When selecting and engine for your Kart there are many considerations. How will you be using your car? How fast do you "really" want to go? How much do you want to spend? How much noise can you tolerate?

You will also find that there is a lot of personal preference involved. One engine will work as well as another, yet some people argue it's viability as a suitable power plant to the death.

Some base lines:

Odysseys, when originally introduced came with a 250 cc two-stroke engine. They where fun cars, and earned their place in OHV recreation. Over time Honda added suspension, weight, and width. By the time production ended in 1990 they where 400 cc fully suspended cars. One custom shop in Phoenix still makes 500 cc kits for the Pilot.

Some will argue that the car was a dog, but I think it was fun, and safe. You could achieve a "grin factor" as one of my friends would say.

Sandbullet and Short Sand Cars build beautiful sand cars with big in-line-four Japanese motorcycle engines. These things are fast! They must have big, powerful motors to run in the sand. Sand and hills demand power.

The Drakart, and Tazcar use big, two-stroke, snowmobile engines. These cars have a more versatile design than the sand cars mentioned above. I feel the builders did not intend to build a car with a specialized use like sand dunning. The two strokes make big power too. I did not design my cars with a specific use in mind either.

Your Project:

When you are planning your project, it is important to keep in mind your application. Sand cars should be lighter than off-road cars, if you are just going to shoot hills and cruise. That is until you decide to start jumping, then you must add some pounds.

When choosing your engine you must also consider the driver. Dose your 11 year old really need a gsxr 1100 or 600 cc Rotax? I don't think so! Yes, you may have one in the garage but...

A good choice, for an adult is a liquid cooled Honda 750. Honda builds about 50% of all motorcycles. That is a big market share. Parts are everywhere for the 750 because so many where built. Do you need the KZ1000? Only if you are racing, and need the .06 second advantage provided by the extra 250 cc. The extra power will also help break parts. The liquid cooled engine is quieter, and can be idled for longer periods without over heating.

OK, you are 26 years old and need the GSXR1100, run it! You have a GPZ 550 in your garage, run it! You think Kawasaki is that much better than a Honda, cool.

Another good choice is any snowmobile engine if you can tolerate the loud ringing noise. They are lighter than the bike motor, offer more horsepower per cc, and you use them with a CVT or torque converter, which means no shifting.

Then there is always the industrial motor. If you want a reliable crate motor that will push you along the desert floor at 55 mph without having to do a ton of maintenance, the V-twin Briggs and Stratton or Honda motor is a great choice as well. They build many sizes for any budget. They are easy to set up and will provide all of the grin factor you can take.
It is particularly well suited for the East Coast and Mid-West customers that are spending time on narrow, and steep Jeep trails. I'm not that familiar with the conditions but some customers are doing it, and feel it is perfect for them.
I like the engine enough that I am building a couple for my family. I do not expect them to do that well in the local dunes because the hills are so long and steep.

My parting shot: A guy with a $10,000 Briggs can go faster than a guy with a $500 GSXR.

I welcome your feed back.