Kicking Up Dirt In A CycleKart

Sweet!

Great site. Written with typically dry Brit-like humor, and not taking themselves TOO seriously. They're having way too much fun.

Who on the HAMB will have the first one?

A track roadster would be bitchin'

 

now, that looks like a lot of fun!

 

I foresee skyrocketing prices of Honda motorcycle wheels on ebay....

 

Well, if we start a local chapter, I'm voting for opening up the wheel spec.
I have quite a few Suzuki and Kawasaki rims bouncing around here.
And ZERO Honda spokes.

Looks like a buttload of fun.

 

MAN , Now you impressed me BIG TIME
Had NO idea there was a thing called CycleKart .. much less did I know about that zite you presented . Obviously a gang of fun-loving people with a good eye for automotive dezign & tech
MOST Excellent stuff !
Thanx a LOT for sharing !!
Klaz

 

If you go over to MetalMeet.com forums page, about 1/2 way down there is a Cyclecar forum, not real active but there are some pics of builds etc. I found out about cyclecarts there a few years ago.

 

They look cool, but give me an historic midget anytime. The real deal.

 

I've been toying w/the idea that as gas prices keep rising (and they will). Building a street legal version of something like this, (only maybe slightly bigger) might be a fun way to get around town when you don't need to fire up the larger rod or custom. My point being you’d still be stylin’ in a cool, unique, home built ride that wouldn’t break the bank every time you fired it up. for hitting the part’s store, or grabbing lunch… How cool it looked would be up to the builder just like with our rod's or customs… Right? Just tossin’ around ideas…

 

I stumbled on the whole cyclekart thing when I was reading the Cyclecar thread too. I had already planned to make that my next project a speedster, but this really has got my creative juices surging.

Couple of years out though. I can't even get my RPU done right now.

I'd like to see some detail on how they attach the wheels to the spindles. Homemade spindles or using model T? I'm guessing some kind of machined bearing races to make them work.

 

I love these karts! I would like to see some one build one with a engine with some more power. Geez, only 6.5hp, I like the one's with the inline fours. Some body should build theirs with a 30-40hp to keep the weight down and still have fun. A small V-twin would be great, some thing in the 200-300cc range like this http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200333302_200333302, Or an old suzuki motorcycle engine... That would be mucho fun.

 

We should cut and paste this paragraph into the "rules" for the HA/GR class...

"CycleKarts and their builder/drivers don't like to take things too seriously, and certainly not themselves or each other, so overzealous competitiveness is frowned upon, and a win-at-any-cost attitude is not invited back. We do encourage good, sporting competitions for fun, to which end the cars are kept reasonably similar in performance."

I think we'd get a whole lot more people showing up to join in the fun!

Anywho, off the soap box and on to the CycleKarts... I can remember my grandpa with a Popular Mechanics book of some sort with plans on how to build one of these... I used to dream about robbing the motor out of his lawn mower and screwing (nailing) one of these together...

Now though... I could see getting four 19" Motorcycle wheels... a laminated wood frame... maybe a Honda motersickle engine and WOA!

Sam.

 

Ditch the 200cc motorcycle engine and swap in the engine and trans out of a suzuki samurai!!! (60 hp 1300cc all aluminum 4 cylinder and tiny little manual transmission).

You might need real brakes though.

 

The concept of cyclekarts/cars has been around a long time, in one form or another.

 

I agree with what Sam posted. My father has never forgiven me for dismantling his power-tiller when I was a child. I helped a friend build a big off road kart (powered by a 250cc Honda Super Hawk twin) back in high school. This bug has been in me a long time.

One good source of info on this sort of thing is the Curved Dash Olds site. I think they changed the name to something like Horseless Carriage ... They have all sorts of stuff on making spindles, steering, and lacing wheels. I warn you, don't get on there and cause trouble these guys are very proper, retired, gentlmen types.

If MOKAN MAN is reading. . . a good man with a grader could srape him up a kart track in about half a day. I might offer him some free engineering services. . .

 

so clark needs to build a couple of them and they need to be raced at the jalopyshowdown. let me know when the build starts and ill be up to help. i want one of my own to put clark in the fence at latimore. just kidding larry

 

My wheels are already turnin! I dont think I can stick to the rules though. hahaha......I've got a ducati twin screaming for me to stuff it in something like that! woo hoo!

 

Peter Stevenson is the guy who started the CycleKart thing, and he's been writing articles about how to make neat stuff forever. His 1971 book, "The Art of Making Wooden Toys", was an inspiration to me when I was still a freshman toy designer.

The e-mail link on the CycleKart site, which I think went to him, doesn't work. I hope Mr. Stevenson is still OK.

 

Here you go.

http://www.smallcarplans.com/index.html

It also has links to the other sites.

 

This is a good alternative to SFVISBF for those of us who live on the praire and have no good hills to coast down. Peter Stevenson did a great kids book called "The Buffy-Porson: A car you can build and drive". I used the plans to help a friends son build one when he was a kid. Looked like a 1934 MG racer. The Cycle Karts look like Buffys with engines.

 

That would be a fun one, It's looks like their are lot's of upgrades for those engines. There is one for sale on EBAY right now. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1-3L...013QQitemZ230207147356QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

 

man...I've got some tube that's too small for a hotrod frame, but perfect for something smaller...hmmm.....

 

When I was a kid,my buddy and I used to race Karts with Rotax,250cc bike engines. They were called Zip Karts. 5speed,water-cooled,body looked like a little Indy car. He was clocked at Daytona at 148 MPH! We raced at Willow Springs,Riverside,Ontario,and Daytona. A guy named Tony Murphy put on a shiftercart series,with 250's and 125's,at Willow Springs Race Track. We raced the same weekends as the WERA Superbikes. He raced until about 85,then got married. Those were fun times. I'f I can find some of my pic's,i'll post them.

 

Wow, just got back in town and find this!

I think I remember the Road&Track article. I love the disclaimer - "...don't build one of these.They are dangerous and you will get hurt." - yeah, that'll scare off the HAMBers!

Well I will build one if I could get some other Texas guys to do one too.
Not to spoil the "more is better" hot rodder mentality, the idea is to have a matched set of cars. And the guys said they tried many options and more power, etc. just made it more complicated (expensive) and less fun.

Now, a little 'deuce grill, long hood, a tub style body...

 

Yeah these are cool as anything. I just started building my CycleKart. Pretty excited myself.

I'll post some beginning stages pics:









Good day,
Ryan Wasson

Anvil Customs
www.anvilcustoms.com

Custom Leatherwork

 

Welcome anvilcustom. Cool project.

 

Keep us up to date on this.

 

Very cool. I need to slow down at some other things so I can do something like this.

 

Here are some more pics of my CycleKart Build. This is a fun little project that isn't costing much, as you can imagine. I am hoping to have this rolling in another week, will post more pics soon.

• 36" rear live axle with installed wheel hubs will create a 38" wide track for this thing. Front end will also be 38" wide.
• I've got the spindles/brackets for the front and should have that put together in a couple of days. I am opting for SQUARE tubing on the Drop Axle front end, instead of round tubing. May not look as good, but for my purposes.....
• The plywood box (body) is complete, minus screwing down the floorboard and hood....won't do that until I have slots cut in floorboard for gas/brake pedals, etc.
• I will foam the hood, front end, and rear end housing and then FIBERGLASS finish it, then paint of course.
• I was going to use a Woodstrip Method (like old canoes), but decided weight would be an issue.
• My next Kart will be sheet metaled.
• Oh yeah, the DASH is from a Model T. Kind of a relic piece for the kart....makes it more fun.
• I will stretch my steering column and install soon as well.

I have added a page to my website with more BUILD progress, plus pics of other CycleKarts that have been built....check it out: http://anvilcustoms.com/id78.html

 

yeah, that's the problem. that thing is almost too beautiful to race....
almost...

 

This pic is just too freakin' cool.