Whoop-de-doo! Now that the warm weather is here, you can venture outdoors and tackle all that stuff you’ve been brooding about through winter – you know, stuff like having fun with the kids, messing about in boats... and driving motorised cooler boxes...

The Mudbug 90, designed for hellraisers aged four to eight years old, features a bolt-on roll cage with protective foam sleeves and two seatbelts. It also comes with a remote safety kill switch with a range of 75 m.

Taking the rough road
Let’s begin with a stern admonition: do not allow your kids to waste perfectly good weather by lurking indoors and playing video games all day. That said, the onus is on you to come up with a compelling outdoors alternative – which is where the Mudbug 90 comes into the picture.

This cute off-road kart, designed for hellraisers aged four to eight years, is an absolute gas.

It features a four-stroke 90 cm³ air-cooled engine (with electric start) coupled to an automatic gearbox. Running on unleaded fuel, it drives the 102 kg machine to a top speed of 40 km/h. Crucially, the speed can be limited on request. It comes with a bolt-on roll cage with protective foam sleeves and seatbelts to protect both driver and passenger, making it a much safer option than a quad.

Another safety feature is the remote safety kill switch, which has a range of 75 metres. If you see your adrenalinepumped tyke heading towards a busy road or lining up for a close encounter with a tree, you can hit the button to stop the kart dead in its tracks. The Mudbug 90 comes with independent front suspension and a trailing arm setup at the rear (similar to a quad), and offers a ground clearance of 100 mm.

You also get 15 cm tubeless tyres, a rear disc brake, electric start, hooter and headlights. The fuel tank has a capacity of 4,5 litres. Will it fit your bakkie or roof rack? Work it out: the Mudbug 90 is 1 620 mm long, 910 mm wide and 1 050 mm high. Price: about R8 400. Contact Mudbug Off road Go Karts on 083 326 7050 or visit www.mudbug.co.za