I need some help on paddles...

[ballzdeep38]

I have a set of 20" Dune Sliders currently on my R. they came with the the bike when i bought it. the last time i was in Glamis I was having trouble getting into 5th. in the rare times i felt that i could shift into 5th, it would hold it for a few seconds and bog down so i would down shift back to 4th. After doing some research it looks like my paddles are hurting me. Here is what i am thinking.

The 20"molded tire doesnt expand and is creating too much drag on the top end, They are HEAVY (a pair of 21x12x9 6 paddle haulers on blue lables weighs less than 1 wheel/tire), the gearing is a little off for the sand with the 20" tire (stock gearing (13/39 i think).

I was told that a 6 paddle hauler/extreme (21x12) would be a great paddle to switch too. Should i consider a Glider with more paddles? maybe 8-9 paddles? I was told the glider will help with the top end and i know too much paddle can really kill a mild 250r like mine. I am looking for an "all around paddle" (mostly duning with a little dragging here and there and some hill climbs).

We also have a stock 300ex which we just bought a set of 21x12 6 paddle extremes for. I was told it would run better with an 8 paddle glider for a more experienced rider. The 300 will be following my R for most of the trip. So as far as roost goes, how much would the difference between the glider and extreme be?

Lets hear some opinions guys...

[SilverLake250R]

Why don't you try out the extremes that you already have for the 300ex and see if you like them on the R?

Personally, I have a set of 20" 8 paddle haulers on my 1989 stock jug 250r, it pulls fine in 5th, and 6th is fine on flats, and my gearing is set at 14/39 right now.

[ballzdeep38]

I just realized i posted this in the classified section. can the moderators move this to the 250R section?

[ballzdeep38]

So when you changed your gearing to a 14 in the front, is that what helped you pull 5th with the 20" 8 paddle? I would like to be able to use more of my gear box as opposed to only using 1-4. How are your 8 paddle haulers for the person following?

I was told the 6 paddle extreme i got for the 300 would be good for mine as well and i was pretty sure thats what i would buy for mine too. I will have my fiance following me for the majority of the trip on the 300 so i dont want to have her eating sand all day. Which is why I was considering Gliders for mine.

[SilverLake250R]

My gearing actually makes it harder to pull 5th and 6th. I used ti have a hard time, but I played with the tuning and now it runs excellent.

As for throwing sand, Haulers and Extremes seem to throw a lot, more than my old Sand Stars did, or at least higher and wider. Maybe you're right 8-9 paddle gliders might be the ticket for your style of riding.

[250r4life]

depending on how much are are concerend for your wife/fiance, you may want to consider edges. My experience is that the haulers throw sand straight back and up and the sand kinda lingers there and it sucks to ride behind. However, with the V tires the sand sort of hits itself and falls.

I personally hate following behind anybody with Haulers and will pretty much do whatever i can to avoid it.

[jhtrx250r]

If you cant run 6th in the dunes chances are your "R" is fairly stock possibly with a pipe and or K&N air filter that is the norm if you cant run in the tall gears.
I run a 10 paddle hauler on my 310 PV dune bike and it works good.
My stock cylinder bike has a cool head pipe 35mm carb and a rad valve and works best with 8 cup haulers this is what I recomend if your bike is fairly stock. I have seen extremes mentioned in this post it takes more power to run a extreme, and I wouldent run a 8 cup ITP sand star or the like they are heavy and that will make your problem worse.
for most "R" s the standard 8 cup hauler is the way to go with stock or 13-38 to 40 gearing.
as alaways this is just advise, do what works best in your area.

[ballzdeep38]

yes my R is fairly stock. TRX-5 pipe, Uni filter, and stock gearing. I ended up with a set of 21x12x8 6 paddle Extremes. It was explained that this would be equivilent to a 7 paddle hauler which would be ideal. The Extreme would just increase the longevity or the paddles. We will be going out for Thanksgiving and Ill get back to this post with an update to let you know how it went...