Cheapest V-twin out there!!!

A

ACEGOLFCARTGUY

Cartaholic
I need help finding the right engine for my 95 electric EZGO. I am going against my better judgement and instead of installing a 13hp engine that only cost $200 new I am opting for a V-twin. Where is the best place to buy a cheap V-twin? I like Small Engine Warehouse but they dont have a 16hp Vtwin for the right money. Thanks for help
 
Do you think somebody would not pay as much for a cart if it had the off brand engine than a Briggs?
I wonder if your average buyer will even care. I think as long as they see a nice new shiny engine under the seat they will be happy. That new 13 hp engine for $200 is hands down better than any stock golf cart engine. I'm just curious if people are wise to an off brand engine. I personally couldnt care less about a name. Am I correct that there is no difference in the $200 engine and a Honda GX-390? Same engine materials used right?



Or do you think I should sacrifice the 2 hp and get a lesser engine for more money just to have a name?
11hp Briggs
 
Some buyers probably wouldn't care. But I'd be cautious of any new 13hp engine that only costs $200.00. If your not worried about getting a bad rep from selling low buck junk, go for it.
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Word of mouth can be your best friend, or your worst enemy...
 
HRC I like that you pointed out about getting a bad reputation from using a cheaper engine. I try to build my carts to the highest quality for the price.

With that said where is the line drawn that determines a good quality cart for a price that most people can afford? Would that 11hp Briggs Vanguard I posted be considered a good trustworthy engine?

I dont know how others do it but I wouldnt be able to make enough profit off a cart just to do another one if I used a 23 hp v-twin. I estimate on my electric to gas cart I would have $3400 into it with a 23 hp Briggs, clutch, 5" lift, 25" tires, rear seat, ST body and paint. How much do carts like that sell for??
 
If you use the $200.00 13hp and you sell it and it goes titsup then you only need $200.00 and you have a new motor again. How many times can you do that and still be cheaper than the Briggs?
 
Whats it will be worth is hard to say. A lot will depend on how the cart turns out when your done with it.
I buy and sell a quite a few carts. I usually make more money on stock or close to stock carts then I do on the custom carts. The demand is greater for the stock carts in my area so thats what I stick with. If someone wants the added goodies I tell them up front how much extra it will cost. If I was converting one from electric to gas like you are I can tell you I wouldn't make much if anything and possibly lose money by the time I was done with it. If it was me I'd spend the extra cash on a good engine and ask more money for the cart. Or forget about converting it to gas and and fix whats needed if you can make more money that way.
 
In my opinion i would go with the cheaper motor. A ***NEW*** motor is a new motor to many people. If you were able to sell the cart for $500.00 less than if it had the briggs there is still a greater profit on the no-name unit. I understand worrying about your rep by using the no-name,but new briggs have been known to go bad also. Like if it goes bad $200.00 and it is good to go again.
 
Theres so much dang stuff to think about here!
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Ok I think I will comprimise and go for an inbetween engine which would be the 11hp briggs. I would like to use these instead of a V-twin anyways because they come with a gas tank and exhaust.

No turning back now since I just sold the electric motor and rear end on ebay.
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I hear you cartin AK. There's no guarantee the Briggs wouldn't have problems out of the crate either. I like the Honda's myself for all around durablity but right now its tougher to find the aftermarket parts for them from what I've been told. And still no guarantee you won't have problems right away.

Ace, Keep us posted on this whichever way you decide to go and good luck with the project...
 
Sure thing. I need to find a new picture hosting site then I'll post updated pictures of my limo. What a mess the frame is more like swiss cheese then a frame.
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HRC where do you find carts that you can just clean up and resell? I really have no option but to do a full blown resto to my carts because they are always either like my limo or beer cart.
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ubercart, No, I didn't realize how far they were from here. Thanks again for getting the info for me.

Ace, I usually do more than just clean them up. I take some in on trades. I buy some from golf courses. I buy quite a few from people that own cottages out by mine. There are over 950 occupied lots at my cottage association and each lot owner has 1 or 2 carts so thats were most of my carts are bought and sold. When someone is selling their place I go and try to buy there carts. I also have a ad in the newsletter there that goes out to all property owners once a month. Some of them I've worked on already at the cottage so I have a good idea what I'm getting myself into. Believe me I have bought a few that I shouldn't have but I do pretty well most of the time. The carts I buy cheap that need a lot of work I usually just keep for parts.
 
I just thought I'd add to this one. I have had the 13hp "Honda" for quite a while now and, after a few of MY errors (fuel system) and getting it worked out, it runs great. It has a lot of low end torque and likes to rev. I have no complaints about it since the problem it had was my fault.

I hooked the fuel pump from the Kawasaki up to it and, it being a gravity feed, flooded like crazy. Now that I hooked it back up to gravity feed, it runs great, and has more power (probably because it's not in a constant state of flooding. If I had it to do over, I'd buy another "Honda" since it's the exact copy of a real Honda and it's cheaper by around 4-5 times.
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The only thing I would do differently is to get the 16hp instead of the 13hp. This engine hasn't ran out of power yet, but you can never have too much!

It doesn't knock, rattle, ping, pong, shake, or quiver, it's actually smoother than a genuine Honda GX340 that I use. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a cheap upgrade!

The only differences now are that I put the stock muffler back on it and I re-did the throttle linkage. I'm pleased!
 
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