trouble in the sand

[Brendan CRF]

Hey i have a crf250r and I'm not used to racing in sand. i went to a mx track the other week and it was all sand. i had trouble controlling my bike and couldn't corner like I'm able to in dirt. i just don't know how to control my bike in the deep sand. could someone give me some pointers on cornering and control in the deep sand.

[AdamW21]

Stand up as much as possible, you should be sitting down very little, you want to stay hanging off the back of the bike to keep the front end light. and dont try to use the front brakes as hard as you would on dirt cause it will slide out quick, you wont have to brake as hard on sand either since once you let of the gas the sand will slow you down alot.

[J_YZ2fittyX]

I'd start by suggesting posting this in the MX technique forum in the "technical" section.

I agree keeping the front wheel light helps a lot, I think its just more caused by the fact you are always on the gas. Sand requires that. Soon as you aren't, it sucks you in and causes control issues pretty rapidly. Corners, well, standing up and hanging off the back of the bike isnt going to help you in every sand corner out there, lol.

Mostly all of our tracks and trails here in MI are comprised of some quantity of sand. You actually learn to like it eventually. I know one of my biggest issues with cornering in deeep sand, is that I come off the throttle too much. Need to work on being more aggressive on the approach, and letting the engine and sand slow me down vs coasting in prematurely.

Edited July 10, 2013 by J_WR2fitty

[Ringo25]

Stiffen the bike up and try to carry momentum. Stay out of the g-outs and give her tons of gas.

[MX1010]

One of the tracks here is basically 100% sand and I had a rough time with it first time out this year. It's a lot easier for me to ride earlier in the day when it's not as busy and the sand is not completely dried out. Once the guys on 4 wheels show up it makes things a little more difficult for ruts and lines. Get used to the course your driving on (but not too slow) then bump up the speed when your comfortable. When going through a lot of deep pits, ruts and lines that cross I remember to keep the head up and go. Speed is key as well as weight on the rear. Made the mistake of coming in to an up hill 90 too slow and right before the apex I lost traction and spun the tire in place which lead to me tipping over. Don't let that be you.

[Polar_Bus]

Hey i have a crf250r and I'm not used to racing in sand. i went to a mx track the other week and it was all sand. i had trouble controlling my bike and couldn't corner like I'm able to in dirt. i just don't know how to control my bike in the deep sand. could someone give me some pointers on cornering and control in the deep sand.

Ive done a lot of sand tracks over the years and a few tips i can offer is first try to keep the front tire on top of the sand. Sand is thick and loose and tends to grab your front tire and do unpredictable tracking. You want to keep your body shifted back more than dirt. You also want to get your body weight on the outsidefootpeg when cornering. Sand is tough and physically demanding!

[rbernard35]

Hey i have a crf250r and I'm not used to racing in sand. i went to a mx track the other week and it was all sand. i had trouble controlling my bike and couldn't corner like I'm able to in dirt. i just don't know how to control my bike in the deep sand. could someone give me some pointers on cornering and control in the deep sand.

crow hill or southwick?

My first time @ crow hill I wannted to quit...all of the above make sense, stay on gas, stand, keep the front end light and stiffen fork compression, maybe even increase your shock sag...all of that keeps the front end up to "float"

[temporarily_locked]

nothing can replace seat time in sand. You just have to get a feel for it, it's a completely different riding surface.

Number one thing is to stay loose and smooth on the bike. The bike is going move around a lot underneath you. You can't stop the bike from 'wobbling', but you can limit the movement to a comfortable range.

[Gary Semics]

Hey i have a crf250r and I'm not used to racing in sand. i went to a mx track the other week and it was all sand. i had trouble controlling my bike and couldn't corner like I'm able to in dirt. i just don't know how to control my bike in the deep sand. could someone give me some pointers on cornering and control in the deep sand.

In soft sand you can't steer with just the front wheel. As you begin to steer with the front wheel you have to get on the throttle. That will take a lot of the demand off steering with the front wheel and you'll actually be steering with the front and rear wheels. Don't put any unnecessary weight on the front wheel either. You can still sit in the front part of the seat but don't have your upper body position too far forward. Keep the front end light. Many times it helps to lower your forks in the triple clamps which will raise the front end so it won't steel so quickly. Try it in 3mm increments.

Check out the free preview of my Sand and Grass Cornering Techniques DVD and/or order it online at; http://wp.gsmxs.com/motocross-sand-grass-techniques/

[dr11]

Stand up, stay loose, and let the rear dance around lol.

[Brendan CRF]

cool thanks for the tips, hit the track today and ripped. ill just have to get used to how unpredictable the sand can be