I am planning a trip to Silver lake. I will be taking the Z400 for the wife and YZ426 for myself. Neither of us have ridden in the sand yet. Z has razr's on the back,stock up front. YZ has knobbies. Do I need to have a paddle on the YZ. I'm guessing its going to act like a chain saw when I hit the throttle and just sit there and watch it dig. Any help would be greatly appreciated for the sand newbs. I've been doing my homework and know that we need flags and the vouchers and stuff. Just need some help on proper equipment.


And now that I'm looking for prices, how many paddles should I be looking for?

 

how well can u handle your 426 in the dirt? i would definately recommend a paddle for your bike but i have seen some people get away without it but undoubtingly have some time in the sand. good luck.

 

No problems handling the 426 in the dirt. I want to be able to get some good speed as well as climb. I have never ridden in sand so I don't know what to expect. I will definitely get paddles, looks like they come in 6-10 paddles. which ones should I opt for?

 

For Silver lake, my friends and I have ridden using Realtors and Razr's without too many issues.

The secret for silver lake is to be in 3rd gear by the time you hit the bottom of the hill and stay on the gas, downshift as soon as you notice your ATV start to bog down, and try to come to a stop near the top. DO NOT GO FLYING OVER, unless you have gone over that exact spot in the hill before.

My friend told me there were many blind drops there 2 weeks ago. He estimated that the drops were about 4 feet, so watch out & hold on.

Once you get accustomed to the layout of the sand, it's a blast.

Silver Lake July 2002 - I have some pictures of just the dunes. You can imagine the size by noting how small the trucks look in the pictures.

 

You don't need paddles on the dunes. Just make sure that u hit the hills with a lot of speed and downshift when the quad boggs down. I ride at Pismo dunes all the time and I've only been running paddles for a month or so. It makes a huge difference but you don't need them. also, try to AVOID coming close to a complete stop at the top, without paddles it makes it extremely easy for your tires to jus spin and dig in. just keep your weight forward and don't try to jump and you will be fine. I know this from experience. I ran stock tires on the dunes and I was just fine.

 

that looks so sweet to ride in please u have to tell me where its at

 

Its in the upper peninsula in Michigan.

 

that is some place i have to go soon thanks . is it nice up there right now

 

I've never been there before. Everywhere in the central to northeastern US is getting drilled with rain. Hopefully it will start to dry out soon. I've been told that sand is not that thrilling when its wet. As I am a sand newbie, I can only hope that when I go its not drenched with rain. If I go before you, I'll let ya know. I'm hoping to go within the next couple of weeks.

 

thanks