Planning a trip to Silver Lake dunes!! Ive got some Questions??

[250rs-neva-die]

So me and a few buddies are trying to plan a trip to Silver Lake dunes for the 2011 summer. This would be our first dune experience! Would like to know how is the riding there?Are there any big ride events there during the summer that we could maybe try and plan our trip for?? I have been doin some searching on campgrounds of where to stay. Any recommendations from locals or anyone that has been? They also seem pretty strict with the exhaust that you run? Do you absolutely need a spark arrestor? How much is a registration for a week of riding? Or can you only get season passes? Thanks alot in advance for the help guys.

[MagicJames]

MUST have a spark arrestor, and a 16 foot flag.

[250rs-neva-die]

ok thanks Man a 16 footer how is riding with that on the back of the trike? where do you get them? thanks

[RoscoW]

Hey James I think it's a 10' flag, you can get them at the stores at the dunes, from $15 -25 a pc depending on location. Spark arrestor is a must, I have seen them check sound levels, but only occasionally. My 250R with a PT Hi-Rev and dirty silencer was right on the bubble that day, 98db max.
Every vehicle entering the dune parking lot needs a Mi State park Pass for each day, Off road vehicles and tow vehicles, not sure what the daily fee is this year for non residents.
Every vehicle that goes into the dunes must have a Mi.ORV sticker. I think it's 16$ for the yearly sticker.
If you go on a weekend you will also have to deal with the parking voucher thing. basically it controls traffic at the entrance and parking lot by giving you a time to show up and enter.

More info
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0%2C1607%2C7-153-10365_15070-34760--%2C00.html

http://www.silverlakesanddunes.net/index.html
http://visitsilverlake.com/
http://www.duneguide.com/sand_dune_guide_silver_lake.htm

Ross..

[code200k]

im hopping on going here this summer after graduation..so any and info would be helpful for me too

[tecat-z]

I'm sure that we can help you make a nice ride event out of this, since many people here frequent S.L. It will help you get everything in a row. It's a fun place, but not huge. Michigan has many trail systems however that can be ridden. Baldwin is an area thats pretty close and offers great riding for hondreds of miles. A little dune action with some trails thrown in too..

[harryredtrike]

check out thier website on the michigan orv part.it has lots of info with phone numbers

[clutchcargo]

As far as the flag goes, you won't even notice it while riding, unless you're riding through trees. Make sure you have a good place to mount it though because on every stock grab bar that I mounted one on, the tab cracked off. Paddle tires aren't needed, but if you have them, run them! Makes a huge difference! And watch your speed by the beach because it's only 25mph and they watch.

[slim67]

I went with a RZR over a year ago and it was the best off road experience Ive ever had. It made me want to move to Michigan. Youll love it.

[250rs-neva-die]

awesome guys thanks for all of the replies and info. Clutchcargo i was wondering about the paddles.some pics i have seen of the dunes were of what looked like somewhat hard packed then others look like you would need the paddles. what is a good paddle tire to run. I have never had a set. Tecate-z ya we kind of want a small low key place for our first dune experience. we are hoping to someday go to Glamis. baby steps lol.

[Dammit!]

Summer 2011? Wow man you guys plan pretty far out. :lol:

There's tentative plans for early 2011 Imperial Sand Dunes (Glamis and Gordons Well are part of the Imperial Sand Dunes). It will be a huge ride with people from all over the country. Save your cash and go to that instead. ;)

[JohnR.]

We went out there three times from NY. Its definitely a lot of fun and the flag height is definitely not 16 foot. We had a 16 foot long enclosed trailer and the flags were definitely not as long as the trailer. I would highly recommend a set of paddles, even some cheap ones. One guy that went with us just brought his Holeshots and before the end of the first day he was in the dune shop buying a set of paddles. If you're going through all the trouble to take a ride all the way out there why not make sure you have the proper tires for the place?

When we went we stayed at this campground:

click (http://www.silverlakerc.com/)

It went by a different name and I think it had different owners but it looks like the new people fixed it up so its probably better than it was and its only a 5 minute ride to the sand. We're trying to get something together for summer 2010, hopefully we can make it happen this year.

John

[250rs-neva-die]

Ya Dammit i know but it is goin to be our first big trip so we want to try and plan everything accordingly and make sure we have a good trailer setup and whatnot. our work scheduals are all pretty tough to work with as well so the more notice we give the better and it gives us plenty of time to build our bikes that we just started a resto on and get these 2 all set up for strictly the dunes.

[JohnR.]

One thing about the grab bar/flag thing. Everyone that went in out group that the tab break off. The guys with the aftermarket bars and the stock ones. The only one that lived without incident was my AC racing one because the tab is thick (3/16" or 1/4") and just as important is that they put it in a "corner" so that it is attached on two sides. By the way, there is a size requirement for the flag part of the flag as well. We bought some cheap flags from James Lucky and when we got to the dunes we found out they did not meet the requirements and had to buy new ones. Luckily David Allen Racing (the dune shop right outside the parking lot) is not only very reasonable on their prices, they are very well stocked. The second time we went out I wanted another set of paddles and all the places out west were out of them, DAR had them in stock and in my hands in less than a week.

John

[250rs-neva-die]

awesome John thanks for the infor. I have a prm grab bar with the hole welded in the corner just like you said. it seems pretty solid wonder how that would hold up? What kind of paddle tires do you run?? not sure what would be a good tire. thanks again.

[JohnR.]

The first time I went I just bought a set of cheap Cheng Shin V paddles and they worked very well. A couple of the other guys I went with bought a set of straight paddle Skat Traks and while they did hook up better they didn't slide nearly as easily as my V paddles did. While we were out there I rode their bikes and I was glad I made the choice I did. In fact, the straight paddles were nearly impossible to get to slide much at all.

If your grab bar is welded something like the one in the picture below I think you'll be fine:

http://prm-atv.com/img/products/5R150.jpg

I don't think Cheng Shin makes the tires I bought anymore but you can get GBC Sand Sharks for under $50 each. Well worth the investment IMHO. Once you go to the dunes you'll go again.

tires (http://www.mud-throwers.com/inc/sdetail/160)

[ChrisD]

get the v paddles. I ran the Skat Trak Haulers and while they were great in a straight line, they did not turn well at all. The V paddles make all around riding more fun.

[ChrisD]

funny John....we posted at the same time and said the same thing......I was one of "those guys"

[250rs-neva-die]

cool thanks john i will have to get a set of those. that grab bar is the exact one that i have. so great can check one thing off of the list. lol. I know where are planning a little far in advance but its the best time we can get there and we want to make sure we get it right the first time. driving nearly 1000 miles wouldnt want to mess something up and not have a good time ya know.

[JohnR.]

LOL! That is funny that Chris and I simultaneously posted and he was in fact one of the guys I was talking about. IIRC you flipped them so the paddles were aimed the wrong way to get some slide out of it.

Are you guys planning on bringing a camper or renting a cottage on a campground? You can also rent a house out there for the week but it will be more money than the other two options. I would imagine that if you rented a house after the summer peak season you could get one for a better deal. I looked into it a little bit last year but since nothing came of our talking about the trip I never pursued it.

John

[250rs-neva-die]

ya i was looking at the cottages at one of the campgrounds. the price was $600 for a week but i dont know what time of season that was for. i thought that was a very good price for a place that sleeps 4 and has a full kitchen and grill and firepit and whatnot. do you have any reccomendations of places you have stayed at.

[JohnR.]

Just the one I posted already. If you could send me a link to the place that has those cottages that sleep 4 and have a kitchen I'd be VERY appreciative.

The first time we rented a camper and pulled the toys out with my truck, the second time we took our friend's Dad's camper and pulled the toys with my truck, the last time we went I didn't have my truck anymore so we pulled it with the same camper and then transported the trailer back and forth to the dunes with my buddy's Jeep Grand Cherokee. The one thing we learned from all of this was that its not worth the hassle of dragging the camper all the way out there. The fuel bill alone was probably close to $300 and that was in 2002 or so, now it would probably be cheaper to rent a cabin than pay the fuel bill.

John

[250rs-neva-die]

ya sure thing hope this works not to good with computers

http://www.hideawaycampground.com/cottageshideawaycampground.html

[JohnR.]

I like that. I noticed that its $100 extra per adult per week for any more than two adults per cabin but $800 still isn't bad. I'm going to add that to my bookmarked sites for a possible trip out there this summer. $200 per person for the week isn't bad at all and it looks like those cabins have A/C. Let me tell you, it was hot out there a few times while we were out there. While putting it in my bookmarks I noticed these at DAR:

http://www.davidallenracing.com/cottage.htm

They have two bedrooms with a double bed in each plus a pull out in the living room. I'm sure you could find a place to stuff an air mattress on the floor and fit four people each having their own bed. The price is a little better at $650 too.

John

[clutchcargo]

You'll have no problem with a PRM grab bar. I ran one on my 250R and the flag was fine. Also, I'm running the Skat Trak "Edge" V paddles also. They slide nicer than regular straight paddles, but keep in mind that if you damage a tire, they can only be replaced in sets. As far as lodging, we stayed at a hotel, but we only go for a couple of days.

[tecat-z]

Hey clutch, it would be nice to ride with another Z in the sand. Never see them there anymore. We need to have a planned 3wheeler weekend ride sometime this summer at S.L.

[clutchcargo]

Yeah just give me a heads up on when you're going. I work goofy days and hours, so I would have to plan it and possibly take a vacation day or something.
We usually go when it's cooler out and the place isn't so crowded. Nothing I hate worse than waiting to park.

[250rs-neva-die]

Hey John those ones sound pretty nice. very close to the dunes as well. i will have to get in touch with them to get some info. hey clutch thanks for the info on the tires im going to look into those. thanks again.

[250rs-neva-die]

ive been collecting parts to start the build of my dune rider and i just had a few questions on some parts and info.

1.What would be a good front tire to run?
2.I plan on building an ESR 350 motor what size swingarm would be good for riding and handling the dunes? and how are those arched ladder bar swingarms?
3.Any suggestions on front suspension?

thanks in advance guys.

[AJZ_200X]

I live about an hour from Silver and ride the dunes just about every year (built my 350x specifically for the dunes). You need a spark arrestor in order to ride there (I i believe stock 250r and 350x exhaust comes with spark arrestor installed). As far as tires go, you will need paddles in order to have some real fun, but a pair of grippy holshots will work fine as long as they are aired up really good (they will float). You can get day passes or seasonal passes, whatever works best for you. I would recommend staying at the state park as it usually has the cheapest rates. However, you might want to check asap for availability as they tend to fill up fast far in advance.

Be on the look out for a 350x - i will be riding up there on weekends.

[AJZ_200X]

and yes you need a flag, they are for sale in duneland right outside the entrance for like $15. You will need a bracket on your rear grab bar.
Also needed:

state park pass (yearly or daily) for every motor you bring into the pits and a dune pass for any machine going into dunes (25 dollars i believe)

** a stock front tire is fine...running a mohawk is nice but can be hard to turn at times with a smoothy


PM me with any other questions and I would be happy to answer them...I wouldnt mind meeting some of you there this summer and doing some dune riding!

[JohnR.]

Two questions for you AJZ.

1. Do they offer cabins at the state park?

2. Why do you need a flag bracket even if you have a grab bar with one built in?

Thanks.

John

[Mr_RPM]

the dunes are great, i read the first page but not the 2nd, so i will cover everything
must have a spark arrester, and be to legal sound levels (older machines have a high tolerance because they dont expect a 1980 oem silencer to have the Tech to be 98db. they dont always check but have a plan b if they do like have a way to quite it up, atleast for passing the gate then remove it when they arnt looking, thats what we do. also i know my fathers 83 yz490 is "grandfatherd" and can be as loud as he wants)
be sure to have a flag and a strong mounting system (OEMs break)
paddles will double your fun, without them its alot like driving in deep snow and can be more of a hassle than fun (or at least ballon tires so u can air them down, that works well too)
the riding up there is very fun, going on a holliday weekend (july 4th) will be the most packed and bring for great drag racing but poor free roam riding, going during the week is better riding
u will be surprised how small the dunes are and will see everything within an hour, the best part is the people, the other rides and drag racing.

like others said all the parking pass stuff, look it all up
also u MUST must must must have a drivers license to legally ride in the dunes, they dont check everyone but that can be a sinker on your week (lol just wait till shift change)
what am i forgetting, umm paddles dont work for low power machines (my atc110 and even a 200) better off with a ballon tire or a snow paddle design type tire, the paddles take power to spin, like a supercharger takes power to give power. lol
ummmm.....make sure you all have helmets and goggles (sum time of eye protection, sand in the eye will ruin your time) and a tow rope haha
have fun my trike friend. ill keep posting as i remember what im forgetting haha

[250rs-neva-die]

hey thanks for all of the replies guys. I hope we could meet up and have a big trike ride when we head out that way. i know it is a year and a half away but its the best wecan do with our scheduals, and we want to make sure we have a good setup and the bikes in tip top shape.with all the help from you guys i think we will be good. im sure i will have more questions in the future and i will post pics when the build starts.

[Mr_RPM]

hey thanks for all of the replies guys. I hope we could meet up and have a big trike ride when we head out that way. i know it is a year and a half away but its the best wecan do with our scheduals, and we want to make sure we have a good setup and the bikes in tip top shape.with all the help from you guys i think we will be good. im sure i will have more questions in the future and i will post pics when the build starts.

for sure man, for sure. ill be going that time anyway and it would be sweet to coordinate to when your going to have a nice big trike gang, would be a fun time.