i drag occasionally... mostly raptors, other ds's and yfz's....
in sand and dirt...

i have always started in 1st.... but i almost ALWAYS have a Serious wheelie problem.... (never even considered starting in second figuring sure no wheelies...but ill go slow...)

i run 22 inch tires for the sand (realtors) and the stock 20 inch ohtsus for the dirt....

should i bump the CT down one tooth and do second gear starts? (on a bone stock machine on dirt or sand....will 1st or 2nd be faster?)

also, if i go with a 15 front ct (actually ordered one a few months back from rocky, but never decided to put it on...) and start doing 2nd gear starts, should i get the heavy duty clutch springs?

let me know what you guys run and any suggestions you might have

 

Yes Id say it will be better. It is hard on clutches. Id try it since you have the sprocket already. With the heavy tires Id go with a 14 and 60% Woods clutch springs. A set of Haulers would help alot. 22s

 

I like the second gear starts the best. It gets your tires spinning and you can adjust traction by leaning forward or back. Much like slipping the clutch. It also keeps your rpms up in the higher horspower range where if you do grab traction the engine can recover quicker. This is my sand experience, I've never raced dirt drags.

 

Just that quick shift between 1st and 2nd will slow you. Ive run guys with an equally fast quad and them in 2nd me in 1st and Id lose ground that split second during the shift. Also less room for error.

 

2nd gear it is.... now im thinking ill put my 15 on for general dirt riding (with 20s)

and maybe get a 14 for my 22's in the sand ? (im planning on getting either sand stars or haulers soon)

approx how many MPH does one tooth on the CT drop it? i COULD figure it out...but thats a lot of math... heh

(just curious if any has a rough estimate on hand)

the 15 in dirt should help a lot in general, because im rarely up in 5th... usually just touch it dont get to ride it out (not enuf room anywhere around here)

 

Generally, I think that 2nd gear starts are what most people use. However, you may need to lower your gearing for that to work well.

 

My bike never sees first gear. Up some sand hills it only stays in second. I've actually started in 3rd and won races (OK so it was a Predator).

 

i just race at the local track and i ALWAYS have problems keeping my front end down. should i try starting in second? is there anything i need to know, i really haven't ever thought about it. it's a dirt track of course.

 

SECOND IS THE WAY TO GO! I run a 14tooth front with 22 Haulers. I now run 22inch tires in the desert and find that gives me back my gearing for open roads. The 14 was very limiting in the desert on the wide-open dirt roads and trails.

As far as what to do when starting in second.... Lean Forward - ALOT!!!! When my smaller buddies ride my bike at Dumont, the sled literally LEAPS out of the whole, and scare them to death! A couple have simply had to stop due to the fact that the monster was wheel standing. Take some practice on the start and remember to put your sled into 2nd before you stage (just to make sure that it is in second). At Dumont, I only have to make one shift into third and I'm done. By the time I get past the whoops, I'm way ahead of most. I think I got the PAYDAY DS. For some reason runs much faster than equally prepared bikes. I smoke most up the hill and I usually give up 125 - 150lbs. Those who have seen me at Dumont can attest to that. I'm the guy who looks like he could carry the quad on his back if it ran out of fuel... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

I'd like to get into 4th and run away. Hopefully the new cams and RWR piston will get me there.

Cheers!

 

gear down and start in second, then you can use first for going slow like riding with kids.