Sand Hills

[green_passion]

Howdy,

I ride/race out in the mojave desert in California on my 02' KDX 220. I love my bike but I'm begining to wonder if I it's just me or the bike on sand hills.

For example, this last weekend there was a fairly steep, deep sand uphill that I tried twice to climb. First attempt in first gear pinned but I just burried it about half way up. Second attempt I tried a different approach by pinning in second and going down. Still couldn't make it. So finally one of my buddies (who is a fairly good rider) rode it up and he had problems getting the bike up the hill and barely made it.

Any suggestions?

[radonc73]

I would just keep standing and lean forward over the front fender. Alot of practice also. I had the same problem with hills but I just keep it in a gear lower than I think I should and gun it. Try not to slow down at all at the base of the hill. If there are any ruts or dips right at the bottom like their usually is try a different angle to stay as straight as possible.

[Colorado Mike]

Two strokes on loose sandy soil going up a hill... yeah, that's where you need to hit the easy button. My kid's old CRF150 would motor up crap with my fat ass on it that would give my 220 trouble. On a 2 stroke the main thing is momentum. I treat my bike kinda like it's a jet ski, just blasting a roost out the back and try to stay smooth. Decelerating at the start of the hill is very bad. Once I'm stopped on the hill, it's very easy to bury it to the swingarm. To get going again takes a huge amount of finesse, that takes a lot of practice to gain. That's why I don't want to let that happen. I make sure any A-holes on 4 strokes in front of me (unlikely, I know) have made it over before I start , since they tend to slow down a lot as they reach the crest. No need to come up on them and have to shut off, this almost guarantees an excavation event when you get back into the throttle.

If you do this type of terrain a lot, consider torqueifying your bike. go with the FMF torque pipe, RB carb and head mods, and a flywheel weight. then you can get an extra gear higher, which helps to avoid the ditch witch syndrome. Of course you're running a good tire, and wider than stock.

[green_passion]

Two strokes on loose sandy soil going up a hill... yeah, that's where you need to hit the easy button. My kid's old CRF150 would motor up crap with my fat ass on it that would give my 220 trouble. On a 2 stroke the main thing is momentum. I treat my bike kinda like it's a jet ski, just blasting a roost out the back and try to stay smooth. Decelerating at the start of the hill is very bad. Once I'm stopped on the hill, it's very easy to bury it to the swingarm. To get going again takes a huge amount of finesse, that takes a lot of practice to gain. That's why I don't want to let that happen. I make sure any A-holes on 4 strokes in front of me (unlikely, I know) have made it over before I start , since they tend to slow down a lot as they reach the crest. No need to come up on them and have to shut off, this almost guarantees an excavation event when you get back into the throttle.

If you do this type of terrain a lot, consider torqueifying your bike. go with the FMF torque pipe, RB carb and head mods, and a flywheel weight. then you can get an extra gear higher, which helps to avoid the ditch witch syndrome. Of course you're running a good tire, and wider than stock.

I can manage pretty well up most hills on the mighty KDX. It's the nasty sand ones that suck for me.

I have the FMF pipe & silencer but I'm thinking that the RB carb and head mods will help with hauling my fat arse up those type of hills.

Thanks for the tips!

[september9]

In sand, I find that size matters. I can go up things on my 430 two-stroke or my friends 510 4 stroke with ease, and I watch people on the 250 two strokes struggle or fail to do the climbs. I don't even have to hit the hill hard, I can putt up things with my 430 that others have to go wide open.

I have not had the chance to play in the sand with my KDX yet, I am waiting for parts to put it back together else I would be able to tell you my luck in the sand from my Sunday trip. But with my experience on big bores and what Mike says makes me think the same. You need more torque or find a different route up the hill maybe. (The quads in the group couldn't follow the bikes everywhere and had to take different routes).

[Rick]

I say, stay forward on the bike. Not leaning over the front fender, but just forward. You don't want to take all your weight off of the rear tire. You'll bury yourself. Start with good momentum, in a higher gear. As soon as you feel it to slow or bog a bit, downshift, lean a little bit more foreword( so u don't catch and flip), and keep on rockin! Momentum and fluidness are key. Gotta stay smooth!

[fuzzy]

I'd second the tourque-izing mods. They will come in handy everywhere.