You know the best part about the summer riding season has got to be going to the dunes.  There is absolutely no other riding area that comes close to the thrill of riding in the sand.  It’s a great place to spend the weekend riding with your buddies.  I love the feeling of being able to ride as freely as I want and to experience a terrain that is like no other.  Now like with anything when you go to the dunes there are a few changes that needed to be made to your quad in order to make it safe and easier to ride in the dunes.

The most important thing to have on hand is a couple of spare air filters.  Sand is an engines worst nightmare and there is nothing that will ruin a weekend more than a blown engine.   I highly recommend using an outerwear air filter cover and also have at least one other filter oiled and ready on hand.  I will change my filter at least every day and if I have to I will clean one or both of the filters so that I will start each day with a fresh one.   I will also install a spark arrestor in my exhaust to prevent any accidental fires.  Some dune parks require one and others do not but I would use one in any case to be on the safe side.  You will also need a dune flag at some parks so that other riders will be able to see you coming over blind dunes.  This is also a safety item that some parks require and others do not but use one anyways because you don’t want to have a high speed collision with any vehicle.  I like to run paddle tires on the rear of my quad for better traction and overall performance in the sand.  Knobby tires will still do the trick but believe me paddle tires are well worth the investment.  

Once you are all setup and ready to ride go out there and have some fun!  Be sure to go slowly over the crest of the dunes on your first run to check the pitch of each dune.  The sand changes a lot in when the wind is blowing and you never know if the peaks are backwards, forwards or flat.  I have seen some bad accident when people neglect to check the peaks of the dunes.  All in all go out there have fun and be safe!