forgot these type carbs have a butterfly in the front so machining them out would probably not be an option unless they make a corrosponding larger butterfly.
All this talk about carbs did get me interested enough to pull mine off and put a spacer to raise the needle. I couldn't tell much difference but I only raised it a little. I (now) remember on a harley I had it had the same type of carb. The carb kit I purchased for it had a new lighter spring to go on top of the slide so that it would raise faster. I don't know if that would be a benefit or not but it is something to think about.
ALSO, the rubber boot on these seem to have a sharp angle as it goes into the head. The all metal one on the xtv may be a smoother transition, and also since it points the carb higher, that would seem to indicate less of angle which may help to increase airflow.
Posted by: Kell
Quote
Originally posted by: hopsterguy
There has to be an manifold tube out there that would fit...
Some of the kids quads I have seen have the intake either 90 degrees from normal or completely turned around backwards. These are usually on smaller displacement but I bet the bolt pattern would fit. They look roughly the same size in diameter.
Posted by: Kell
Joe, like I stated before, I am very satisfied with the pipe from eastside. It is very mellow, I don't think it is loud enough to annoy my neighbors too much. I would definetly purchase it again, it gave me more power to climb hills and came with a much better air filter. I have no experience with the toy junkies pipe but judging from the pictures, it looks like mine has much more packing and also a much larger inside diameter. The pipe is much larger than stock at the head and steps up 3 times before going into the exhaust. The exhaust says something about xr's on it so it may be for an xr. Anyway, I think it has removeable packing, has bolts at both the front and rear of canister. Also has a nice chrome look finish too it they called Jet finish? (canister is bare aluminum)
You don't have to worry about putting ear plugs in your kid if that is what you are worried about. If you look at my pictures, I have one of the pipe where you can see the larger diameter of it. good luck.
Posted by: Kell
hopster,
here is some stuff to look at, may be made to fit?
http://store.yahoo.com/dratv/carbs.html
kell
Posted by: Kell
http://www.eastsidems.com
goto shop online and click the eastside parts catalog, then click on 150cc cart performance. You will need the kit, not just the pipe.
If I were you I would wait until your buggy got there and then look underneath to see if the pipe angle looks like the picture hopsterguy has in his photo. Your buggy is just too new to know for sure. If it is dazon type engine, it may not fit. Then again, eastside says they fit dazon, so maybe they have a slightly different pipe for that. If your cart has the 2 chain setup, it probably is a dazon clone, even if the dealer says it has a different engine.
good luck
oh yeah, sandhighway has the very cool but pricey white bros if you do have a dazon engine.
Posted by: Kell
Quote
Originally posted by: RAPTORAZ
I was gonna make a whole review of my Glamis findings. But it isn't necessary. Even with nearly 2 full points of LESS compression, my ported big-valved Yerf-Dog headed Xterro smokes my ported small-valved KPX headed Exterro. Looks like I'll be ordering another Yerf head and valves for my blue KPX Xterro soon.hr>
RAPTORAZ, any update on this.
I would like to know specifically if I can get away with just ordering the head and valves, I am not sure if your other xterro had the whole yerf dog jug and piston or not. Do they sell the gaskets in a kit or do I just need to order one head gasket, I think the valve cover is an O-ring? Any suggestions about milling the head a little to boost compression? Also, you mentioned after porting the stock head that it hit the rev limiter, would it be a benefit to order the cdi mentioned before to raise the limit? I have never hit the rev limiter on my twister, that I am aware (even down hill).
thanks,
Kell
forgot: Also, I think you mentioned you were running aftermarket wheels that made offset wider than stock, any problems bending the axle etc. so far? Seems like the people running the stock balloon type tires could benefit from flipping the rims to widen the rear end (I have rolled mine, even with my squared off tires) but could stress the axle more. I can't get away with this because it just barely fits backed up into my truck as it is.
Posted by: Kell
My rear wheels also wobble, I am pretty sure it is the rims though. When I oil the chain, I can look at the axle, and it appears to be straight. It is nothing compared to how much my front wheels wobble, especially the left front. It bounces so much, it nearly leaves the pavement at top speed. I came down really hard on this wheel off a jump, it had to absorb the weight of the whole cart.
I looked at the awesome buggys ebay listing and do not like what I see.
1. The frame is different, it is uglier (IMHO) more square and boxy, rollbar by driver attaches at weird angle and screws up the lines. Doesn't have the bracing at the floorpan that runs from front to back, this may make it weaker when jumping (A arms do attach to the frame but just differently). appears to be wider, there is NO room between seats on my buggy, this one has room for parking brake. Gigantic rear cargo box (a negative for me).
2. All the suspension seems to sag too much, especially in rear. My link is nearly vertical, theres is at a large angle. Even with little preload, mine sits much higher. Rack and pinion seem too far forward, causes it to angle back at the kingpin.
3. Fenders are cheap looking, mirrors seem redundent (one in the middle works fine and doesn't get whacked at every tree.)
4. Updated reverse gear arm is identical to my outdated 2004 (new ones are even better) Reverse cable doesn't have the metal bend like mine, don't know if this is good or bad.
5. Lime green and eggplant? what are they thinking!
All in all it just looks uglier, possibly cheaper. Changes could be because it is cheaper to ship or something, parking brake in between seats would be fun, but mine doesn't stay adjusted for long anyway. Ive got much more frame at the floorpan, this appears to not have anything. I think I will get a carter talon if I decide to get another, the front end is very narrow and looks really cool in person.
Posted by: Kell
Took the rear rack off and it did in fact weigh 20lbs. Built some brackets and have the gas tank mounted but cannot get used to the way it looks now. I guess I'll put the thing back on, I don't think it looks bad, just way different. I doubt I will ever use the rack but my son likes to climb around on the cart and use it like monkey bars.
I think I will put some real atv tires and rims on it. probably 21's in the front for a smoother ride over rough terrain. My rear tires seem really heavy, even with hardly any air in them they are super stiff, will probably try some holeshots or something light with alloy rims.
By the way, my tires say 20 on the front but measure about 18.75"
the rears say 22 but measure a little over 20" (I would be interested to know how tall the kpx style tire is)
Posted by: Kell
With the square profile, and inflexibility of the tire itself, adding or subtracting air makes little difference on mine. However, with a rounded style tire adding air can make a large difference. I had a little atc 70 with the balloon tires I was working on. You could add air and it acted just like a balloon, they were really thin walled.
My curiousity about tire height has more to do with gearing, I think mine climbs really well but top end is pretty slow. When driving down a gravel road following my brother in his rhino, my buggy is really straining. I hate to keep it wide open for that length of time (a couple of miles). I guess you can't have top speed and hill climbing on a 150cc engine though. Also, I think the kpx style tire is more complient over bumps than my stiff ones. However, my cart does not want to flip easily at all. I know from experience that changing from the balloon type on a quad to a square profile makes a huge difference in cornering. That having been said, you could flip the wheels like raptoraz has done and get an extra 2".
Anyway, I am sure they are geared the same, so a change of 2" in tire height would probably make a couple of mph difference. If I do get new wheels and tires, I would probably get 20's, which are nearly identical to my 22's (I measured my other brothers quad tires). they are slightly smaller, which is going to lower the gearing even more.
Posted by: Kell
Here is something odd.
viewing the pictures on the blade website, check out how short the upper a-arms are on the pictures of the two seat models (compared to the old style like the rest of us have) On the pictures of the older version of the 2-seater you can see how the upper a-arms are at a weird angle, like the suspension is compressed, they are not parrallel to the rack-n-pinion arms. You can also see this when viewing the pictures of the raider max at the www.teamdazon.com website (this is the identical cart) This would seem to hinder suspension and bump steer performance. The regular dazon 2-seater looks like the normal length.
You can view the closeup of the front of the blade to see what I am talking about.
why would they change this?
are they still selling these on ebay? I was going to look at there pictures there but can't find one.
Posted by: Kell
Got to thinking and I think I was wrong about the bump steer issue, the steering arms are still parrallell to the bottom a-arms so that is what is most important.
However, with shorter a-arms on top this would still seem to limit travel. When I took my shock off mine, I noticed the limiting factor for travel was the ball joints. Shortening the length of the arms means the ball joints have to move at more extreme angles so this would seem to limit the travel even more. I measured mine and found it would only travel 5" from fully extended to fully compressed.
Posted by: Kell
Well, I am going to have to apologize for stating that stuff about the logo. I just wasn't thinking and it was wrong of me if I led anyone to believe they are not on the up and up. Clearly, pictures are just meant to show the product. The suspension should have been my main topic.
You would still have to convince me that this is not just a re-badged dazon which would be a very good thing because of the high price of the dazon. I am not sure why they would change the motor if they kept everything else including dual chains the same.
I tried to edit my statements to the earlier post
Posted by: Kell
Joseph, again, sorry for even bringing up the decal issue.
the blade pictures look great, red is my absolute favorite color but that black with red seats is maybe even better. The twister red is a dark metallic that I am not too crazy about. Yes, Dazon and the blade have the same side by side chain system as far as I can tell.
As far as your question about accelleration, its not bad for a 150cc cvt. The pipe definetly improved this, I have no issues about that.
When I got my cart and rode it on an actual trail the first time I was not too impressed (even ready to sell it) I just wasn't used to the poor hill climbing compared to an atv and I jumped it alot which can be painful because you don't have your legs to absorb the landing. Since I already had my pipe ordered, I went ahead and put it on and took my son out for some trail riding. Thats when it got to be fun. Me and my boy and my brother and his daughter.
Now riding is a fun challenge, the tighter the woods and trails the better. Speed is relative, and you are practically sitting on the ground so it seems like you are flying. I still jump it, but not that crazy stuff I used to. I even sold my honda 4-wheeler and its everything I can do not to go out and buy another buggy. I don't even know where I would put it! Let me tell you, riding in a group is much more fun so if you have to buy another to ride in a group I would start saving now!
Posted by: Kell
The tube off the head gets alot of people, it just vents, don't know why they put a clip on the end? mine is the same way
There should be a tube coming from the side of the carb that goes to the T joint that connects to the fuel valve and intake
Is this the one? I think it only allows the fuel to flow when engine is running
Posted by: Kell
Also looks like the Blade has real atv size front wheels
R6? are you going to put wheelie bars on it?
Posted by: Kell
Looks to be the Kasea Explorer, kinda like they market the buggies like we have in different flavors.
7.5" of travel would be great, 605lbs would not though. From everything I have seen they have the same 250 engine as the peirspeeds.
I am going to try my hand at porting over Christmas vacation, even if it only gives me a little more power I think it will be worth it. I am going to order head gaskets from Gander mountain unless anyone else has a better place to order them (like somewhere that stocks them).
Ive noticed a bunch more people locally that are selling the chinese quads, I stopped to ask if they stock or plan to stock parts and the answer is no. Most of their quads are the same engine as mine. Saw a twin cylinder 250 that was chrome, kinda bizarre. Anyway, looks like they don't plan to back their products if they don't even plan on stocking any parts.
Posted by: Kell
Yep, according to the link to the manufacturers website, they are a full 12.2" shorter in wheelbase.
where is the link to their ebay listing? the website only says 150cc
Posted by: Kell
Check this out:
250?
looks like they already have a 250 version of our engines, would like to get my hands on this.
I agree it looks pretty cool & the independent would also ride good
Posted by: Kell
I am curious what everyone elses engine says on it.
mine says
157FM laser etched above the serial number, I know the 57 stands for the bore (or was it stroke)
I can't find this exact engine on the linhai website, would like to compare it to the yerf dog designation or carter XTV and KPX
Posted by: Kell
Sorry, my serial number is underneath on the cvt side of the engine case.
Anyone know how these do in the snow, we just got some this morning. I am afraid my tire tread is too shallow but I will find out tomorrow!
Posted by: Kell
I bought one of those new in the box engines with all the electronics but haven't received it yet. It will be interesting to see what kind of valves etc. it has. Looks identical to mine but has black cvt cover. Anyway, if it has the same code as mine on it I will know it is the same, if not who knows? I am going to port the head on this "extra" engine and install it. That way I will have a complete backup engine in case she blows up or I break a belt or the cdi goes out. It wasn't cheap but wow you get everything.
Posted by: Kell
yeah, it was $300 plus shipping.
I've seen the pictures of the engine with oil cooling, I don't remember where though.
I couldn't understand why they would want small valves etc. on these engines until I remembered they where originally designed for mopeds. You know how freaky they are about gas mileage in asia and europe. I know when my cart was stock, I kept thinking, is this thing using any gas? you could ride for hours on less than a gallon. Also, I guess the small carbs are to boost low end power, which is nice except everybody runs theirs wide open!
Posted by: Kell
The snow report:
Rode the twister in 6" snow, VERY slow going in yard, did "ok" on packed road snow. No fun, needs more power!
Didn't even bother testing it when it got to 12"
I got my crated 150cc engine in and did a google on the brand name and model number and it came up 125cc so I sent it back. Guess I'll use my $300 towards a new cart or new tires and rims. This screwed up my plans of porting this engine and putting it in the buggy.
STILL waiting on Gander to order me a head gasket. They haven't even contacted Twister YET!
Posted by: Kell
Looks like sand highway is starting to have parts for some things like drive belts and piston etc. for dazons, kinda pricey though.
Dazon may be the way to go for more power if I ever get a single seater, just switch out the goofy dual chain setup and put the white bros pipe on it. I need fenders though. Looks like the new 150's have a real red color.
Posted by: Kell
Joseph,
think you could look under the cart and check out the engine code?
It should be lasered onto the engine case above the serial number.
very easy to find, I think it is on the drivers side of the cart.
Kell
Posted by: Kell
The engine code should tell us if it is the same engine as ours. ( 157FM )
So far the KPX, Twister, Carter Talon all have the same code, the carter XTV did not.
If we can match your code up to say a Dazon, then we would know it had the same engine at a better price! Larger valves and higher compression can make more power even though bore and stroke and carbs are the same. Exhaust port, carb, electronics etc. where exactly the same on the 125cc I had. I know the 150cc is just a bored out 125 so I guess they just left the head etc. the same (except for dazon and yerf dog). Imagine the aftermarket potential for someone who sells hi-performance parts for these. I still think someone somewhere will start racing them, there are just so many now. It performs much more like an atv than a go-cart, and to me its more fun than my bros rhino.
I sure wish someone with a Dazon would look up their code for us! this would also tell you which exhaust would fit (highly recommend if you want improved acceleration). Has anyone actually seen the 175 Dazon? I saw one for sale on ebay but pictures never show the engine.
I doubt there is more than 20lb difference in these carts, they are all basically the same components. Claimed top speed doesn't mean too much to me, the blade does look like the tires are actual 22" tires which would make top speed higher with the same gearing as the rest of us. Ground clearance definetly looks higher on the blade with the taller tires (front and rear).
Still think the red and the black look awesome! I even like the bright yellow one on the team dazon website, really like the look when you put real atv size tires on there. Blade has fenders which is a big improvement over Dazon, didn't think they were necessary until I went on some real trails and got real muddy, now I am convinced I need larger ones!
I am still not convinced double chains are necessary, in all my years of riding I have never broken a chain, the one on the cart is a pretty massive O-ring and compares to 4-wheelers and motorcycles, I think it says KMC on it. I believe I heard somwhere before that the double chains are actually smaller than comes on the KPX's. 2 chains seems like it would rob power. About the only stress there is on the chain is when adjustment of the chain takes the center of the sprocket on the reverse assemble out of the center of the swingarm pivot. It is designed to have little to no effect on chain length with suspension travel. When it goes beyond this pivot point it can tighten the chain too much, or loosen causing it to slip. Check it out next time you are looking at the back of your cart. So I guess its possible for someone to come down off a big jump and have the chain bind too much because of suspension compression? Maybe this is why there used to be some talk of chains breaking, I think they just went to the larger chain to fix this.
As for the cdi, I have no experience if this would make a difference in power. I have a really cheap spark plug in mine I am going to replace, been thinking of getting one of those hi-performance ones to see if that makes any difference. (every little bit helps)
Way too wet and muddy to ride here right now!
Posted by: Kell
I couldn't find anything on the engine code on the web. At least it will let us compare and see if it is the same engine as the dazon. On a linhai, the engine code is lh157Q where the lh is linhai, the 1?, the 57 stands for the bore, Q?
I went to an eton dealer friday, the guy was talking about how fast their 150's where compared to the other chinese quads (he deals in both), the engine was the same basic shape with a few changes in appearance. When he cranked that motor up, I thought wow that doesn't sound like mine! Even with stock exhaust, this thing sounded like a performance motor, hit really hard, the guy was spinning the tires on the concrete. I also checked out a yerf dog motor on there mini suv truck thing they make. It also looks different, castings and transmission where different. Engine code was a bunch of numbers. Said howhit right on the side just like their go-carts.
Here is my update on 250cc engine research. earlier I posted the link to the similar looking water cooled 250 engine from the linhai factory. After doing web searches, I found out the engine LH170MM is used in scooters and 4-wheelers, sold as a 260cc. Well I beat it on down to the local tractor supply and looked at this engine in a manco talon 260. It looks like the engine will "probably" fit. It hangs the same way as mine, I guess they are all originally made for scooters. My only problem (besides money) is I don't know what the output shaft looks like. It goes into a gearbox which then outputs to a shaft drive, also the cvt is shrouded in black plastic making it hard to tell if it has the hole to attach the chain adjuster to. It would be nice if you could just take the transmission apart on the 150 and insert the output shaft into the 250. I am sure there is enough room behind the seat to put the longer cylinder of the 250 there. All the used ones I found on the net where $2000 which is too much in my opinion for scavenging the engine. If a person could find one for $1200 or so it might be worth it. Anyway, just throwing a few ideas out there. Oh yeah, the 250 (being water cooled) has much higher compression.
back to the blade, that rear sprocket is way smaller than mine, may account for higher top speeds?
also, sorry steve, no way to take video. If the blade turns out to need the dazon style exhaust, that white bros pipe sure looks cool!
Posted by: Kell
I must have missed something, I did not know there was an optional 250 mod coming out?
what manufacturer?
Posted by: Kell
I posted this elsewhere but thought I would put it here also:
This question may best be suited to raptoraz but anyone that has
input would be great.
I finally got my head gasket and am going to port the head, however,
I have never worked on these little 4-strokes (only large v-8's and 2-
strokes etc.)
Could someone give me a non-detailed order I should follow when
taking the head off. I know it has a chain tensioner (automatic?).
Should this be removed first allowing the cam to come off? I guess I
should also have the engine at tdc on the power stroke. Will I have
to re-adjust the valves? Also, is there a certain torque I need to
tighten the bolts down? I have a manual for an old xr75 that I guess
I can use for basics, but the chain tensioner definetly looks
different. Almost looks like I could do this while it is on the cart.
I don't need info like taking carb off etc. just the head itself,
thanks in advance!
ALSO, I had the carb off last night and you can definetly see the mismatch between the intake and the head.
Posted by: Kell
My twister owners manual shows every nut and bolt on the thing, have you checked yours?
Any word on how much to torque the head bolts down, anyone? My old xr75 book says 13-14 ft.lbs
when I rotate the engine until I visually see the piston at tdc, it looks like the cam lines don't
match up exactly, should I go by the markings on the flywheel? they don't seem to be exactly
at tdc, if I am reading it correctly.
After taking the head off, it became obvious there was little I could do to improve it. It has tiny
valves made for a 125, weird combustion chamber also. The only work I did was around the gasket
areas. The biggest mismatch was between the spacer and the intake. 95% of work was done on the
plastic spacer. Also, I just took the passenger seat off and took the head off while still on the cart.
thanks,
Kell
also, if I knew for sure my cam etc. would fit, I would just order the yerf dog head and valves.
Posted by: Kell
I have the Yerf Dog head on order....
$172 ouch!!!! $25 for each valve, man I hope this thing is compatible with my cam etc.
Now, to mill or not to mill? I can clamp the head down on our cnc router (we cut aluminum all the time) and shave .020 or so off and then sand the head on a piece of glass to remove the lines left by the bit.
just gotta have a little extra hp!!!
Posted by: Kell
Could this be from a chain that is too tight? Should have like a half inch slack I think.
this is also my first time hearing about this type problem
Posted by: Kell
Forgot to say, when I switch to reverse, I have to kinda blip the throttle to get it to engage without a large clunk. I think this is not a good thing at all for the transmission, you have to get the rpm's up in order to engage the driveshaft which in turn causes the reverse cluster to "kick-in". If you really rev it up after you put it in reverse its puts a lot of stress on the transmission when it finally does engage at high rpm. A lot of this probably has to do with the cvt having to be reved fairly high in order to get the cart to move.
Just a theory, I am not an engineer!
kell
Posted by: Kell
Quote
Originally posted by: BC1
Hi all,
I just took delivery of one of the KTX carts. I also am having reverse problems. When in reverse, the reverse gearbox just chatters, but will not go into reverse. I played around with the cable adjustment to no avail. Has anyone had the reverse assembly apart? What did you discover? Will the reverse assembly come of after removal of the large nut on the end of the shaft?
Thanks in advance for any insite.
BC
Since it is new, I would guess it is just out of adjustment,
However,
to get a look at what it looks like go to the dazon website here:
pdf reverse download
click on the one about reverse,
good luck
kell
Posted by: Kell
Quote
Originally posted by: RAPTORAZ
Quote
Originally posted by: OCduner
Yes I saw that but it cannot be accurate. Someone is wrong. Either they are boasting or Dazon is underestimating
OCduner
You wouldn't happen to work for Dazon or a Dazon dealer would you?
I've done multiple drags as well with My KPX's, Yerf, and Dazon. In stock, bolt-on, and internally modified forms. And yes the Dazon is faster in all forms. But not dramatically so. Only a length or two at most. And that's only in a drag race. Top speeds are all within a mile an hour or two(GPS verified).
uh ohhh, do you still think the yerf head is worth it?
My valves are backordered, so I can still cancel the order if I want,
However, if the power increase is likened to adding the pipe and intake it will still be worth it to me. There are very few hills it will not climb now, it just climbs them too slowly. I have always thought (since adding the pipe) that mine accellerated really good, in fact most people remarked that they were suprised how well the 150 ran. Its just that it runs out of steam and ends really flat on the top end.
I would like to save my money but I think I am too curious to not try it now, I just gotta be tinkering on something. I will probably put the head on when I get it and then give a report. Shortly after I will shave some material off to raise compression and see how that goes (assuming it actually fits with my cam and rockers)
Posted by: Kell
OK, yerf dog customer service rocks. (even though they are extremely expensive)
They next day air'd my parts in and I got them friday. I spent a little time porting, mostly around where they machined the vavlve seats, it was very sharp there. Valves are much larger than the other head, I didn't feel a whole lot of porting was necessary, the casting was better than the other one, not too much even needed to be done to get the gasket to match. I put the head and valves in and the only problem I noticed was that I had to back the valve adjustment screws out quite a bit from there previous settings on the old head. Hopefully this doesn't mean my springs are going to be too weak. I didn't bother to measure the valve length before putting the head on so I don't know if they are a little longer or not, I was not about to take the head off and back apart to measure.
Started up immediately, my twister still is not jetted perfectly more on that later. Anyway, I drove it and didn't "feel" any large improvement in power. Low end seemed exactly the same, however driving it down the road wide open I did notice that it revved higher and pulled a little harder at the higher rpm. Driving around the cul-de-sac I also noticed that it went faster, fast enough to slide the back tires all the way around the circle instead of having to whip the steering wheel to get it to slide (pavement). So it was definetly faster, just not the kind of seat of the pants change I got with the pipe/intake. (Also, I am not sure but I think it may have hit the rev limiter down hill, never even got close before)
I don't think I am going to get the full advantage until I mill the head to raise compression, thereby giving it improved top and bottom end hopefully. Although it pulls good at low rpm, I think doing this will improve it. This is similar to my experiences with putting a cam in a harley. The cam kept the valves open longer making it breath better but also lowered the compression of the engine. It ran great at high rpm but actually took torque away from the bottom (very dissappointing). I later learned that you have to mill the head to kick the compression ratio back.
My conclusion so far is that the pipe made a better cost to power ratio than the head. I will definetly be milling the head soon though, so if anyone cares or is even still following this thread I will report back then.
Here is a little jetting info, I have been running a 140 (they sent me a 145) main in the cart, it seemed to be ok, but lately it seemed to be almost popping, not accepting full throttle well. I took the uni filter off and it ran the same, no change whatsoever. I then took the intake tube off, now runs GREAT, I would not have thought a simple short piece of pipe would make any difference in jetting. I am now going to try a 130 or 135. I was never able to really read the plug because of the large amount of oil getting by the valves. The valves and combustion chamber had a lot of carbon buildup on them.
One more thing, the exhaust gasket carter sent me was horrible, my old one was leaking pretty bad, the carter one was even smaller. I went to the local honda shop and got some copper ring thing that was just a little too big. I lightly hammered it spinning it around a broomstick to get it to fit. So far this is working great, the inside diameter is almost exactly the same as my pipe and exhaust port.
Posted by: Kell
I also wanted to add, if someone is preparing to buy one of these:
I went to gander (again) and saw the new 2005 Carter Talon 150 which had several updates including totally new reverse gearbox, snorkel, hubs, dash I think, maybe a few other things. But the thing that got my attention most was the exhaust. I looked underneath (I'm a tire kicker) and the head pipe coming off the head is now MUCH larger, I would say it might even be as large as my aftermarket pipe. If I were to buy one I am not sure I would even bother putting a new one on. At the very least you could cut the muffler off and use the headpipe for your own in-expensive performance exhaust conversion.
I would say this is one of the reasons the manufacturers are claiming more hp. I doubt this exhaust would need to be upgraded, the snorkel however looks like a bad idea (to me). looks like you could get away with just upgrading the intake (keep in mind, I haven't actually driven one)
just my 2 cents for anyone in the market for a buggy
Posted by: Kell
The eastside pipe, the INSIDE diameter is just under 1", I think 15/16 which was the same dia as the exhaust port. The exhaust canister itself is 2.25" I think. The pipe steps up quickly, again "I think I remember" 3 times before it gets to the canister.
If this is larger than yours it may explain the larger increase in power from the pipe versus the yerf head that I experienced.
Posted by: Kell
Allright, I actually measured the OUTSIDE diameter of my eastside pipe and the stock one. not as much difference as I thought. I did not want to take my eastside pipe off to re-measure the id but I know at the head it was 15/16, it must bottleneck down a bit right after. I think the id of the stock was .75"
Stock .865" Aftermarket 1.05", not as much difference as I thought, it just looks a whole lot bigger.
the stock pipe was actually sticking into the head past a squished gasket when I took it off. Not welded very well at all, ended at an angle also instead of flat.
Also, I put a new 125 main jet in and it runs great, sounds different even, kind of a braaaaapppp instead of a flat burrrrrrrrrrr
going to be test milling my original head soon to see if I can do it my self.
Posted by: Kell
Milled my original head last night, it was a breeze, came out so smooth I won't even have to sand it to get the milling lines out.
RAPTORAZ, I am a little concerned about milling the Yerf-dog head, since it has larger valves they are actually closer to the piston already than the original.
Not being an expert by any means, I looked at the cam as I disassembled it for the 3rd or 4th time (but who's counting) and the valves look like they are NOT closed completely when the piston is at tdc. The exhaust is probably fine, I guess it finishes right at tdc but the intake "seems" to be opening at tdc.
Am I worrying over nothing, I was only going to shave .030 off anyway. I don't want to worry about detonation. It's not going to kill me to leave the thing stock, it already runs better than a 150 has any right to.
kell
Posted by: Kell
Got some great advice from the Honda mechanic, I said I was worried about valve clearance with the larger valves being closer to the piston.
He said normally you would mock it up with clay on the piston and run it through the cycle to see how much clearance you have. But he said an easy way is to put a light spring on the valves and when you get to the least amount of clearance in the stroke simply push down on the valve to measure how much youv'e got.
cool
Posted by: Kell
Checked last night and I got apprx. .1" but I am going to chicken out and only take about .030 or .040 off. Gotta be running by this weekend, we plan on going to Turkey Bay!
Like I said before, I got a more power from putting the pipe on than the head (so far), also I will try to find the number of the gasket I got from the honda dealer that fits really well.
It is a copper gasket that I put on a broomstick and lightly tap to get the od small enough to fit in the head. It does'nt choke the exhaust off like the factory gasket.
Posted by: Kell
I guess you could try it but I wouldn't recommend it, there is just no way to effectively seal it without one. Even with one, I usually see where it is leaking when I take the pipe off. The stock gasket does not work well at all with the eastside.
Went ahead and milled .035" off the head, noticed it shaved most of that flattened portion of the combustion chamber off. I got a little worried it may not be as efficient so I got the dremel out and ground one back on it. Used the gasket and drew a template and tried to duplicate the shallow angle the yerf head had on it. Bolted it back on and it starts quicker now, doesn't have to turn over as many times. Probably has close to stock compression now (I would guess) no pinging. I did notice that there is not much adjustment for the cam chain tensioner now that the head is closer, also advanced the cam a little more.
Runs great! there are going to be some unhappy 250 buggies out there if I catch them on a hill! Low end grunt is now at an all time high, I can climb anything with enough traction, even accelerates on a moderate hill now instead of struggling. Tried some insane hills that 4wd quads were hesitant to go up. The only times I couldn't climb (the REALLY steep hills) is when one of the wheels would hit a large root or rock either causing the front end to reach for the sky or the back tires to spin. Its a little unnerving when it feels like you are going to flip over backwards. If you haven't been to turkey bay, it is just one huge hill after another with ruts everywhere, tight trails, rocky hills, muddy hills, roots and trees everywhere, oh yeah and lots of hills.
I am very pleased with the results, milling the head added nothing on top for me. The larger valves is where I saw an increase in higher rpm, the higher compression added the bottom end power. I don't think I personnally would want to take any more off the head, I would be afraid the tensioner couldn't handle the extra slack and I don't want to worry about detonation. It still needs to be jetted correctly, seems to rich again, is it possible milling the head reduces airflow slightly?
Also, a while back I noticed I have 2 base gaskets, probably to reduce compression from the factory. I could have went with a thinner single gasket and got good results but was afraid of effectively raising the piston in the cylinder and causing problems by the ridge created from the rings. I may be a little overly cautious, if the engine didn't have as many hours on it I would have done this. Also, I would recommend milling the jug so you wouldn't screw up the combustion chamber but I had no way of doing this myself, the head was much easier and would be in my control with no wait time.
Kelly
Quote
Originally posted by: RAPTORAZ
Quote
Originally posted by: Kell
It is a copper gasket that I put on a broomstick and lightly tap to get the od small enough to fit in the head. It does'nt choke the exhaust off like the factory gasket.
Eastside told me that that don't even use an exhaust gasket. They bolt the pipe directly to the head.
Posted by: Kell
Quote
Originally posted by: RAPTORAZ
If you mill the jug, you'll remove the lip that holds the sleeve in place. Without the lip, the sleeve would be free to travel downwards towards the crankshaft. hr>
Thats good to know!
Posted by: Kell
Quote
Originally posted by: hopsterguy
Hey Kell.. that's awesome. We have the same engine... wonder what just milling the original head would give us without valves of the yerf.
Do you have access to a machine shop, or do you have yer own mill??
-Steve
If you look back "several" pages you will see raptoraz's review on his kpx's head after he milled and ported it. I think he says it increased torque on the low end, probably worth the effort if you climb steep hills, I can now stop on a very very steep hill and start again with the wheels spinning). Keep in mind it is still a 150 but it's got way more low end grunt (more compression) and the top end (because of the larger valves) has that pep that it needed. There is No way the 250's I rode with could keep up with it, it is now fun to ride. Top speed is still the same old 30-35mph but it reaches it way quicker.
We have a cnc router table which is VERY accurate, I just made a jig that uses the valve cover holes to bolt to and then clamp the jig to the table. I then make sure it is perfectly level and mill it down with an aluminum cutting bit and cutting fluid. Takes me about 30 min. mostly making sure it is level and the clamping/jig surfaces are clean and clear of imperfections. On mine I milled .034" then took the last .001" off a little slower so it would leave the smoothest finish possible.
Posted by: Kell
bump for r6
Posted by: Kell
Steve, don't know if you noticed, there is a thread where someone is looking for carter 1150 xtv advice.
kell
Posted by: Kell
Most of these companies are in the import business, not the backing up what they sell business. It seems like there is a chinese quad seller on every corner now, and when you ask them if they stock parts they say no. Larger companies like Carter, Twister or Kasea are most likely going to have better warranties and actually stock parts. This is probably why they charge more for there carts.
Have you rebuilt the top end yet? Just wondering, mine still smokes some after replacing the valve seals so I will have to at least put rings in it. I guess I might as well put a piston in it also. Did you hone your cylinder or are these so small you shouldn't bother scuffing it up?
My problems are due to poorly designed air filter also.
If there is room to bore, I might as well get a piston and rings for the alpha motorsports 170cc quad which has the same engine except larger bore (stroke is the same).
Posted by: Kell
Quote
Originally posted by: R6rider
dang, and i thought i was doing good with some cheesy lights on the front... lol
How are you liking the carter? Be sure and post your comparisons when you receive the blade. It's awful muddy this time of year if you have been riding with no fenders!
Posted by: Kell
Steve, here is the link to view the 170cc parts, same stroke just different bore:
cobra 180 parts link
Its called cobra 180 and you have to look at the parts diagram, it cost too much for just piston and rings though, something like $170, anyway it just kinda gives an idea of whats out there.
Posted by: Kell
Has Heath done anything to his that I should know about????
Always looking for more power!
About all I think there is left for me to do beyond boring it out is try a hotter coil (spark looks kinda wimpy) if I can find one. Milling the head has retarded the cam slightly, I don't know if it is enough to change performance but it is almost a half tooth off. Does anyone know if advancing the cam would affect it? I'll have to study up on cams.
Posted by: Kell
this picture shows the typical trails I have been riding the Twister on:
Trail
they have a few more good pictures of Turkey bay (the main place I ride) here:
Turkey Bay
definetly worth checking out if you are ever in western kentucky!
Kelly
Posted by: Kell
Raising the compression by milling the yerf head made all the difference, I think it will be worth the trouble. As I said before, did nothing for top end but it is a hill climber now.
I was concerned about the bottom of the head becoming flat until reading these, very interesting.
http://forums.atvconnection.com/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=435856
scroll down to where the links to SQUISH BAND are.
changed my mind about hemi head design.
Kell
atv connection thread
Posted by: Kell
check your private messages,
should be blinking up top.
kell
Posted by: Kell
Awesome job Slowride! thats the best conversion I have seen.
Pholt, I didn't get much out of porting, your best bet for increased climbing power is milling the head, assuming of course you already put a pipe and new intake on it.
Also, there is no room for a larger piston, it is too thin. CVT mods are simple, you could just lighten the rollers for the easiest mod.
Mine could definetly benefit from more (and smoother) travel.
kell
Posted by: Kell
There has been a lot of talk on modifying the stock CVT by drilling out the rollers and also putting a .125" washer behind the driven spring to increase pressure.
My main gripe now is the suspension, mostly the front. It is just too harsh, not enough travel. They advertise 6" travel but it is more like 4" when the shock bottoms out. Your setup takes care of that though.
kell
Posted by: REMike
While surfing the net for information I was fortunate to find this thread. I purchased a Kasea 150cc 2 seat buggy for my 14 year old about 9 months ago. It was great fun and both my boys enjoyed it. For you dads out there you know how teens can be...after 3 months he lost the priviledge and I sold it on Ebay in 3 days for $2200 ( I paid $2400).
I just bought a KPX single seater, brand new, directly from KPX on Ebay for $1350.00 + shipping. It's currently in transit from CA and should arrive on 9/28. For any of you considering one of these karts I suggest you visit Ebay Motors, I also suggest that unless you are good with tools you find a local dealer.
Having owned the Kasea I know what it will take to assemble the KPX and basic trouble shooting is pretty easy, I hope I'm not a piston victim!
Posted by: REMike
Did you receive your KPX buggies? Does the performance kit include the WHite Bros Pipe that is available for the Dazon buggie?
Posted by: REMike
Thanks for the link.
Posted by: REMike
While we are on the subject of oil I have a problem that I hope someone can help with. The "bargain" KPX 150 that I bought on Ebay arrived yesterdsay. I assembled it and fired up the engine...all seemed fine. It was 10:00 at night and my kids were flying around the yard and driveway for about an hour. We put it in the garage for the night and noticed a large amount of oil dripping out of the plastic housing that protects the clutch/flywheel/fan and the rest of the motor was drenched in oil as well. I disassembled the housing and the leak appears to be coming from behind the clutch pack (passenger side of engine). I assume the eqivalent to a cars rear main seal is the culprit but I'm not sure. Has anyone had this problem?
I attempted to remove the clutch pack but couldn't budge the nut, I think it was an 18mm. The cover behind the clutch is mounted with a series of 9mm bolts but I think I need to remove the clutch first. THis is the cover where the inductive pick up mounts to the engine in order to read the flywheel. Any suggestions are appreciated?
P.S. I did notice that the crankcase was over filled with oil from the factory but I doubt this is a contributing cause.
Posted by: REMike
Thanks for the link but I got a page not found message rather than a log in screen as I do have a Yahoo Acct. COuld you post one more time. Thanks. The oil level is correct now but it's still leaking. That seal must be the culprit I just can't get the clutch pack off.
Posted by: REMike
HELP NEEDED!
I just put my KPX 150 engine back together after replacing the
rightside cracked crankcase cover. The engine runs fine but I'm not
sure about the hose connection that exits the top of the cylinder.
There's a long black vacuum hose connected to a barb fitting, on the
other end is a hose union and spring clamp. Exiting the top of the
trans case is a similar vacuum hose. I connected them during
reassembly but it created an enormous amount of positive pressure in
the crankcase to the extent that after 10 minutes the exhaust was
blowing blue smoke from blowby and when I opened the dipstick tube
the oil blew all over the engine.
SHould they be connected and if so, how does the crankcase vent?
Posted by: REMike
Thanks for the reply. I sort of remember it just laying on the engine but what confused me was the shape of the trans vent line, it has a few bends in it that when oriented properly places it exactly where the engine ventline terminates. The kart runs fine without them connected but I don't want to damage anything long term.
Posted by: REMike
It was only hard to the extent that KPX is a bunch of knuckleheads and they will lie until the cows come home about having done something. They told me 3x that they would take care of getting me the part but days went by and nothing. They finally hired a new shipping/parts guy who only after receiving my defective crankcase cover via UPS sent me the replacement, but I had to call him after it sat there for a day to motivate him.
I actually like the kart and find it very east to work on. i recently added a speedometer ($10), foam padding on all the pipe that surrounds the driver and a new homemade air intake after a day in the mud bog.
Max speed was observed at 34.7 mph with the digital speedo. If my air cleaner works well and I add a pipe and rejet I hope to pick up a few mph.
Posted by: REMike
Walmart-Bicycle dept. Schwin Speedo. A little mod to the magnet and fabrication of a mounting bracket and I was good to go!
Posted by: REMike
In order for the pickup sensor to be close enough to the magnet, I used some 3/16" diameter aluminum rod abut 5" long, bent it 90 deg, krazy glued it to the bottom of the shock mount and zip tied the sensor to the other end. This allows the sensor to extend into the wheel. I sawed off the screw mount from the magnet and glued that just inside the wheel rim lip. Be careful where on the wheel you mount the magnet as the clearance between the brake caliper and the wheel is tight.
Posted by: REMike
Tire height was 18.5", you'll have to do the math as I forget what my speedo input was. I seem to recall @ 1500 +/- Convert your inches to metric and x by pi. per the instructions
Posted by: REMike
I'll take a pic and post it ASAP.
Posted by: REMike
That was a question I asked also. The bracket I fabbed allows this tolerance or very close to it. I never checked a wider gap.
Posted by: REMike
I bought direct from KPX on Ebay for $1325 + $300 freight. I like the kart but their customer service sucks. I'm home with the flu so pardon my brief post.
Posted by: REMike
It's amazing, they have a product that many people want and they can't seem to get their act together in order to profit from the demand. This is nothing more than a case of poor management. I got the impression when I called that the average age of the person I was dealing with was 25 or younger. A bunch of guys in a warehouse who figured out how to buy product from China. I'm not putting them down because they are young, hell I was young once...hehe, they are just lousy business people with no experience. Case in point, they had to change their alias 3x on Ebay because of the negative feedback.
The good news is, I can probably find a different source for parts like Carter Bros if these clwns go belly up.
Posted by: REMike
KPX used hardcorescooters when I bought mine and shortly after my auction ended it was gone. It's easy to track them as their auctions are identical. The charged $300 and shipped to a local Yellow Freight Terminal. I have a trailer and the terminal was 1/2 mile from my office so it was no big deal. In retrospect, had I known then what I know now about KPX I would have gone elsewhere, OTOH $1325 was tough to pass up so I justified the bs because of the price.
Posted by: REMike
Holy Smokes,
Your post prompted me to Google hardcorescooters and I came up with the same posts as well as a few more that listed David Peterson who is the guy I dealt with. I'm more impressed that I guessed his age within 1 year.
Posted by: REMike
I don't think so... asearch of Ebay turned up this auction...no doubt this is them.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=46105&item=2497544824&rd=1
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=46105&item=2497544801&rd=1
OTOH, this appears to be a similar kart but NOT KPX
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=46105&item=2497359689&rd=1
Posted by: REMike
I can just picture the sweat shop in Bejing. 200 Chinese feverishly working to turn out these karts so great Americans can get their rocks off. Oh what a sight!
Posted by: REMike
KPX pulls stuff out of their as* and when you catch them in a lie they change the subject. Their Ebay listing says they use BAX Global for shipping, however, a week after the auction was over and I still couldn't get any info they finally gaveme the number of a freight forwarded they use who said it would ship Yellow. We can tell stories back and forth all day long but suffice it to say these folks are less than straight forward and there is inherent risk in doing business with them. Oh yea, KPX advertised a 6 mon warranty but when I got the paper work it said 90 days, I called them on it and they regenerated an invoice showing 6 mos...IMHO it's not worth the paper it's printed on.
Unless you think it's a major issue, I would look past some of the design elements of competing karts and make sure the mfg. that you choose is reputable and can support the product. I guess what I have found is that karts are distributed and sold by second tier dealers, unlike the major Japanese bike and atv dealers and you need to be prepared for less than a first rate experience. The good news is that they are fairly easy to repair and pretty tough as well. I like your thought should the motor quit.
FYI, I'm home with the flu so in the future don't expect my reponses to be so timely...I actually do go to work.
Posted by: REMike
Let's see...fighting people everyday. You are either a. law enforcement officer b. attorney c. go-go dancer. So which is it?
Posted by: REMike
My recommendation...2 percoset should take care of the blue hairs
Posted by: REMike
Well if nothing more I feel good about the price I paid ($1000 off discounted retail) I'm not convinced they are directly related but something is certainly not right. The photos are the same as KPX but they could have just clipped them from the KPX website or Ebay auction. My sluthing is over, lets get back to discussing how to enjoy these karts instead of focusing on conspiracy theory. Good luck with your quest. BTW, why not buy another Twister?
Posted by: REMike
When you say it was bent..what are you referring to? The only issue I experienced was with respect to having it engage properly, when putting it in reverse it chattered but did not reverse. I adjusted the cable at the shift lever and all was fine. Could you elaborate? What type of bracket did you fab and what does it do? thanks
Posted by: REMike
Good luck, cross your fingers with KPX. If it arrives OK and runs OK you're in luck
Posted by: REMike
You need an impact gun.
Posted by: REMike
The impact toll will loosen the bolt and the engine should not rotate very much. When you try it with a regualr socket the torque that you exert is working with the rotating assembly, the impact tool loosens the bolt with short bursts and doesn't give the engine a chance to turn. Local auto parts store sell electric impact tools for about $60. You don't need an air tool.
Posted by: rmvd69
Hi,
I was wondering if anyone has checked the speed on their Hammerheads. I have used both a GPS unit and installed a bicycle speedometer on the kart. Both of these read 30 mph on asphalt going down a slight incline. Advertised speed is 36+ for this kart. I have an email out to tjpowersports to see if they have any thoughts. I checked the plug and it looks like the mixture is fine so I would hate to try and just lean it out. Anyone else check speed?
Thanks
Posted by: bickel76
cheapass,
i have one of the carter carts that is almost identical to the twisters. i was wondering if you had any information about the guy that put on a new pipe, cdi box and coil. an email adress would be great but any info would be great. if there is anyone else out there that has been able to locate any aftermarket parts online, i would appreciate any information.
Posted by: bickel76
raptoraz-
i have the 125 talon. according to carter, the 125s and the 150s are the same other than the bore. they are yamaha type motors also. i'm hoping that the talons and the twisters are similar enough in order to use the same upgrades.
Posted by: bickel76
Quote
Originally posted by: bedo
my wife and i are looking into buying two buggies for ourselves. i've looked at the carters, yerfs, twisters, and currently the kpx's. is there any one buggie that can carry two adults effenciently? we are on a limited budget though. i want two but may have to get only one. been reading the forum here, where can you get a hop up kit, and i'm not real mechanically inclined, so, what's a cdi box? we just need some good advise, please. thanks..
bedo
the best deal that i've been able to find has been at www.familygokarts.com. the only downside to the site is the price of shipping. i have one of the 125 talons and it is supposed to run at 30mph. mine runs at about 36mph right now. i'm also looking for hop up kits for it but i havent had any luck. i've been told that it might take a year or so for independent companies to come out with hop ups. the 150 would be nice, but i too was on a limited budget. if you can spend 1850 you can pick up a 125 talon at rural king. it's a 2 seater and 2 adults can fit in it somewhat comfortably. hope that helps with your search.
Posted by: bickel76
Quote
Originally posted by: REMike
i recently added a speedometer ($10), foam padding on all the pipe that surrounds the driver and a new homemade air intake after a day in the mud bog.
Max speed was observed at 34.7 mph with the digital speedo. If my air cleaner works well and I add a pipe and rejet I hope to pick up a few mph.
where did you get the speedo and what brand? also, sometime hopefully this week i plan on rejetting mine and i'm going to try a few air cleaner mods. keep us posted on how things go with it.
good luck,
josh
Posted by: bickel76
Quote
Originally posted by: REMike
Walmart-Bicycle dept. Schwin Speedo. A little mod to the magnet and fabrication of a mounting bracket and I was good to go!
i actually bought that same speedo but havent installed it yet. what type of mod and fabrication did you have to do? i've been checking the speed of my kart by having a car follow me. i would like to get that speedo installed so that i can use it when i'm on the trails.
Posted by: bickel76
Quote
Originally posted by: bedo
thanks for replying. what my wife and i are wanting to do is to go up to windrock atv(coalcreek) in tenn. we are not far from there. i ridden dirt bikes for over 30 years, she's a new comer. i'm afraid i might be a little hard on them, but i cant be to agressive, dont want to lose her.. so mainly, just some good easy trails but with a little kick now and then. i've talked to jay at family gokarts and steve at kpx. although, these are basically the same karts, arent they? i am thinking a carter xtv single for myself and a carter talon twin seater for her. but i like the power. any other help or advise would be greatly appreciated. thanks..
here is what i have found out from carter about their carts. when the talons were in their "infancy", they had engineers over in china to oversee the production and design of the carts. the carts that are similar to the talons are supposedly almost identical. there are some minor changes to the frames, but nothing drastic. the xtv 1150 and 2150 are the only carter carts that are USA. their website does have all of the parts that they produce for them. it doesnt look to me like there are many performance upgrades for those 2 carts. carter told us that since the talons are so new, there arent many performance upgrades at this time but they said that in a year there should be third party manufactures that are going to be making a killing in that department. in my opinion, i would opt for a single seater talon for you and the twin seater for her. i guess not necessarily a talon, but one of the carts along those lines. i think in the long run you wont regret it.
Posted by: bickel76
Quote
Originally posted by: REMike
Walmart-Bicycle dept. Schwin Speedo. A little mod to the magnet and fabrication of a mounting bracket and I was good to go!
what size tires do you have and on the speedo what size rim did you select?
Posted by: bickel76
Quote
Originally posted by: Kell
The easiest and most accurate thing to do is mark you tire and roll it across the garage measuring distance the tire makes in one rotation. Convert this to metric by multiplying your inches by 25.4 to get mm, for example 50.25" x 25.4 = 1276. this is usually the number you enter into the computer on bicycle style speedometers. check your manual to be for sure. I think this is the number for a 16" bicycle tire.
I think I am remembering this right?
Kell
thanks for the tips. i'll have to check my manual to make sure when i have the time to install the speedo. just out of curiousity, REMike, do you have a picture of your mod? i think i understand how you mounted it, but just want to make sure i have the right idea.
thanks again guys.
Posted by: bickel76
Kell,
do you have any plans on going to turkey bay this weekend? we are thinking about going camping up there but our plans are still up in the air.
Posted by: bickel76
Quote
Originally posted by: Kell
Quote
Originally posted by: bickel76
Kell,
do you have any plans on going to turkey bay this weekend? we are thinking about going camping up there but our plans are still up in the air.
My brother wanted to go there saturday, but I will probably have to go to my father-in-laws birthday party. If at all possible, I would sure like to sneak away. Its actually a really good place for these buggies.
Kell
i've only been out there once and that was when i first got the buggie. i've done a few mods since then and i'm curious to see if it has improved on hill climbing. also, did you make it out to that other place in ky? i think it was called paddy's somethin-or-other. i think that place is a little closer to evansville which would be nice for me.
Posted by: bickel76
Quote
Originally posted by: REMike
I'll take a pic and post it ASAP.
thanks. i'm probably going to work on mounting the speedo in the next couple of days. in the manual, it said something about having the magnet and the other sensor atleast 1mm apart. can it be further than that or does it need to be that close.
Posted by: bickel76
Quote
Originally posted by: Kell
Quote
Originally posted by: REMike
It was only hard to the extent that KPX is a bunch of knuckleheads and they will lie until the cows come home about having done something. They told me 3x that they would take care of getting me the part but days went by and nothing. They finally hired a new shipping/parts guy who only after receiving my defective crankcase cover via UPS sent me the replacement, but I had to call him after it sat there for a day to motivate him.
I actually like the kart and find it very east to work on. i recently added a speedometer ($10), foam padding on all the pipe that surrounds the driver and a new homemade air intake after a day in the mud bog.
Max speed was observed at 34.7 mph with the digital speedo. If my air cleaner works well and I add a pipe and rejet I hope to pick up a few mph.
REMike,
are you dealing with KPX direct? I went to their website and got their phone number a few days back and got a pretty good quote on a single seat shipped to me. I haven't went ahead and ordered it yet. If their are some problems dealing with them I would like to know now. The wife can't understand why I need (want) 2 of these things.
bickel76,
did you look at the photos on the paddys bluff website? looks like a mud pit! my brothers have been and said it was pretty good riding though. I know their is another off road park in marion IL that they go to alot. Also, what mods have you done to yours? If you read my earlier posts, the pipe alone really helped alot, then I put the air filter on and I haven't got it just right yet. It probably only added 1 hp at the top but put a bunch down low at take-off. Now when I floor it it actually starts to move. Really helps with the hills.
kell,
i checked out their website a week or so ago and agree with you that it looks like a mud pit. i would like to check it out sometime mud or no mud. you might want to check out midwest trail riders associations web page. i think it is www.midwesttrailriders.com. they have some locations posted on their site that are somewhat around here.
here are the things that we've done to my kart. not all of them are actually mods.............
speedometer, rearview mirror, larger tires, larger axle sprocket, aluminum skidplate to cover the stock plastic one, and partially drilled out the center diverter inside the muffler. i think that is all we've done so far.
i'm not sure what size rear tires you have or what size axle sprocket you have either. mine came with 19" rear tires and a 32 tooth sprcket. when i bought 22.5" tires the takeoff was even worse. i knew i needed to change either the drive sprocket or the axle sprocket. couldnt find a drive sprocket but lucked out and found a larger axle sprocket. this one has 40 teeth on it. using a sprocket calculator, this setup should have actually lowered the top speed and give me greater low end. well, after all of the mods the kart went from 32mph to 36mph. the takeoff is better but still not good enough. if you turn around 180 degrees at the end of the road, it will slightly break the rear tires loose. no, that's not hitting the turn at 36, but almost coming to a complete stop before turning around. my next mods are probably going to be something to the intake and get it jetted. i have some ideas about making the cart similar to a ram air induction setup. if anyone is interested in discussing that, let me know. maybe we all can somewhat brainstorm and come up with an ideal scenario.
Posted by: bickel76
Quote
Originally posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: RAPTORAZ
Quote
Originally posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: RAPTORAZ
Just some FYI. You all should go check the planetary drive(the reverse mechanism) on your karts. Both of mine and my buddie's Dazon's were bent and on the verge of failure. It's an easy thing to overlook until it breaks. I built some custom brackets last night for both of mine. We'll see how they hold up with paddle tires at Glamis this weekend.
How does he like that Dazon? I keep hearing that they are faster, but I don't see how that is, since it's the same engine and all... right?
-Steve
The engine's in these karts are all VERY similar but they are not exactly the same. They use different CVT/gearcase ratio's and piston/head combinations. The Dazon appears to have the best of all those parts. Lower CVT ratio for better off the line sprints, and bigger valves for better top end breathing. So they are faster from the factory. Even my ported and polished big-valved KPX is unable to beat my buddie's piped-only Dazon. He'll get the holeshot, and then we stay even(me about 2 karts back) until they both top out.
Wow.. okay, good to know. And he is in the double seat Dazon, too?? If that's the case... imagine how much faster off the line the single would be.
Now... is the price worth it? Big price difference there.
Have any experience with the Carter Brothers Talon line??? Wondering how they top out... all three of these are apparantly built by the same factory.
Some sites seem to claim 13 hp on the carters... but I see 11hp claims as well. Get's confusing here.
-Steve
i have some experience with the carter brothers talon. i'm thinking that the talon is along the lines of the hammerheads and kpx type carts. i have the 2 seater 125 and it tops out right at 36 with the cheap mods that i've made. the worst part about the talons is that if you call the company, they will not send you any parts whatsoever. you have to go to either the place you bought it or a talon dealer. the only problems that we've had so far is everything was loose and everything, even electrical, needed to be gone over. my trans/reverse assembly wobbles also. sounds like that is something that all these similar carts are having problems with.
Posted by: bickel76
hopsterguy-
here are the things that we've done to my kart. not all of them are actually mods.............
speedometer, rearview mirror, larger tires, larger axle sprocket, aluminum skidplate to cover the stock plastic one, and partially drilled out the center diverter inside the muffler. i think that is all we've done so far.
Posted by: bickel76
Quote
Originally posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: bickel76
i have some experience with the carter brothers talon. i'm thinking that the talon is along the lines of the hammerheads and kpx type carts. i have the 2 seater 125 and it tops out right at 36 with the cheap mods that i've made. the worst part about the talons is that if you call the company, they will not send you any parts whatsoever. you have to go to either the place you bought it or a talon dealer.
I keep getting different messages here... Just saw on another forum that a person has in fact ordered Talon parts directly from Carter Brothers. He said he actually used the parts on a Hammerhead, but got them by calling Carter directly.
???
i wish that we had that luck in the past. maybe they have changed their policy or he called a different number than what we've been calling.
Posted by: bickel76
here is something for anyone looking to buy one of these types of carts. i cant believe the weight difference, but it is definitely something to consider. i just noticed that the shipping weight for the carter talon dlx150IIr is 662lbs and the carter talon 125 fx125IIr is 463lbs. i can see the 150s being a little bit heavier, but i cant figure out where the extra 200lbs are. are the 2 seater kpx and twister carts that heavy?
Posted by: bickel76
Quote
Originally posted by: RMMan317
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2498068286&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT
Here's a twister just like mine going on ebay looks like a paid a bit much - I was able to pick it up however.
congrats on your new toy. where are you from in indiana? i'm living just outside evansville (southern tip). any good places to ride where you live?
Posted by: bickel76
DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: bickel76
just out of curiousity, anyone interested in a carter talon with 10 hours or less on it?
Posted by: bickel76
this one is off the topic, so i'm sorry about that........
kell,
i've been out to turkey bay once with my carter but i didnt try many hills because of the fact that there were two adults in the cart. i think we all know how much power can be lost with the excess weight. anyway, since then, my dad has bought a honda fourtrax and my brother is about to buy a honda foreman. the fourtrax is a 300 and i think the foreman is either a 400 or 450. how well do you think i will be able to keep up with those two in the carter? i know they wont care, but i dont want to be the one that constantly has to back down hills and keep us from hitting more trails. i think you said that yours does a lot better with the new intake. being that it doesnt cost much, i will probably buy one of those asap. anyway, whenever you get a chance let me know how yours does in general at turkey bay.
sorry for this one, but i'm going to sound like a parent to all of you guys. last weekend we were going to go offroading but where we parked we heard bullets wizzing by our heads. we decided to move the trailer and car before it got hit. since we were just going to move it up the road, i didnt bother putting on my helmet or getting strapped in. needless to say, that was a bad move because i rolled the cart and i ended up somewhat flying out of it and getting a 3 inch gash in my head. they ran me to the ER and stapled me up but i had to stay in icu for the night. i guess what i'm getting at is wear those helmets and get strapped in. if your harnesses are like the ones on the carter, you might want to modify them so they work like a harness is supposed to. mine came with the shoulder harnesses sewn to the lap belt. with it like that, i could never get them adjusted right. what i did, is cut the shoulder harnesses off of the lap belt and resewed them with a loop on the end of them. this way, you can tighten all of them independently. would have saved my ass or head if i would have used them.
well, enough of my preaching. everyone take care and have fun.
Posted by: bickel76
Quote
Originally posted by: hopsterguy
Wow Bickel. Glad it wasn't worse for you... but ICU doesn't sound very good. I've done some pretty crazy climbs with my Xterro. How did you get that bugger to roll??? I have yet to feel close to rolling.
-Steve
i was on gravel roads and we have had a lot of rain lately. i'm not sure if a lot of the gravel had washed away or what. i had taken that corner many times before and have taken it much faster. i guess for some reason, my tires decided to grab a little better than usual. honestly, it all happened so fast that i'm not really sure what happened. i guess it's just one of those things that goes with the territory.
Posted by: bedo
Quote
Originally posted by: bickel76
raptoraz-
i have the 125 talon. according to carter, the 125s and the 150s are the same other than the bore. they are yamaha type motors also. i'm hoping that the talons and the twisters are similar enough in order to use the same upgrades.
Posted by: bedo
my wife and i are looking into buying two buggies for ourselves. i've looked at the carters, yerfs, twisters, and currently the kpx's. is there any one buggie that can carry two adults effenciently? we are on a limited budget though. i want two but may have to get only one. been reading the forum here, where can you get a hop up kit, and i'm not real mechanically inclined, so, what's a cdi box? we just need some good advise, please. thanks..
bedo
Posted by: bedo
thanks for replying. what my wife and i are wanting to do is to go up to windrock atv(coalcreek) in tenn. we are not far from there. i ridden dirt bikes for over 30 years, she's a new comer. i'm afraid i might be a little hard on them, but i cant be to agressive, dont want to lose her.. so mainly, just some good easy trails but with a little kick now and then. i've talked to jay at family gokarts and steve at kpx. although, these are basically the same karts, arent they? i am thinking a carter xtv single for myself and a carter talon twin seater for her. but i like the power. any other help or advise would be greatly appreciated. thanks..
Posted by: bedo
hey guys,
sorry to butt in, i've been keeping up with your threads, i am looking into some buggies and find you input really interesting. have you see the castle duncan carts?
www.castleduncaninc.com
might be worthing looking at.. BR>thanks
bedo
Posted by: bedo
hey guys,
been keeping up with your threads, got a question, what do you think of the "blade" karts,
bladepowersports.com do you think they might be pretty good. they say the do 45-50 mph, but, i dont know about that. give me you feedback.
thanks
bedo
Posted by: bedo
well, i found this on the internet tonight. i think you guys would agree that these should have enought power.
www.hotbuggy.co.uk
um, i think the ram air on the blades might be a snorkle type breather.
Posted by: bedo
been looking at the edge buggies, if i could weld and find an inexpensive bike motor, that would be the way to go. i do like the sidewinders....
Posted by: bedo
thought you guys might like to see this kart or what ever it is. looked at the web site, they have some pretty neat looking vehicles.... why cant the U.S. get any of these over here?????
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6726&item=4510690370&rd=1
Posted by: bedo
i was wondering about this. i noticed the karts were different and their site was supposed to be up by the 1st. what do you think is going on?
have you guys seen the westtexasbaha.com site?
cant wait to see your onboard videos...
Posted by: bedo
joe
been reading this thread for a while now. kinda keeping up on all of the kart info going back and forth. i even asked these guys a while back about which karts to get. glad i have waited until now to puchase my karts. i am going to call Stu very soon. when my wife and i read this last thread from you, it put tears to our eyes. your girls will be very happy. when my boys were young(many years ago) i bought them their first karts and motorcycles, i remember the glee and excitement they felt. and it will be one of those memorable moments you never forget. BR>have a very merry christmas
keep it safe
ben
Posted by: bedo
joe
as far as the blade bomb, hang the keys on the christmas tree, in a fairly visible place. even though my kids are grown, i still like to play Santa. maybe you could suggest that old st nick left something on the tree for them. but keep the blade hidden till then, or tell them the "299" kart came with keys... BR>just a thought. we got to swap stories about our mischeivious youth, sometime. sorry to hear about
your mom.
Posted by: bedo
to all the regulars in this forum,
i have been reading all the threads from you guys. i feel you all are a bunch of good people and i feel after reading this for the past months, you guys are good friends. everybody tries to help each other out. i just wanted to say, Merry Christimas to you all....
ben
Posted by: bedo
for all of us thats in the hills of east tenn.., how do you get an off road vehicle registered with the dmv and is the green sticker like a liscence or what? i thought that if it was off road, there was no need or you couldnt register it with the state. learn something new everyday...
Posted by: bedo
it would be great if you guys could post some video of you rides in the snow or whatever. i myself would love to see 'em.
Posted by: bedo
joe
i just got off the phone with stu, we were talking about you. just wondering where you been.
just read you report, sounds very good. i'm in the process of trying to work out a deal with stu, so hopefully
i can post a report soon also. he wants someone to really test these blade's. i have the area to do that. so,
maybe we can get thing together. hope you're feeling better. glad the blades working out for ya. cant wait to see the pics.
ben
Posted by: bedo
steve
did you get that good deal from stu? if you did, that's a great price. if i had the money last night when i talked with hiim, i would have gotten it. hopefully, i can get a similiar deal in the near future.
ben
Posted by: bedo
i was out the other day to this used car lot that sells carter's. the guy told me that all carters were built in taiwan. i questioned it and he almost got mad. do all or most of these, twisters,kpx,blade, carter, are they made in the same origin, china? or could it be possible that some are made in taiwan. you mentioned that the engines could come from about anywhere. so i dont know.....
Posted by: bedo
i would like to thank you also for restoring this thread. you have my solemn promise, i will 'not' promote any business here. these are a good bunch of guys, and i would not want to ruin it for them.
again, thanks
bedo
Posted by: bedo
hi lurk !!
welcome. take yer shoes off, sit a spell. if ya chaw, grab ya a bite, if ya drank, take ya a sip or two. BR>
seriously, welcome to the forum. these are a great bunch of guys.
ben
Posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: REMike
It was only hard to the extent that KPX is a bunch of knuckleheads and they will lie until the cows come home about having done something. They told me 3x that they would take care of getting me the part but days went by and nothing. They finally hired a new shipping/parts guy who only after receiving my defective crankcase cover via UPS sent me the replacement, but I had to call him after it sat there for a day to motivate him.
I actually like the kart and find it very east to work on. i recently added a speedometer ($10), foam padding on all the pipe that surrounds the driver and a new homemade air intake after a day in the mud bog.
Max speed was observed at 34.7 mph with the digital speedo. If my air cleaner works well and I add a pipe and rejet I hope to pick up a few mph.
I think the guys at KPX must be a real problem. I contacted Toy Junkies about the Xterro and they stated that they aren't going to carry it any more because KPX is too difficult to deal with!!! Bummer!
Posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: REMike
It's amazing, they have a product that many people want and they can't seem to get their act together in order to profit from the demand. This is nothing more than a case of poor management. I got the impression when I called that the average age of the person I was dealing with was 25 or younger. A bunch of guys in a warehouse who figured out how to buy product from China. I'm not putting them down because they are young, hell I was young once...hehe, they are just lousy business people with no experience. Case in point, they had to change their alias 3x on Ebay because of the negative feedback.
The good news is, I can probably find a different source for parts like Carter Bros if these clwns go belly up.
True... I'm sure Carter Bros will help with parts... since most will be interchangable... and there are other sellers out there too.
So the ones on e-bay are them then?? MOTORSPORTSFANATICS I think the name is now... there are a few nasty comments there already, but still maintaining 96% or so... thought it was strange that a good number of the buyers have zero buying history though. Then you have the fact that their auctions are all listed as PRIVATE so you can't see the details... isn't that interesting. Certainly doesn't garner trust in the sale... that's for sure.
What were their other handles that they sold under... any idea??? This current one did just spring up out of nowhere, apparantly.
What did they charge you to ship that single seater? Was it shipped to home, or to a depot?
-Steve
Posted by: hopsterguy
Doing a little detective work, I found that this guy likes to blab about himself on the net. Here he is, the guy that runs the place:
Oh yeah, he's 26 years old, 6 foot 1, and 185 lbs, according to his bio.
The economic system of China is not Communist (4.00 / 1) (#245)
by dogeye on Sun Aug 10th, 2003 at 11:47:21 PM EST
http://www.hardcorescooters.com
It is basically a free market economy. They are members of the WTO, which I believe will not accept countries with communist economic policies.
I run a small business that purchases items from factories in China. At one of these factories, the workers work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. So they may get more vacation time than us, but they sure as hell work more hours per year. By the way, these workers are paid $60/month, but they get free room and board. The factory is near Hong Kong. Of course, it's possible that the factory owner is lying to me about these hours/wages.
http://www.hardcorescooters.com Love Life.
[ Parent ]
.17 cents per hour by psinpsycle, 08/13/2003 02:50:55 AM EST
Posted by: hopsterguy
Oh yeah, and this is a great one... he has as social phobia disorder... so don't push him too hard, he might snap!
Ricky Williams, the Miami Dolphins running back (4.00 / 1) (#316)
by dogeye on Sun Sep 7th, 2003 at 09:33:55 PM EST
http://www.hardcorescooters.com
Ricky Williams suffers from this. He has an interesting website, http://www.runrickyrun.com, where he talks about overcoming the problem.
I have a mild case of Social Anxiety Disorder. I'll always have it, I suppose, but one thing that has helped me out is the confidence I have gained from working out every day.
http://www.hardcorescooters.com Love Life.
Posted by: hopsterguy
Gotta love google... here are the user names
The box below contains the User IDs that this member has used on eBay.
This person's no longer a registered eBay user.
User ID Effective Date End Date
hardcorescooters Sep-09-03 Not a registered user
kpxmotorsports Jan-30-03 Sep-09-03
valuemotorsports Oct-17-02 Jan-30-03
I think these guys are possibly different then the seller on E-Bay now??? Not sure.
Posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: REMike
I don't think so... asearch of Ebay turned up this auction...no doubt this is them.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=46105&item=2497544824&rd=1
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=46105&item=2497544801&rd=1
OTOH, this appears to be a similar kart but NOT KPX
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=46105&item=2497359689&rd=1
Yeah, the first two were the ones I was looking at. I guess it is him. I really like that two seater... Sounds like you were lucky and you got it in a timely manner, anyhow.
The single seater on the bottm there looks really cool... mainly I like the seat, not as crazy about the style otherwise. Pretty cool videos on the products main webpage if you follow the links. Man, a lot of these are coming out on the market!
-Steve
Posted by: hopsterguy
I know, huh? I fly radio control planes as well, and it's the same situation. Keeps the plane prices cheap, that's for sure!
Karts, planes, and nike sneakers at the expense of 60 year old women in Taiwan.
Other than that, I'd really like more of the 250 and 300 cc models to come out... thinking I can't wait though. Double seat would be ideal, though they seem heavy. Single seat and I would really be in trouble, as my excuse of bringing the kids along just went out the door. The evil eye is always lurking. BR>
-Steve
Posted by: hopsterguy
Yeah... I'm pretty good with my hands, and my line of work is fighting people all day... so I might just go for it. And that larger engine thing sounds good too!! heh...
Good luck with the flu, dude... I think it just started over here with someone in the house. I'm sure to get it soon.
-Steve
Posted by: hopsterguy
A pharmacist
And the little old blue hairs ,incompetent doctors, and insurance companies are killing me slowly BR>
You would think the blue hairs would have a better sense of humor... I mean, seriously... their hair is blue. But most of them don't.
I think I'm up for it!
heh
Posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: REMike
My recommendation...2 percoset should take care of the blue hairs
Hah... me or them? I like drugging them... I can handle them when they drool and fall. It's when they talk it gets a little touchy at times. BR>
Posted by: hopsterguy
I emailed a bunch of folks that bought the things on e-bay.... (I don't believe they all are real)
The last buyer that left positive feedback was called entertainment11 ... this is the reply...
...
Great seller..good communication......we love the sand rail!!!
Buyer entertainment11 ( 18) Oct-26-04 12:35
...
You can see , it was just yesterday they left the positive feedback... NOW... this is the response they sent me to my e-mail:
"We bought ours for about the same price as we sell ours on our web site. www.dirtridesandmore.com
Thanks"
Tell me that isn't B.S. ... totally amaturish website... prices inflated... too funny. Has to be someone on the inside...
I mean, why would a seller of these have just bought one off of E-Bay!!???!!!??
Unbelievable
-Steve
Posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: RAPTORAZ
Just some FYI. You all should go check the planetary drive(the reverse mechanism) on your karts. Both of mine and my buddie's Dazon's were bent and on the verge of failure. It's an easy thing to overlook until it breaks. I built some custom brackets last night for both of mine. We'll see how they hold up with paddle tires at Glamis this weekend.
How does he like that Dazon? I keep hearing that they are faster, but I don't see how that is, since it's the same engine and all... right?
-Steve
Posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: RAPTORAZ
Quote
Originally posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: RAPTORAZ
Just some FYI. You all should go check the planetary drive(the reverse mechanism) on your karts. Both of mine and my buddie's Dazon's were bent and on the verge of failure. It's an easy thing to overlook until it breaks. I built some custom brackets last night for both of mine. We'll see how they hold up with paddle tires at Glamis this weekend.
How does he like that Dazon? I keep hearing that they are faster, but I don't see how that is, since it's the same engine and all... right?
-Steve
The engine's in these karts are all VERY similar but they are not exactly the same. They use different CVT/gearcase ratio's and piston/head combinations. The Dazon appears to have the best of all those parts. Lower CVT ratio for better off the line sprints, and bigger valves for better top end breathing. So they are faster from the factory. Even my ported and polished big-valved KPX is unable to beat my buddie's piped-only Dazon. He'll get the holeshot, and then we stay even(me about 2 karts back) until they both top out.
Wow.. okay, good to know. And he is in the double seat Dazon, too?? If that's the case... imagine how much faster off the line the single would be.
Now... is the price worth it? Big price difference there.
Have any experience with the Carter Brothers Talon line??? Wondering how they top out... all three of these are apparantly built by the same factory.
Some sites seem to claim 13 hp on the carters... but I see 11hp claims as well. Get's confusing here.
-Steve
Posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: bickel76
Quote
i have some experience with the carter brothers talon. i'm thinking that the talon is along the lines of the hammerheads and kpx type carts. i have the 2 seater 125 and it tops out right at 36 with the cheap mods that i've made. the worst part about the talons is that if you call the company, they will not send you any parts whatsoever. you have to go to either the place you bought it or a talon dealer. the only problems that we've had so far is everything was loose and everything, even electrical, needed to be gone over. my trans/reverse assembly wobbles also. sounds like that is something that all these similar carts are having problems with.
Wow... that sucks. Can't believe that. You would think Carter would be more responsive to customer services... I guess they just want to feed more sales to a dealer. Well,
I guess it's not that bad since there are a good number of on-line dealers for them. But still.
So what kind of mods did you do to the 125??
-Steve
Posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: RAPTORAZ
Quote
Plus the Dazon's have a bench seat, and I liked the KPX's buckets better.hr>
Yeah, now that you bring it up, the seat is the one real thing that holds me back a little more on the Dazon.
I really don't want to go the $3500 option (raidermax) on dazon to get the buckets. Man, decisions.
Posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: Kell
I am not sure, but the single seat looks more than 75lbs lighter to me. when you factor in no extra seat, way less floor pan, no steel protective skirts for the sides of the rollbar, no fenders, smaller rack, less rollbar etc. At least that is what I was hoping. Put some alloy wheels on their and I bet it would be a lot quicker than my 2 seater. I still like taking my oldest along though.
Have you seen the sandhighway forum?
that cracks me up!
lots of anonymous posts there.
Yeah, that's true about weight... but if the heads/valves are actually different for better breathing, that explains a lot. Why have two different heads out there on the same engine if one is a better performer? Seems counter-productive.
I agree.. the sand highway forums are definately biased. That's why I was looking for opinions here. On the other hand, I found some review forums that were complaining about all the same stuff on the Dazons... poor quality bolts, loose bolts, etc.
But, if the dazons truely are faster, and more powerful out of the box, that can't be ignored I guess.
It does bug me also that the dazons don't come with fenders of some sort.
So, they are missing a lot, yet have an apparantly better breathing engine.
-Steve
Posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: Kell
You can tell its a slow day here at work,
http://www.eastsidems.com
I think they called it a hp kit, I called to make sure they had it in stock (which they didn't at the time)
I had to pay $286 including shipping, but I think they forgot to give me the 10 bucks off.
Got the pipe, intake with air cleaner and jet.
Anyone know if these fit Carter Brothers Talon line or KPX as well? They are all so closely related...
According to the site they say it fits Kasea, Dazon and Twister.
Posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: bickel76
i have some experience with the carter brothers talon. i'm thinking that the talon is along the lines of the hammerheads and kpx type carts. i have the 2 seater 125 and it tops out right at 36 with the cheap mods that i've made. the worst part about the talons is that if you call the company, they will not send you any parts whatsoever. you have to go to either the place you bought it or a talon dealer.
I keep getting different messages here... Just saw on another forum that a person has in fact ordered Talon parts directly from Carter Brothers. He said he actually used the parts on a Hammerhead, but got them by calling Carter directly.
???
Posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: bickel76
Quote
Originally posted by: hopsterguy
Quote
Originally posted by: bickel76
i have some experience with the carter brothers talon. i'm thinking that the talon is along the lines of the hammerheads and kpx type carts. i have the 2 seater 125 and it tops out right at 36 with the cheap mods that i've made. the worst part about the talons is that if you call the company, they will not send you any parts whatsoever. you have to go to either the place you bought it or a talon dealer.
I keep getting different messages here... Just saw on another forum that a person has in fact ordered Talon parts directly from Carter Brothers. He said he actually used the parts on a Hammerhead, but got them by calling Carter directly.
???
i wish that we had that luck in the past. maybe they have changed their policy or he called a different number than what we've been calling.
I did notice they sell a lot of parts right on the Carter Brothers web site www.carterbro.com but none that I saw on the pages were specifically for the Talon line... lot of parts, maybe some of them are. I would think if they sell on their webpage for some carts, that they would let parts go for the others too. Maybe you did have an incorrect phone number or something.
Posted by: hopsterguy
Must in part be the way they are crated but I'm not entirely sure. A kpx twin owner stated to me that he didn't think his was much more than the mid 400's. I would think the Carter DLX model, and the Twister 2 seater would be the heaviest... look at all the extra metal there. Search and you can probably find the true weight to the Hammerhead Twister two seater... I bet they are within ouces of the Carter Tallon DLX II... they look totally identical. Seriously, there are side and front panels where the KPX is wide open.. then the rearview mirror metal attachment area... don't forget the bigger tires (I like the idea of bigger tires) but that's probably another 20lbs total or the larger tires... rubber is pretty heavy. KPX has 19s in the back, carter has 22s... that's a pretty big difference.
Which comes down to another reason I'm torn between KPX, Carter, and Dazon
I really want Fenders, and it burns me that Dazon charges so much, but really have a stripped model that doesn't even have fenders. (wonder if KPX or Carter fenders would attach somehow???? anyone?)
I like the overall package of the KPX, but I really wish the tires were larger like the Dazon and the Carter... I don't particularly want to be messing with tires, rims, and gear ratios right off the bat to get better clearance.
I like the fact that Dazon is said to be the faster of the carts, comes with better breathing engine head... but it's pretty stripped for the price. Also, the dazon has the solid bench like the lower end talons, instead of the bucket seats... another drawback.
All and all, I'm leaning more towards the Dazon Twin seater, I guess... it looks light, and already has the engine ready to breath a little better, and the larger tires. If I can find out if the available fenders out there will fit or not, that will probably make the difference for me at this point.
Guys that have built the Carter/KPX/or Hammerhead models with fenders... How was the fender attached? Did it look l
