A Ball in Motion

So after a four month query and self-education on what makes any shifter-kart into a good shifter-kart, I have finally thrown my chips onto the table. By finding an unexpectedly good deal on a Tony Kart chassis with a stock CR125cc motor, my plans to acquire a kart were accelerated, by many months. As such I have had to rent a trailer from Uhaul rather than building up my own as previously planned.

So a quick set of phone calls got everything lined up for my journey to the end of NOWHERE, Arizona. Yes this kart was far off, but in great condition. (edit: Actually aside from small replacement parts here and there as you'll find in later posts [even the blown head gasket], this was an amazing deal. Even if I find more broken parts this was still a steal)

So issue number one on this epic quest.

I see this online:

The key feature of what I see on this trailer is "Inside dimensions ... 4'10"". That would give me a solid 3" of width over the 55" wide shifter kart.

I did not want to cut it this close on the width dimension, but I really had no choice. I would get as big a trailer as my car could tow. And this baby was just about the absolute max once I loaded cargo onto it, about 450lbs of cargo with the already 1000lbs trailer brought me too close for comfort on my Accent that has a towing max of 1900lbs. For you non-engineers out there, you want to leave a significant amount of margin, especially when it is hot outside. The issue with towing-capacity is the amount of heat and stress your transmission and brakes can handle. So if it is hot outside, the transmission will be under greater stress than if it were cold. I want to buy a new kart to drive, not buy a new transmission for my car.

As I waited for the guy to get back from work (I took a 1/2 day), I enjoyed what must have been the best tasting Sonic double cheese burger and a vanilla shake.... ever, but finally the wait was over and the prize was waiting to be claimed.

So the kart looked very good and I was eager to get it home. Once every spare part was loaded into the back of the Accent, it was time to load up kart into the trailer. Back to that image above, 4' 10" = 58". That is a LIE! Turns out to be a solid 54" at best. So I had to remove the right rear wheel on the kart just to fit it into the huge U-Haul trailer. The realization of how wide 55" really is compared to a normal car, only added to my eagerness to one day corner so hard that I could literally break a rib. I loaded the mystical happy chair onto the trailer and set off to home.

This was my first time towing anything. Do you realize just how sensitive one becomes to bumps in the road when you have something brand new and shinny in the back of a trailer? Even though I was aware of my 'more than adequate caution' in driving, I still approached the ordeal with over-bearing care. The important fact to realize is I had this trailer loaded up with about 1/4 the weight it is designed to carry. So the suspension was very bouncy. BOINK went the trailer over seemingly smooth bumps. I stopped 3 times on the way home to inspect everything from the chains to the tire pressure. Even once just to let my transmission cool off, even though I was aware I being a hypochondriac.

After unloading and dropping off the trailer back at Uhaul, the 9 hour ordeal and quest to retrieve the Epic Kart from the heart of the Dusty Mountains (LOTR reference [Misty Mountains]), I was home and so was the Kart

So now the manifestation of my dream is no longer an 'if', but a 'when.' When will I do mach 2 with my hair on fire? Soon my friends, soon.

In the mean time it seems that unless I want to haul ass in a t-shirt and jeans (not an option, there is no seat belt on these, nor is adding one a good idea), I should start acquiring an equally bad ass looking race outfit to go with the blues of this kart. Never thought I'd get excited about shopping for clothing.

-S