sand geckos?? or another paddle??

[beags86]

i am not much of a duner (not yet at least).
so i just wanted to ask all the duners out there if sand geckos are good for 400exs? are they any good? if not what paddle tire should i get?

[2006 400ex slsd]

yea i have used them but on my old 660r they hook preety good so should work fine with a 400

[bkelley]

I thought the Geckos were decent until I got some real paddles. My Skat~Trak Extremes hook up a hundred times better than the Geckos did. If you plan on playing in the sand a lot, or want to climb the bigger hills, I'd highly suggest you invest in some quality paddles. In my opinion, Skat~Traks are unrivaled.

[beags86]

bkelley- your one person i was hoping would pipe in on this, thanks.

one thing though, i have a set of skat-traks 8 paddles for my 400 are 8 paddles to much for a 400?

i was looking at the sand geckos for the 05 that you chimed in on earlier tonight. which is going to mostly be ridden by my girl and as a loaner quad. so with that in mind the quad wouldn't be doing hard sand riding - big hill climbs, drags, jumps, etc etc.

any thoughts?

[bkelley]

Originally posted by beags86
bkelley- your one person i was hoping would pipe in on this, thanks.

one thing though, i have a set of skat-traks 8 paddles for my 400 are 8 paddles to much for a 400?

i was looking at the sand geckos for the 05 that you chimed in on earlier tonight. which is going to mostly be ridden by my girl and as a loaner quad. so with that in mind the quad wouldn't be doing hard sand riding - big hill climbs, drags, jumps, etc etc.

any thoughts? I honestly think 8 paddles are too much for a stock or even a lightly modified 400EX. Guys usually run 7 or 8 paddles on modified 450s. I run 21x12x8 6 paddle Extremes and I think they are a perfect fit for my bike.

As for the Geckos, with the V shaped paddles they are designed more for casual dune riding and sandy trails, not for aggressive hill climbs and drags. You would want a straight paddle tire for that. Now, I'm not saying she won't be able to climb anything with the Geckos. I'm just saying when I switched to the Skats I couldn't keep the front end on the ground and I was getting into 3rd and 4th gear on hills that I wouldn't even make up in 2nd with the Geckos. They are the best investment I have made so far.

[beags86]

yeah well the 8 paddles were given to me with the 400, so i mounted them and i will try them anyway. i have a total of 20 bucks in them (mounting).
why do you say their to much?
the 400 doesn't have enough power to spin them or what??

ok so for more of a casual dune rider the geckos are a decent choice. i found a set mounted on 400 rims for $50 so i think they will work good enough for the gf/loaner quad, i think i am going to snatch them up.

[beags86]

bkelley- oh yeah could you post me a pic of your 400 in dune trim. i know i saw it some where but i can't rememeber where, i know it was sweet though

[bkelley]

Originally posted by beags86
yeah well the 8 paddles were given to me with the 400, so i mounted them and i will try them anyway. i have a total of 20 bucks in them (mounting).
why do you say their to much?
the 400 doesn't have enough power to spin them or what??

ok so for more of a casual dune rider the geckos are a decent choice. i found a set mounted on 400 rims for $50 so i think they will work good enough for the gf/loaner quad, i think i am going to snatch them up. Yeah, go a head and run them. They'll still work for you, you'd just get better results with less paddles. 8 is just too many for the 400EX to handle. Go for the Geckos, too. They're fine for casual riding.

Pictures:

http://www.atvdistrict.com/images/users/001qur.jpg

http://www.atvdistrict.com/images/users/atvdistrict.jpg

If you have the money invest in a 6 paddle 20" hauler.

[bigbad400]

i have a ltr450 a ltz400 and a 400ex all with maxiss razr blade paddles. i never liked strait paddles, you cant steer very well on the gas, it just wants to go straight or up, i got a set of razr blades and can play alot more on the hills not just climb or drag, but when i go to the strip i can still pull the front up in third and 4th on the ltr, straight paddles are overrated, they are a race tire for the guy who needs the extra sec on the strip. hell i have ran holeshot hds in the dunes and could go anywere the others went, just couldnt dump it at the bottom of a hill and expect to climb it like with paddles. :D

[4reeds]

Hell no, geckos are horrible.Youll just dig a big hole.Get some six paddle haulers.20x10x8 or 21x12x8. More money but you wont be wanting to buy another set after your first trip.

[bkelley]

Originally posted by bigbad400
i have a ltr450 a ltz400 and a 400ex all with maxiss razr blade paddles. i never liked strait paddles, you cant steer very well on the gas, it just wants to go straight or up, i got a set of razr blades and can play alot more on the hills not just climb or drag, but when i go to the strip i can still pull the front up in third and 4th on the ltr, straight paddles are overrated, they are a race tire for the guy who needs the extra sec on the strip. hell i have ran holeshot hds in the dunes and could go anywere the others went, just couldnt dump it at the bottom of a hill and expect to climb it like with paddles. :D I couldn't disagree more haha.

[beags86]

i am sure i will be investing in full dune trim for both my 400exs someday,(wheels, tires, safety flags, hid lights, etc etc.) but as of right now i have never been to the dunes, i just moved to colorado from il, so i never had dunes close before, now that i do i just want to get by cheaply to make sure the outlay of money is worth it, i am sure i will love dune ridding, but that doesn't mean i will be able to get away for the weekend enough to justify 8 new tires and 8 new or used wheels. there is alot of mt riding to do!

bekelley, i love the 400 in dune trim

[beags86]

guys- just remember one thing, one me and my girl are novice dune riders, so we are going to think anything is great, lol

2nd thing: the geckos are for her and she mostly tools around takeing pics of things

3rd thing: i found a set MOUNTED on 400 rims, for 50 bucks, you can't even buy a set of used rear rims for 400ex hardly for 50 smackers.

4th thing: she prob doesn't even really need rear paddles, but she wants them, and thinks she needs them, doesn't want to be left out. rememeber this guys, happy wife, happy life. lol,

just looking for any opinions and i thank you guys for that, but i think i got what i needed to know, not the best tire out there, but its good enough for what i want it for. buy cheap now, save up for good meats later.

[4reeds]

if you want to spend the day helping her get the quad unstuck, go for it. I just picked up 20x10x8 6pdl haulers for 75 bucks on craigslist.The geckos are even worse for beginers.

[beags86]

Originally posted by 4reeds
if you want to spend the day helping her get the quad unstuck, go for it. I just picked up 20x10x8 6pdl haulers for 75 bucks on craigslist.The geckos are even worse for beginers.


i have a hard time believeing they are that bad, i have read a number of good reviews on different websites. prob is i don't want to buy new, i want some used one there just isn't much on CL right now, nothing in the right size or they want to much.

[4reeds]

Buy them and let us know what you think. When you are ready to buy new ones,call fullerton sand sports in cali. Best prices hands down and always has them in stock.I just bought 21x12x8 7pdl extremes for the 450r.$294 and they were on my doorstep 3 days later.

[beags86]

i will and if push comes to shove i still for can get rid of them for 50 bucks

[4reeds]

You can also send skat trac your tires and have them shave them and put on paddles.It's alot cheaper.I think its about 60 bucks a tire.

[bkelley]

Originally posted by 4reeds
I just bought 21x12x8 7pdl extremes for the 450r.$294 and they were on my doorstep 3 days later. Mounted on DWT Blue Labes I presume? That's the price I paid for mine as well. I got them in literally 20 hours.

[4reeds]

That is correct.

[beags86]

so for 60 bucks plus shipping i could have paddles put on, is this a good way to do it, or are there drawbacks?. can you give me any other info in this? or is that it?

[4reeds]

Check out there website. It gives prices for customer tires and for how many paddles. Give them a call they can give you all the info.

[bkelley]

Just give them a call. A lot easier to handle and they have great customer support.