When you think of go-carts you think of children’s ride on toys or smaller gas powered go karts. Don’t tell that to the millions of adults racing go carts and off road buggies these days. Everything from indoor go kart tracks to off road machines are skyrocketing in popularity. Most adults go for thrills and adventures that off-road rail buggies bring them and that is why they are often pegged to be go carts for adults.
Off road go carts are often ridden on rough terrains such as dunes and muddy dirt-paths. These kinds of terrains pose a greater challenge to a go carting enthusiast as it’s not easy to navigate them. A driver must be adept at maneuvering the machine as well as knowing when to back down and try a different way in order to succeed overcoming rough grounds. The speed and the shocks are added bonuses for true-blue adrenaline junkies and this deems it necessary to consider them go karts for adults.
Off Road Go Karts
Off road go carts are perfect for adult carting buffs because adults are expected to be more mature in operating potentially risky vehicles. Often called dune buggies or rail buggies, adults are expected gauge the severity of terrain. Nonetheless, some adults still risk trying to conquer a terrain no matter how dangerous and unsteady it appears. Also, off-road buggies are perfect for adults because these machines are very powerful. Off-roaders require strength to control the powerful machine. Also, off-road buggies come with big wheels, big frames and bigger engines that are not really kid-friendly.
Street Racing Go Carts
Street racing karts can be seen with adults behind the wheel. It starts at the young age of 8 but many get into this sport well into their twenties. It is often a pre cursor to much bigger racing avenues such as Indy and Nascar. Street racing karts (gearbox/shifter karts) are often referred to as Superkarts because they can reach speeds of 160 mph. Go cart racing is the most economical of all four wheeled motorsports.
Indoor Go Cart Tracks
There are indoor go kart tracks such as F1 in Boston that specialize in go kart racing and corporate get togethers that allow you to hone in on your skills so to speak. The age range varies from ages 7 to adult. Some of the adult go-karts reach 60 mph which is a lot faster when your 3 inches off the ground as opposed to riding in a car. They also have a go karting school among other businesses. So if you think go carts are for kids only, think again. The adults run the household and you might just have to take a back seat to dad when you go to the go cart track.
Adult Pedal Go Carts
The adult pedal kart has a huge following that you might now know about. Companies like Berg and Ferbedo manufacture these cool machines in Europe. They have retailers all over the world and their pedal go carts for adults sell for between $500 and $3000. The Berg Ferrari F1 pedal go-kart is hugely popular and looks the part.
There are, of course, off-roaders for kids but these off-road go carts for kids are built with smaller frames and wheels and to withstand only such terrains as grassy lawns and less rough dirt trails. The off-road buggies for adults are bigger and are definitely harder for kids to maneuver if not totally impossible. Adults should also be cautioned to have kids ride with them in their adult off-roaders when taming dangerous terrains even with protection such as helmets, knee pads and elbow pads.
Buying Tips
One of the biggest concerns one should make when purchasing any sort of off road buggy or kart is whether the product has good user support. By that I mean is the manufacturer easy to contact and do they have good customer service. Are parts readily available? Many of your go kart parts and buggies are Chinese manufactured and sold through drop shippers on Ebay with no care for warranty or parts support. You need to take this into consideration especially with off road vehicles as the best models will break down eventually. Here is a list of reliable companies to purchase from courtesy of www.buggyinfo.com:
Blade Powersports (150SX 150DX 250DX) (50cc, 150cc, 250cc off road buggies)
XATV (Yamabuggy) 400cc
Dazon (Raider)(90cc, 150cc, 175cc, 250cc off road buggies)
TJ Powersports (TJPowersports Twister Hammerhead)(150cc, 250cc off road buggies)
Carter Brothers Carter Talon(150cc, 250cc off road buggies and standard go-karts)
Carter Brothers Carter Interceptor XRV GTR 250 and XRV GTR 300 (250cc, 300cc off road buggies)
Kinroad Sahara(150cc, 250cc off road buggies)
KPX Xterro and KPX Terranex (150cc, 250cc off road buggies) Now distributed by Kinroad as Super Run 150 and 250!!
Kasea (Adventure Buggy)(150cc, 250cc off road buggies)
Joyner Sand Devil, Joyner Dirt Devil, Joyner Sand Spider (150cc, 250cc, 650cc, 800cc, 1100, 1600 (1.6L) off road buggies)
Tomberlin Crossfire(150cc off road buggy)
LJTech LJ-2 (1000cc, 1100cc off road karts)
Baja Motorsports (Dune 150, Reaction 150) (150cc)
Yamabuggy XATV XRover 400cc (scorpion 400cc )
Companies to Avoid
There are some companies based on other respected authorities such as www.Buggyinfo.com and www.Buggynews.com as well as the BBB that I would avoid. If you do decide to look into one of their models at least beware and proceed with caution. They have a reputation for selling buggies with a warranty which does not exist and their parts are nowhere to be found. The dealerships that retail them are usually comprised of various names do it is difficult to know who your buying from.
SUNL(150cc, 250cc, 800cc off road karts)
Roketa(150cc, 250cc, 800cc off road karts)
