Hot Rodding a Golf Cart

For about 15 years, my group of friends have been taking a 1981 Yamaha G1 golf cart to the motorcycle races at Laguna Seca. It is a hilly place, but the little 215cc 2-stroke performed admirably. It hauled 4 people and a cooler of beer all over that place. At night, after a few drinks, we used it as a full off road racer, jumping everything we could find, and playing cat and mouse with night security.

Anyway, the motor is finally worn out. The other guys have given up on it, and dropped it off at my place.

Rather than spend the money on a new 215cc top end, I would like to do a big bore conversion. Apparently, the Yamaha Enticer 250 uses the same bottom end, so my tentative plan is to use that top end.

This will allow the cart's controls to remain the same, including the backward spinning motor as a means of reversing. Has anyone done something like this?

P.S. I thought about going with a Hyabusa motor or something, but that might not be a good idea for this cart. The kids also drive it, and we like having reverse.

Hell with the enticer mill, look for a V-Max 4 750cc two stroke

Stand by, real info forthcoming

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1986-86-Pol...ash=item51cd07ca60:g:lygAAOSwPYZU9j4w&vxp=mtr
I would think some sort of sled motor would do the trick.

A frame was installed for the back seats, so the motor needs to fit under the OEM body.

The 600 triple looks interesting, but I'm not sure where I would put the radiator. It would be vulnerable mounted on the front bumper when we are crashing through brush.

Weren't the Yamaha Enticer -- and other Yamahas from that era -- air cooled? My recollection is that the SRX of that era was the only one that was liquid cooled -- which was groundbreaking for it's time.

Yes, that is why I prefer to use the Enticer top end instead of the 3-cyl in the ebay link above. Supposedly, everything bolts up except the exhaust, nearly doubling the horsepower to a whopping 15 hp. I'll have to use the golf cart exhaust pipe to keep it under the body, which will cost me 1-2 hp, but so it goes. I do plan to use the snowmobile carb, and maybe the fuel pump to make sure everything gets fed properly.

From what I had read, they are pretty durable, and tolerant of lean mixes of 2-stroke oil. Some people disable the auto oiler and mix their own down to 100:1, for more power I presume. Since this thing isn't for racing, and I'm more concerned that it will simply keep on chugging for another couple of decades, I'll go for a more conservative mix.

Since we all know pictures are essential, I better post some. The cart looks somewhat like this, but with a rear seat mounted in place of the roof. The back end has a nice little spot to conceal a cooler full of beer.

I've never run a snowmobile engine in warm weather. I would assume they need cooler ambient temps than the golf cart -- but that is a total assumption, not based on any knowledge.

Interesting thought. Maybe the cooling fins are smaller around the cylinder/head, with a bigger bore inside. I will look at that, and may need to make some side scoops for air flow like they used to do on the side of the old VW Bus.

Don't snow mo engines use snow thrown up from the track to help with cooling.

I doubt it. Think of all the mud and shit that would get caught in the drive belt and cooling fins. You're probably thinking of jet skis.

Jet ski's in the snow , what a concept . I guess if snowmobiles can run on water .

Yes. On water cooled sleds a portion of the tunnel is a heat exchanger/radiator.
However this is not the case with air cooled sleds, they are cooled just though hood vents

Do sleds require cooler ambient temps?

I doubt that golf carts and sleds have significantly different required operating temps, unless like I said the cooling fins are designed differently. 2-stroke mix ratios would probably not be different either, since cylinder cooling isn't affected that much by external temps.

I had a G2 identical to yours, and I seem to remember some online golf cart parts house was selling big-bore kits for that engine. Maybe it was on eBay. I tried to find it later after deciding to pull the trigger, and couldn't.

Highly informative, I know.

What could possibly go wrong??

That is the world record? We should have filmed what we have done with this G1. We have had more air, as well as flipped it completely over frontwards and backwards. Bent the steering column down into the seat.

We didn't spill our beers, though...

I had a few minutes to poke around the engine compartment.

That thing sure has a strong starter motor. My buddies said it it really low on power, and won't rev up. Well, that is because the engine isn't starting, and the only thing propelling the cart is the electric starter.

I would like to get it running to make sure all the electricals are sound. Most likely just the spark plug, but we shall see.

I figured out the cooling system on this thing, too. The entire cylinder is contained in a shroud, and a fan on the crankshaft forces air through it. I hope the snowmobile cylinder fits in the shroud, or I will need to get the sled shroud as well.

It is looking like it may be a good idea to just buy the entire sled motor.

Golf "A nice walk ruined "

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I don't want nothin' crazy, just sumthin' like this: