Any ideas on this kart I just picked up.....?
- Thread starter 67lilindian
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Thanks for the tip! Good eye on the Firestones...I was guessing early 60s. Another interesting thing is Firestones on the rear and sawtooth Goodyears on the front. Mixed brands seems unusual but I do believe they are both original....did they sometimes mix brands? Maybe!
Zerk fittings on 2-piece 5" wheels....when things were serviceable and made to last!
Has no brake hardware but, the mounting pivots seem to use an actuating rod from pedal to pivot by the rear drive wheel. Not sure what the design thinking was....the brake pivots as well as throttle mounting plate are all pointing straight down reducing ground clearance and vulnerable to damage from whatever you might run across.
Zerk fittings on 2-piece 5" wheels....when things were serviceable and made to last!
Has no brake hardware but, the mounting pivots seem to use an actuating rod from pedal to pivot by the rear drive wheel. Not sure what the design thinking was....the brake pivots as well as throttle mounting plate are all pointing straight down reducing ground clearance and vulnerable to damage from whatever you might run across.
Saw something similar on Mustie1 YouTube channel. Possibly a headstrom speedmobile. He traded a moped and a Honda generator for it. The owners father or grandfather adapted a detachable propeller to the back for traveling on the ice. The video title was . Subscriber traded with me for this a 1 of a kind machine . Video was posted about 3 months ago.
No telling what kart that is but before giving up on its identity you should clean it up and closely look at the frame and components for a maker mark (logo) or something stamped into the frame. It looks like it has several coats of paint, I see hints of white paint over red, and markings/stampings or even decals might be hiding under several layers of paint.
Look for a manufacturer name on the wheels too as they may give a clue to its identity.
It is an early go kart as others have said but it's a yard kart/fun kart and not a racing kart on account of the general configuration and the one-wheel drive.
Usually a manufacturer used identical tires unless the rear tires are larger, for example, and their tire supplier was unable to supply larger tires of the same make. Not uncommon for minibikes of the era to be supplied with a sawtooth front tire and a knobby rear, sometimes, and that might also hold true for fun karts.
Look for a manufacturer name on the wheels too as they may give a clue to its identity.
It is an early go kart as others have said but it's a yard kart/fun kart and not a racing kart on account of the general configuration and the one-wheel drive.
Usually a manufacturer used identical tires unless the rear tires are larger, for example, and their tire supplier was unable to supply larger tires of the same make. Not uncommon for minibikes of the era to be supplied with a sawtooth front tire and a knobby rear, sometimes, and that might also hold true for fun karts.
Harquebus....thanks for the insight. I will take your advice on carefully checking for various markings/decals. It would be great to find some unexpected information.
Yeah, a yard kart for sure but very solid and well built. Racing type steering wheels were great but I really like the early karts with basic hoop welded steering wheels that were an integral part of the chassis. I tend to agree the tires are original and they are 2 different sizes which would justify the 2 brands used.
Yeah, a yard kart for sure but very solid and well built. Racing type steering wheels were great but I really like the early karts with basic hoop welded steering wheels that were an integral part of the chassis. I tend to agree the tires are original and they are 2 different sizes which would justify the 2 brands used.
The kart is a Rocket Kart made in southern CA, by Standum Industries. Information provided by Frank Weir of Ireland who writes articles on vintage karts in Vroom magazine that was published in Italy. They had full page ads in Let's Go Karting and Karting Handbook. Do you want a picture of the ad? Frank has every magazine that was ever printed on karting. He is a great source of information and helped me establish when many of the clutches made by Max-Torque came to market by the date of the ads in karting magazines.
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