This is a physics project that I did. The only specifications for the project were "Do something cool with technology." It also meant "Build something cool." That set my mind racing. I grouped up with a friend, TehFunk, and we decided to build something amazingly cool out of some old stuff. What we came up with is a design for a go-kart.

Our initial design for this project was very simple. Two small, fixed-gear bicycles welded parallel with a frame in the middle (to look like a carriage/cart type thing). Then, we'd mount an old horizontal-shaft lawn mower engine on it. We'd connect the output of the motor via slip clutch and V-belts to the bike's drive sprocket and tie the steering together. Then, we'll install more brakes if needed.

That was the idea, but didn't exactly work out like that.

(And sorry there are no pictures of the build. I decided to do this instructable after I had already finished it, so the documentation is mostly text. Hence why the metal is so rusty in all of the pictures...)

Step 1: Get a Motor

Luckily we found a free motor. It's an old 4 HP Briggs and Stratton horizontal shaft 4-stroke engine. It hadn't been running. Apparently it was running at one point, but when we got it it wasn't throwing a spark. After opening it up and filing and gapping the points, it still wouldn't throw a spark. I found out that the wire running to the ignition coil had broken, so i soldered it back together and threw some heat shrink on it. Then we cleaned up the magnetos and did a general cleanup of the engine. We tried again, and luckily we got a spark. After some ether in the carburetor, the thing fired right up. It was pretty rough. The idle wasn't even at all and it kind of sputtered and shuttered. We got a new spark plug and muffler for it.

The next step in getting the motor ready was to clean the carburetor. The idle was really rough and it was evident that the fuel mixture wasn't being delivered properly. I pulled off the carb and cleaned the entire thing with Gumout carb cleaner. Those chemicals are nasty and will eat through anything, including latex gloves. I soaked the carb in the Gumout and using a toothbrush to knock off old deposits. I replaced the gaskets to the fuel tank and the head, and the motor ran much better. I could use the fuel adjustment screw to adjust the amount of fuel getting to the motor, and tuned it to a nice low idle speed.

Now, the motor was ready to be put into action.
I did something similar a few years ago, only I spend about $160 and put on a Torq-A-Verter torque converter. Got rid of the need for the bike's 'transmission' and still had something that could get me moving pretty quick. I got the darn thing up to 15mph just at half power on 5&quot; wheels. Northern Tool sells them now but you'd have to put a 41 pitch sprocket on your drive wheel. Then bolt that Torq-A-Vert to your engine, crank it up and off you go!
Torq-A-Verter is a specific name from a brand I believe. The general name for this transmission is a CVT or Continously Variable Transmission. Almost every snowmobile has one, argo's do sometimes, as well as quads. The pulley sizes change giving you high torque for take off and high rpms at high speed, very handy, and would be great for something like this.
okay well im just beginning on stuff like this, &quot;mechanical engineering&quot; i guess, and i want to know where i could start with something under $50 and do something like this?
Junk yard. Find a bunch of old bikes, make sure if something on one is bad, another has that part. Find a rototillers or something with a horizontal shaft engine, and make sure the shaft turns. If it turns a bit and the engine looks decent, then it should run again. Try and find 2 engines, preferably Briggs and Stratton. Briggs are common and the parts from one fit the other usually. Grab some scrap metal as well and you should be set. If you do this, you can do something like this for free, or cheap. Some junkyards do charge you, mine doesn't, it depends.
i got my horizontal engine off a trashed pocket rocket (mini motor bike) and just swapped the sprocket and chain.
i have that same engine is a Briggs and Stratton 121601 2HP
a lawn mower
Try Harbor Freight and search for engine. They have a 6.5 HP unit for $119.
coolstuff100 Look at some older snowblowers. P.S. the capitals and !'s make you sound rude.
ummmmmm, yeah... u can get 1 from granger.
homedepot, ace's, or&nbsp;junkyard
<p><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1269375464338_740">HOW IN THE WORLD DID U GET A HORIZONTIL ENGINE WHERE AT MAX ENGINES.</span></p>
where do you buy/get a horizontal engine
ebay...<br />
if you ran you smae design to hold then engine on both sides of the bike, would it be to hard to turn?
I thought of building something like this, but I wanted to retain two wheels... How much of an angle can you put a horizontal engine on without damaging it?
I ran a horizontal engine vertically just fine you just have to shift how the carb sits
well we had a horizontal shaft compressor engine that ran happily for 12 years and at time it was in the disconnected trailer (like a car trailer) only big annoyance was the petrol tank as it could easily have fuel in it but no run while tilted... also any lubrication can't be gravity fed or it might seize
couldn't a modification of the tank to include a heavily funneled section prevent this?
Yeah We eventually took the tank off and beat the bottom round with a hammer... the tanks are designed to be low profile, I suppose for compactness and safety...
wouldnt It be better kinda making a recumbent seat and front And Attaching that in the center As you would be relaxed and it'd have better handling Balance and a helluva lot safer
I love that clutch of yours. I always kindda wanted to build a go kart but didn't want to have to buy the clutch. It would be more fun to build it anyway.
Great- my favorite part of this Instructable was what DIDN'T work, and why. Very very helpful to let us all earn from your mistakes, thanks a lot!
I now know what my BHSCSPOTY (Big Humungo Super Cool Summer Project Of The Year) for 2008 is!<br/><h2>THANKU!</h2>
very cool. good job!
im making an electric one wit two full bike and a chair in the middle
Is that a passenger seat?
I wanted to make a pneumatic bike with a die grinder, but never got around to it. Nice
I had an idea similar to this but modifying the frame to hold the engine and keep a 2 wheel setup, never got round to it but tried the equations and if an 8 horsepower engine could get up to the governed 3500rpm in the lowest gear then the bike could do in excess of 70mph but that would require incredibley high torque. however what about a pneumatic bike 100litre air reservoir in a trailer and the motor from a 500ftlb torque wrench would be interesting, running at 40psi rather than 90 it could be giving maybe 200ftlbs of pedal power which would equate to someone tiny pedalling with the force of a huge guy... maybe someday... or a nitrogen bottle putting out 110psi regulated, would give insane run time and would be able to move at full motor rpm in top gear of a 21 speed, while climbing a hill. I can vouch for the power of these items and I do in fact have a motor from one of these wrenches that is not in use as the hammer action is broken (which saves the retro engineering...
Isn't that a little too complex?
really yes it's just one of those crazy ideas that I must do someday the engine one is full possible though I would like to see the details of your clutch system as mine consisted mainly of using one of the forward gear wheels as a free spinning idler, but that still doesn't make a smooth clutch change...
Killing a classic Schwinn for shame (hanging head and sheddin a tear for my lost childhood) , otherwise very nice idea .add some pics of the build and a vid of it running please...
pictures of construction would be nice...

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Bio: Developing projects for HowToons @ Squid Labs.
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