sand riding

[xrewen]

I'm off to Morocco with my xr. Does anyone have any advice on chain lube (do'nt laugh), the little sand riding i've done before i used a dry chain but this seems a little harsh for the drive system when i've always been used to keeping the chain well oiled. Happy new year!

[nomad]

not done much sand riding other than southport and talaker beach in wales but have always been told to use a dry chain for continuous use on sand
if you have a well oiled chain and it mixes with sand it becomes like a grinding paste-not good for any chain

don't know of any alternative other than having a spare chain for sand riding,if there is someone with desert riding experience will be along in a minute

[Tarka]

I used to sand race and you DON`T WANT TO BE USING CHAIN LUBE !!!

Clean the chain after EVERY section of sand riding.

If you`re a novice at sand riding,bias your weight rearwards and relax your fore arms...allow the bars a fair bit of free play,as a death grip and tense arms will lead to a loss of the front end.

[Stormforce8]

Clean the chain after EVERY section of sand riding.

Why am I not suprised by this...........

[meljordan]

yup dry chain ! take a paint brush and brush your chain off when you stop shift your weight back wear good boots and let some air out of your tyres this will increase your forgivness margin and help with cheesy grins

[Jenna]

yep run dry, buy the best quality you can afford (x link lasts the longest) or work on buying the cheapest and binning and replacing it regularly.

[Gotham]

Or try this:
http://www.profiproducts.com/profidrylube.html

I used it one season - it works

[Jenna]

yep seen a few people try that suff, but then i know somebody that also uses pledge!.... another favourite is wd40 but this can on some chains screw up the o or x rings due to the solvent. Yamaha tend to run a stock chain with no o or x links and then lite lube (not sure exactly sure what with but its like wd40) every now and then, life span is pritty short though!.. think the Baja boys run RK chain and wax also heard a few good comments on cheap chains with Milltec1.

[Gromit3528]

It depends if you are actually racing on sand where you may get frequently buried in the stuff up to the axles. I can see the sense in keeping it dry.
My experience of touring in sandy areas with only occasional forays into deeper sand suggests that when you want to play its best to shut down any thing like a Scott oiler that you may have fitted and wipe off any excess oil. Having had your fun in the sand wipe off as much muck as you can and then crank the scottoiler right round to prime and go for a thrash on tarmac for a few miles. Your chain will be amazingly clean and (well oiled) when you stop. You might have something resembling a quatermass experiment lurking on your bashplate where all the crap has been flung off the gearbox sprocket, but your chain will still be good for many thousands of miles which is what you need when touring.