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Tell us about yourself:“Before I started my project, we had just been to Australia and Indonesia and had visited the island where Komodo dragons live. Fierce looking things, up to 9 ft long with a nasty poisonous bite. After seeing the Komodo Cross-Kart develop its shape, I thought its downward sloping, angry looking face, broad front shoulders, excellent traction, aggressive demeanor and muscular rear end looked similar. So, I had a decal made for the front plate. I already had a good setup of tools and equipment from my work as a former diesel mechanic for heavy equipment. This was my playtime project.”
Cross-Kart racing (also known as crosskart, kartcross or off-road karting) is a type of motorsport with roots in autocross (where drivers compete against the clock on a closed course of some type, like in a parking lot or other open area). Racing typically takes place on autocross, rallycross, dirt oval or ice racing tracks instead of on paved tracks.
The sport originated in Sweden in the early 1980s as something fun, cheap, safe and easy to drive. It remains a very popular sport in Europe, and interest has been growing steadily on this side of the Atlantic. David’s experience of building and repairing vehicles enabled him to build a kart of his own; looks like a winner to us!
Great job, David! Thanks for sharing your project with us!
What is it? Basically, it’s a fun kart, used in fields, gravel pits and private land. This is not a vehicle for the road. This project to build a Cross-Kart from scratch was my Covid project. I had been intrigued by the design and the idea of building something entirely on my own using my own imagination, hands and tools to bring this project to a satisfactory conclusion… and to give the final project “Komodo” legs.
I bought a variety of tools and materials some from Princess Auto and from other places as well. Tools used were a cut-off saw, angle grinders, files and hacksaw, pipe bender, MIG welder, cutting torch, hand tools, levels, and digital angle finder, clamps, tape measure, soldering gun, heat gun and a volt ohmmeter for the electricals.
Specifications: • The kart is 8 ft long x 5 ft wide • Approx. Weight: 750- 800 lbs • Power: 110 HP (1999 Honda CR600F4 engine) • Steering: Rack and Pinion • Brakes: Dual circuit hydraulic disc brakes • Seat: from Princess Auto • Instruments: Honda CBR600 • Front suspension and differential: Kawasaki Bayou 300 • Rear suspension: 2004 Yamaha Grizzly • Frame design: KJR • Radiator: Honda Civic
What design/build challenges did you overcome? I started this project in 2019 and finished in 2022. I worked at it part time at first until I retired and then, to a greater degree, I dedicated myself to this project. This kind of thing can’t be built under pressure. In many respects, it is like some kind of artwork or metal sculpture that you can only do when you are relaxed and in the right frame of mind. There is a lot of design: it’s try, re-try again…and final decisions to be made.
The parts and materials came from several dozen sources; Kijiji came to help for many of the parts like the engine, while various other parts for the suspension and running gear had to be located individually, in pairs or in sets. Several auto wreckers and scrap yards (“fields of broken dreams” as I like to refer to them) were visited, as I was looking for suitable materials… all part of the fun. Sometimes I just visited these “fields of broken dreams” to look for ideas.
The parts and materials took a lot of time to find and round up. Some parts worked out while others did not. There were quite a lot of consumable materials, too, like hacksaw blades, grinder discs, abrasives welding wire, welding gas, etc., and eventually painting prep and paint materials.
If you had to build it again, what would you do differently? I would probably build two, so he at least has a peer “playgroup”. He is not a go-kart, and he is not an ATV either, but something in between. With 100+ HP, this is definitely not a toy; I have not had him out of fourth gear (two gears left). Too fast for these old bones. I may yet build another one, or a cyclekart that is much less cost and much less work. I have already purchased an engine from Princess Auto near Cambridge, for my soon to be started cyclekart project.
Komodo is alive and well, now out from under his winter blankets, so he is looking forward to go for some enthusiastic gallops soon. Perhaps with his friends on the long weekend. He really enjoyed some spirited runs last fall, but he does not like the rain. He may get a Perspex/Lexan windshield at some point, as it is uncomfortable to have 'yer eyelids peeled back over your forehead!
Which Princess Auto location do you visit most? Near Cambridge and Whitby in Ontario.