[bige]

I thought I would give a brief into to what a mini-buggy is. Some people call the go-karts but they are classified as a mini-buggy because they have a working suspension system, engine cc from 70cc-300cc.

They are not a full out dune buggy but not a classic go-kart. The mini-buggy got its start from Carter brothers manufacturing in 2004 and have evolved into what we have today, a off road vehicle that is safe, affordable and fun for kids and adults.

Their are 5 manufacturers that are above the rest in quality and price, they are Carter, Hammerhead, American sportworks, Kinroad and joyner.
These have proven to be the best of the best in the industry.

Carter's are made in America in Brundidge Al. and have been in bussiness since 1936 and built the first go kart in 1967.

Hammerhead has been in business since 1996 and has proven to be an excellent manufacturer, although their plant is in China they own the plant and have complete control over every part of the process.

Kinroad has been in business for over 15 years and brought their products to America 15 years ago. They have proven to be a top manufacture and have gotten the mini-buggy affordable.

American Sportworks has been in business since the 1970's and have made go-karts in the U.S, they have been in the top three ever since.

Joyner was founded in 2003 and has a broad range of off road machines, they have brought a very different approach to the sport

 

[RZRRich]

VERY interesting Eric, Thank You. :wink:

 

[Pops]

Great information, thanks. My only question that I can think of off hand is how hard is it to get replacement parts, is there a distribution center in the states to has all the parts for these carts.

 

[bige]

getting parts for the ones I listed is not a problem. I am a dealer for all of those and all have warehouse in the states. The good part is alot of the parts are interchangeable so if one dont have it the other one will.
Carter is the only one made in the U.S and they have two warehouses for materials and parts.
its kinda neat to see their factory, its much like an automobile factory.

 

[slane01]

Thanks for the Info Eric. That is interesting. I get to learn new things everyday....life is good.

 

[Pops]

Thanks for the info. We only had the Joyner around here, and even the dealer won't promise that the parts would be available in a timely manner. The dealership didn't last very long before they pulled the inventory.

 

[carnivore]

Great info!

 

[bige]

Joyners are the high of the spectrum, I havent had to much trouble getting parts for them. I know some people have.

 

[guy48065]

Eric was Carter around before 2004? As you know my first trail buggy was an '04 Yerfdog, made by Flexible Flyer--the wagon, sled and swingset company. And it was based on an older model called the Sidewinder that was made by AlphaSports around 2000. I now have a Baja Motorsports Dune 150. They are all so similar I believe them all to be designed by Rich Godfrey (Yerfdog spelled backwards) who left Flexible Flyer to form Baja Motorsports about a year before FF went out of bsiness. All used the same 150cc "Howhit" engine--named for Rich's kids Howard and Whitney.

Just some trivia that most won't find very interesting :wink:

 

[RZRRich]

Eric - Mark, Keep the info / trivia coming gents, VERY interesting !! This is turning out to be very informative to the members that are not all that familiar with these brands. :wink:

 

[bige]

yes they were around way before then, but they started building the 150cc in late 2003 for the 2004 model year.

the engine was a little different than what we have now and the suspention was diff.

 

[guy48065]

The basic cockpit shape & front suspension design of the 150 & 250cc minis seems to have developed along 2 different paths and I've always been curious who was responsible for each.

 

[ElecTech]

Great info Mark and Eric. I love reading and learning stuff like that!! Mark, I didn't know Yerfdog was no longer around and I always wondered how that and the Howhit got their name!!! How about putting a link to the manufacturers sites and then if you can take a tour of the Carter plant, the directions and info on doing that would be worthwhile too. Thanks folks, very informative.

 

[guy48065]

From a mini-buggy rally:

Mine (Dune150) has been modified with fenders made from a Rubbermaid tote, Warn 1.5 winch, speedo & gauges from a scooter, 10K tach (the engine will max at about 11K), front shocks from Arctic Cat, rears from a Blaster quad, re-geared for more torque, extensive carb mods, 4-point harnesses, Mudlite rear tires on Douglas rims.

Doesn't get much use since I got the Rzr. I keep it up at my cabin for times when I don't trailer up the big toys, and for company or kids.

 

[guy48065]

...and speaking of kids...
These 2 boys were visiting my daughter and her friend when they took 2 buggies out for a ride in the trails behind my house. The boys were chasing the girls when they lost control and somehow ended up upside down in a pond. I used the buggy's own winch to get it up the embankment to the trail. Nobody got hurt and nothing got broke. Despite being completely under water for about 30 minutes the buggy started right up after I changed the fuel.

 

[foxcrew6]

Just goes to show BOYS CHASHING THE GIRLS

 

[slane01]

Mark,

Thanks for sharing....I guess the morale of the story is boys shouldn't chase girls :roll: