Track bike or go kart?

[pebles]

Random question - which one would you choose?
I've got a bike that I like way too much for taking it to the trackday in case I'm gonna kiss the ground with it. so for quite some time me and my bf were thinking about getting a spare bike and turn it onto a trackbike. Simples. But with the cost of trackdays and everything that goes with it, we might have recently converted onto the idea of getting a proper 125cc go kart and having some fun with that instead.
I understand that this option can also be costly, go kart £1500-2000 itself (correct me if I'm wrong), you either need a van or a trailer (trailer might be easier, no need for extra waste of money on insurance, tax on a van that would not be used that much and cost of running it) and you also need to use it on the track or somewhere like that which is gonna cost something too. But tyres are cheaper, I guess so are other spare parts.
Overall, am I right to think that go kart will end up being less expensive fun then trackbike? Anyone who's got one? What are the additional expenses to count with either way?
Cheers for any tips.

[SQL]

Go Kart will double the cost of a trackbike if racing competitively, motor rebuilt every race, tyres, chassis are not really tweaked you just have a different one for different tracks

[Clutchy]

If you have any questions PM me. (about karting)



The main difference in track days for bikes is the time you get on the track.

With the karting depending on how busy it is on the day, 6 hours of pure uninterrupted track time can be as cheap as just under £50.


Double check with the circuit with their track regs as some require you to have numbers on the side of your kart and others may need to scrutinise it before you go out. Each track is different and some require licenses.


Any more questions give us a shout. I personally would go with motorbike track days because they are more fun, but are definately more expensive in the long run, you can re-sell your kart for around the same price you bought it from assuming it has a recent rebuilt (cheap if you do it yourself) and a straight chassis.


I'm assuming you're looking at senior rotax max's? Don't even bother with direct drive karts, much more hassle than they are worth IMO
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[pebles]

Well, bf is capable of doing all the dirty work himself whenever needed (which will be often in both cases) so if it comes to engine rebuilt, I'm not worried.
I know it still can be an expensive hobby, but considering it all, so far the go kart is winning in my eyes.
Cheers for the tips so far, more googling to do to get even more insides and the whole pic together.
I'll Defo PM you.
We're in Surrey - Camberley, so wondering how many circuits/ go kart tracks are around, for non-pros obviously
Yes, will look into licences as well and how that works as well. At the moment it is just the idea as I said, but definitely more realistic then trackbike. And, in my opinion even safer. Am it right there? Bf is a nutter, but me, as a girl, I'm the one who's thinking too much - money, safety, location convenience, ...

[G]

Cheap tatty sports 600. Days will cost a bit more, but overall less hassle I expect.

You can do trackdays safely if you want to - but you have to make an effort to, rather than being silly.

Bike tyres are cheap if you get part worn race tyres - from about £50 a set that will last you at least 5 days, then more time on the road - quite likely more than 5 five days on track.

Bike spares can be pretty cheap if you get an older bike.

Of course, another option is minimoto or pitbike supermoto - more akin to karting and even cheaper than Karting. However relatively limited in places you can do practice days vs actual racing.

For both, your budget would cover a bike each and you can chuck them in the back of a car (maybe sticking out a bit for the pit bikes.)

[Shaft]

A friend of mine has a Rotax Max and I think it's huge fun, but then my background is in car racing and I've never done a bike track day, or ever wanted to.

He's in the fortunate position of having company cars, so he always has an estate and puts the kart on a roof rack, although that does mean he needs help to lift it on and off.

My feeling is, it comes down to what you feel the most comfortable with.

A kart and a dedicated track bike will both need storage and transportation solutions and they could both cost a significant amount of money, depending on how often you use them.

As for safety, obviously you can't easily fall off a kart, but you can still hurt yourself and the kart, if you hit a tyre wall at 90mph.

Having said that, I would say that giving a kart the full beans is a little less risky than doing the same on a bike, so maybe that's the major consideration.
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