- What's up guys? I am Chase
here at Rocky Mountain ATVMC
and these are my top 5 tips
for riding at the dunes.
So if you've ridden at the dunes before,
well you don't need me to tell you just
how much fun they are.
I think they're an absolute blast.
Really, I think it's something that
every rider should experience.
They're really just unlike anything else.
And I've got 5 tips that
I want to share with ya
to help get you and your
bike ready so you can
have a fun and safe trip to the dunes.
So my first tip is you gotta
have a paddle tire on your bike
I'm gonna tell you right now,
to get the full dune
experience on your motorcycle
paddle tire's gonna be the way to go.
I've ridden on a traditional
knobby tire in the dunes before
and I'm gonna tell you right
now, they don't even compare.
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.
Now the one that I really like,
that I'm running right now
this is the STI Sand Wedge.
The reason I like it is
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,
I always recommend just
having a separate tire
or separate rim with a paddle
tire mounted up on there.
If you're like me, I don't
like to change tires a lot
so it really is convenient
just to have a separate rim
and just have that tire ready to go.
As far as the front goes,
I honestly just run a
soft intermediate front tire that you know
any really front tire is gonna get you by.
And we do offer sand specific front tires
so if you do want to take that route,
you do have that option.
But that's gonna be my first tip,
is you gotta have a
paddle tire on your bike.
So my second tip is gonna be
gearing down on your bike,
and what I mean by this
is adding teeth to the
rear sprocket or taking
them away in the front.
Now the reason I say this is important
is because when you're
riding in the dunes,
it puts a lot more load on the motor
'cause it takes more power,
more torque to accelerate
and gearing down a
motorcycle makes it easier
for your bike to accelerate.
Now for your 454 strokes,
252 strokes your big bikes,
really these bikes have so much
power and torque already.
You know your stock gear
is usually pretty good
I might go one to two
teeth higher in the rear
on one of those bigger bikes.
But for your smaller
bikes, your 254 strokes
and your 125's this can
make a big difference.
I know a lot of riders that
will add two to three teeth
in the rear or they're take
away one tooth in the front.
If you have questions about
gearing and how that all works,
we have a gearing guide, I
talk about everything in detail
and that will answer your questions.
But that's gonna be my second tip,
is gearing down your motorcycle.
So my third tip is gonna
be with your air filter.
Now when you're riding the dunes,
you gotta remember it's super fine sand.
It finds it's way everywhere
and the last thing you wanna do is
suck sand into your air box.
So when it comes to your
air filter make sure
you're really doing a good job of getting
plenty of oil on there.
If you have questions about
air filters maintenance,
we have a great video that shows you how
we like to treat our air filters.
But a couple nice accessories
that you can put on your bike
to help prevent any sand or dust
from getting in your air box.
Well one of them are filter skins.
These are actually really nice to have
they're inexpensive, they
come in different sizes
and what you do, is you just
oil these just like your air
filter and it just goes
right over the top.
It just creates a second barrier.
And it just helps prevent any
sand from getting in there
it just gives you the added peace of mind.
And what's nice is they
come multiple in the pack
so when one gets dirty,
you can just take it off
and put a different one on.
So it really prolongs the
time that you actually have to
change out your air filter.
So I always recommend if you're
gonna be in sand or dunes,
filter skins are a must have.
Another nice one is if
you're rocking twin air
air filters, they actually
have an air filter cover
that goes over the air
filter and does just what
that filter skin does, it
just adds that second barrier
and it just helps prevent
any sand or any dust
from making it's way past your air filter.
Now another little tip that I have for you
is actually just taping off your air,
the holes in your air box cover.
Yeah, you're gonna lose
a little bit of airflow,
but you're gonna really
minimize the amount of sand
that's gonna work it's way in there.
So if you wanna do that,
that's another great option.
But that's gonna be my third tip.
Is taking care of your air filter
and preventing sand from
getting into your motor.
So my fourth tip is gonna
seem like a no-brainer,
but you gotta have a
flag on your motorcycle.
And I say this for two reasons,
first check your state and local laws
'cause it's most likely required that you
have a flag on your bike.
And the second is a huge safety factor.
There's been a lot of accidents
at the dunes that I've seen
caused just because riders
don't see each other
and a flag's gonna give
you the best chance
of being seen by other riders.
So if you're coming up the face of a dune,
and someone's on the
backside or vice versa,
it's gonna give you the
best chance of being seen
and help prevent those accidents.
So when it comes to your flag,
if you go to the dunes often
a nice little accesory to have,
is our tusk flag mount holder.
It's a quick release so
it makes it super easy
to get your flag on and off.
Another cool one to check out, is actually
it's called ZenXTen
and that's a universal flag
holder and those are designed
to actually go just on the rear fender of
just about any motorcycle.
So check those out or if you
just want a traditional flag
you can get that and go with that
tusk quick release mount holder.
But either way, that's my fourth tip
is you've got to have a
flag on your motorcycle.
So for my fifth and final tip,
it's gonna be all about safety.
You're gonna have a really
good time at the dunes.
So you gotta make sure that safety's
gonna be priority number one.
And the first part it,
is never ride alone.
If you're out riding by yourself,
it really doesn't take
long, you can see just how
big the dunes are behind me,
to become separated and secluded.
And now if you have a bike
problem, if you got hurt
it's really difficult for
friends and family to find you,
and it can be hours before
somebody gets to you.
And when you are riding,
you just want to cautious
of your surroundings so when
you're coming up a dune,
to the top of one, or to a peak
you always wanna know
what's on the backside
before you ride up over the top of it.
I've seen a lot of accidents that happened
and could be prevented, if
riders were aware of what
was on the other side of a dune
and they didn't go off a drop.
And that leads me to my
second part of safety,
which is always have a spotter.
If you're like me, a lot
of riders come out here,
they're looking for jumps cause
that's what they love to do.
But jumps, you gotta have
a spotter with those.
A spotter, he's gonna
stand on the top of a dune
and he's gonna make
sure the coast is clear.
So he's gonna be checking the backside
and you never wanna go off a jump
until your spotter gives you the thumbs up
and you know the coast is clear.
And if you're spotting for a friend,
well you wanna make sure that he sees you
and that he knows exactly what's going on.
Cause you gotta remember,
when you're going off a jump
or your friend is, their focus is forward
they might not see up
the top waving them down
So the best advice I can give you is if
the situation becomes dangerous,
do whatever it takes to make sure that
that rider sees you.
But that's gonna be my fifth tip,
is never ride alone and
always have a spotter.
Alright guys so those are my top five tips
when it comes to riding at the dunes.
Now I do have one little bonus tip for ya.
It might sound simple but
just have lots of liquids.
Whether you have a hydration pack on your
back when you're out riding
or just make sure you have
plenty of liquids at the truck
That's just another way
to make sure your buddies
and you are gonna have a good time and
you're also gonna be safe.
Now I'd love to hear it,
what are your guys' tips
and suggestions when it
comes to riding at the dunes.
Make sure, write your comments
below and then head over
to our website at
rockymountainatvmc.com to pick up
all the parts and accessories you need
to get you and your bike
ready to come hit the dunes.
I'm Chase here at Rocky Mountain
and we'll see you on the trails.
