Ok, i'll chip in here, why not...
I didn't like the idea of karts only at first either, and that's purely because i've been using the same bike since day 1. I like, and am used to the way it handles, that's it. For me to get used to a kart now would be a bit of work, and honestly i don't think i'm going to sit down and go through all the tracks again with a kart to find out which corners i can take at what speeds etc.
But... The whole point of this league is to get some close, competitive, fun mario karting happening, and while that is going for the most part, there are some elements to the game, previously mentioned, that make it quite unbalanced, so i can definitely see the reason for making this change. The karts will provide some more even racing between all players, and that has to be a good thing. Anything that gives me a chance of catching Jerome sounds fine to me! So while i don't think i'll be as competitive in a kart as i was on a bike, i guess the same can be said for most players in the league, so it should balance out.
The only other way to get more even / close races is to have more people in each race. 4-6 players would be ideal, gives people a chance to come back from bad starts or mistakes, keeps the leaders in check with items, but still rewards good racing. Unfortunately, trying to organize this many people for each race is just too hard.
And as for not being consulted about the changes, well, in Armand we trust, and i don't think after all the work he has put into this league so far that it is ok to have a go at him for enforcing rules that will benefit the league as a whole. I do understand what you're saying Elo, but can you imagine putting everything that happens here to a vote ? Jeebus, we'd be here for weeks debating track choices, points systems etc. Armand has done a fantastic job so far, and i respect the decision he makes, so i think the more we can support him in all this the better the league will run.
Finally, I must admit when i first heard of bikes in mario kart i wasn't impressed, it's mario kart ffs. not mario bike, or mario carriage, or whatever other strange ass vehicles they decided to put in there. Yes, i did grow fond of the bikes, but i'll be happy to get back to some old fashioned karting.