Preparing a dirt bike for a sand race

- Choosing tires and wheels for your off-road motorcycle

Sand is a demanding terrain that requires specific tires.

Characterizedspar higher studs and often in the shape of buckets, they will allow you to have better sensations and sharper acceleration.

All manufacturers now offer their own sand model, easy to find in stores. Some brands also have their sand front tire, but a mud (soft) tire will make you happy.

If the original wheels remain in place, dust covers New ones will be essential to preserve the bearings.

- Brakes for your off-road motorcycle

The front brake disc is the same size as the original.

The platelets are mud models (resistant and effective for use in sand).

No need to buy high performance pads. If they are effective, after an hour of driving, you will end up on scrap metal...

Le brake fluid will be purged and the original DOT 4 replaced par DOT 5.1, simply more resistant and durable to intensive use, therefore fewer heating problems.

Suspensions for your off-road motorcycle

The suspension setting of an off-road motorcycle must be modified depending on the type of terrain and weather you will encounter. The same goes for sand, a very particular surface, which imposes specific constraints.

The preload of the shock absorber is reduced (spring nut unscrewed by approximately 2 or 3 turns) in order to offer more amplitude of movement to the rear wheel. It best matches the “waves” of a sandy circuit. This also allows the rear of the motorcycle to be lowered so as to obtain a “chopper” position. For what ? In order to unload the front wheel as much as possible to avoid “crashes”.

For the same purpose, the fork sliders are lowered as far as possible into the triple clamps. This also allows the motorcycle to be lengthened, since the front wheel axle is moved away. In theory, a longer motorcycle is a more stable motorcycle, clearly preferable to a brisk motorcycle in the sand. Taking a look at the rear wheel axle, we see that it is moved back as far as possible: the chain tensioners are almost at the end of their capacity. Be careful, however, you must maintain a margin of maneuver.

Neoprene protections should be avoided: if sand were to accumulate inside, it would turn into real honing paste and abrade your fork tubes.

Be careful of overheating your off-road motorcycle!

In the sand, more must be done forcer the engine to move forward. Your mill will therefore reach operating temperatures unprecedented in “classic” enduro on dirt. To compensate, the ideal is to add an expansion tank which will collect more water.

Rather than coolant classic, you can also opt for liquid without water. This tolerates heat better, with a boiling point of 180 degrees, provided the cooling circuit is perfectly cleaned with the preparation product. On the other hand, it does not warn in the event of overheating, and topping up cannot be done with conventional coolant. THE Evans products improve cooling without corrosion or pressure.

For better cooling, we recommend placing a thread on the radiator. By clumping in the gaps in the radiator, the sand prevents air from passing through it and cooling is no longer optimal. The net prevents this inconvenience. It's not much, but it saves degrees and it delays the risk of engine failure.

Also do an engine oil change. Opt for the recommended viscosityar the constructor. Favor quality oils.

Transmission of your off-road motorcycle

The transmission must be long enough to save you valuable seconds over other competitors. A transmission longer than the original will prevent you from being at the breaker too often. In any case, don't stray too far from the factory settings, itar the design offices of motorcycle manufacturerscross know what they are doing!

Unlike the ground, the chain must be at o-rings to limit wear due to sand. Choose a 118-link chain to move the wheel back as far as possible, always to gain stability. And opt for a steel crown, which will also hold up better. THE anti-mud crowns Afam complete the transmission, we recommend.