Anybody out there tried these tires. The look to have some serious bite and at a great price. Would like to have some feedback before I purchase a set?

Thanx,

'Bob

How can I saw this kindly! Do NOT buy into the marketing hype from the Geckos. Some people on here have them, but they know little about sand tires. Any paddle is better than no paddle, but the Geckos are heavy and cut into the sand. Sure they work, but there are FAR better paddle tires. Do NOT buy them.

If you want an all around dune tire in a V pattern here is my suggested order:

Sand Skate 2's ,Skat Trak edge, Maxxis Rooster and STU Padla Brat. Any of these tires will do you very well. If you need something even better for straight line, then get the Skat Trak Haulers.

I have them on one of my 400exs, IMHO, they run ok. I also have the sandskate II on two more 400's, a 300, and a TRX250EX, they also run fine. I had to take the sandskates off the 250 and put back on the stock knobbies since they robbed too much power, but that could be the case with any paddle. The bikes are always in the dunes, and rarely racing up the hills. As to weight, I don't know, never weighed them. Guess it depends on your bike and driving style as to what works for you, but I have no complaints about either.

RudeBob: I would put skat trak edges above the sand skate 2's simply because they last so much longer. The rubber cup is vulcanized onto the tire carcass allowing them to use a harder rubber cup and still keep a pliable tire. My haulers (straight paddle) are 5 years old and still bite as good as new.

Tron: Your 250EX should do fine with low air pressure in the knobbies but if you would like paddles for it, Skat Trak gliders are the ticket. The paddle highth is shorter than an edge or hauler and the tires are more square than rounded so the quad won't dig as much.

I got a set of the Gecko's (for my anniversary present) on my stock Z400. I love 'em. However, I think I was faster up the hill with a set of borrowed old, worn Sand Skate I's. I do like the way they look but agree that they're either too heavy, bite too much, or a little bit of both for a Z400 (or anything smaller). Maybe they'll work better on something faster or for someone who's lighter then my 215lb self. The best paddles for me are always the free ones though.

[ 02-10-2003, 03:49 PM: Message edited by: Tastykake Kid ]

I don't agree with Fireballsocal. The sand skates are a completely molded tire/paddle combo. I had a set of skat trac edge paddled on my stock raptor. The massive torque started to peel the paddles off of the skats. I switched to skates and have been happy ever since. I don't know what bike you have, but I would recommend the skate 2s. If the price is too high for you, I think GBC sand sharks are a good copy of the skate 2s. I have some friends that run the sharks and they hold up well.
As for the Gekkos, even the stores that sell them don't like them! The guy at Daryl Smith said not to buy them.

Maybe I should explain the ride. My 13 year old son is moving up from his blaster to my TRX250R. The paddles, old sand skates, are nothing but nubs so he was looking to buy replacements. He does not like the straight cuts (I have haulers on my banshee which he doesn't care for). He's used to the sand sharks, which worked well on his blaster.

Being a 13, he doesn't have a lot of money to spend (he bought his last 2 quads with his own money). We thought maybe the gecko's might provide decent hookup, with the manuverability of a wedge and at a decent price.

From the opinions voiced here, maybe we should try another pair of sharks.

Thanks for the info.

'Bob

I would go with the sharks then!

I would go with the sharks. A good tire for the price.

I have been running Geckos on my DS 650 at Glamis and at Buttercup for the past month. They work fine. They are tall and have a lot of bite. You have stability in turns but you lose the instant push of straight paddle tires. I rode a DS 650 with Haulers on it and they would give me a better boost without slowing me down. My best advice for ultimate paddling would be straight rears with razors on the front tires. I can still beat a stock Banshee with haulers up comp. tho

I' d recommend sand skate 2's for all around duning. I've only ridden my friends bike with geckos for a short ride and they slid good but didn't hook up as good as sand skate 2's.

I' d recommend sand skate 2's for all around duning. I've only ridden my friends bike with geckos for a short ride and they slid good but didn't hook up as good as sand skate 2's.