sand riding ?s

[TeamJackass]

hey so I've been trying to talk my buddys into riding at pismo beach (oceano dunes) but they are afraid th sand will ruin their bikes. for example their seals and th chance of sand getting in th cooling system or oil or whatever. th only trick I know is to put panty hose over ur air filter to keep sand out. they also worry about not getting all th sand off their bikes afterwards, like that's even possible lol... anyone have any tips or tricks for keeping ur bike in th shape it was before riding thru th sand? thanks in advance!! ?

[llamaface]

I don't know if pismo sand is different from sand anywhere else, but where we ride (idaho/nevada/utah deserts) there is ALOT of sand, and it doesn't hurt the bikes at all. The two things I would be concerned about are:

1) salt causing corrosion

2) sand getting into the crankcase breather tube on some 4strokes that are vented straight out.

sand particles are kinda big compared to dust, so I have never found one that was able to get into anything on my bike.

[Nick Marlow]

1) Start with a fresh filter

2) RIDE IT

3) wash right after you get done in pismo (salt water air rust blah)

4) Repeat

I have been riding sand for the past 6 years. Only had one fork seal leak on me. Have only had a bit of sand get into the motor due to my own negligence (filter not cleaned and seated properly)

Keep up on regular maintenance and ride away. As far as getting sand completely off your bike when your done.. Just use an air compressor and blow it off.

[BlazingTrailz]

they make special filter skins or panty hose works good to

I always hear people say how bad sand is, but i would have to imagine mud and dirt are pretty bad too. mud sticks to your seals where as sand will usually fall off unless it oily ?

sand does put a constant load on you engine though

[earthmx]

its going to be cold at pismo this time of year.

becareful going out to the dunes as there are a lot of holes on the sand road going out to the dunes.

watch out for squirrley riders as they rent quads right at the entrance.

i went there once and broke my back now its glamis or the track

[shelbycobra]

sand really shouldnt be and issue to clean, as long as its dry, might have better luck cleaning dry cali sand off with an air compressor rather than water

[scooter12]

I had always heard the same and I meticulous with my bike.

I have been going to Pismo the last 5 years and all you have to do, (Like others said)

Start with a freshly oiled air filter and I make sure my bike is sprayed down with WD-40 and when I get home, I wash it right away with Simple Green and spray it down with WD-40 again...

Go have fun

[TeamJackass]

right on guys!!thanks for all the input!! lol, probly wont be goin anytime soon, gotta wait for a little bit warmer weather

[Nordrum]

Sand riding won't harm your bike at all, as long as you take proper care of it and ride your bike properly and get the right tire pressure and such then you will be fine.

I only ride sand and have tried all kinds of bikes and other vehicles in the sand and there is nothing that's more fun than riding full speed in the sand with dirt bikes:worthy: .

So get your "paranoid" buddies with you and enjoy the sand and your bikes ? I am just saying that because they're scared that sand will ruin their bikes, so don't get me wrong Anything can ruin your bike if you don't take care of it so you shouldn't be worried. Dirt bikes are made to ride in the sand,mud,dirt etc. So can't really see why your mates are worrying so much?

Oh and oil and clean the air filters properly, plus make sure to have a lubed and properly adjusted chain. Dunes and sand really eat away on sprockets and the chain if you don't keep it lubed. Also grease parts that needs to be greased, unless you have already done that. I always grease more than I need to just to be on the safe side.

If you need more info then please contact me.Did you ever ride in the sand or the dunes by the way?

[Bama1]

tell them to quit thier whining and go ride and if they dont want to let me know when your going on a weekend and ill meet you out there and ride with you

its just a bike for crying out loud have fun with it and replace parts when you need to you dont need a paddle if you have a fresh knobbie just air it way down and your bike will rip

[joeprunc]

Well like said above sand is like large dirt particles. So it will wear a bit more on your exposed components ie chain, sprockets, brakes, rims.

I use to live in San Luis Obispo so I was out there a bit. What I always did was make sure you stay away from any wet sand. Keep your air filter clean and use a panty hose over it. I would always wash off my bike as soon as I unloaded it from the truck. When I use to live in Santa Barbara I would stop by a car wash (Pressure washer place) and spray all the crap off the bikes, then drive home. And wash them once I got home.

Make sure you have a flag, I heard they are giving tickets for riders without flags.

And I would recommend a paddle tire, especially for a first timer in the sand.

[intensem1rider]

Where I live it's all sand, every track is sand. Theres nothing special you need to do to you bike. The only thing I would recommend is to not use a sticky chain lube. Either used a dry lube, or WD40 on the chain, otherwise it will be caked with sand.

Sand only sticks to stuff that is wet, aka, if you have grease oozing out everywhere, then it's going to get there and turn into a clump of sand. So if you grease up your bike before riding, wash the excess grease off.

To ease riding in the sand you will want to drop the forks in the clamps about 5mm-10mm, and the key is to always be on the throttle. If you slow down and let off, the front tire will get too much weight and follow the terrain instead of riding over it.

[nascarnate326]

Air down your tire and ride it like you stole it. Dunes are some of the best fun to be had.

This is what I do:

1. Full tank of gas

2. Flag

3. Air down tire

4. Have all stickers/ park passes

5. Race thumpers ?

[zooki11]

Dude..I have the same problem...when I get back to cali in a month or two I'll ride Pismo with ya! I'm in Lemoore!!!?

[Nick Marlow]

Well like said above sand is like large dirt particles. So it will wear a bit more on your exposed components ie chain, sprockets, brakes, rims.

I use to live in San Luis Obispo so I was out there a bit. What I always did was make sure you stay away from any wet sand. Keep your air filter clean and use a panty hose over it. I would always wash off my bike as soon as I unloaded it from the truck. When I use to live in Santa Barbara I would stop by a car wash (Pressure washer place) and spray all the crap off the bikes, then drive home. And wash them once I got home.

Make sure you have a flag, I heard they are giving tickets for riders without flags.

And I would recommend a paddle tire, especially for a first timer in the sand.

Good quality chain RK520XSO and Good cheap steel sprocket JT Sunstar so on and so forth. I ride a CR500 and have had the RK chain go almost 2 seasons of abuse on it and it still looks and feels like brand new. I use the gold can maxima lube and lube it up the night before and wipe off any excess at the same time. I usually only lube my chain once every 2-3 weekends of riding. ?

Keep the bike clean or kinda clean and your stuff will last forever.

[TeamJackass]

hey guys thanks..yea after i showwed my buddies this they immediately stopped being paranoid lol. so we are gonna go ahead and wait for our spring break most likely and head on down for some fun. wer all gonna get paddle tires too...where can u get th flags? also, i dont really get the fork trick

[Bama1]

on the way out stop at a stealership get a 8$flag and 5-10$ bracket or order one online and make sure you have a socket/and or wrench to take the axle nut off so you can put the flag on!

[yz450f COD5]

LMFAO, my friends are the same way man. they dont EVER do any maintenance on their bikes. then when I ask if they wanna come with me to the dunes this summer theyre al like "NNNOOOO!!!!!! sand is bad for the bikes?!??" like a bunch of idiots.

its funny, theyve never ridden in the sand and they think its boring and bad on the bike, ah what a bunch of fools my buddies are.

[scooter12]

There are a bunch of rental shops that sell them right before the entrance gate.. My favorite- "SIERRA CLUB- GO HIKE TO HELL"..

We have a big group heading down next month, mid April, maybe we will see you there...

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