There are no sporting fetishes quite like go karting. The thrill of the wind in your hair as you race down the track, neighborhood street or back woods road. The question isn’t “to go kart, or not?”, it’s electric go carts or Gas! Electric carts have become quite popular in recent years especially among parents and rightfully so. There are several reasons for this, first and foremost they are safer and have zero-emissions. They are also cheaper to maintain and can be run indoors or out. Electric go karts require little maintenance as opposed to their gas counterparts. While most go-carts are gas powered the trend has changed in recent years.
ELECTRIC TYPES
There are two basic types of go cart on the market along with many different manufacturers. The newer buggy style go kart that resembles a dune buggy is extremely popular with its bigger stature and aggressive look – It especially appeals to young boys although often made for adults considering they are made for off road. The lower profile “racing style” cart is typically seen at amusement or theme parks. There are also various other styles built to resemble Nascar and Indycar race cars as well as trucks. I wanna take a look at the advantages of electric karts.
BATTERIES
The ease of recharge-ability at any outlet you can bring your extension cord to. Some even have a quick release battery that allow you to easily remove the battery so that you can bring it inside if you prefer, after parking your tired go cart. If you don’t prefer the hassle of driving to the gas station every time you pull out your gokart, having batteries can be a major plus for you.
WEIGHT
Go-karts that have battery powered engines or electric go kart motors, weigh less then their gas powered competitors. This can be a plus if you ever have to pick up your go cart, is you don’t have a heavy weight towing trailer or truck. It’s easy on your shocks and on your spine.
FLUIDS
If you have a kart that has an electric motor, instead of one that has a battery powered engine, you are likely not to have to deal with many fluids. The electric go kart motor is unique in that the majority of them are lubrication free. Granted they tend to be small slow go karts, but it’s still a bonus if you don’t prefer to get your hands dirty when repairing or keeping up maintenance on your kart. Not to mention the go cart parts will be less messy as well.
LOW NOISE
Most electric carts are fairly quiet compared to their gas powered counterparts. If you are planning to use your one in city or rural areas, keeping a low profile with a quieter Razor brand is likely to be the option you should seek.
UPGRADES
Though many brands like Razor electric go karts are harder to replace when it comes to small repairs, the installation of newer better engines and parts is much wider than what is available for gas powered karts. On top of that, there are some cool digital accessories that can be easily added if that’s what rocks your boat.
SIZE
If you’re looking for something a bit compact, whether you have a small truck, small garage or you’d just like something that isn’t nearly the same size as your car, then the minimoto electric go kart may be just what the doctor ordered and also able to offer you more. Electric karts are usually smaller for less need of engine parts, minus the gas tank and other fluid retainers and you can find plenty of dainty little carts to suit your pleasure and your capacity needs.
BRANDS
Go cart electric brands are more scarce in recent years probably due to the economy. However there are some brands that continue to corner the electric go kart market. Hammerhead and Razor are the two most popular electric go kart brands on the market. They offer smaller 5-10 mph carts with up to two hours of continuous operation for kids. Hammerhead offers a 4000 watt 48000 volt utility vehicle that doubles as a golf cart.
ELECTRIC VS GAS POWERED
Electric go-carts are much safer than gas karts because of the toxic fumes which can be inhaled by children as well as combustible parts that are fire hazards. Electric go-karts are far less noisy compared to gas go karts which makes them a favorite in neighborhoods and indoor tracks. Electric karts are cheaper to operate since they have less working parts and typically are more reliable. They are usually slower compared to gas models so in the racing circuits gas powered is the cart of choice.
WHERE TO PURCHASE ELECTRIC GO-CARTS
As always the internet has the biggest selection of go carts in general. Try to buy local first, local classified newspaper, yard sales etc.. before you hit the web and have to drive or pay an arm and leg for shipping. Your local ATV or motorcycle dealers will have electric carts. Pep Boys offers carts as well. Online sources include Ebay, Amazon and Craigslist for new and used electric go carts. Traderonline will also have a huge selection of used karts. NOTE: Many of your brand name dealers have a web presence on these sites.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Even though electric go-carts are somewhat safe especially compared to gas there are many precautions to take with regard safety and go carting in general. A helmet is always required when driving any machine. Safety glasses, gloves, and the proper footwear should be worn at all times particularly if racing is involved. A race suit would be the choice of wear in this situation.
BUYING TIPS
If buying used then a mechanic needs to be with you to assess the go carts mechanical prowess. You will want to consider the steering assembly. It needs to be accurate as well as reactive. A steering mechanism where it is attached to the front axle offers front wheel drive. This is most commonly used on most kids electric go carts. You will also want to check to make certain it is equipped with a good set of tires . A good choice is the strong, lightweight, 10-inch pneumatics and a good option to stop the cart is the disc brake system (standard with Hammerhead).
An electric powered go cart can be found for under $200. This is less than half the starting price for its gas powered counterpart. Down the road you will save considerable money in maintenance. The electric powered go carts do not face the repairs associated with gasoline engines, particularly in the area of breakdowns and oil leaks. Also, since there are few moving parts in the electric cart they seldom break down or require repairs.
If you have a huge garage, a nearby gas station and some back woods to play around with, a gas cart might be better for you. If you live in the city and sometimes get over to a gravel pit our back woods, but mostly ride on city streets or rural roadways, an electric powered go kart is likely to be the right fit for you. This isn’t the say all either, there are plenty of opposite scenario’s. Continue to do your research on the different aspects of go karting available these days and you’ll be sure to find go carts for sale that can make your days more enjoyable.
HONORABLE MENTION
It is worth mentioning that these same companies offer electric racing go carts. There is great demand in cart racing at all levels.
