Coolster Challenger 250cc 2 seater vs. Rocketa 250cc 2 seat

I'm in the market for a new go kart/buggie and have narrowed it down to the new shaft driven coolster 250cc and the Rocketa 250cc 2 seaters. My concern with the Rocketa is that I've read it has a wide turning circle and I'll be rifing it on pretty tight trails. I don't know much about the turning circle on the Coolster. Does anyone have any insight into these two machines - pros and cons of each. Thanks for you help.

I dont know much about those, but by it from a local dealer

and don't buy it from a dealer that sells them then leaves town, make sure the dealer is legit as well

yes, I've already been burned by a kart distributor closing up shop and selling me junk (SUNL). I unfortunately don't have any local shops that sell go karts - mostly just atvs and motorcycles - Hudson Valley area of New York. So I kind of have to go the internet route. Does anyone have any knowledge/experience with these two karts so I can be more informed in making a decision in my purchase?

profaci wrote:yes, I've already been burned by a kart distributor closing up shop and selling me junk (SUNL). I unfortunately don't have any local shops that sell go karts - mostly just atvs and motorcycles - Hudson Valley area of New York. So I kind of have to go the internet route. Does anyone have any knowledge/experience with these two karts so I can be more informed in making a decision in my purchase?

Do a search on the Off Road Go Kart & Mini Buggy Discussion Forum. There are several threads on the Roketa & Coolster Buggys. If you go to page 3 of this forum you will see a topic that says roketa 250cc buggys by roketa hater. They discuss different model roketa buggys. Some people obviously hate them, but there are plenty of happy roketa owners as well. Do your research and keep asking questions! There are plenty of people on this site that are more than happy to offer helpful advice.

I have a rokeat gk-19 that so far I'm happy with,it does not have a large turning radius,everything I've read about the coolsters or challengers are they are bumpy as hell and the rear swingarms crack

The first generation of coolsters were horrid. Constant weld cracks on the rear swingarm, mufflers quickly falling off, etc. We haven't had enough folks with the newer ones (maybe we scared everyone on the site from buying them?) to make a judgement, but based upon how folks were treated and how the products held up on the first round I'd say to stay away unless you are confident with your welding and fabrication skills.

Some roketa/sunl things have been good for folks, and others have been minor nightmares... Research the model and look for opinions based upon specific model on here. The differet karts by both those importers are spread between different factories, so quality can vary widely depending upon model.

If price is an issue for you (and I suspect it may be since you are looking at the bottom of the price range here) consider the Super Run 250 by Kinroad. I haven't heard anything negative about it yet and everyone that has had their hands on it say that it's is nearly identical to the Twister Hammerhead 250 except that it doesn't have a dual range tranny. The price is good for a quality machine. Glade from www.edgepwr.com (a great guy to do business with) and www.awesomebuggy.com has them as well (pictures of them on that site)

-Steve

The Kinroad 250 and Hammerhead are smallish frame karts similar to the SUNL 150 I already have. I want something a bit larger frame. I have spoken to distributors of both karts and decided on the coolster mostly due to supposed better tech support and parts availability from the on-line distributor. They seem to have only good things to say about the coolster challenger 2 seater. One distributor who sells both brands recommended the coolster over the roketa primarily due to the manufacturer's support. He said you get next to none from roketa. I also liked that the coolster is shaft driven versus chain. I'll let you know what I think of it after I get it. I only have a SUNL product to compare it to (junk), so I may not have the best opinion though.

I have a Gk-06 Roketa and love it. It is a bigger kart, but it handles like a dream. Just have to spend some time doing some prep work before riding.