BuggyMasters Review: Tomberlin Crossfire 150cc

[BuggyMaster]

We finally got our hands on one of these to test them out. These machines are (were) commonly sold through Walmart or Sam's Club. It's kind of a hard one to rate because it has a lot of pros to it and some significant cons. Looks wise, it is a good looking machine. It is very well built with generally solid construction. The only indication of poor construction was the in the chain cover. It had broke from vibrations which is typically a sign of cheap metal but no other area of the buggy showed any sign of that. In fact, the fact that the chain cover was still there is somewhat impressive since a lot of them tend to fall off and are never seen again. None the less, a quick weld and it was back intact.

Performance wise, this is one of the machines that carry the awesome Howhitt GY6 which some say has a forged bottom end. I can't verify that myself but these are excellent running 150's with plenty of power. If you are doing trails, these are some good torque generating machines. One of the cons, however, is the internal gearing they use is pretty short. This is the same engine mill that comes on the Yerf SpyderBox and like that machine, the top end is limited because of the internal gearing to slightly less than 30mph so in a long race, you are going to get spanked by many others but the crossfire will tear up most in short trail riding.

This machine shines in the handling department. The a-arm design and the width of the front end make for a very stable machine at and speed. One of the better handling machines that we have ever tested. Big A+ for this. The general ride was pretty good but not as great as most of the other buggies. They didn't shine as being a problem though and in fact the long shocks on the front are pretty good. Just not a lot of dampening on the rears.

Despite the large size of the machine, cabin room is about the same as most other buggies. Very large guys may be a little cramped. The more-comfortable-than-others seats are adjustable on the drivers side and well suited for kids. This is a pretty big machine lengthwise too. The possibly downside to that would be that it may not be as nimble in tighter trails when you compare it to the more conventional shorter wheelbase machines. This also brings us to one of the major drawbacks to this machine....which may be a deal breaker for some: No reverse!

If you combine the long wheelbase with the no reverse, this could be a drag to deal with under certain riding conditions. You'll have to consider your environment.

One of the other downsides is the lack of front disk brakes. I can't say though that I found this to be a big problem. The rear disk brake setup is kind of unique compared to others. Instead of having a front mounted mastercylinder at the pedal, the pedal drives a rod that actuates a rear mounted mastercylinder. At any rate, the brakes were ok.

This buggy also has a parking brake and headlights however when we bought it, the headlights didn't work. We put new bulbs in them and they worked...then we rode it around the track and they didn't work again. Crossfire advertises these as "automatic" headlights. What that means is they run them off of their own circuit on the stator and there doesn't appear to be good voltage regulation on that circuit. Granted, maybe the 35w bulbs we used were to small which allowed an abundance of electricity or something. Don't know for sure.

Because of the extreme combination of pros and cons on this machine, I am going to rate this machine with a half-point which I have never done before. It is one of the best handling machines with excellent power however the lack of reverse is a heavy drawback to me.

Pros: Great handling, tons of power
Cons: No reverse!

Overall BuggyMasters Rating: 6.5 out of 10

[joshstep1]

the lack of reverse would be a definite deal breaker

[24evanwilson]

Yeah it would!

[Krusekontrol]

Your review is dead on. Nice work on these reviews. The yellow crossfire also has a few minor problems that won't be found until you drive it for a while.

The air box will develop cracks rather quickly on rough trail rides over a short period time.

The stock filter is great for keeping the engine clean but not so good if you want a little more "get up & go".

The balljoints and tie rod ends are smaller and the tensile strength is weaker to protect the control arms. It's designed to break first so you lesson the damage. The heavier arms and balljoints on the R model are much better but you can't turn as quickly with the R.

One other problem is the rear breaks, With one person riding it's fine but down hills at max weight really eats up the pads if your running in a close group like a poker run or something.

[joshstep1]

And you know all of this how?

[BuggyMaster]

He has a few and is well experienced with them.

[joshstep1]

Duh! I just remembered hes got like 5 of them...

[24evanwilson]

XD!!!

[Krusekontrol]

Yup 5 and looking to get more so I can build more UFB's. I can't help myself, I have serious motorhead and buggynut issues LOL!

[joshstep1]

Me too! But it will be a long time before I get a new mini buggy. I definitely want me next one to be something like a YamaBuggy 400. I mainly like those because they have a 5 speed semi auto tranny! Either that or a Joyner Trooper. You can probably climb a wall with the Joyner.

[yerf3206]

not having reverse is fine aslong as u can swing the rear around like i do on my yerf.to back up all u do is find a hill and u simply put the brake on and turn the way u want to go wile coasting down the hill.it is easy.

[joshstep1]

What do you do if you almost hit a tree or something and you can't keep going forwerd?

[yerf3206]

than i get out and push.

[joshstep1]

Ell oh ell

[yerf3206]

or i will rin intoit and pray to god i make it.lol

[joshstep1]

I don't think you would make it. lol

[joshstep1]

at least through most trees.

[KID4LIFE]

i'm glad you guys put this review in here. i was looking at a crossfire for sale in my area ( didn't actually go and see it yet) but i didn't know that these buggies did not have front brakes or reverse!!! that would not work. thank's for the heads up. i would have seen these issues when i went to see it but it's a 2 hour drive for me and the ad didn't say anything about the brakes or reverse.

[BuggyMaster]

No prob. You should know that the newer style ones do have reverse. They have a "Punisher" model that I am trying to get my hands on now that even has factory mudflaps. The ones identical to the pic above are the early ones with no reverse. Also, the Crossfire-R model I believe has reverse. Point is you need to ask the seller before you make the trip.

[KID4LIFE]

thank you. for whatever reason, i assumed that most all buggies now days had reverse. never hurts to ask though right?....lol

[dbil84]

I found one of these for sale near me for 300 it's a little rough, I saw online they make a reverse set up for the spiderbox, anyone ever put one of these on anything?

[glos55]

When I purchased my new Tomberlin Crossfire R. buggy, the one delivered to my garage was different than the one I bought and was on display at Sam's Club. The Crossfire R was dark metallic gray trimmed in red with reverse-double sprocket and drive chain-and a host of other features that made this cart really stand out! The one delivered was yellow and red and did'nt have reverse, a smaller exhaust and a single sprocket and chain and the wheels were painted gray instead of the polished ones on the R model. I called the manager at Sam's and he was'nt aware of the differences, he thought the only difference was the colors, you either got gray or yellow. I then called Tomberlin and was told the R model was the better bang for the buck a newer design with more features and faster. Sam's Club had both these carts for sale for the same price! I own the R model and love it!!!!

[Jonota]

What are all the "stock" differences between the R and the non-R model? My 2007 R model has front brakes and reverse. I'm curious if the reverse was the add-on I've seen advertised or came stock. With reverse and front brakes.. would you change the 6.5 rating??

[BuggyMaster]

It likely came stock from the factory, hence the R designation.

[drillpvt]

The cross fire 150r took care of most of the issues this non R had , R does stand for reverse ! and most but not all came with front disc breaks !
They also put better front shocks on them ! The one thing both models have in common as a con Is the seats !
Very poor seats , lack of padding , and even a 10 year old can not belt himself in tight enough to not end up in the passenger seat threw hard turning. This buggy is great on the trails and drifting ! It will turn faster then you can stay in the seat ! I added new racing bucket seats to one of mine and even tho its the slower of my 2 carts , its the one everyone wants to ride because of the seats !

[glos55]

Originally Posted by drillpvt

The cross fire 150r took care of most of the issues this non R had , R does stand for reverse ! and most but not all came with front disc breaks !
They also put better front shocks on them ! The one thing both models have in common as a con Is the seats !
Very poor seats , lack of padding , and even a 10 year old can not belt himself in tight enough to not end up in the passenger seat threw hard turning. This buggy is great on the trails and drifting ! It will turn faster then you can stay in the seat ! I added new racing bucket seats to one of mine and even tho its the slower of my 2 carts , its the one everyone wants to ride because of the seats !

Good move on the seats!! I ended up replacing the stupid factory belts with a more user friendly set that holds the riders in tighter.

[Bigfun27]

Hello all newbie here I am looking at one of these but in an R it is 2 years old the guy says it does 35-40?but your review says 27? and it has internal gears how can I make it faster I am looking to get 35-45 out of it how much do I gain if I do a 180 big bore kit looking to use on our property up-north and trail ride also will this fit down an ATV trail?

[BuggyMaster]

We haven't had the R version just yet and it is very possible that they did switch the gearing when they went to the reverse based transmission. You'll just have to try it out and see what it does. Our Helix has the internal gearing with reverse and will absolutely do 43 mph...well at least it did till we wrecked it.

[metalstudman1]

The Punisher engine I had came with an external reverse (don't know the year)- I put this engine in a Spiderbox (not our's) and it did 37mph on the gps. I thought the Crossfire & CrossfireR stopped being made around 2008-2009?

[glos55]

Originally Posted by Bigfun27

Hello all newbie here I am looking at one of these but in an R it is 2 years old the guy says it does 35-40?but your review says 27? and it has internal gears how can I make it faster I am looking to get 35-45 out of it how much do I gain if I do a 180 big bore kit looking to use on our property up-north and trail ride also will this fit down an ATV trail?

Mine topped out at 42 mph.

[milliganman]

Just got my first Crossfire-with front dic brakes/no reverse. Runs great, actually rides better than my Spiderbox. Magneto lights suck but am now putting extra lights on it with it's own battery. Seems to solve the problem even tho' extra battery will need to be recharged when lights used. Overall...nice buggy, would like to buy another. Seems to be "first time user" friendly. If anyone has one available please let me know. Thanx..T.R.

[zman007007]

I have one also with no reverse but it does have the front disc brakes. it drives and rides better than my Helix

[zman007007]

did you ever find yourself another crossfire?

[milliganman]

Have not found my second Crossfire...just finished a "Kasea" with front/rear brakes, reverse, 150cc Howitt, lights, etc. Spent a lot of time getting running, problem was valve timing, carb, etc. but it now runs and drives great. Not a lot out there on these, well made, handles quite well, like it actually better than my spiderbox. I think they came from Korea? Anyway, selling my newly completed Spiderbox, really nice except I left the stock front end on it. Any Crossfires out there???? I do like them the best!

[2SlickNick]

http://youngstown.craigslist.org/mcy/4058005214.html
not sure where you are but here is a nice one in ohio.

[bear]

There's one in the Cincinatti c/l in the rv section, but they want $900 for it!

[milliganman]

thanx guys...will see what I can do.

[zman007007]

want to buy mine? I would take $600 for it. Only thing is this doesn't have reverse, but otherwise cart is in good condition. the one I am talking about is in my avatar. anyone need more pics. let me know. also it does have street type tires on it.

[bear]

Thats a good deal, but I've got 3 now and one more would probably end in the big "D"!!! lol

[zman007007]

I know that feeling with my 3, but the big D for me might be death. LOL

[zman007007]

not for sale anymore. I ordered the reverse kit from BD for it. It should be pretty similar to my crossfire 150R now, with that on it.

[2SlickNick]

Originally Posted by zman007007

not for sale anymore. I ordered the reverse kit from BD for it. It should be pretty similar to my crossfire 150R now, with that on it.

[zman007007]

when I get it, the problem is going to be getting time to put it on. it's dark when. I go to work and dark when I get off. LOL

[2SlickNick]

There is a newly divorced lady in Columbus Ohio selling a cross 150 for $400.
How hard is it getting crossfire parts?
I have been seeing a couple punishers and yellow crossfires for sale around $750.
I think my wife would like one of those.

[SYCARMS]

It depends on which crossfire it is. You had the crossfire with no reverse then the crossfire r which had reverse. The last year I believe they had the internal reverse. Those are hard to impossible to find tranny parts for. External reverse or no reverse OK. Great riding and handling buggies.

[zman007007]

I have one of each and owned the oldest one with no reverse about 6 months or so now, and have had no trouble with it. The 150R I have also I have had no trouble with it, but I don't ride mine so hard as others I have heard on here does. The one with reverse does have the internal reverse. I just ordered a reverse kit from B&D for the other one. Has anyone else ordered from them. I paid for it on Sunday and haven't heard a word from them yet, about shipping. I sent a email to them yest. and still no answer yet.

[zman007007]

$400 aint a bad price if it runs good

[zman007007]

that is the price I paid for the 1st one and I had to put a battery and carb. on it, but I knew that upfront.

[glos55]

Still having fun with mine!

[zman007007]

still enjoy both of mine too

[Bigredeagle]

looking to get some answers to by past brake safety switch on my tomberlin go cart, because it want start and battery is good, thanks

[SYCARMS]

Remove wires from switch and jump together if starts switch is bad.

[Bigredeagle]

Are you refering to the two wires that go to the brake cylinder

[Bigredeagle]

or the two wires that go to the starter

[Bigredeagle]

I will try both areas, thanks

[SYCARMS]

2 wires going to switch on master cylinder.

[Bigredeagle]

Thanks for info

[GoKartMan4]

Hi
I have a Crossfire 150cc and it only has the rear brake system. It has the hydraulic manifold behind the seat which is new and the caliper itself is new. It is not stopping the go kart at all. It is the caliper type which has the emergency brake built into it. The emergency brake works fine. It There is some oil making it into the caliper, but it seems when the brake pedal is pressed, it's not enough fluid making it there. Does it need to be bled? Is there a way to adjust the manifold itself? New to this and appreciate any detailed help. Thank you!

[metalstudman1]

It most definitely needs to be bled! The manifold is the master cylinder for the rear- it does have a small adjustment at the plunger. You can adjust the plunger by loosening the jam nut and lengthening or shortening the plunger, but this is for fine tuning the pedal.The emergency brake is mechanical by adjusting the bolt and jam nut. Find someone to press your brake pedal while you open and close the bleeder located at the top of the caliper. The bleeder needs to be cracked open and snugged back, press the pedal and barely open the bleeder to release air then snugged back as soon as fluid flows or the pedal goes all the way down. This is repeated as many times as it takes to achieve a firm brake pedal and the brakes lock up. You have air in the line, if you replaced both caliper & master cylinder then that's why there is air as some fluid escaped and created an air pocket. There are many posts about bleeding brakes here on the site

[GoKartMan4]

Thank you very much! I thought it was something like that