Safety

The rules that apply to every kart we sell

Private property only. These are not street legal in nearly every US state. No VIN, no lighting package, no DOT tires, and a seat six inches off the ground that sits below the sight line of every SUV mirror on the road. The full explanation is in why these are not street legal.

Helmet every ride. Including the first slow lap in a garage. Full-face, because the first fall in a spin is forward and downward and the chin is the contact point.

Gloves every ride. This is the injury that actually happens. In a spin riders instinctively put a hand out, and a hand travelling sideways along concrete loses skin immediately.

One rider. Single seat, single rated capacity. A passenger on the frame is how people get seriously hurt.

Never over the rated capacity. Published in text on every product page. Over it, the frame flexes, ground clearance drops and the kart stops behaving predictably, which is worse than it sounds because unpredictability is the actual hazard.

Not in the rain, not on wet ground. Splash resistant, not waterproof, and wet slick surfaces remove what little rear grip you have.

Gear list

Required: full-face helmet, gloves with a solid palm, long sleeves, long trousers, closed flat-soled shoes.

Sensible: neck brace for younger riders or 40 mph karts, eye protection if your helmet has no visor.

Not necessary for private riding: race suits, which are for fire protection in circuit racing, and rib protectors, which address sustained cornering loads in sprint karting rather than drift use.

Helmet standards worth looking for are Snell K-rated, which is the karting series, or ECE 22.06. Check the certification label inside the shell rather than the marketing on the box. Fit matters more than price: a helmet should move the skin on your forehead when you move it, with no pressure points after twenty minutes.

Helmets and gloves are on helmets and gloves, and the reasoning is in the full gear guide.

Supervision by age

8 to 12. An adult present for every session, within reach of the kill switch, watching rather than doing something else.

12 to 16. An adult on site and aware. Not necessarily standing over them.

16 and up. Ride with someone else present. This is a general rule rather than supervision. A kart failure or a fall in an empty industrial lot with nobody around is a bad situation at any age.

Using the limiter on kids karts

The three-mode limiter on the Cadet range is the most effective safety feature we fit, more than any wearable item. It is key-set on the frame and out of reach from the seat.

• Mode 1, walking pace, for the first hour or two regardless of how confident the rider seems.
• Mode 2, roughly two thirds, once they hold a line without wandering.
• Mode 3, full speed, when they ask for it and can already catch a small slide.

There is no benefit to rushing this and a real cost, which is a child who learns to be frightened of the kart. Two keys are supplied so one can live somewhere a child does not know about.

Choosing a safe place to ride

Where you ride matters more than what you wear.

• Smooth sealed surface
• At least 15 feet of clear runoff in every direction
• No kerbs, light poles, bollards, drainage grates or parked cars in the sliding zone
• No through traffic, including pedestrians taking a shortcut
• Permission from the property owner
• Sweep it first, because grit acts like ball bearings and gives inconsistent grip

A lot with a light pole in the middle is not a good lot however smooth it is.

On loose ground

The main hazard on dirt and gravel is different: a wheel dropping into a rut at speed rather than a slide going wrong. Loose surfaces hide ruts, rocks and holes.

Walk the area first, every time you ride somewhere new. Ground that was fine in June can be rutted in September.

Before every session

Two minutes. Check the critical fasteners by hand, check front tire pressures are equal, look at the sleeves for cracks, and glance over cables and connectors for anything rubbing or unseated.

Stop riding immediately for any of these: a clunk from the rear under load, grinding on turns, a visible crack anywhere on the frame or sleeves, or any swelling of the battery pack.