Sahara 150
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The Sahara 150cc buggy, in this case, the double seater, is a product of China from the Kinroad USA Company. You
can also find these little buggys under the name of Boxer, Magnum and Blade. Even though Blade has made the
statement that their buggys come from their 'own' factory, that is a falsehood. Blade is the same little go kart as the
kinroad. Just with a Blade sticker on it. And there have been reports of Blade not having parts for the Blade for
months at a time. If i were to buy a kinroad product, I would buy from anybody but from Blade. Buy a Boxer or a
Sahara from Kinroad USA. When received, the off road buggy(orb) looked to be pretty stout. It was loaded in to the
back of a Ford Ranger. We had to load it backward, due to the front track being wider than the rear. About 4 inches.
We did do the testing in various areas and stages. Testing begin on flat surfaces, grassy, some mud, and ashpalt. It
seemed to pull well, take off was alright. Not a launching machine, but you could feel the enertia. Comfort level, well,
if it was a single seater, then i believe you would have enough room. But, two small seats, with the interior bolsters
missing, and with two adults, WAY to small. I would recommend at least 4-6 extra inches in the cockpit width for any
comfort at all. The ride itself wasnt that bad, but with better shocks, it would have been at least tolerable. I drove it a
few times on the ashpalt and dont know whether it was the suspension or the tires(knobby), but it was rather rough.
got it up to speed(25MPH???), and my jowls was flabbering. Being a bit overweight, I was in need of a sports bra. It
was that rough. After taking it down the street about an 1/8 miles and turning around, there is a slight grade. It was
at speed when approaching the grade and it did loose momentum. Not bad, but you noticed it. However, one time
when i took it down the street and turned around, a neighborhood canine, which was not familiar with these ORB's,
decided to give chase. This was one time this little Sahara did come thru for me. It and me, did escape the gnashing
teeth of the mutt. So, it did save my skin. And I am grateful for that. I did try the 'curb test' on it. This is where you
set the front wheels against the 6 inch curb and from a dead stop, try to overcome the curb. This Sahara could not
pass. Even tried to give it an edge by giving it a slight angle, still, it could not pull over the curb. We tried at least 8
times, still no overpowering that curb. We did take it to a mountainous area up in the upper east Tenn area. A friend
has a LONG driveway which is gravel and actually shouldnt be attempted unless you have a 4X4 vehicle. The
Sahara made it up alright, but it did struggle. Maybe I treated it a bit too gingerly at first, because it did not like the
ruts and gravel. But after giving it a short rest, tried to fire it back up to return down the hill, and the battery was
suddenly DEAD. Hmmmmm... I thought that maybe with the jarring and bumping up the hill, maybe some electrical
connection had come loose. Checked everything, but still, just a very slow 'whirl' of starter, then the clicking of the
dead battery. So, we loaded it back up in the truck, did I say this was a heavy ORB?. Had to load under human
power, this time. Once we got it back home, I tested it with another battery, and low and behold, it cranked right up.
So, be ready to replace battery within a month after you have your Sahara. Actually, I would replace right off with a
better and powerful battery, anyway. To be safe. Wouldnt want to be out in the woods, trails or desert, a long way
from your ride, and the battery to suddenly go dead. So, this ORB is a pretty decent little toy. I highly recommend
some performance enchancements. If it were mine, I would install a pipe kit(exhaust header/muffler), free flowing
intake to carburator, Uni or K&N airfilter with sock, 9 or 10 gram rollers/sliders in the CVT, racing clutch or shim the
spring. I am positive, this would really wake up this kart. Even after I changed the break in oil, this little thing was
wanting to be let loose. So, it has potential. I would even liked to have one. But only if these performance
enhancements were to be made. Otherwise, it would be a boring toy. My analysis of the Sahara 150cc 2 seater? If
you can get one for under $2200, go for it. Make the enhancements, and have fun. There is nothing like doing
powerslides with a little buggy like this. Pretty fun. Oh, one more thing, remember, Loctite, is your friend.
www.kinroadusa.com
*** in a 5 * scale. :)
