Problems with Fitting FatBoy Seat!

[nighthawk]

;D Hi All,

Wow! I'm really struggling to fit my XL seat in the KGB! I got a cheater bar (4' section of 1-3/4" water pipe) and have tried to bend the frame mounted seat brackets out far enough to get the seat in. The bracket on the right side is too far out now as it interferes with the shift rod and the bracket on the left side needs to go out about two more inches to move the seat left and rear enough to work. I removed to radiator and hoses and will worry about fitting that later. I had thought about just cutting the left bracket and brace off and just using one of the clamp on variety but I'm leery to do that as I don't know how it will affect the handling.
Any ideas? Anybody?

[Mark Enderlein]

John, I have the same problem getting my petite posterior into a kart. Try to leave the right strut almost alone, bend it just a little. Most of the bending is done with the left side. If you crack the weld on the bottom of the strut, don't be surprised. You might have to add a little weld there after you are done. Good luck, Mark

[lance9]

you could heat the strut with a torch above the main frame rail, put a wet rag on frame. this will wreck powder coat. or cut it off and use a clamp on type to get the seat where the corner weights are best then TIG weld it back on. this also wrecks finish. A bigger motor on the right side will help get corner weights the same. Just a thought.

[nighthawk]

;D Hi All,

Rolling on the floor laughing! Lance, that is the best idea I have heard yet for weight balancing! I just might try to get a 250 through tech as a lowly 80, the horsepower to weight ratio would be the same as a 120lb. midget (er..12 year old kid..). Mark, I wasn't aware you carried a Petite Posterior seat!...can I trade my FatBoy in on one? ;D
After making a phone call today to KGB in Phoenix, I discovered a few new things about my kart. Apparently the first 12 karts produced by the company were intended for National level SKUSA events and the seat bracket diagonal braces were angled in and fit on the cross rail instead of the side rail like every other kart in the World! This limited the seat size to medium-small or medium. I guess their new shifters are set up with a clamp-on style seat bracket on the right side for vibration (vibration in a Shifter?! No!) and the left bracket diagonal is now attached to the left frame rail where it should have been all along! Anyway, they suggested cutting the left bracket diagonal and then bending the mount to fit. It's amazing what a Cranked Up "Tool-Time" style air compressor and a cut-off tool can do! I took me all of about five minutes of sparks flying everywhere and the job is done. Thanks for the helpful suggestions and stay tuned to the ongoing saga of the FatBoy installs Seat.

[nighthawk]

8-)Hi Again,

Here's the next installment. I have the seat in position (sort of) and the left side has enough room to clear the shift rod by about 1/4". The right front seat tab looks like it is in the correct position. The problem now is the left front seat tab is almost in the middle of the seat and the alignment left and right of the gas tank is off to the left by a bunch. I've tried moving the seat around but it is just is too big to align on the gas tank without interfering with the shift rod. I'm worried that I won't have enough room to clear my right leg. Should I just go ahead and run it that way and see how it fits or is there another option that I am not seeing? Thanks for any help. We're getting close!

[nighthawk]

Hi Again,

Oops! I should have said the right side clears the shift rod, not the left. BTW Mark, you were right about cracking the welds but I did find a cheap welding and brazing kit which should help repairs as soon as the seat is in the final position. Thanks for the heads-up!

[Mark Enderlein]

JOHN, 1/4 INCH MAY NOT BE ENOUGH CLEARANCE IN SOME OF THE FASTER LEFT HAND CORNERS. YOU WILL BE AMAZED HOW MUCH A SEAT/STRUT WILL FLEX IN THE HIGHER G CORNERS. ANY WAY TO GIVE THE ROD A CUSTOM BEND TO IMPROVE CLEARANCE? MARK

[nighthawk]

8-Hi All,

Thanks Mark for the Heads-Up! I hadn't really thought about pulling 2 or 3 gee's in a corner. I did however, consider trying to bend the shift rod back toward the engine mount a little and will look at that idea again tomorrow when I work on it. I have the seat clamped in position with some vice-grips and it looks to be pretty close. Thanks again to everyone for the help. I will make it to the track yet!

[nighthawk]

;D ;D Hi All,

The seat is In!! It looks like it is actually going to fit. I did bend the shift rod out slightly so there is about 1/2" to 3/4" of clearance. Now I just need to remove the seat again so I can do the welding on the brackets. Thanks again to all who gave their help and advice. Next project is getting the radiator to work! I haven't done this much fabricating since I was racing sports cars when the Earth was Young! Oh, well, I guess that's half the fun.

[Mark Enderlein]

John, if you have a clearance problem, fabricate a bracket so you can move the radiator back from your left elbow a little. You will get better cooling from the radiator if you don't lay it way back from vertical. Also be aware how much your left arm blocks the air flow through the radiator. You might want to also space it away from the seat a little. Mark

[nighthawk]

Hi Everyone,


Thanks Mark. My Tracker is in the shop for repairs so I won't be working on the kart for a few days but will start basic fitting of the radiator and hoses when I have a chance to work on it again.