Yerf Dog 3203 & 3205 Go Kart
Yerf Dog 3203 & 3205 Go KartThis page is dedicated to information on the Yerf Dog 3203 & 3205 go karts. In addition, it lists some of the small projects that I've done on a Yerf Dog 3203 off road go kart. By the way, the Yerf Dog 3205 and Yerf Dog 3203 go karts are basically the same go kart except for paint color. The Yerf Dog 3203 is red and the 3205 is yellow.
One of the first things that become obvious on my Yerf Dog 3203 go kart was that it was not very powerful! I am a full size man, so I guess I was expecting too much for the engine. Even though it had a 6.5HP Tecumseh engine, the first time I took it out I was wondering where the other 6 horse were hiding! It wasn't that bad, but it was a disappointment in terms of power and performance. Even the gentlest hills or inclines tended to bog the engine. To be fair to the engine, I owned this go kart while living at an elevation of 5000+ft, and this definitely has a big impact on performance (higher elevation = less dense air = less oxygen = less power potential). Someone living at sea level may have a different experience. Since I've tinkered on engines most my life, I decided to try and do something about the lack of power. After a bit of tinkering on the Tecumseh 6.5HP engine and some adjustments to the Comet torque converter, my Yerf Dog 3203 go kart was much more fun to drive. It was finally able to climb some hills and it scooted around pretty well. Keep in mind that since the models are basically identical except for paint color, this information should apply to both the Yerf Dog 3205 and 3203 go karts.
Yerf Dog 3203 Go Kart
I won't go into all the details of modifications to the Tecumseh 6.5HP engine since the kart no longer has this engine. Just briefly... before selling the Tecumseh engine, I advanced the ignition timing around 7 degrees with an offset flywheel key. This made a nice increase in power/torque. I also re-jetted carb for our higher elevation and this made the engine run stronger. Modified the carb so that it would open full throttle (instead of around 75% like it came from the factory). Ported the intake manifold to remove some casting flaws (and machining flaws from the factory). Removed the governor to allow engine to rev up higher - but this didn't really seem to make that much difference on our kart because the torque converter was shifting up too soon and not allowing the engine to get into higher RPM's anyway. By the time I sold the original Tecumseh engine, it did run strong. It definitely ran much stronger than as it came on the kart originally! Even so, I decided to sell it because I wanted a better quality engine that had more potential.
This is a family go kart, so I do not have any radical plans for it. If I were single, I'd probably be shooting for a go kart that could pull wheelies and roast the tires on pavement... probably something with a motorcycle engine. But, since this is a family go kart (and since I'm not as crazy as I used to be), I am being much more conservative on what I would do to any go karts I might own. I take it out with my 3 older children (they are still quite young) strapped in a kid's booster car seat next to me. They are securely strapped in with the kart's 3 point seat belt and they wear their helmet. They enjoy tearing up a vacant field with the "old man". The youngest to ride along so far is 2 years old.
Yerf Dog 3205 Go Kart
Besides being underpowered from the factory, another weak point on the Yerf Dog 3203 (and of course the Yerf Dog 3205) is the stock shock absorbers. They are not hydraulic dampened, so they tend to bounce a lot. I picked up a set of 4 Azusa shocks for my go kart. They made a huge difference in the way the kart handled the bumps. Much better than stock! The Azusa shocks have progressive dampening and adjustable spring preload. Because the bolt holes on the Azusa shock ends were bigger, I bought some bigger bolts and nuts and then drilled out the shock mounts on the kart to match. Since buying the Azusa shocks, I ran across a full set of 4 bolt on hydraulic shocks for the Yerf Dog 3203 and 3205 go karts that costs less money and is a simple, direct bolt on upgrade.
Yerf Dog 3203 & 3205 Upgrade Shocks
The shocks are just one upgrade that is available for the Yerf Dog 3205 and 3203 go karts. Other upgrades include: windshield, soft top cover, cargo bag for back rack, grab handle, and kart storage cover.
CLICK THE LINKS BELOW TO SEE SOME OF THE MODIFICATIONS I'VE DONE TO OUR 3203 GO KART:
ROBIN EX21 ENGINE SWAP (added 09-10-03)
HIGH FLOW AIR FILTER SYSTEM (added 09-13-03)
OTHER MISC. ACCESSORIES INSTALLED ON YERF DOG 3203 (added 09-20-03)
RECALIBRATED TORQUE CONVERTER & CHANGED DRIVE SPROCKET (added 10-21-03)
MORE POWER!... THE ULTIMATE SOURCE OF POWER