Clarke PG3800A 3kVA 230V Petrol Generator review
From winter nights in the shed, to summer track days, the Clarke PG3800A generator proves that reliable power for tyre warmers — and the all-important kettle — needn’t be noisy, costly or compromised.
If there is one good thing about a British winter, it must be its ability to make you forget about just how cold it is and how much more rain/snow we have to endure. Obviously, our thoughts turned to making the most of next spring and summer. However, we’ve already moved on from daydreaming about springtime track days in Euroville, and UK track days – when summer finally arrives.
One of our many discussions about 2026 track day preparation turned to tyre warmers. Not which type or colour, but how to provide power for them and, just as important, the kettle. Ok, there’s a good chance of blagging a pit lane garage space to access the mains 240v supply, but there will be times we can’t. Some of us have a body clock that is always out of synch with the rest of the planet. At first, the answer was to either blag or hire a portable generator. Sadly, our experience of hire units is that most are rattly, polluting, noisy, ex-worksite pieces of tut. Reason enough for us to bite the bullet and mug the Visordown budget to buy a brand-new Clarke PG3800A 3kVA 230V Petrol Generator.
Why go for this particular petrol genny? Because its specification was just the ticket, and pricewise, at £298.80, matched the coppers we could muster. In all a top-rated, VFM piece of equipment.
With two 240v outlets (UK 3-pin household sockets), we can plug in a pair of tyre warmers and not worry. Better still, we can run a short extension with dual sockets from one outlet and plug a cheapy, low wattage kettle in the second outlet. We know this is possible because we’ve already test brewed and warmed tyres ahead of our 2026 track day campaign.
The two 240v 13a outlets have protection of automatic voltage regulation (AVR) to enable stable power delivery for “sensitive” electrical equipment. We is talking laptops and the like for digesting datalog info, LED TV for overnight camp outs. Yes, datalog and TV. Blimey, how track days have changed.
The PG3800A’s 3Kva power rating is a maximum output figure produced when the 5.6hp four-stroke motor is running nigh on at full chat e.g. kettle and tyre warmers in use. With just tyre warmers, the PG3800A didn’t peak above it’s normal 2.7Kva. Don’t confuse Kva with kW, though.
We’re not expert enough to waffle about conversion factors and workload ratings, just take it as read tyre warmer usage isn’t a problem and the fact the PG3800A can also handle a basic kettle at the same time means it’s perfect for us. If you have a mega fast boil kettle and the PG3800A labours, do the sensible-thing and make a brew before plugging in the warmers. There’s a built-in, easy-to-see voltmeter, which if you’re into electronics is a good thing. To be honest we’ll be more interested in what edible grub is on offer in the circuit café.
We’ve also used the PG3800A genny at the Visordown lock up. A distinct lack of household sockets at one end of the condensation block either means using a stupidly long and expensive extension reel, or a quick pull on the genny’s pull-to-start cord. It always starts on first attempt. And you don’t need blow-up man muscles to do this.
There’s been absolutely no reason for us to run the PG3800A from full to empty just to find its run time. Clarke claim 8.2 hours at 3/4 load rating. Not sure how this is calculated, and we don’t really care. We’ll take their word for it but also go old school and fill up at the start of the day and see what’s left when we pack up and go home. By the sound of it, we should easily cover two, maybe four track days on just one, brimmed 15-litre tank, he says. Again, depends on how many brews we have.
Additional plus point features are a 12v DC outlet, perfect if running a weight-saving total loss ignition system; a quick glance fuel level gauge (very useful if you do forget to fill up), and low-oil cut-out protection.
Being bolted in a steel carrier frame ramps the weight up to a hefty 4.2 kilos, or there abouts. Claimed in-box weight is 43.51kg without engine oil – yes, you also need to add the specified country specific 4-stroke engine oil prior to first time use. Bolting the PG3800A to a wooden base with braked castor wheels was discussed, but the fact that it will make it easier for it to disappear cut that conversation short.
It’s a sad fact of life that petrol and diesel generators are high on the list of most stolen tools, especially shiny new ones that are rated highly (e.g. the Clarke PG3800A) by owners – product reviews are good for everyone, even the light-fingered creatures amongst us. So, we’ll make use of the PG3800A’s robust frame, and a quality bike chain and lock lashed to the van chassis for when it must be left unattended while out on track.
Check out the PG3800A and other Clarke generators for yourself on the official website.
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In This Article
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!