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DS Ride Sat 8-31-13 from Tomball

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I have a full mesh jacket and was still soaked. It's just plain hot out there. Good that it went well. Y'all hit some sand? My nemesis.
 
MIKEYLIKESIT said:
I have a full mesh jacket and was still soaked. It's just plain hot out there. Good that it went well. Y'all hit some sand? My nemesis.
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Could be that it is hot enough nothing works well, except a descent ocean breeze and semi-cool water. Hope y'all had a good day!

A little, but we were going fast enough that it didn't matter. Sand is only a problem for me on tight trails or short turns. Speed and throttle is everything. I took my son to Wynoka, Oklahoma a few years back. 2000 acres of sand, craziest thing you ever seen in the middle of nowhere. Called Little Sahara, sand dunes 80' tall and plus in all directions. Sand bowls bigger than the Astrodome. I could fly across that sand and up those dunes going 70 miles an hour. Going slow was the kiss of death. They had some trails off out in the weeds that forced me to go slow, and I hated it. I rode out there for two days solid and wore good aluminum sprocket teeth down to mere nubs. When I spot sand, I hit the gas and move over the back of the bike. It's like being at the beach with 60 mile an hour breeze.
 
that sounds terrifying and fun at the same time! i was on the throttle and standing up leaning back, but the front still wants to dig in. my bike is set up a little stiff for me. i need to rework my forks, but they are not stock and not sure what to do. i need some kind of a wrench day with someone who knows what they're doing. i'll get it.

the beach was fun. took the family and one of my son's friends.
 
MIKEYLIKESIT said:
that sounds terrifying and fun at the same time! i was on the throttle and standing up leaning back, but the front still wants to dig in. my bike is set up a little stiff for me. i need to rework my forks, but they are not stock and not sure what to do. i need some kind of a wrench day with someone who knows what they're doing. i'll get it.

the beach was fun. took the family and one of my son's friends.
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:tab You need to start with getting fork springs and oil for your weight, which is NOT going to be the same as Dody... :-P You might be able to get away with just a different spring on the back. Then you need to get the preload for the front and back set correctly. This will make a BIG difference in how the bike handles. Once that is done, you might want to keep the tire pressure around 20-25psi. I would not go lower, especially on the rear, unless you install rim locks. I ran those pressures on my KLR and rode in the sand a LOT with no problems at all. Once the bike is sorted, it's all down to riding technique.

:tab I stand up if the sand gets deep or rutted. I tend to keep my weight in a neutral position while cruising. When slowing, I shift it back to keep the front from digging in and "plowing". I do most of my slowing with engine braking and rear brake, rarely using the front brake. Steering is done by weighting the pegs and using the throttle, NOT with the handle bars. That takes a bit of practice if you are used to riding street bikes.

:tab If you get a chance in the fall or spring, I HIGHLY recommend attending the Adventure Riders International riding school, all three days if you can afford it. Lorne and Ian are both great teachers, very skilled and knowledgeable, and they are patient! I attended last April, riding my KTM and it was a blast! I learned a lot even though I have been riding dualsports for the last 10 years.
 
MIKEYLIKESIT said:
that sounds terrifying and fun at the same time! i was on the throttle and standing up leaning back, but the front still wants to dig in. my bike is set up a little stiff for me. i need to rework my forks, but they are not stock and not sure what to do. i need some kind of a wrench day with someone who knows what they're doing. i'll get it.

the beach was fun. took the family and one of my son's friends.
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I have a couple of friends who ride KLR's. Both are well seasoned riders who used to own their own shop. I'll pass this by Bruce (TWT Member) and see what he has to say. He may be a good source.

A few things to consider:
1. KLR has a tanker of a tank - a lot of front end weight when full.

2. Tire pressure - try as little as possible (15 to 18psi). When we would run motor cross, we would use about 15psi in each tire. I'm not saying run 15 at all times, just maybe to see if you can get it to float better. Adjust the rear as well, it will hook up better if it has a lower psi. Tourmeister is right - anything lower than 20 psi warrants a rim lock.

Lower your tire pressure, reduce the gas in you tank, stay on throttle.
Just go try it out for kicks and grins.

3. I was going to suggest that your suspension is to soft. Soft front suspension will dive when you let off throttle or hit deeper sand (when going slower). If its stiff, probably not likely.

4. Not sure if you know what your spring rates are currently. you can try "Racetech" website. They have a chart that will tell you what your spring weights should be once you input bike, riding style, your weight etc.

5. Lastly, front tire, try to replace it with a wider tire. My bike came with a slimmer profile tire, I recently changed it out and it made a nice difference.

I personally do not do single track in the woods, just because of sand. If its wide open areas - no problem for me.

In the end, going slow in soft, loose, deep sand = struggle. Nothing can fix that.

Hope this helps.
 
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq8sZMPxnTA"]Adventure riding - 03 riding through sand - YouTube[/ame]
 
Anybody up for the "Cheeseburger " run anytime soon?
 
I am in, how about this Saturday 5-10-14?
 
Sure, you have the gps tracks? I'd catch the loop in SHNF like last time.
 
I have the GPS tracks but not sure how accurate they are.
 
Hail said:
What time? I may be able to make it.
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Time to be determined, but I would guess 9ish. Not sure where Danny will start the route but I'll get with him in New Waverly area.
 
TwoSmokeDS said:
I might be interested if the route is good. What is "cheeseburger?"
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This is a pretty good run, lot of dirtroads and back woods hardtop. Probably a 150 miles or so.

Cheeseburger is name of the run because you eat lunch at Yankee's! lol
 
Whatever you want! Either can do it! I'm undecided. There is quite a bit of dirt roads but unless it rains a lot Friday, it won't be a problem.
 
Now not sure if I can make it. I will have to see what the next few days hold.
 
Might need to postpone then, I don't have the tracks!
 
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