New rider, and I'm going to have to ride in sand

[oilspot]

I'm really new to riding. I just picked up a 87 rmx250. I live in the desert and am able to ride from my house. A lot of riding tends to feel pretty natural for me and I'm taking my time learning riding techniques.
As far a riding on sand, it scares me. I"ve heard people mention that they had to be taught to ride on sand, and then it was no problem. The only thing I've heard about sand riding is that you've got to stay on the gas and keep the front end light.
If there are any other tips please let me know. I don't want to just take off hauling ass through the sand learning lessons at high speed.
I would try avoiding sand for a while but around here it's not going to be possible, and it's hard to tell the sand from the hard packed ground sometimes.
I'm 34 and have two kids to take care of so any tips on how to keep from foolishly taking myself out of commision would be greatly appreciated!!! (My wife will appreciate it also)

 

[CHR!S]

well, if you are riding only in sand, then a paddle tire would be optimal. starting off in sand, with a dirt tire, while learning to ride, is very difficult.

while you are riding, you want to keep a steady speed. you don't have to go 60mph to stay afloat, but you definitely want to stay out of first gear. when turning in sand, if you turn to hard to slow, you're going to wash out. the solution? make wider turns, and possibly faster.

when going up a hill in sand, get your speed up before you ascend, so its more momentum than engine power getting you up. if you stop halfway up a hill, you probably aren't going to make it the rest of the way up.

when jumping in sand, you want to land with the throttle on, the rear wheel is going to drag alot.

be careful with the front brake in the sand, if you hit it too hard, then the front wheel will wash out.

lastly, practice. if nobody told you these things, you would have learned them from experience. you can ask as many questions online as you want, but there is no good substitute for seat time.

well, i hope this helped- chris

 

[Chili]

Forget you have a front brake and ride a little further back on the saddle. The sand is almost like having engine braking, as soon as you let off the throttle you will slow quickly. You can drop the forks in the clamps as low as they will go (flush with the top of the triple clamp) and add a couple of clicks of compression and rebound to the rear end.

 

[oilspot]

I got a little more riding time in yesterday and experienced some fairly large patches of sand. The getting back in the saddle kinda came natural and I did way better than I expected.
I guess the main fear came from some experiences riding my little old ct70. Trying to ride through sand with 10inch wheels and next to zero suspension was damn scary!!!
Thanks for the tips!

 

[CHR!S]

also remember riding in sand requires constant air filter maintenance. one grain of sand can put your bike out of commission. sand is also hell on your bearings, so check them periodically.

 

[76GMC1500]

Periodically... you should check them every time you ride for swingarm and wheel bearings if you ride in sand or water.