Buggy Bikini

[shootistpd27]

I am new to karting and I bought my three year old daughter a trailmaster 150 XRS. She got it for her birthday which is in December which means that it will be too cold most of the time to enjoy. Not for me, but for her. I looked all over trying to find a bikini kit for her kart but only found them for atv's. I didn't take no for an answer so I got my creative juices flowing and put something together. I used to have a Sahara so I knew how to start. I just wanted to post these to see what you guys think. We just finished our first "real" ride and this thing went everywhere, and its about 28 degrees outside and we had a blast. My little girl yells "ROCK AND ROLL BABY" and then she yells "HEY DADA, THIS IS SO MUCH FUN". If the cold stops you or your kids from enjoying your kart, this is the way to go.

[x-bird]

Canvas? Be a good use for old tent and awning material....
Hmmm, i have some old jeep door removable uppers floating about somewhere ...

[AceFab]

Great job, sounds like she had a blast too. My girls were 5 and 7 when I got their first kart, the oldest is 27 now and they both still talk about riding their karts.

[metalstudman1]

Incredible job and smart/creative on your part-Solutions to simple issues to bring joy and bonding for you & your daughter

[shootistpd27]

I did use canvas but it was not from an old tent. I used 10 oz 9ft x 12ft painters canvas, it was the best and cheapest material that I could find at the hardware store. I almost used a tarp but that would have lasted about five minutes. I don't know how to sew so I used my wife's handy dandy hot glue gun and about two hundred glue sticks for the seams and frayed ends and it worked out great. $25 for the canvas was a pretty good buy I thought.

[shootistpd27]

Originally Posted by metalstudman1

Incredible job and smart/creative on your part-Solutions to simple issues to bring joy and bonding for you & your daughter

Thanks metal. It meant the world to me when my little girl yelled about how much fun she was having. I am shopping for some welding equipment because as much as she loves it, I'm gonna NEED to do some repairs for sure.

[joekd]

Great work! With my kids being teens I told them that getting cold is just part of the fun

[shootistpd27]

I took the trailmaster out today just me and my little girl. We went to the banks of the Tennessee river where the water is low enough that the shore is sopping wet with mud. I underestimated this kart thinking that it would not be up to real mudding but it was flawless........until I added my wife to the mix. Apparently with all of us together, we were too heavy and we got stuck. Me and my daughter got out and my wife drove that thing like she stole it. I have gotten myself into the doghouse by telling folks in front of my wife that me and my little girl were running great until my wife got in and we sank....Shoulda thought more about that one before I spoke. But I now have my trusty entrenching tool in my "gotta have" kit attached to my roll bars. The bikini top was flawless. We actually got hot and sweaty inside while riding at speeds up to 40+, until we got stuck we had no mud on us or inside the cab. We ran through briars and thickets without even a scratch. Only prob was we couldn't see through the mud on the winshield after a while. I am taking any and all advice on how to install a winshield wiper on my plexi glass winshield. Here are a couple of pics of the success of enjoying the mud, with none of the cleanup......Well? Most of the cleanup anyway.

[metalstudman1]

From experience a windshield wiper is out on plexiglas- I would suggest some type of squirt system to rinse away the mud from time to time as the plexiglas will scratch and you won't be able to see at all.

[AceFab]

metalstudman is right, a wiper will scratch the plexi-glass severely. Try coating the windshield with Rain-X or a car wax suitable for clearcoat to help prevent the mud/water from sticking and like he also suggested an occasional rinse will help. Maybe try some chocolate flavored shoe laces too, at least it'll taste better when you stick your foot in your mouth....works for me.
Have fun and be safe!

[x-bird]

If you've got a 12v source on the engine, you can get windshield washer tanks with integral pumps pretty cheaply, add some hose and a couple plastic spray nozzles at the ends and you'd be good to go. Just need to check out the amp rating of your supply and the pump.

[shootistpd27]

Great idea on the squirting system! I figure that since most people never replace their windshield washer system when it goes bad that I can probably get one dirt cheap off a peice of junk at a junk yard. The washer system can't require much voltage so it shoulde be easy to mount and energize. I'm excited about putting that to work. Oh yeah, I was looking for a safe path along the road to make it to the waterway to ride with my family when the first car I saw in my rearview was a late model crown vic with Mississippi Highway Patrol written on the door coming along side of me. I kept my foot on the gas just waiting to become the next blue light special when he just slowed down, stared and shook his head as he got back to trooper speed. I have worked with the guy before but he couldn't wrap his mind around that little oddity on the side of the road so he left me alone. Thanks for the tip! And the chocolate shoe laces taste great.

[metalstudman1]

I figured when you started talking about the Highway patrol man coming - He'd gotten a call from your wife as pay back for the mud pit comment

[shootistpd27]

Naw, she wouldn't do that. She just asked me to ride to the waterway to..........HEY!!!!!!!!!