05 KDX200 - Sand and tire pressure ?

[sether]

What tire pressure should I run in Mojave Desert rocky sand washes ?

I currently run D756's front (10 lbs) and rear (14 lbs). I weight about 215lbs with gear. I have heavy fork springs, stock rear spring, clickers set to 8 in front and 8/8 in the rear, sag at 4 inches, Scotts dampner 1-1/4 out from full.

I suck in sand washes compared to my buddys. I make it through but they all leave me easily. The bike seems really twitchy to the point the little "your gonna die" voice in the back of my head is louder than my FMF Desert pipe.

Is this a good sand setup? Is it me or partly the bike?

Thanks :ahhh:

 

[mudronin]

while i havent had my kdx out to play yet, my klx250 ran D952's with 14 rear 17 front. how wide is your tire? are you weighting the rear and letting the front float?

while riding with atv's, i absolutely hate sand as they usually ride to slow for me to stay on top of the sand. with other bikes though its lots of fun minus foot deep sugar sand.


as far as being unstable, my friends son said "i hate riding close to you 'cause you always look like your gonna wreck"

you get used to it the sensation but make sure you are set up and doing it properly.

 

[sether]

Front is 80/100x21
Rear is 110/100x18

Both are the widest D756's available in those sizes.

Sounds like it's more of a "fear factor" than a set up problem? Just let it wiggle, weight back and stay on the throttle? :bang:

 

[mudronin]

i reckon in the simplest form yes. but lots could still depend on your suspension setup. i ran a bit wider/lower profile D952 as posted earlier. i ran the 120/80/18 but many suppliers do not stock that size.

make sure you check out the threads on setting up your suspension for your weight as well as setting your sag. i also like the high 'CR' bend bars.

im sure there are others here with much more knowledge than i have, so be patient and they will help you out. great community here.

--mud

 

[adam728]

Setting sag properly will have a huge effect on the bikes handling. Now, yours may be right on, as bikes in sand tend to "wander" quite a bit. The easiest way to deal will it is to stand up, keep your weight back, and stay on the throttle. When I push it hard I have no trouble in sand. When I follow my boss's kids around at 1/4 speed I am almost crashing everywhere. The more aggressively you ride the easier sand is.

As for tire pressure, you'll get a lot of different answers. I run 10-12 psi in sand on my bike (Maxxis IT's), and never more than 14psi in any conditions. I know guys that run 8 psi, I know (slow) guys that run 20 psi.

 

[John Harris]

With my limited experience in sand, I have found that a steering damper makes a ton of difference, especially in the confidence factor. Cheers John

 

[kx250kev]

Sand takes practice. Here's a hint....speed is your friend when riding on deep sugar sand, keep the front end light by staying on the throttle. Also, make sure you are not running the stock front fork springs in that KDX. I know the 2000-2006 stock fork springs are too soft and create an unbalanced compared to the rear shock spring. Replace the front fork springs right away. The imbalance is dangerous. I've read that the rear is set up stock for a 180lb rider, and the front is set up for a 135lb rider???? Strange, but seemingly true. The back of the bike is much to squirly with the soft front .35k springs. I weigh 180, and the heaviest springs Kawi sells are .37kg. I used these on my 04 KDX200 and they balanced the bike out nicely for me. If you plan to ride a MX track, you may want stiffer though. For trail riding, they are just right. I was THRILLED with the DRAMATIC change they provided. P.s. Don't be shocked at how short these new springs are when you get them. The look like they are for a kids bike.