PSL Karting updated their prices and have OK-N kart packages available. Interesting to compare the prices. Currently $1500 more than the KA100 kart package, which is a lot more than I was thinking. Note that this is not promoting PSL in any way, just pointing it out for discussion purposes and if it helps anyone.
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These aren’t to the sort of classes where you buy karts ‘ready-to-go’, but being $700 more than a Rotax is not ideal.
So $3800 with carb and pipe. Still need to buy a rad and water pump so add around $400-$600. Bit more pricey than I was hoping.
To be fair you have to do the same for ROK GP and X30, both $3200 complete minus rad and pump. As Alan mentioned I can get a complete turn key Rotax for $3200 so roughly $1000 less.
Hopefully in time as more engines get imported it gets closer to the low 3k for an engine package. Maybe to drum up numbers and get this class off the ground they can offer an introductory price for the first year or so.
To Boil it down (In my opinion) CIK has no clue how to make classes that are attracktive to the “normal/club” kart driver.
The prizes i Can find on a TM OKN complete with carb, rad and waterpump is 3800-4000, Iame and Vortex is 400-600 more.
Rotax complete kit around 3100, where a bare engine is around 2000Euro
X30 around 3300euro, bare Engine i think is 2600 Euro.
As i said before i have a hard time seeing this catch on In any other places then maybe italie.
Iame x30 has been 3295 USD in the United States, complete including pump and radiator for the last several years.
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Been awhile since I bought a complete X30. Thought it came without. Makes the OK-N that much more expensive versus TAG options.
Yeah that is an expensive package. A couple years ago in Canada they offered a huge discount on Rotax packages for half of that to try and grow the class.
How many of these does a manu need to sell to break even?
It’s really only spendy when compared to a single make class where profits can be made up in numbers. This isn’t meant to be (in my opinion) a bottom up engine package. This is a national level engine package not meant to trickle down to club or even region level much. When comparing to a KZ it’s less of a shock price wise.
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Not that I’m planning to, but could I swap out my x30 on my Compkart Covert 3.0 R-22 for an OK-N, or would a different chassis be required?
Engine will bolt right on. Basically any 2-stroke engine can be bolted right onto any standard adult size chassis.
The fact we’re even talking about engine price with regard to to OK-N is a problem. These classes live and die, not on purchase price (which isn’t ubiquitous anyway due to diff manufacturers), but on whether there is any meaning behind racing them. The TM could be 200 dollars cheaper than a MAX and it wouldn’t make a huge different to its success. I don’t ever recall the KZ market being too bothered by purchase cost as that’s not really how people interact with these classes.
Obviously being more expensive currently is not ideal, and ideally you want it cheaper to avoid reinforcing negative stereotypes within the market place. But being cheaper won’t be the make or break.
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Thank you, that wasn’t available when I looked. Looks like PSL is getting on it haha
Those are surprisingly good looking.
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Looks neat! Excited for the release of their OK senior engines
@XanderClements in tonight’s happy hour Marjiin says something to the effect that with the multi-manufacturer situation with OK-N that it’s a good thing because each manu will push to find an edge.
He contrasts that to x30 where he says that in x30, folks buy 20 engines to make 1 really good one…
What’s stopping anyone from doing that with OK?
Assumption being that ain’t no one got time for that? The hope is that the competition between manufacturers will create a situation where “good enough” isn’t satisfactory and the engine will continue being tweaked by each manufacturer?
Presumably the teams are somewhat in bed, relationship wise with a particular engine brand? Or do they have flexibility in engine maker choice? Meaning that one would think IAME might get pissed if the team that they were supporting with their best engines jumps ship to Rock or whatever is the hot engine of the OK bunch at that time?
OK and other CIK classes have a more open rule set, and this allows engine builders to make changes to the engines that wouldn’t be allowed in a spec series. This dynamic puts more control in the hands of skilled builders by allowing them to maximize the power of the engine via these modifications (which can also be replicable), where as spec classes are essentially a parts lottery to piece together the best combination of off the shelf components.
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To expand on what Evan said. Each part in a spec class is built to a tolerance, being at a given point within that tolerance may give a performance advantage. Now look at that with every part and suddenlt your in a position that those with the means can purchase many engines, find the parts at the point within the tolerance that performs the best and reassemble. So you end up with one super engine and many not so great engines that you sell off (or lesser performing drivers in the team use).
Im not fully versed on the OK-N rules but in theory an accomplished engine tuner can machine those parts to the point they want them within the tolerance of the rule set.
So when I was racing the old 100cc stuff in Formula A, we had engines which looked like one manufacturer on the outside but would be a carbon copy of another on the inside, because it was allowed within the ruleset.
Its probably won’t be the case but you could in theory by one engine and get it tuned, or two and get them tuned for different scenarios (like one low end and one top end strong).
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