A Couple Maniacs Swapped a Go-Kart Engine Into a Mobility Scooter

Harbor Freight to the rescue!

Photo by: YouTube

By: Jonathon Klein

Jan 16, 2025 at 7:03am ET

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There's no shortage of insanity-induced projects on the web. From twin Hayabusa-engined crosskarts, Zero-powered trikes, ATV robot dogs, and Harley snowbikes, the denizens of the internet are nothing if not resourceful with the leftover parts that they have in their garages, as well as psychotic. And that's why we love them, as they give us endless amounts of time-wasting fun through their build and drive videos.

I mean, I think I lost a full day's worth of work watching Grind Hard Plumbing Co's build of the monster chopper KTM, as well as another day as they shredded their yard, and went up to Sturgis.

And today's insanity comes from one of that group's former members, from the newer YouTube channel BUM. But unlike the motorcycle-powered machines of his prior work, the latest from BUM is a go-kart-engined mobility scooter from Harbor Freight.

Yeah, that sounds like a good time for sure.

The project actually came to BUM after the owner had a version of Grind Hard himself, i.e. a shop where he'd build weird little machines for his family, friends, and a few folks who'd pay him to build insanity. The latter is how the mobility scooter came to be. It features a 212cc Predator motor directly from Harbor Freight and was designed for a small go-kart.

As for the scooter, these things are designed for disabled folks to better get around, but do so in a far more cautious manner. Top speed from the factory is probably under 10 mph, but this swapped scooter is likely triple that. And for those who've ever watched Top Gear, or driven three-wheelers where the single wheel is at the front, that amount of speed is going to be sketchy in a machine like this.

According to the video, the scooter project was indeed that, as the prior owner who the mechanic built it for, crashed it a few times before calling it quits. And that's how BUM got it, no one else wanted it. It was in a state of disrepair, so the guys fixed it up, added brakes, put the plastics back on, and did their best to put it all back together.

Tell us what you think!

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But as you'd expect from the fledgling channel, once it's back together, the hooning starts. Check the video above, you won't be disappointed. Though, you may begin searching your local Facebook Marketplace for free mobility scooters and Predator crate motors...