first, ive been lurking and lurking for a while here and thanks to all of you that contribute!

necessary bike info;
2010 klx250sf with 300cc kit, muniki pumper carb, full 'big gun' exhaust.

preface;
so i'm headed to the oregon coast for some fun in the sand and i want to bring the bike. i know that its way under-powered for the sand, but i would like to be able to take it out to scout trails and such for my main toy (jeep cherokee built 'jeepspeed'/go-fast style.) normally i'd just buy a paddle tire and call it good but there is no production tire for a 17inch rim.

the ?;
should i have a paddle tire made for the 17inch rim (about $110) or is there another option that would be good for a low power bike in the sand?

if a paddle tire is the way to go could you recommend what i should have made, 6 paddle or 8? more?

tia

 

You need some real HP for a paddle tire or your gunna bog it down. Just my opinion.

 

There are a bunch of big block tires coming out for the BMWs and other big adventure bikes, that might fill the bill for 17" and width would maybe be close. Kenda is doing one that is actually called Big Block:



Makes a 130-17 so that might be your ticket.

 

yeah i was thinking a block tire like you pictured would be the other option. and if i where riding any of the sand in washington state (where i live) it would be an easy decision to go with the a block tire or evena knobby.

its hard to explain how the oregon sand differs. its so much softer, drier, deep... i'm afraid that anything less than a paddle will just sink.

in the past ive always had bikes in the 50+ hp range which made tire choice allot easier. the klx being low hp isnt going to be tackling any real hill climbs or winning any races but thats not the goal, i just need to keep it moving forward.

i'm leaning towards a paddle tire. 6 mid sized paddles, i believe the fewer the paddle the better for low hp, and try to run it at a low psi.

 

Agree with this. I've never paddle tired any of my bikes, but I've been around quite a few who do/have. You gotta have some juice to turn a paddle. I could see burning up the clutch in a KLX if you're not careful. The guys I've known with paddles in sandy riding locations tell me a 250 MX 2-stroke is about it for truly turning a paddle. Even the 250 MX 4-strokes have a little challenge. Yes, conditions, sand type, rider weight, rider experience, etc. all can come into play into riding a paddled bike. At least with a spinning knobby on a KLX, you're not as likely to burn the clutch.

I rode a 7-mile soft, deep, fine sand section 2 ways in Canyonlands south...Horse Canyon...on the KLX with a 300 kit, full exhaust, pumper carb, etc. I had to keep my manual fan switch on nearly the whole 7 miles. Speed and keeping the engine spinning was the only way to keep moving. A paddle would have bogged down and probably burned up the clutch. I'm not saying a KLX can't do deep sand, but for a bike that is otherwise capable of some fairly gnarly off road for a DS bike, sand is a major weakness for this bike.

 

As long as you dont go past 3rd, a properly piped and jetted KLX250 should pull a paddle in the sand. You will definitely have to keep the revs up and you wont be climbing any steep sand mountains, but decently sloped dunes shouldnt be an issue.

I say this because I have run Sand Skates on my Mojave at LA dunes and it can tackle large dunes, but the revs have to stay up. The Mojave has about 80 pounds on the KLX with similar HP. Third gear on the KLX = about 4th on the Mojave with a +2 CS sprocket, I'd say that with 80lbs less load that should be doable, but you will be working that engine hard. Probably spending most hill time in second, gentler slopes and flats in third.

Love to see a video and hear about your experience if you do it.

 

80% of what I ride is deep soft sugar sand here in the NJ Pine Barrens. I have a Kenda Trakmaster on the rear, with a Kenda Southwick up front. Awesome soft sand combo. My next set will be Southwick both front and rear. Not sayin you should go this route, just letting you know what works well in soft sand for everyday riding. My bike has every mod except MCM, and big bore kit. Gearing is 14/47, and I'm about 270 lbs. Bike has just enough wheel spin not to bog down. Just remember to keep your weight back in the soft deep stuff, never looking down infront of you. Always look way ahead of you, with a very loose grip on the bars, keeping rpms high. Sand is a lot of fun if you know how to ride it.

 

Josh, you're comparing an ATV to a motorcycle...in sand. The flotation and surface area on ATV tires is what makes them so great in sand. That's just not a fair comparison.

 

I'm at the Oregon Dunes right now with my son, he's riding a KLX with the 351 BB kit on it, and it is turning his sand paddles just fine. Only issue is that he has to keep an eye on the engine temps. Once in a while his temp light is coming on and he has to sit for a bit to let it cool down. As long as he stays out on the open dunes where he can keep his speed up, he's totally fine, but the lower speeds on the twisty trails through the trees work the 351 pretty hard, so it heats up a bit.