Trivia Question - Kawasaki Engine in Go Cart?

[mswyka]

http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/mcy/4951856139.html

Folks, good evening.

Many, many years ago I raced a cart around a track at a place called Action Park in Vernon, New Jersey.  The cars - see Craigslist link - were reported to have been powered with snowmobile engines, and on more than one occasion I have been told that they were powered by Kawasaki snowmobile engines.

Now, with that said, does anyone have any proof one way or another with respect to how these cars may have been powered?

[Dandb7]

Never seen one  but i gotta say...wow...they look awesome..!!

Imagine one of those with a 550 engine and making smokeshows.......sweet....  :-)

[Interceptor398]

That would be fun but you would need a place to run it.  Not easy around my place.

[Tory944]

  It wouldn't surprise me that the karts you speak of used Kawi engines.  I know the single seat planes used Kawi engines at one time.  I have sold 440 liquid and fan engine parts to guys running planes also.  I just sold a NOS 440 Fan cylinder to a guy in Puerto Rico for use in his plane! 

  The F-440 Race Cars for SCCA Racing popular in the 90's utilized  Kawi 440 liquid engines.  They used Aaen twin pipes and Polaris clutches.  Racing these would be fun, but I agree...   not many places around here to drive them!  I would think there would be liability issues even on a track.  I would think you would have to belong to a club in order to be "covered" under an insurance "umbrella".  As far as the Kawi engines, I believe the Kawi engines became obsolete in karts when the 440 Rotax power plants started showing up.  You could extract 80 + hp out of the Bombardier without much sweat.  Here is a shot of a race car in 96' running the 440 liquid Kawi engine.  Enjoy!

[Tory944]

Mark, I checked out the Craigslist link after I posted my pic.  Yep...   that car looks like the same style chassis as my pic showed for sure.  So, there you have it...  those babies sported Invader engines at one point!  Going by memory, I believe they were capable of speeds in the 120 mph range.  It makes sense considering efficiency/rolling resistance w/the karts would be far superior than that of the ole' Invaders!

[Tory944]

The engine in the pic also utilized Flatslide carbs...     I think they rated that setup at an honest 73 hp.

[mswyka]

Tory, interesting information.  I may have to check out the car in my spare time.

[Checkmarks]

Extremely interesting.  You know of my roots and I have been to Action Park.  Then I was only 14 at the time.  I specifically remember my father getting to drive one of those carts.  He advised it was way to fast for younger kids to drive!  I remember looking at the track wishing to be in the drivers seat. 

[mswyka]

Mark, here is some more nostalgia.