A forum for owners of Yamaha TTR250 trail and enduro bikes!

Great looking trails!

Sand is tricky
My suggestions are: Stand, fairly neutral or slightly to the back if you feel more comfortable. Lower gear than usual and keep the revs up a bit. Low tyre pressures help a lot. The bike will squirrel around under you a lot, but generally if you keep the power on she'll stay upright and more or less straight! Stay loose, and steer by weighting the pegs - right peg to swing right etc.

New to the trails, sand riding is a trial by fire! Enjoy!

Cheers for the tips :) I'll keep practicing in the sand and I guess I'll get better at it over time, theres alot of sand in my immediate backyard (the bush entrance is about 800metres away from my house but its a chopped up nightmare of a sandpit)

Im having a ball though, Im not fast or anything but I enjoy touring around in the scrub :) Even managed a bit of a tour around today on xmas but promised the wife i would be fast lols


Happy Xmas everybody

Enjoy the sand its fun when you master it. What everyone else said, keep your weight back, right on the back of the seat, dont use your front brake just back off the throttle to slow or trail the back brake, the quicker you go and get up over the top of the sand the easier it is. Understand its ok for the bike to move around just look further forward to where you want to go to. And corner faster than you think with throttle on, lean over and gas it!!

The sand itself varies and thus the technique to deal with sand also varies. The very white sand in your photos is the worst - very soft, loose and powdery (which you have probably discovered). When you get out in the Stockton dunes you'll find the very loose stuff at the base of the dunes and the traction improves (hardens) on the top. And wet or even moist sand is no probs at all - can actually be lotsa fun and good learning - broad sliding feet up fun.

On any loose surface, of which sand is the worst, the front end starts wandering which starts the yawing motion. Starts slow then then builds until the front and back ends are 'doing they own thing' and then the front end tucks and bites, forward progress of the bike ceases but the rider continues over the handlebars until they too come to a complete and sudden stop (a.k.a.  a head plant).

The fundamental issue here is the front has TOO much traction and the front end is following every rut and variation in the sand. The answer is to reduce steering traction by getting ya bum over the tail light and applying acceleration - when in doubt, power out. (money back guarantee - things will get a lot lot better, or a lot lot worst - a four to one chance it will get better, but also a four to one chance it will hurt more if/when it goes wrong.)

On that really find powdery white **** with ruts ether and nether, progress will be a series bum over tail light, accelerate, recover - bum over tail light, accelerate, recover - bum over tail light, accelerate, recover.

Its a similar story with the arms and body - you need a firm grip on the bike, with the knees and leg, and bars without 'locking up' or tensing up. Again, muscle the bike sometimes, and let it have it own way at other times (within bounds). (Sounds like I'm giving marriage advice doesn't it!).

Concentration and observation a.k.a. anticipation) is also important. In your first photo steering to the left I would like to be out near that bush rather than the inside (the inside looks looser to me). In the second photo I can see two slight dips and a third larger one off in the distance. It in those dips I would anticipate the loosest sand (and the start of 'issues").

There are no rules to stand or sit but in sand riding you can expect to have to move your body further, faster, more often and through a greater range of movement. This is best achieved from the sanding position or at least the half standing. There is no doubt the Toby Prices of this world will spend most of their time standing but that is more the function of their incredible speed and the corresponding need to move their body fast rather than any technical advantage. In the learning process I suggest keep the speed down, remain seated and stand or half stand as required.

Hold the bike with your knee pressure and steer the bike using knee and foot pressure, and torso movement. The arms are to stop the front end flogging about rather than handlebar pressure to steer (they are dampers - real steering dampers are popular with desert racers for a reason!). 

Slightly lower tyre pressure and good knobbies would be an advantage. If you have the readies some Dunlop 606's would be a better option than your current on/off road tyres.

Being a Stockton local you probably know about sink holes and air borne fourbies, and lotsa other horror stories. But other than that you look like you live in a little slice of paradise. Ah, Australia, beautiful one day and perfect the next. 

 

 

Your brother in law is either a hero or a fool taking a KLR650 into the Stockton sand - weight is a real penalty in sand, even the difference between your TTR and a WR would be notable.

Hasten slowly with your learning. The sand might be soft and loose, and benign for a head plant or two but can turn to concrete at speed. Catching your foot in a sand hole and having the bike and the rest of the body continuing on is an excellent way of twisting knees, tearing ligaments and breaking legs.

You can thank me with a few flatties or whiting when we meet. Other than that, I might see you in the Watagans or up the Cell River SF.

www.facebook.com/Danielsanders11/videos/345694170714833

Here's Daniel Sanders demo'ing some of the sand techniques. Notice the alternative standing and sitting, and 'bum over the tail light'. And the attack position standing and sitting - chest over tank, knees slightly bent, and knees in holding the bike. The sand looks pretty loose with a few firmer bits. ciao.