Off Road Go Karts

RC Trucks Home Page
Home Page of RC Trucks with many more links to other pages.

Go Carts
Full scale go cart fun!

Fast Go Carts
How fast are fast go carts?

Racing Go Karts
The thrill of racing!

Off Road Go Karts
A look at off road go karts.

Honda Odyssey
One of the original off road karts that started it all years ago.

Twister Hammerhead
An example of a popular off road go kart.

Twister Hammerhead Engine
Engine design is based on Honda GY6 engine.

GY6 Engine Mods
Some ways to increase the power of a 150cc GY6 engine.

Dazon
Manufacturer of  popular off road go karts.

Carter Go Carts
A popular go cart company.

Manco Go Karts
Another popular go kart company.

Build Your Own Go Kart
Ways to build your own go kart.

Go Kart Engines
Choose the right engine for your go kart project.

Site Map
Directory showing all pages on this website.

The world of off road go karts is quickly growing!  These machines are growing in popularity because they can offer safety advantages and better pricing over conventional ATV's.  There are now many choices that are becoming available.  The competition between companies that market these machines makes for some exciting products at very competitive prices.  This page contains an overview of these fun off road vehicles and how they differ from traditional go carts.   

First of all, most off road go karts are not the toys that many people think about when they hear the words: "go cart".  In fact, most of these off road vehicles seem to be targeting the adult driver and not children like the "toy" models do.  The power and performance of these machines require the responsibility of an adult driver because the higher speeds and greater performance can lead to greater risks in the event of an accident. 

For comparison, below is a picture showing what many people think about when they think of go carts.  Here is an example of a typical children's model...    

Right away, you can see some big differences in the design of an off road go cart compared to a kid's cart.  Off road machines usually have much larger wheels and tires.  This helps provide the extra ground clearance and traction needed in off road conditions.  In addition, they typically have full suspensions with shock absorbers in front and back to help smooth out rough terrain driving.  A kid's model usually has a simple frame with no suspension action.  Off road go karts typically also have more powerful engines that enable these vehicles to climb up hills and reach higher top speeds.  In addition, many of them come with reverse.  This can be very handy when encountering obstacles that require backing up!  They usually also have much more aggressive styling.  They look more like a dune buggy.   

There are quite a few of these machines that are manufactured in China and sold into the US under various names and brands.  Many of them are powered by the same basic 150cc and 250cc engine designs.  These engines are not like the typical small engine found on children's models.  These engines are more like a motorcycle design.  In fact, both the popular 150cc and 250cc powerplants used in many of the Chinese vehicles are based on scooter motors.  These engines may appear to be small, but they provide a surprisingly fun driving experience.  Some of the 150cc off road go carts will push close to 40mph and offer surprisingly good climbing ability.  The 250cc models are supposed to have a little more climbing power and top speeds over 40mph and some even approaching 50mph.  Both of these engines found on many of these karts come equipped with CVT automatic transmissions that automatically shift between different ratios to offer good acceleration and climbing ability and also higher top speeds.

So, go karts are not just for kids anymore!  Now grown adults can jump in and enjoy the thrills too.  As the competition grows, the number of off road go cart choices and features seems to be increasing while the prices are decreasing.  This is a good situation for the buyer!

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