Dirt Bike Sand Riding Tips & Techniques

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The dirt bike sand riding is a perfect sport for one who is interested in fun and excitement. In fact, the mere mention of it makes people think of adventure, passion, and Adrenalin rush, yet, it is also a very safe sport.

You can indulge in the whole gangsta craze by riding a dirt bike on the beach in your hometown. Riding is a thrilling activity, and since the temperature is hot, you can be sure that the adrenaline rush will not last long.

Riding a dirt bike in the sand is a whole new experience for riders. You’ll face challenges and difficulties, but all this will be fun and experience if you ride properly. So in this guide, we’ll give some dirt bike sand riding tips and techniques for better riding.

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Riding Dirt bike in sand

Let’s understand first what are the main factors while sand riding.

Reducing your air pressure

If you are riding in sand, consider reducing your air pressure for tires to 8 psi or even less and make sure your rim locks are tight. You can lift the front of your bike by sliding the forks down through the triple clamps and get more sagged on the rear shock suspension.

It can help to increase the damping at both ends. You can also fit a wider high-profile front tire for more inline stability, and its extra width gives you a bigger footprint.

Maintain body positioning

In most cases, the faster you go, the better it gets. Most crashes in the sand will be from backing off the throttle, not using too much momentum is the key; body positioning is critical when taking off.

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You need to weight the rear wheel and take the weight off the front wheel so it will ride on top of the sand. The wrong way it’s tempting to lean forward and push with your legs. It will just wear you out and mean less traction.

Use legs until riding on the top of the sand

Only use your legs to stabilize yourself until you start riding on top of the sand. Riding on top of the sand stand as soon as possible, the bike is going to squirm around and move in unpredictable ways, so you need to move your body to counteract.

Remember the default standing body position from training beds, it’s similar, but you actually move your body weight even further back.

Most of the time, when the bike starts doing something weird, it will come back into line again if you simply keep the throttle on the front end light and relax. Trying to control the bike too much will only wear you out and make the bike do even stranger things.

If the bike is powerful enough to get into a higher gear and use fewer revs, if possible, you will get better traction and more stability.

While cornering put your weight on the front wheel

Dirt bike Cornering can be very tricky in the sand. Ideally, you come in the wide clip the apex then exit wide so you can keep enough speed to stay on top of the sand.

You usually slide forward on the seat to weigh the front wheel in cornering but not with socks, and it will just dig. Sit in the middle of the seat or even more to the rear.

You should stand or sit if it’s a wide corner, and you have enough speed to definitely stay on top of the sand then stand on the footpegs otherwise sit down as you will have a better chance of recovering when the front wheel digs in for more info.

Dirt Bike Sand Riding Tips & Techniques

Paddle tire

Paddle tires give a lot better traction, a lot better drive, better handling. And does stay on top of the sand a whole lot better and you can do wheelies for days.

It has center ribs between the scoops, which just helps with straight-line stability. It also just helps with cornering. So you’ve got to have a paddle tire on there.

Now, if you go to the dunes a lot, It’s always recommended to have a separate tire or separate rim with a paddle tire mounted up on there.

Gearing down

The second tip is gearing down on your bike, which means adding teeth to the rear sprocket or taking them away in the front.

Now the reason it is essential because when you’re riding in the dunes, it puts a lot more load on the motor because it takes more power, more torque to accelerate, and gearing down a dirt bike makes it easier for your bike to accelerate.

Now for 454 strokes and 252 strokes big bikes, really these bikes have so much power and torque already. But for your smaller bikes, like 254 strokes and 125’s, this can make a big difference.

Air filter

The third tip is going to be Air filter. Now when you’re riding the dunes, you `gotta remember it’s super fine sand. It finds its way everywhere. So when it comes to your air filter, make sure you’re really doing a good job of getting plenty of oil on there.

A couple of nice accessories that you can put on your bike to help prevent any sand or dust from getting in your airbox. Well, one of them is filter skins.

These are actually really nice to have. These are inexpensive, these come in different sizes and what you do, is you just oil these like your air filter, and it just goes right over the top. It will give another barrier.

And it helps prevent any sand from getting in there. It gives you the added peace of mind. And what’s nice is these come multiple in the pack so when one gets dirty, you can just take it off and put a different one on.

Now another little tip is just taping off your air, the holes in your airbox cover. Yes, you will lose a little bit of airflow, but you’re minimizing the amount of sand that’s going to work.

It is a way in there. So if you want to do that, that’s another excellent option. The last tip is taking care of your air filter and preventing sand from getting into your motor.

Tire Pressure

Tire pressure can make or break your ability to pass hazards. So you got a couple of miles of sand, and you are on a big old beemer or something like that.

You are going to have some edge to be able to pass over that terrain and tire pressure. Take 15 pounds out, leaving about 15 pounds in the tire and just go and you’ll outrun everybody.

If you are struggling. Try to take some pressure out. It’ll revolutionize your ride, and you’ll feel like you practiced for two years.

A quick note if you habitually do not return the tire to you a somewhat more normal operating pressure, it will begin to cause premature cupping, wear, etc. just note that.

Safety

So the fourth tip is going to be all about safety. Always make sure that safety is your priority. And the first part is, never ride alone.

If you have a bike problem and you got hurt, it’s tough for friends and family to find you, and it can be hours before somebody gets to you.

When you are riding, you just want to be cautious of your surroundings, so when you’re coming up a dune, to the top of one, or a peak, you always want to know what’s on the backside before you ride up over the top of it.

Safety Measures For the Dirt Bike Sand Rides

If you do not wish to ride a motorbike, you can do the whole adventure without a dirt bike. This is an easy option since a dirt bike is quite easy to transport.

You can even take the help of your friends to make your journey safe and fun. Besides, there are lots of places that you can do the sand riding at. You will get your fun all in one place.

Personal safety standards

Before going out, you need to make sure that you know your personal safety standards. It is an essential step in the entire adventure, and you must follow it carefully.

Therefore, before you go out, you need to think about what your speed is and where you are to travel. The best way to calculate your speed is to take a sheet of paper and write down the speed you can achieve.

Know your Speed

Once you have this data, you need to check if you can attain the speed. For this, you need first to calculate the distance you will travel and find out how many kilometers you need to cover.

This will help you know the speed that you need to meet the specified distance with ease. The next thing is to check whether the wind blowing or the rough terrain is a hindrance for you.

You have to see if you can achieve speed. In other words, check if you can keep up with the specified speed. In the case of bad roads, you will need a higher speed. So, it is crucial to set the speed before you start the journey.

If you are using a dirt bike, you will need a higher speed. The reason is simple: when you will begin the sand riding, you need to maintain your speed. That is why you need to make sure that you have enough speed in order to keep your momentum.

Night riding precautions

In case you are planning to do the sand riding at night, make sure that the conditions are suitable for you. Check the visibility to ensure that you will not get lost. Never forget to take enough provisions for the trip.

For the sand riding at night, it is necessary to take some precautions. Always check the condition of the road; ensure that you have not missed the traffic signal. Do not worry about your bike because you will always find a good one to ride with.

Conclusion

Riding on sand can be more fun for some people, but it is terrible most of the time as far as bike condition is concerned. People avoid riding on sands who know precisely what harm they can face on their bikes.

Even as we talked, most riders love to ride on sands, and they enjoy it. For those, we have shared sand riding tips and techniques to be in a safe zone.

Safe riding and Have Fun