Suspension variation between moto and sand

I don’t ride winter sand tracks but typically I go a couple stiffer on everything but don’t touch the high speed 

Some change fork height and even rear sag for faster winter sand tracks.

For sand with big rolling woops I always went a few clicks in on both compression and rebound. Dont mess with the forks you still want to turn fast 

Yea you want to go stiffer in sand not softer. 

Sounds like maybe you are a little raked out/not enough weight on the front. Could try a little less sag or stiffer high speed comp. I would not soften anything, definitely not the fork. 

I generally back out the rebound a couple clicks front and rear to allow the wheels to follow the ground and prevent packing.

This is what Bones (Pro Circuits suspension guru) had to say about setup in sand from an old MXA article 

That’s a hard base with loose sand on top. A deep sand track is much different.  Add more sag until you loose front end grip. Then back it off. 

Sand is tricky. - that’s what I mostly ride. I find that if the front feels skatey the front is too stiff or you have too much shock sag. I usually start by backing off the compression on the fork (softer) by just a click or two at a time until you feel more front end bite. Too soft and it will knife. That sweet spot can be tricky to find so make small changes - if the front lacks traction cornering I’d try sliding a bit more forward on the bike in the corners before doing much if anything to the suspension. You don’t want your forks diving in sand whoops because they are too soft. 

Good point. Some guys stiffen the rebound too much and the bike feels like it’s all over the place. I never feel completely planted and comfortable in sand but I find  too stiff on rebound can magnify the feeling of instability. 

I've always gone stiffer in sand. Is that wrong?

No stiffer at least on compression is the right way to go. 

I generally run 1-2 more psi in front with sand as well

I find that the same setup that works well on moto tracks with big jumps and breaking bumps works relatively well on sand tracks. I run a stiffer setup than most, I like a lot of hold up, and low fork height. Never found a ton of sag helping. 

If its a long,fast, whooped out & rough… I slide forks down to extend wheelbase, think stability….you give up tight turning & front end bite, but a full on sand track you are generally steering with the rear end & throttle. 1-2 clicks in/ stiffer compression, use the Oring you have on your fork tube to check for bottoming and adjust compression accordingly… rear shock, error on more sag vs less, and slow down rebound a few clicks… I used to have a sand track that was so rough, after 20-25 minute motos the shock body would get hotter than the engine covers, the shocks would overheat and lose all rebound adjustments…

If it’s proper beach sand drop the forks level with the top cap ( even seen top french sand riders run with the nut flush with the clamps )  slowing the shock rebound down can help a lot to , generally want a stiffer setting in sand all round 

For my 450 KTM my base settling us usually 2 clicks harder on rebound & compression on the front.

The rear is 4 clicks harder on slow speed compression, half a turn softer on high speed & 6 clicks harder on rebound.

I love sand...you generally want the front end up for float, tire psi is a small but often overlooked part of the equation. I go around 12 front/10 rear. A couple clicks more compression up front, a click or two slower rebound. About it. 

I,m not a fan of sliding the tubes up. If any it’s 2mm, the tubes r on the bars at about 5mm. Bars cracking the tubes, not good. You get more stability & frontend lift on 5-10 mm more sag, yes you can do that & corner on rails with the 04 cr125. More weight is on the back of the bike with more sag. I crank the comp in on the forks too. Shock setting I forget. Slow rebound down maybe. If I ever get to the sand riding areas . I just ask the sand specialist 125 riders. Amazing sand riders always on top of the sand . Only time there wheels dig in is in some corners . 

 firm up the dampning, increase fork compression and increase your shocks rebound, start with two clicks. Lower the forks two mills.  

That makes the fork mount I call it feel stiff and ridged. Not the best for a beaten whooped out sand track. Hv some tube sticking out, for some flex. 

I slid the rear axle all the way back for 2nd moto once on a 98 rm125. Holeshot then I pushed the front wheel sideways threw the 1st corner & crashed. Big cloud of dry sand & a full gate coming in. I don’t know how many times I got ran ovr. Haha 

I’m just going of what the top sand racers do it’s not something I’ve done , seen it plenty on the sand specific set ups though 👍

Yes you want it slower 👍