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Old 11-08-2012, 10:13 PM   #1
Madmanandrew
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Default Motorcycle engine powered street legal golf cart

I'm going to pretense this post by saying I have never been into custom carts before. I've had golf carts and motorcycles and dirt bikes all my life, but I've never been into customizing them. However, I am into custom cars (or trucks, rather) and am an experienced fabricator. Please forgive me for not knowing technical terms or resources this side of the web.

Now for the good part. I love riding motorcycles, I've been riding dirt bikes and four wheelers since I was little, but I don't want to die in one of those horrid motorcycle accidents you see all too often. So I thought, and thought, and then decided. I'll build a golf cart (or at least something that started out as a golf cart) that meets all of Texas' "home built car" requirements and employs a big v-twin (or other more suitable engine; this is one of my questions) engine like something out of a Harley, a full roll cage with five point harnesses, and preferably one of the classic Mustang bodies you can get.

So here are my questions:

Back when the economy was UP, we picked up gas powered golf carts for $1500 a piece. Now I'm looking around on Craigslist and the cheapest I can find one is $3200. What's up with that?

I say I plan to put a v-twin out of something like a Harley in it, but I just say that because I can't think of anything better. Is there something more appropriate? Keep in mind I want something that will THROW this thing around.

If a V-twin is a good way to go, again, where can I get decent priced ones? All the ones I find seem ridiculously priced.

That's pretty much it for now. I'm really just trying to get a feel for where all this is pricewise right now because if I really can't pick up a cart for under $3000 or a motor for under $2500 this just isn't economical alternative to commuting with my Duramax like I thought it would be.

Thanks, Andrew.
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Old 11-08-2012, 11:31 PM   #2
dylan schumacher
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Default Re: Motorcycle engine powered street legal golf cart

Any local junkyards might have them, keep checking ebay, any particular brand yr looking for? Look at the junkyards for other engines off of old atvs that might still have good engines, or whatever engine your looking for
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Old 11-08-2012, 11:33 PM   #3
dylan schumacher
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Default Re: Motorcycle engine powered street legal golf cart

You should be able to find one that is allot cheaper
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Old 11-09-2012, 06:51 AM   #4
rifter
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Default Re: Motorcycle engine powered street legal golf cart

You can find a cheap cart, and a cheap enough engine, if you can fabricate and can afford good quality parts you can build a ride safe enough to ride as fast as you dare. The only big thing I ran into was getting the cart legal to drive on the street. My cart is faster and safer than just about all of the "Rat Rods" but they won't even look at it to license it for the street because it's a "Golf Cart" and they are too blind or too uninformed to see past that.
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Old 11-09-2012, 03:11 PM   #5
Madmanandrew
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Default Re: Motorcycle engine powered street legal golf cart

Here in Texas we have a process for going about getting a "home built car" registered. Doesn't matter what it is as long as it meets all the requirements. As for wanting a specific model, I don't really know. I've read that I'll almost definitely want rack and pinion steering for drivability at the speeds I'm wanting, so it'd be nice to find one that comes with it, but other than that, I have no requirements. So that price for carts is high? I figured it had to be. I can get a good running car for $1000, it just doesn't make any sense. Do they really have golf carts in junk yards?
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Old 11-10-2012, 02:50 PM   #6
sho305
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Default Re: Motorcycle engine powered street legal golf cart

Call the dealers in your area and find out what they have. Cart prices are very high in some areas, I think retirees buy them all and they always have income. Fewer new gas carts are being built now everyone is going electric. Pricing is what people will pay, here there was two carts on a local highway with lots of traffic and they sat there nearly all summer.

If it were me I'd look for a v twin or V4 bike to get the engine out of, they sound cool and have midrange power, easier to manage power. You need to figure out your transmission details too, are you running the bike trans, cart rear, custom rear, cvt?

You should be easily under 1K for a project cart that still runs. If you put a body on it you can nearly just build a cart yourself, since the body/suspension/engine and maybe trans will be replaced by you anyway. What does that leave but some frame of tubing and not much else.
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