This winter, I decided to take on a project. I've had this golf cart since '98. I lifted it about a week after I got it. I knew the stock 9 hp engine would be underpowered with the 22" tires and stock gearing, but I figured I would just put a larger engine in it when the original one crapped out. Well, 14 years later and a lot of utility/offroad abuse, that stock Kawasaki FE290 is still going strong. So, I decided I would put a motorcycle engine in it.
First and foremost, I wanted to keep the cart usable around the farm, not just have a 100 mph screamer like so many others. With that said, I decided to keep the original transaxle so I would have reverse. The motorcycle engine needed to be on the smaller size so it wouldn't overpower the transaxle. I wanted liquid cooling for obvious reasons. I went with a 2004 Ninja 250.
Now for the fun part, since the input shaft on the transaxle rotates in a counter-clockwise direction, the engine has to be mounted backwards. I could have mounted it facing forward and simply shifted into reverse to go forward and forward to go backwards, however the gear ratios are different. I installed a counter shaft that connects to the engine output sprocket via a short chain, then another sprocket on that shaft connects to the transaxle input shaft via a longer chain. Right now I have it geared for about 40-45 mph at 6k-7k rpm. Hehehe, that Ninja 250 is factory redlined at 13k, but I don't plan on ever spinning it that fast. If I do a high speed gear set for the transaxle, it should do 60-70 mph.
I think I will mount the radiator up front, but I haven't got that far. At this point, I'm still welding my axle brackets. But I used up my last tip tonight and will have to get more tomorrow. Here are some pics I shot tonight, I'll try to keep this thread updated as I make progress.
First and foremost, I wanted to keep the cart usable around the farm, not just have a 100 mph screamer like so many others. With that said, I decided to keep the original transaxle so I would have reverse. The motorcycle engine needed to be on the smaller size so it wouldn't overpower the transaxle. I wanted liquid cooling for obvious reasons. I went with a 2004 Ninja 250.
Now for the fun part, since the input shaft on the transaxle rotates in a counter-clockwise direction, the engine has to be mounted backwards. I could have mounted it facing forward and simply shifted into reverse to go forward and forward to go backwards, however the gear ratios are different. I installed a counter shaft that connects to the engine output sprocket via a short chain, then another sprocket on that shaft connects to the transaxle input shaft via a longer chain. Right now I have it geared for about 40-45 mph at 6k-7k rpm. Hehehe, that Ninja 250 is factory redlined at 13k, but I don't plan on ever spinning it that fast. If I do a high speed gear set for the transaxle, it should do 60-70 mph.
I think I will mount the radiator up front, but I haven't got that far. At this point, I'm still welding my axle brackets. But I used up my last tip tonight and will have to get more tomorrow. Here are some pics I shot tonight, I'll try to keep this thread updated as I make progress.
