Viking Karting Products
Karting. Community. A legacy that lives on. Parts • Service • Race support — 283 S Gary Ave, Carol Stream, IL 60188.
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Powered by PowerSportsHub AI. Describe it, say it out loud, or send a photo. Brian reviews every request himself — nothing is priced, ordered or booked here.
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A request for parts, service or a quote. Not an order, not an invoice, not a confirmed appointment.
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Your answers stay on this page while you read. To reach Brian right now, call 630-260-9516.
Sign inParts for racing karts, and service work on the bench. Bring the part, the number, a measurement or a photo — whatever you have. Brian confirms what fits and what he can get before anything is quoted. Prices and availability come from him, never from this page.
Brian acquired what remained of GEM Products — inventory, molds and tooling — and keeps vintage karting alive with it, including McCulloch and West Bend 820-related parts. Some pieces are original remaining stock, some are specialty reproductions, and a great deal is inquiry-only. Ask about a specific part and he will tell you honestly which of those three it is.
Electric scooters, minibikes and similar small equipment, subject to Brian accepting the work. Describe what it is doing and send a photo; he will say whether it is something the shop takes on.
Trackside help, tuning, prep, or a mechanic for the weekend. Tell us the track, the dates, the driver and what you are running. Availability is never confirmed here — Brian answers that himself.
A father, an engine builder, and part of Viking's foundation.
Steve Jacobson brought his work and his love of karting together. Alongside his auto body business, he built racing kart engines and made room for a small kart shop. He and his son Brian raced together, sold parts, and eventually built a dedicated shop where they worked side by side for many years.
His contribution lives in more than the engines he built. It lives in the time shared at the track, the knowledge passed from father to son, and the racers who became friends. Brian continues the shop today, carrying forward that family connection to karting.
A memory from Dave Larson
When my dad couldn't take me racing, Steve and Brian sometimes took me with them, and I'd race for GEM Products. Those weekends are part of why this shop and this family mean so much to me.
Did you know Steve? Share a story, a race-day memory, or a photograph to help us remember him.
Brian grew up around engines. He and his father, Steve Jacobson, raced karts together, and Steve built racing engines himself. Steve owned an auto body shop with a small kart shop inside it, and the parts on those shelves came from GEM Products. That combination — a working shop, a race program and a family that did both — is where Viking starts.
In time they had their own shop near Gary Road, and they worked it together for years. Brian raced sprint karting through that period, including WKA and Manufacturers Cup competition, so the counter was never separated from the track. What he sold, he ran.
After Steve died, Brian kept the work going. He continued parts and repairs, and he spent his weekends as a trackside mechanic and tuner for teams and for young drivers coming up. Then he came back to run the shop himself, carrying both halves of what his father built.
After Earl Larson died, GEM Products changed hands to the company's longtime accountant, known to everyone as Rit, and manufacturing and catalog parts continued from a smaller warehouse. When Rit died, Brian acquired what remained — inventory, molds and tooling, and the odds and ends that come with a parts company. Some of what he has is original remaining stock. Some are specialty reproductions. Much of it is inquiry-only: vintage GEM parts, including McCulloch and West Bend 820-related pieces, that have to be looked at one at a time. He does not carry the whole catalog, and availability is always confirmed before anything is promised.
Viking is a community shop. Local families, kids getting their first kart, racers who need one part before Saturday — that's the day. Brian answers the phone himself.
283 S Gary Ave, Carol Stream, IL 60188
Phone: 630-260-9516
Hours are not published — call to arrange a visit.
There is no published email address for the shop. Requests sent here are saved for Brian's review; the phone is the fastest way to reach him.
