What age bracket are you in? Junior (<16), Senior (16+) or Masters (30+)
Masters
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your mechanical ability, or willingness to wrench on things?
7
Talk a little about your racing experience so far.
Casual weekend karting, not on a race track. Friends are all involved in racing hornets, I’d like to stick with karts. We’ve all been obsessed with racing since we were kids.
What’s the main thing you need help with to get you started.
I don’t want to buy something that will break after a few practice sessions at my local race track.
Looking to buy this kart tomorrow. Price is right and it seems to have everything an LO206 kart needs if I decide to race in 2021, minus 1 or 2 things.
I would make sure and check the non-drive side seat stay. They crack on OTKs and with that much weight I would imagine it could very well be cracked.
With used karts it’s most important to see the bottom, that’s where the wear shows and you can get a better idea of the usage. Looks for flat spots and gouges, did it have chassis protectors?
Has the right clutch and good engine mount, price actually seems really good. With karts almost being given away now with the off season price could be good or it could have some issues with the chassis being more worn.
Where do you plan to race? Parts availability is good with OTK as shark shifter here in Oregon ships fast and Tri-cities if you race there has some decent on track parts support for OTK.
Thanks for the help. I will be practicing at Horn Rapids and maybe racing sometime next year.
I am concerned about cracks and wear on the bottom. If it has been cracked and fixed with a new weld, would this be a deal breaker? Could I still use it for practice or will it break on its own if I ride the curb too hard? I know this isn’t ideal, but if I really get into this I am willing to buy a new chassis if I decide to compete.
Should I wait for more off-season deals and expand my search radius to include OR and ID? I’m willing to drive a few hours away if I find a good deal. I’m searching on Facebook for go karts and I’d rather not. I’m hoping there’s a HUB where people go to sell their used karts, but I can’t seem to find one.
Some people actually prefer it already cracked since the weld could hold up better than original. I have a welded kart, it’s actually somewhat OK especially for used. Horn Rapids has a fast S with a curb you have to hit that eventually cracks a lot of karts…but it’s super fun.
I wouldn’t worry about breaking much, 4 stroke karts are pretty resilient if they were taken care of. Spin the wheels, see how the bearings feel. Check for rust, you will see scrapes on the bottom, it’s normal, just make sure no serious grinding. It seems like a decent deal overall if those things I mentioned are in tact.
Check the steering shaft and make sure it’s not bent, look at the tie rods, see if they are bent. Those type of things can indicate usage. Most people will say their frame is straight but not many actually have a table to verify.
For that price, you can’t really ask for much more. If you go up another thousand you could get a lot more for your money in terms of a nicer, newer kart. Can’t tell from here what tires look like but just plan on getting a new set which is about 220, just will have to pay attention to the brand and make sure you get Lecont which is what is mostly run in the northwest.
In the end, if it’s a decent kart and you get into it you can get a new chassis and get some $$ back as OTK usually has good resale.
Thanks, Evan, that’s super helpful info. I feel much better prepared for tomorrow when I go check it out.
Which new karts would be at the $3,300 price point? That’s a bit more than I would want to pay right now, but that price point would be where I start if I decide to do this for multiple years.
Well you can get a LO206 new for about $700, from there I would say $2500 is a sweet spot for 1-2 year old chassis. For instance I have a friend selling an almost new birel that was built by a top level national racer and I don’t think he was asking much more for the chassis than that.
In regards to welding frames… Our local track 2019 206 Senior Champion who won 80% of the races in a pretty stacked field was on an old Arrow 4S that had probably 20 welds on. I’m not talking just seat struts and existing seams. I mean tubing broke in half and welded at the track welds.
The seller is a member of the board at Horn Rapids and he recently became a dealer of kart parts, so I figured he had a few good reasons not to swindle me. A few days have passed and I’m still pleased with the transaction.
Now I need to get it cleaned up, buy some lead, buy an adult seat, and I’m basically ready to go.
The only thing I’m struggling to figure out is where to put it! We have a big shop, but there isn’t a lot of spare room for it. I’m thinking about trying to find an enclosed trailer, but that’s likely another $2-3k…!
I can believe that. The only issue is I’ve never welded anything in my life! I have a few buddies who can, but they won’t likely be at my practices/races. If 2021 goes well and I want to do this for awhile, there will be a few skills I pick up; welding will likely be one of them. I want to be self reliant by the end of the year if possible. I’d like to bring some nephews and kids to the track and be able to fix things on the go.
Congrats! Happy it worked out. You are going to love it.
As far as cleaning, WD40 is your friend. For the seat, be careful here and make sure it fits, I am sitting with my first seat in my kart with a ton of padding as well as broken ribs to show for an incorrectly fit seat. It should fit tighter than you expect it too and you need to test it with your rib protector on (oh yea invest in a good one, Bengio is a favorite).
For lead, make sure you double lock nut the weight and people like to generally put it down low. Most 206 karts I believe are in the 170lb range but you really want to get it weighed-some people buy 4 cheap scales from amazon to get a general weight and to corner balance if you care.
As far as storage, you can stand it up but fuel will leak back so make sure fuel is empty.
Thanks! Yeah I did a quick seat test at the seller’s home and we’re thinking I’m a size 2 seat once I have rib protectors on. Favorite place to shop for various kart parts like that?
I need to make a list…
Yeah I’m happy it worked out, thanks. I didn’t expect to have to use Facebook, but it turned out to be the best way to find a deal. I was looking for anything within a 3 hour driving range and got lucky with something closer.
When you find a deal that seems good, share it on the forum and I’m sure you’ll get good feedback.
I do need to find myself a kart stand. I’m about to finally get my hands on the kart to do some cleaning up and oil changing, so I’m hoping to find one local. I can’t imagine how long it’d take to get one shipped during the holidays.
My brother and I got a trailer over the weekend. I figured I’d keep my updates in this same thread.
We found a good deal on a 6x12 in Post Falls, ID. I got 25mpg on the way up and 12mpg on the way back
We’ll spend some time over Christmas break getting it modded the way we want, and I adjusted the security cams at our shop so I can keep an eye on it when I’m home! We’re pretty excited about it.
I’ve spent a few hours perusing the popular trailer thread and I’m getting all kinds of ideas. We’re definitely coating the bottom, but not sure with what yet- maybe a can of this Kilz waterproofing coating?
It oh, you’re in deep.lol. Currently building out a trailer myself, started this season with my dirt bike utility trailer, got a 5x8, then a bigger car and just got a 6x12. Makes it much easier to lug around.
Also nice for races like this weekends race which was wet.
