Well, I went to Silver Lake Dunes this weekend with my buddy and his Banshee. We both just got done doing mild mods to them both, and could not wait to see how well they would do.
My Raptor: see below, plus I pulled the air box lid off and ran Sand Sharks (angled paddles).
Buba's Banshee: FMF pipes, V-Force reeds, Dynojet kit, and K&N filters with Sand Skate V paddles.

Saturday it was so windy it was impossible to ride over the main hills,... the sand blasting HURT! So we hung out on the flat area were everone drag races. And, well,...we had to find out how good we could do. The results are:

My Raptor & Buba's Banshee are neck to neck every time. We learned 2nd gear starts were the best.

Stock EX's : See Ya..
Mod EX's: Little closer, but ate our sand
Stock Banshee: See Ya again..
Mod Banshee: Lookin up my Big Gun or at side
Stock Bomb DS: Give it up, the Big Gun looks the same every time from behind...
Bomb DS with a pipe: Close on my tail..eatin sand

Other Banshee's and Suzuki's with major mods left us in clouds of sand...

For some reason I was also wompin on a Raptor with a Big Gun on it..

Oh yea, my power to weight ratio is: 41 yrs old, 6'4" & 220lbs.

Had a great time though...

This 4 stroker is SO front up happy it was sometimes hard to ride it. I learned to REALLY lean into it on hills and launches. I think I am going to design and market a seat extender,.. up onto the tank more,.. since that is where my male anatamy was most of the time Need more cushion!

Can't wait to go back....

 

Dude was also there this weekend.. The sandblasting hurt. I rode in some of the drags, and lost bigtime. But it was FUN! We did crest the hills, and in the morning when the park first open the sand was like glass...

Rainman

 

How is the traffic on the dunes? Does one always have to watch out for crazy riders going all over the place? Just curious...

We are heading down on May 12th.

 

The traffic wasn't bad this time. If you are remotely considering visiting Silver Lake around a holiday(Memorial Day, 4th July, Labor Day), you are best to stay at home.

You do need to watch out for other riders. The big dunes are directional, and for the most part I just watch for the flags. They are always changing, and one can easily get hurt. I had ran up a hill too fast, and jumped my scrambler 2 feet in the air. I face planted the handlebars and speedometer, and have dented the ring around the bezel. I did not get hurt, but a bit reserved on hill climbing. I also saw a very new S10 that hit a hill wrong, and destroyed the front end. The insulation on the hood was on fire from the oil that went everywhere from the ruptured oil cooler lines. However, IMO, it is much safer than the Badlands in Attica.

Do get their when the park opens(7:30-8:00 or so). We started at 9 and stayed until 7:00 pm. There was a line to get in, but no vouchers. We purchased annual stickers for 40 dollars for each quad, and a 20 dollar sticker for your tow vehicle.

You will also need to get flags, and they are available for 10 bux or so at Duneland. Do bring a full gas can with you for each machine, as you will need it. We dropped the trailer and took the truck to lunch, so you may want to consider bringing a grill and doing some barbecueing, packing a cooler, or going to lunch.

If you would like, I can post the elevations and lat/long of the big dunes, parking, and the drag area.

Rainman

 

I was planning going to Silver Lakes on May 12th, until I heard they sound check. I doubt that the DMC would pass. Is Silver Lake positioned in the middle of a residential neighborhood, or do night shift owls, and bats complain?

 

They will be checking sound next year. The bikes next to us were very loud, and they didn't get any grief.

 

Last year when I went to Silver Lake the DNR seemed more interested in making sure your flag was square then anything else, I didnt see them checking for sound at all. I just got some DMC's for my shee, that would suck if they started sound checking, I would hate to put my 2K spark arrester on, I love the sound of my DMC's.