So I have been kicking around the idea of getting a shifter kart to run at the local sprint track and then doing some road races with.
I have talked with a guy about a CRG road rebel but both of the used ones ( 4 & 8 race old) he has have a decent amount of scraping on which he says is typical for a road rebel.
The other kart i have been looking at is a 2018 TB S197.
A third brand I have been seeing alot lately is the Aluminos, which the Musgraves raced for a while but with them swapping to the Mad Croc, I am wondering if parts would be hard to come by now. Who makes the Aluminos stuff?
Does anyone know much about the TB karts? CRG has been around forever but I have not really heard much about TB karts. Would you recommend any of those three over the others?
Edit: There are no local shops or real support, thats why I am having a hard time trying to learn about the different frames.
I Have a Crg Kali 32mm shifter with no scraping issues. I had looked at a TB kart with a rotax max that was completely destroyed with 9 hours on it. Not sure if that was a kart problem or a driver problem. i would go with whoever you can get support for locally
The big mfgers like CRG, Parolin, & Birel do sub work for a lot of brands. Basically, certain parts are unique to CRG (eg front wheel bolt pattern), or they are SKM.
My chassis aren’t local, but my engines are, which works okay. It’s probably easier to run a nonlocal chassis compared to an engine, due to the relatively greater complexity of the latter, IMO. At least, that’s been my experience. No way would I want an engine that I couldn’t get local service/support for.
Hi Chris, my name is Mike and I run a CRG road rebel chassis. It is hard to criticize a road rebel chassis. I have a Honda CR250R with electronic paddle shift on mine. Yes the bottom of my chassis is scrubbed quite a bit. I do have to say however that the CRG with 32 millimeter tubes is pretty strong. I am a senior driver over 220 LBS and push my chassis to the max with my 250 engine and it has held up well. For me it handles well and if and when I need to repair brakes or fix anything you can get parts at most local tracks or from the internet for the CRG brand. If you have any specific questions please feel free to ask. The current chassis I have is a 2013 and I have used it since i bought it used in 2014 and put it in service in 2015. I just picked up a used 2018 road rebel chassis and plan on retiring my 2013 chassis. Good luck with your choice. All the best Mike
All of the chassis you mentioned are good karts capable of winning any race with the right driver in the seat.
As for the scraping on the bottom of the chassis, this is normal to some degree, but can be mitigated by using frame protectors, which especially help to preserve the front rail and waist section. I try to install these first thing on any kart that I purchase.
I have a couple years experience working around and driving the TB S197, and it is a great kart. That may actually be my chassis for sale that you’re looking at! The karts are made in their own factory, and imported by OGP in Florida. I bought mine through the Midwest dealer, Harden Motorsports Group. The 32mm tubing seems to work well in all conditions from street racing to high-grip, and lasts longer than a 30mm frame. We’ve had probably 10-15 shifter kart drivers on TB’s here in the Midwest in the last couple years, and all have had nice things to say. The results don’t lie, but as I mentioned, all of the karts you listed are of the same top-level quality.