The Cyclekart - The Last Gentlemen's Sport - One Cyclekarter's Opinion Kelly Wood January, 2021 In any sane person's mind, the very thought of 2020 probably has most considering the act of playing in traffic to be a good way spending one's day. It seems safe considering, yes? This past year took the steam out of everything. Ever more creative ways to stay occupied (some hinting of simpler times) were pulled out to keep things on track. While the mayhem isn't over, a little spark fires in the combustion chambers of many who enjoy a motoring sport from exactly that, a simpler time. Even in the dimly-lit days of 2020, this sport kept a good bunch of people together from around our entire planet, somewhat sane as we pushed through the silliness. I love em all. We even had "social distanced" events. Pretty slick huh? For reasons we might elaborate on later, you may have not heard of it... yet has been around some 50+ years. It's called a Cyclekart. Many accounts lovingly refer to it as the coolest sport you've never heard of... for good reason too. It's not for everyone however. In the shortest possible description: A Cylekart (the version here) is an American mechanical caricature of the pre-WWII (sometimes later) vintage cars using tad more modern technology. A teeny little motor, skinny-ass motorcycle wheels and one's creative abilities are then thrown in to achieve a rather unique, running, hopefully rolling, white-knuckled, work of art you can drive. Note, we said caricature... not scale? The people that build these machines, just as unique. To most folks, sighting one always brings out the phones, cameras and smiles. To date, I've never seen one "not" make someone smile. Including this little cutie here. 
They're neat to look at and even more fun to drive! Call them adult sized go karts if you want, but they're just a little bit more than that. Of course, like most people that just saw one, they (or you) go searching for more if they've struck just the right automotive nerve. If just the reading type, then finding articles on the subject is where you're undoubtedly headed. Some you'll find are really well done. If pictures are your thing, it's off to images where hundreds of these contraptions will show up. Once more, that cute little smile appears when witnessing the resemblance & representation of the finest, simplest and raw creative time in automotive history. Again, some really well done. As you scroll through the images, don't let the little addictive things fool you as you make plans to secure your level of cooless among men by buying one. It doesn't work that way. Sorry... these cars rarely, if ever, show up for sale. Of course some do, but that's not the point. No sir, No Ma'am. You gotta build it yourself sporto. Having said that, now your options become something else. Don't they... Further tapping, clicking, or swiping right on that computerized thingy of yours may have you hooked as you see more and more, noticing that... wait... These things run. They're used, they're driven, sometimes crashed and broken. The horror... There's mud splatter, there's grease, even wheel marks and chips in our paint jobs we so oddly cherish. Over and over these pilots have gone in the endless persuit for the feel, at times...of a near death-defying motoring experience. 
Then you find the rest... only to learn that another enticing aspect of the sport is working on the little jalopy you've made, says most of them. They rattle, they shake... and tinkering with it is a joy. ...and I've still not found one thing that keeps making noise in mine. (well, one of them anyway) I may never. :( They're much too fast for their own good honestly... and the builders & drivers know it. Some going well into and beyond the 50 mph range with the stock bits. Yet we still do it knowing full-well we're on the very edge of slipping into completely irresponsible territory. Perhaps a screw is loose somewhere... that must be it. 
And now you want one. Don't you. Well, ok. Hold that thought. When someone mentioned I should write something on the subject, my original plan was to try talking you out of doing it. I'm good at coming off negatively at times. The real reason? I hate seeing people fail. I'd hate to tell someone "you can do it" if they're actually incapable of doing it. That's false hope and a setup for failure. So no, you can't be anything you want snowflake. However, going in I knew I'd fail once the semi-hardcore gearheads got here. That isn't turned off so easily, and when some see some easy-on-the-wallet competition of any kind, well... I you've gone this far with me, we'll just let the sport do what it's done for years... and regulate itself. You'll build one, or you won't. Most won't. Why? Because that's actual work. Magically, It's already done that self-cleaning oven thing and stopped 75% of you from building one... and I've done nothing yet. (a completely made up percentage mind you, but darn close I'd imagine) I must apologize. I'll shoot for a more colorful four-letter word lower down the alphabet next time around. Moving on... For a brief history, we'll back this bus up a couple of decades. How about 5? Out in California, Pete and son Mike Stevenson were quite busy. In the late 1990's, this father & son combo commonly created the most wonderful toys in spectactular fashion and wrote about it. Mr. Stevenson, among many things, was an accomplished author as well. Do look him up sometime, his writings and creations are rather smart and entertaining. Of these creations, one was dubbed "cyclekart," Thus... they started it... kind of. Blame them if you like, but the idea isn't super new. What brought you here is... because of the direction the cyclekart evolved. Little did they know (or maybe Pete did, he was pretty observant) the idea behind this version would survive and due to timing & internet popularity, would be carried on by many (usually the middle-aged folks) who enjoy the same spirit and aren't intimidated by a little hard work. This version, the Stevenson Formula cyclekart most of us faithfully follow, is where the chassis design, size, engine, and inspiration car rule came from commonly debated over & over on the beloved forums. In truth, the oldest wheeled "thing" like a cyclekart on record is most likely the one located in Argentina. It was built in 1970. It still exists and was built and owned by Matias de Urquiza. See? 
It's a Polaroid folks. And here it is today, 51 years later. I was 1 when this thing roamed the grasslands. 
The fun part? I asked Matias what he originally called it. His Answer was "cart" or "the spider." He never actually called it a cyclekart. Now, Mike is still among us and knows the whereabouts of the originating Steveson cars believe it or not. Adding some 10 w30 to that cake... even Mike's original website is up. Still sitting, not mobile-friendly, and as old-school as it gets. Time spent there (hours on hours) tells their story. Be sure to check it out. It's a rather fun read and Mike writes so much better than I do. Cyclekarts.com That's where it, for some, started. Somewhere along the timeline, the Gittreville folks came about. The exact events linking the Stevenson's and Gittreville are unknown to most actually, and is irrelevant. This isn't a lengthy history lesson. With some mild additions to the general guidelines, some quirky fellows with their cyclekart builders guide and their connections to friends circling the globe, they lit the spirit on fire again. The flame was high, and the bar of the build set higher. It took on a newer meaning in a way. This time, revolving around what appeared to be, a slightly more "upscale" approach yet quite close and retaining the same gritty, grassroots nature it started with. Around this time, is where I found this evil... and fell in love with said evil. Their cars were simply georgeous, and the entire thing seemed to fit the way I'd built things... with scraps & repurposed items. It still followed closely with the Stevenson ideals in a way. Now, I didn't read their entire builders guidelines. Just like most folks, I skimmed over them intially. Over the years I have since read them. It's a bit to take in. It's nothing more than a super version of where they went with the Stevenson idea... and it worked well. Insanely well. It went into detail about what each car type, year, this & that should be to keep things even in the case of, should we say, a gentlemanly scrap on track... from their viewpoint. It's written well, the dry sense of humor is super entertaining, and I think some of it should be followed if we're to keep this fun spirit alive. What people didn't read, and it takes a few passes to figure it out, is this: They revolve around the Tieton GP, Gittreville events and their "Push" to keep the sport on track, pure, and unaltered. This ended up translating into other conceptions about what a cyclekart really was. That's where the contention you may see came from. It's also why there's more than one "apparent" authority. Many people strayed. But let's set the record straight here. Gittreville and the Stevenson cars are in a class of their own. They're done well and are the standard that started the American Cyclekart. The job is to make it look like the car you chose, and the class of the entire thing. While some (many) won't ever get there, some will... and they'll know who they are. Those watching over the sport, often behind the scenes, take note of it every single time. That I can promise you. So let's get back on track and recap! Cyclekarts are not new. Cyclekarts are Evil, and so am I. Originally, still held dear to the purists and most, there are no kits. (stevensons & gittreville) Proper appreciation of the sport mandates you build your own machine. (stevensons & gittreville) Of course some cars did sell to other hands and are used often, but stayed in the community showing their colors in upstanding fashion as the buyers, were gentlemen who proved it with their driving and candor. As time progressed, one company came about and actually did produce a kit, and some others existed as well over in the U.K. and France. Look up oldies racing, a French company on Youtube sometime. They did near the same thing as well with a version of an old timey car/thing. Back to our American Company, they made a platoon of them. They came pre-built, and painted... or ready to assemble for a price. Here's one of them. They're cool looking. 
Fashioned after a known cyclekarters' kart, 2 models rolled out and appeared to be a success. They weren't light or super fast, but were well built and looked downright good. In the hands of the right driver was lethal. I know, I've seen it and driven with the man. As of this writing, many of the other companies aren't around any more. The American company could possibly still sell the kit but otherwise the idea of the "kit" appears to have died off. Meanwhile, the purists in the sport were scratching their heads. Many times, the statement was to the tune of; They didn't get how anyone could appreciate the sport without actually building their own car. They didn't hate them, it's important to note this. It's all good fun and there's no bad blood anywhere. Seeing both sides of the fence here, I tend to lean mostly in the camp of the purist. I agree. As someone that's living in an age that could see the last generation of actual hot-rodders arise... well, when you didn't build the thing, the appreciation for the vehicle kind of goes out the window. One tends tends to thrash it a bit harder because there's a replacement part just a click away for you. That's all there is to that. It's a little battle to keep the cyclekart from becoming merchandise you can just buy and keep a spirit that's about dead, alive. For the minute it falls to Mercantilism, it could very well be over. Some see it that way anyway. Take it for what you will. Facing facts, there will always be people that want to get into the sport that can't build one. For whatever reason it was, be it they haven't the skills to do it, age, resources or whatever, there are valid reasons. In truth, the company that built the kit karts actually filled a need, a small hole in the sport if you will. Of some that did buy them, every one in fact... were all just the best human beings. I've made some pretty great friends. Let's not forget though, if it weren't for these kits, many...MANY cyclekarters wouldn't even have karts today. This company still makes the most highly sought after part of them all. The rear wheel hub making it simple to mate the motorcycle wheel to the axle. It's always been the hardest part to make. Most, well... can't make one on their own. If you've ever seen one and don't own a machine shop, you'll understand why. If more off-the-shelf parts to build these becomes available, the spirit will die... just like every other sport. I personally hope it never happens although small "hints" of it have already started. So it's good... ... it's all good. While there still is a tiny hint of gentlemanly disagreement between the builders and the buyers, there isn't anything to it really and it lingers more like a joke. There are no issues as cyclekarters are just to nice to care. Most of these cookie cutter cars aren't seen often. Most, are still sitting in a warehouse and maybe... maybe, 3 to date actually still run at Cyclekarting events. One of them, a more modified racer too. I've driven with them, trust them, and love em. Alright, what's a CycleKart? Found on a few websites, it's the same basic thing as you've probably read already... although has changed slightly from the original. ... but not much. Keep in mind please, while several "specs" exist out there, from builders guidelines of Gittreville to This site or that site... there's a commonality we all kind of follow. Certainly, there's a middle ground to it. There is. They're smaller versions of vintage cars, following in the footsteps of the original, ill-fated "cycle car," a motorcycle powered car from the early 1900's. So.. Tiny car, skinny spoked wheels, little weird lawnmower engine, shooting to make it look like a favorite vintage ride that's sketchy to drive... Check. Here it is, the known "cyclekart" found in North America, Canada and other various places. (some countries vary due to available power sources as they too, evolved on their own path. Cycle-Darwinism?) 1. Search for a famous, unique vintage car, or race car you like. This is from the period of when automobiles first appeared, to around... the last time a production car or race car, used relatively SKINNY and WIRE SPOKED WHEELS. This, is called your inspiration car. The original idea was early 1900's to a maximum of Pre-WWII, but some from beyond the original period have enjoyed success. Still, try to keep it period correct ok? With me so far? If the car had wire spoked skinny wheels, you can use this as your inspiration. 2. Find, some 17" motorcycle wheels. The common forumula suggested Honda Trail 90 type wheels, although any 17" spoked wheels will work. Max width of rim, 1.60. Max tire size 17 x 2.75 typically. Some writings & such (and numerous forum posts) might have you thinking they're hard to find, but they're not. They're all over the place. You can even buy them brand new for around 350 bones. They're out there. Still with us? 17" motorcycle wheels, spoked. Not go kart wheels, not trailer wheels, not tractor wheels, not plastic jogging stroller wheels, not car wheels, not ATV wheels... not whatever you feel like using wheels. 17" spoked motorcycle wheels. (yes there are 16's and 18's used, make it work with what you're building) 3. Acquire an engine. The original formula used the basic Honda GX200 or clone engine. Every pressure washer in these United States has one. Harbor Freight will sell you one for about 120 bucks. It's called a Predator 212 cc. In short, any 4 cycle, single cylinder, 212 CC or less Gas engine will be fine. The brand, is up to you. Why "THIS" motor? It's so the gentlemanly competition is equal. Get it? And yes, go stage 1. 2 if you must. It won't matter because a box stock car, does the same thing. Don't waste your bucks yet, see what it does first. You may be surprised. 4. Drivetrain: Usually it's 1" axle, TAV, and one or both rear wheels driving. Then maybe 5/8" or 3/4" spindles up front. You figure it out. Doesn't have to be that, you just have to move "your" butt around. Scrounge, or buy, the basic go kart bits such as gearing, axles, etc... that make your spinny parts go. 5. Spend, less than around 3000 bucks on it. The reason for this is to eliminate spending wars. Scavenging and/or repurposing items is highly encouraged. This is the original idea here. The more money involved, the worse it gets possibly sending this sport spiraling out of control and suffering the same fate as all other obnoxiously expensive motorsports. Of course you're going to buy a few things. The original limit was 1700 bucks... then went to 2500.... and people still spent more... and more... However, it's not about money. As proof... that blue #99 car up above, cost about 1200 bucks in total. How I know? I built it. 6. Weigh in. The car should weigh less than 275 lbs with "some gas in it" when completed. This isn't super important really as the original weight goal was 250... of which 1 in maybe 100 people could actually hit. It's also more to see if you can do it. We could care less how much it weighs. Most cyclekarts these days hover around 300 lbs on average due to sheer over building and using items stronger than a medium duty utility trailer. Lighter car, perhaps faster. Heavy car, perhaps slower. One would think huh? 7. Performance is secondary... tertiary actually. (that's 3rd, you know, after 2nd?) If you've come into this thinking you're going to modify that engine, go faster than anyone, win at all costs... hey, we'll just not invite you to any event. Cyclekarters don't care who wins, there aren't any trophies, and speed is "the" last thing you need. Cyclekarts are dangerous. Read that again. Cyclekarts, are Dangerous. Ask anyone who's ever crashed one. We'd rather take a roll in a 300 MPH dragster, than roll our little tin cans. I won't give numbers yet there are some. A good many of us have been hurt doing this including myself. I've rolled one. In 8/10 of one second, I went from fine, to on my top at just 20 mph. If this possibility of pain doesn't appeal to you, it might not be the best adventure to take at this juncture in your career. 8. Build the rest of your car, and the body, from whatever your little heart desires. Sure, there's original "suggestions" but it wasn't the law. You decide. What can you do that is within your skill set? The usual framing consists of 1" x 3" steel, but you can use what you want. Hell, one person used a damn ladder once. Figure it out and stop looking for a kit to just bolt together. You're supposed to make it yourself bucko. 9. Suspension: Most cyclekarts have a front suspension. It should mimick that which the inspiration car had if you can manage it. Rear suspension, most don't have it but some do. You figure it out. 10. NO front brakes. Reason: Steering usually goes out the window and it's a bad idea. As for rear brakes... gosh... please have something. 11. Start... START at a 66" wheelbase and adjust accordingly to match the inspiration car. Width: Around 40" MAX. Cyclekart width is measured outside of wheel, to outside of wheel. That's how we do it. If you don't like that... well... do math ok? It's 37.5" center of tire to center of tire roughly. Why so Narrow? Because. The wider it gets, the faster you think you can go... and that's dangerous. These are not race cars. Stop thinking they are. 12. Make it look good. This is the end-all, be-all, original rule in all of cyclekarting. You're trying to make a caricature of your inspiration car. All you're supposed to do is try. If you did, it'll show through and we'll all see it. With some luck, when done you should be able to look at the inspiration car and yours... and say "Hey, that looks like... that." 13. Build it yourself. 14. Have Fun. These 14 items... appear to cover the general idea across of all of American Cyclekarting, Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand, and many other countries. If you landed somewhere in the arena of 46" wide, a Roll Bar, Fuzzy dice, rat-fink anything, an 8-ball shifter knob thingy, skulls, american flags on a british car, summit racing seats, 5-point harness, Betty Boop stickers, perhaps an entire ATV front end or golf cart for a front end attached to the Lawn Mower of the General Lee herself... you did it wrong. Period. 
The towels are in the bathroom on the left. Now, some visual examples so you know what you're trying to do here. It's just 4, but there are many, many others. The 1914 Deusenberg Indy car. (top left) Below it, one of Steve Vinson's creations. Cost: a couple thousand dollars, built in around 4 months. 
Next, The 1928 B.A.C. Special (top left) Below, one of my creations. Cost: about 1500, built over a couple of years in a lazy fashion using junk. 
The 1954 Maserati 250 F (top left) Below, a creation by Dave Dupaquier (This is one of the later 1950's creations, see how it translates with the cyclekart? It works well.) 
And finaly, the 1928 DeSoto Special (top left) Below that, the creation of Joey Verpoorten. A front engined, rear wheel drive car even! 
Pretty neat huh? You see the similarities right? Good. That's what you're goin for. We won't show you bad examples, we're sure you can figure that out on your own. And to think, that's just 4 of them. There's more out there like this. Many of them. Some pretty serious renditions which are driven and used. Not a one, gathers dust as the cyclekarter takes this seriously... but not TOO seriously. The entire idea of the cyclekart is based on three things. 1. An artistic project, 2. A Mechanical project (resulting in some nifty driveway art you can drive. And 3. Capturing that fun feeling you once had as a child in something you built yourself, busting a knuckle while you did it.. then bleeding as you drove it. Ya know? That's about it. Off the soapbox now. The Cyclekart crowd is a unique bunch. Often taking on nom de pilotes, (Gittreville only), we play like no other group. Some known yearly meets have us rubbing elbows (perhaps wheels) with one another in an almost beautiful vintage waltz. Any time spent with them will tell you just what kind of people cyclekarters really are. They're some of the most genuine folks in the world. Ranging from the businessman to the hillbilly, built in higher end shops all the way down the ladder to the simplest of patios behind the barn. We all land in the same place regardless of the builders path we took. 
Be wary though cycle-warrior, taking the plunge, if publicized means there's every kind of person to deal with from the purist to the rule breaking joe that doesn't care for guidelines. It means you should follow the guidelines a bit, try to have fun, not reinvent a slightly wobbling wheel that's spun quite nicely, for decades, on its own. It doesn't need to be changed. Bending the rules too much earns frowny faces. :( 
... and you don't want that. If you've chosen to take the trip, there's a herd of cyclekarters out there willing to share their scraps of plans & drawings. Go find them, they're always happy to help. And remember, this isn't about copying someone. No two are alike usually, and we hope it continues in such a fashion. It's about building your car, doing it with what you got, and sticking generally to the simple guidelines. Don't worry if someone's building better than you, it doesn't matter. Making hurdles for yourself and useless internal competition isn't so healthy. Build for you, and smile when you've managed one wheel at each corner. Once that's done, fire it up and find out just what you've made and be proud. If it didn't catch fire, oh how much better that would be. If the wiffy still loves you for not draining the bank, I'd say you did just fine. Of all the words I could use to describe the cyclekarter, resourceful and creative come to mind predominantly. Those two traits paired, appear to be the common link in most of the really well done karts. As some have called me one of "them," (and I am) I know this. It's now 2021 and the spirit is alive and well. There's places to go and find us on the internet, including me if you want to chat. There's little events to visit here and there. A fine gentleman named Carlos (seen above) maintains the calendar of events found all over the planet. Some large events, some small... all of them do the same thing. Whether it's all-out running through city streets, a small country venue, through a river or in the snow and ice, the mud to the salt flats then perhaps a special dirt oval up Washington way known as Slyme Dawg... the only Invitational-Only Speedway harkening back to the bull rings of yore... we have the greatest sport there is. And we're keeping it that way. I know I know... it sounds like a race, but it's really just a gentleman's fun race. We don't get too competitive or serious about it. That's the beginning of ruining the whole thing. To end, what's here is one version of an informative writing only. Again, take it for what you will. It's only my opinion to help you be informed. And now you are. If you're the type looking for that excitement of building your own, looking for the raw sense of a silly motoring sport, and dabbling in mechanics in the hopes of coming out the other side cruising a one-of-a-kind ride that didn't break the bank, perhaps you could attempt to recreate some vintage ride that makes you all warm & fuzzy... ... and make a Cyclekart. Now go build something. Mid-life crisis, averted. (or just look at the pictures... we don't care really) Toodles. (Special thanks to EZ Burris, Matias de Urquiza, Mike Thorpe, Doug Varey, Steve Vinson, Carlos Carneiro, Dave Dupaquier, Joey Verpoorten, Dennis Thomas, Ryan Hannegan, Jake Songer, Mayor Jim Truett-The Town of Huntsville Utah, Mark Bremer, Rolf & Helga Bremer, Transmission City, The Compass Rose lodge, The sun, my dog, massage therapists, my daughter, my dad, all you other guys... and my wife... for puttin up with me. Build on.) |