Gold Kart for sale on Facebook -- good idea/bad idea?

#1

Where are you located?

Seattle area

What age bracket are you in? Junior (<16), Senior (16+) or Masters (30+)

Masters 30+

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your mechanical ability, or willingness to wrench on things?

7? I work on my car (oil, fluids, tires, brake pads, etc), but mostly by following youtube videos. I know nothing about karts, sprockets, clutches, etc.

Talk a little about your racing experience so far.

Rental kart racing, rented a rotax once.

What’s the main thing you need help with to get you started.

I’m in the market for an lo206, not in a rush, probably won’t race til next summer. Saw this 2019 Gold Kart w/ lo206 for sale, wanted to get people’s opinions on it:

Not one of the common brands, so I have no idea what to make of it. Thoughts?

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#2

Looks pretty clean and well sorted.

#3

Any concerns with getting parts for this brand?

#4

Parts shouldn’t be a problem.

Gold is one of those brands that is a good as anything, but their image\marketing isn’t maybe as trendy as others.

They are made by Righetti Ridolfi who make a full range of karting components under their own brand and several others. So while the Gold brand isn’t as well known, RR stuff is on a LOT of karts.

As best as one can tell over the internet, that’s a pretty good deal!

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#5

It looks like there is a fresh weld on the left seat stay (i think) as long as that was done to adjust the seat width it should be fine. The price almost seem like to good of deal.

#6

If you’re just starting, this is a great starter kart. Parts are cheap from Midnight Motorsport (in Richland area) but you can also get them from almost anywhere else mail order. As James said, Righetti Ridolfi makes them and they are one of the big parts manufacturers, so they are available in many places.

They seem to go ok in LO206, there are likely better karts, but if your lap times are not within 5 tenths of the quickest, I wouldn’t worry about the kart you have, focus on your driving.

Have you checked out your local track and dealers, you could do a race rental for about $250?

Tracks
https://psgka.com/
https://pacificgp.com/
Dealer - https://www.facebook.com/hugglerracingengines/

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#7

I know the guy personally. It’s a great kart. Well sorted. He is meticulous and has gone through the kart front to back and make sure it’s perfect

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#8

P.S. I bought it!

Now I’m on the hunt for a junior/cadet/kid kart …

#9

If you’re in the NW an OTK just went up from a local family here in Portland.

#10

I do have a kid kart question, perhaps rather than starting a new thread… My kids are:

5yrs old, 43" tall, 38lbs
7.5yrs old, 48" tall, 52lbs

They are both on the small/skinny side for their age. Ideally, I’d get a kart that would accommodate both of them. What size kart should I be looking for? It’s a bit confusing between kid kart, cadet, rookie, junior, etc.

How does that kart in Portland compare to this one: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/370505497346564/

#11

I don’t have experience with kid karts but knowing there weight difference it could be challenging to add/remove weight if kids karts have weight restrictions.

Not familiar with that second kart but can tell you that OTK are a very popular kart, tons of parts support in the NW and many people prefer them as their quality of top notch.

I would maybe message Jennifer with the Facebook ad, here kids race and she is pretty knowledgeable and can maybe help with your questions.

#12

FYI the one I linked is an MBA 2015 chassis with an engine already mounted.

My nearest track (PGSKA) has no restrictions on kid kart weight (non-competition class).

#13

That’s probably a really good deal. Especially if it’s turnkey.

#14

They would both be on a Kid Kart like the one you linked. The other was a Cadet. There are basically three different chassis sizing in sprint karting. Kid, the smallest (5-8 yo), Cadet, slightly longer and wider (8-12)and lastly Full/Adult (11-up / although "Juniors race on Adult frames, the engines are often detuned or limited somehow). There can be some overlap in age ranges depending on engine package.

As your oldest may age out before much seat time, it may be worth while to start with the kid kart, but be looking for a cadet soon. The biggest issue will be adjusting the seat and pedals between the two for optimal handling characteristics. They make pedal extenders that can make this task a little easier and you may be able to put a foam pad on the seat bottom to raise the smaller one up.