Sand? Don't you just love it!

[captinktm]

I recently, did 2 trips, one to Kazakhstan and the other to Macedonia and found that while I can ride well in sand normally on either an enduro bike or Adv bike that when my bike was fully loaded covering half the saddle it's a completely different matter. I could no longer get my weight far enough back to unload the front wheel. Also driving the bike through, accelerating is ok only to a certain point because eventually you will have to close the throttle, then stand by because that slow crash you were going to have is going to be fast. If your waiting for a solution, I did n't really find one apart from standing, and using the pegs to control and turn the bike, and try not to influence the handle bars at all. The worst situation I encountered was wind blown sand in lorry tracks, particularly twined wheeled trucks as they leave a small ridge in the centre of the rut which deflect's the front wheel from side to side. So anybody out there found a solution.

[catcitrus]

in soft sand , or slime, I deliberately waggle the bars so that the front doesn't have time to tuck one way or the other--makes it harder work but in the end the bike tracks true.

[dan66]

The general rule is the bigger or heavier the bike the faster you have to go. On my loaded XT600e, though I have to admit to being a bit of a minimalist luggage wise, I like to get it into 3rd gear whilst up on the pegs, steadily increasing the speed so as to lift the front through acceleration. Good throttle control is essential and in this the XT is perfect, it not being known for a punchy engine.

Then as you say steer through the pegs and enjoy!

And in answer to your headline, yes I love sand!

Dan

[minkyhead]

id be guessing that you might be using a giant loop or similar ?..and i could never get on with them for as it restricted the ability to get your ass back on decents and in sand ... either way i guess you will be figuring out a new way to clear the seat more which seem the obvious solution or at least the best way to help control ..ive actually found that with the weight packed further back on a rack and low in the panniers it can help in sand as theres a natural weighting to the rea to start with ..it has its downsides but generally keeping the full seat clear is how i aim to pack ...clearing the seat seems the only option i can think of

them lorry ruts sound tricky .. i can picture the problem ..not sure the bar jiggle method would work as the whel will coose a side and want to stay there ..pretty rare situation i guess ..but if the wheel is grabby in a rut i also find the wiggle method works well to stop it grabbing on to one side or the other

[gbags]

I hate sand!

I ride an 800GS two up and when I hit sand it means I'm travelling far and loaded up.

I understand the theory of gassing the bike to get the front end up but sooner or later you level off in terms of acceleration and the front comes down. I can't shift back as my wife is there.

Ruts in sand on on overloaded biggish bike is the worst. 'Get a smaller bike' someone will say but we go out for weeks/months at a time and love mountains so I need a mid sized bike at least.

I wired a tyre inflator lead onto the bike and now drop the front tyre pressure when I meet sand accidentally and blow it up again afterwards. The tiny inflator weigh nothing and pops back into any corner.

[PHILinFRANCE]

I always forget my bucket and spade
IMG_1441 by Philip Parkinson, on Flickr

[dan66]

'I understand the theory of gassing the bike to get the front end up but sooner or later you level off in terms of acceleration and the front comes down. I can't shift back as my wife is there.'

Its a bit of a juggling act I'll admit, a bit like skiing, but when you get the hang of it it's great though tiring. Ruts are a complete pain in any circumstance. I can't ride muddy ruts very well so it all evens out!

As far as luggage I have Wolfman enduro panniers and tank panniers and just a small tent on top, sometimes a small tote with the tent inside, all soft, no racks or rails etc., if the question was directed towards me.

Dan

[Mike54]

Dan, it's nothing to do with speed at all.

[Andi_Archer]

A video I came across a while ago suggests continually blipping the throttle to lift the weight off the front wheel

[Magnon]

Dan, it's nothing to do with speed at all.

Dunno, this may be true on a sub 450 enduro with suitable tyres but a little speed works on a heavier bike.