How Big Is A Go Kart?

Go karts sizes are tough to gauge from pictures. Even with a person standing next to them, is that person tall, short, average?

The average go kart is roughly the size of a standard tractor lawnmower. The majority will fit inside a standard truck bed. Some larger two and four person go karts get a little longer and wider. Below I have outlined some of the most common sizes for you to compare.

Common Go Kart Sizes

Is A Bigger Go Kart Better?

Almost always, no, unless you are wanting to carry more people of course. My thoughts on this are that the smaller the go kart, the lighter, and more agile it will be. The more agile it is the more fun it will be to drive. It’ll also take less horsepower to make the go kart fast and will give you an overall better experience. 

Bigger go karts are bigger most of the time to accommodate extra people or extra stuff. Bigger go karts will be more likely to come with suspension, or better suspension setups, rack and pinion steering, more electronics, possibly a battery, the list goes on. With a few exceptions, bigger go karts have more bells and whistles but are rarely more fun to drive. 

My recommendation here is to get a medium sized two seater go kart. You can still take a passenger with you, but if you want to go fast by yourself, the overall size should allow you to fit comfortably and still have a light go kart to toss around. 

Consider Who Will Drive The Go Kart

Go kart sizing is one of the main factors when considering which go kart to buy. I recommend buying used first so you should be able to see how you fit in the go kart. Some go karts, mainly the ones not listed above, are much smaller in person. This could be perfect for a kid or teenager but don’t assume as an adult you’ll be able to drive one where you are cramped. Every inch you are cramped while driving will make you 10% sorer the next day, and far more likely to not want to drive again. 

If buying for an adult, make sure you get one that is long enough that you can bend your knee to 45 degrees. Just think, halfway between 90 and fully straight. This angle is comfortable for extended driving and attainable on most go karts. 

For kids, buy more towards having the kids knees completely straight at first, maybe 5 or 10 degrees. This will allow the most use before outgrowing. They should be able to use the go kart well past 90 degrees though.

How Much Do Go Karts Weigh?

On average, most go karts weigh around 350 pounds. Offroad go karts with full suspension and multiple seats can weigh upwards of 400-500 pounds. Small go karts without full cages can weigh as little as 100 pounds. A good rule here is if you see a basic single seat go kart with suspension and cage, guess around 300-350lbs. Basic two seater go karts with suspension around 325-375lbs. Two seater go karts with more bodywork or bells and whistles, such as lights, or batteries, assume 400+lbs. 

The typical 5-6.5 hp engine will weigh around 38lbs. Typical 10-14 hp engines will weigh around 70lbs. Some of the bigger 22+ hp engines can weigh 100-120lbs. Offroad wheels weigh roughly 40lbs for all four, this would be for two large rear wheels and two small round front wheels. Two person seats come in around 15lbs. The rest is basically what is made up of sheet metal and bars used to make the frame. 

Can I Load My Go Kart By Myself?

The great news when it comes to go kart weight is that it should still be pretty easy to load your go kart by yourself. The longer the overall frame is the easier you will be able to lift up the front into a truck or car and then load the back half. Granted these things aren’t easy to load, but only having to pick up one half at a time and rotating it on your vehicle makes things much easier.

If you aren’t able to load your go kart and don’t have a friend available you can always consider a small trailer. Harbor Freight has asmall trailer that is large enough for most go karts, but folds in half for storage. This makes it super convenient to store in the corner of a garage, shed, basement, even on the side of a house if needed. It’s much easier to hide this thing versus a large trailer. It can also be towed by virtually any vehicle! You just need a tow hitch and you’re on your way. 

Storing Your Go Kart

Perhaps the only issue with a go karts size is where to store it. Unlike the trailer above, go karts don’t fold in half. If you are lucky enough to have a property where you have a perfect outdoor riding location, hopefully, you’ve got the perfect place already. If not the best solution I’ve come up with so far is to suspend it from your garage ceiling. 

I have one of those garages where the ceiling is very high, so I rigged up a pulley system to store things in my garage. Granted so far I’ve only put power wheels up there, but the theory holds true with the right equipment. 

One last note, I have seen go karts stored facing upwards. If you plan to do that make sure you take into consideration the oil and gas. Make sure to turn off the gas to the carb, and just allow enough time for the oil to pour back down where it belongs before starting it up. The last thing you want to do is run it without proper oiling. 

To end, go karts are typically larger than most people consider. For that reason just make sure you have a plan to transport and store your go kart. It’s always hard to see a good go kart go bad from sitting out in the rain or being abandoned from lack of use. Go karts are an unbelievably enjoyable toy for both kids and adults, so find a way to make it work for you!