Ithink its just a 5th line safety, not a loaded 5th line so you dont want tension in it.
My opinion is dont worry about the 5th, it flags out perfectly on 4 lines if you need to and you dont need an additional line to potentially get tangled up if you get rolled in the waves. Enjoy!!

Select to expand quote

Dave Whettingsteel said..
Ithink its just a 5th line safety, not a loaded 5th line so you dont want tension in it.
My opinion is dont worry about the 5th, it flags out perfectly on 4 lines if you need to and you dont need an additional line to potentially get tangled up if you get rolled in the waves. Enjoy!!

The new 4line QUAD bar has been tweaked and has full 100% depower.

The option of the 5th line is there for guys that like the extra relaunch and landing safety.
don't load it for flying, the kite is designed for use with 4 lines.

Select to expand quote

JBFletch said..

Dave Whettingsteel said..
Ithink its just a 5th line safety, not a loaded 5th line so you dont want tension in it.
My opinion is dont worry about the 5th, it flags out perfectly on 4 lines if you need to and you dont need an additional line to potentially get tangled up if you get rolled in the waves. Enjoy!!

The new 4line QUAD bar has been tweaked and has full 100% depower.

The option of the 5th line is there for guys that like the extra relaunch and landing safety.
don't load it for flying, the kite is designed for use with 4 lines.

4 line bar is a must for best performance. Huge difference to the 5 line bar

6m review time

picked up my 6m yesterday from Onboard as window was predicted and today the wind came in. It was about 20-26 knots on the reports, but maybe add a couple of knots on the water for the first session.

All the characteristics of the Neo remain in the small size, the drift is FAB and as a small kite even better in the stronger wind. the main reason to try the 6m today was to really test the 'riding a metre smaller' advice. The 6m size was perfect, for me having come off 7m Rebels, it was not really '6m' weather at all being under 30 knots, but the kite had plenty of power and did not give an 'on and off' all power or nothing that tiny kites can produce. The ride was smooth and I had plenty of power (68kg rider)

turning speed, its quick, but it still requires input, similar to the 9m. The response to input is a quick turn but not too whippy, it does not turn radically to a finger twitch, you still have to pull on the bar, for freestyle its a small quick kite, so probably not perfect for that, for freeride and wave riding its FAB, you don't really have to fly the kite to all positions as the drift and 'tow in ability' which just requires pulling the bat in, it so forgiving that the quick redirection and placement comes in just when you need it.

The size of the kite is confidently 1m smaller than your previous kite, as the wind dropped down to 20-25 I was still on the water and easily going up wind, I had to work it through the lulls but this did actually keep me going easily, the ride is smooth, the turning speed great, the drift amazing.

importantly when you slack line the reengagement in strong winds does not lead to a hard yanking on the harness

Sweet

got to say I absolutely LOVE my 7-9 Neo. I am riding them as factory setup on 22m quad control.

The low end is incredible, meaning you can drop down in sizes so early. Yesterday I did a downwinder with a guy who normally (when riding twin tips), rides the same size kite. He was on a 12m Vegas, I was on my 9 neo with a tiny bit of depower pulled in. Being so small and light weight for the wind conditions, the kite drifted extremely well when running towards it. There was plenty of moments where I simply thought I'm screwed - but sure enough the kite kept flying and it was easy to get out of sticky situations.

You can throw them around the window without any pull, steer depowered and the drifting is more than required, even in marginal conditions.

I had a powered session on the 7m with a Naish Custom 5'10" in cross-on this Thursday. I had a lot of depower on and the kite was still easy and fast to steer. As a wave kite, I simply can't fault it for my style of wave riding.

Anyone looking for a new wave kite HAS TO at least consider the Neo.

Drew
WA SURF

With you there Drew. Got to say I LOVE my Neos.

Today, Lancelin on the 8m. Like you say, it's as close to surfing as kiting can get. Really, is there a kite that can drift like this?

The other thing is low end. Unbelievable. I don't want to overstate things, but the other day I was out on the Neo 12m and admittedly I was also on the Nugget, but it couldn't have been gusting more than 14 with an average of about 12, and I was heading upwind more than another dude on a well-known 17m.

Anyone wanting to surf waves must demo the Neo. It's that good.

Select to expand quote

FromSAtoAus said..
With you there Drew. Got to say I LOVE my Neos.

Today, Lancelin on the 8m. Like you say, it's as close to surfing as kiting can get. Really, is there a kite that can drift like this?

The other thing is low end. Unbelievable. I don't want to overstate things, but the other day I was out on the Neo 12m and admittedly I was also on the Nugget, but it couldn't have been gusting more than 14 with an average of about 12, and I was heading upwind more than another dude on a well-known 17m.

Anyone wanting to surf waves must demo the Neo. It's that good.

I had a session on the 12m Neo + 5'2" Nugget while my mate was on the 18m Juice & normal surfboard and he didn't have any depower pulled on - the low end is unbelievable.

Drew

I rode a NEO 8m, 24m lines and 5"2 TT nugget at a recent demo in SA.

Others where out on 17m light wind beasts, in about 15knots.

The speed and drive of the NEO is crazy.

Defiantly demo one if you can.

Overpowered up here in Gero on Sat. 23-25kts 7m Neo, 24m lines, 5'10" Kontact and North Whip (Small). Demoed the 5m at the same time no worries!

Select to expand quote

WA Surf said..

FromSAtoAus said..
With you there Drew. Got to say I LOVE my Neos.

Today, Lancelin on the 8m. Like you say, it's as close to surfing as kiting can get. Really, is there a kite that can drift like this?

The other thing is low end. Unbelievable. I don't want to overstate things, but the other day I was out on the Neo 12m and admittedly I was also on the Nugget, but it couldn't have been gusting more than 14 with an average of about 12, and I was heading upwind more than another dude on a well-known 17m.

Anyone wanting to surf waves must demo the Neo. It's that good.

I had a session on the 12m Neo + 5'2" Nugget while my mate was on the 18m Juice & normal surfboard and he didn't have any depower pulled on - the low end is unbelievable.

Drew

Do you know if the bigger sizes were improved for 2015. One North rider told me that for 2014 it was only sizes from around 9 and smaller that had really good low end and that 11-12 were missing this feature. Would be keen on getting a 12 m 2014 on closeout if it is more or less similar to what you describe for the 2015 model.

Would it be a stretch to say the 2015 12M NEO has the same Low end or more than the 2014 14M Rebel?

Thanks,

14

Daz keeps banging on!

but this kite is blowing my mind

solo session as everyone dropped off thinking there's not much chance of wind yesterday, I had to recreate this event in stick man form

for the second Sunday in a row, not much wind on offer, on-shores and hoping for sea-breeze to give it a couple of extra knots, last weekend a sea-breeze fanned a light onshore and yesterday another push of onshore kicked a fraction, on the beach it was about 13 - 17 knots, that wind which makes you think I have to kite, but as a wave rider and with full or side on on-shore I think Hmm.

but I own Neos and now and they are fun to ride waves in most winds so I head out.

the kite was easily powered up - 9m kite, 2014 Prosieres 5'11" rider 68kg. I am lit, there were full lulls at Port Willunga which is a very holey area in anything with WSW to SW. but I find the kite does not give me a feeling that I am going through lulls hardly at all. I rode normally into the wind along the wave but then I started to experiment with running full along the wave backhand which really was testing how I could make this kite fall out of the sky.

Now I am not just talking about running at the kite heading down the wave into the beach, which it obviously does, this is that line where you are running at the beach and back hand (in my case) also down the line which is counter intuitive, but as long as I started with speed the kite just kept running along the wave sitting in some of its own apparent wind or something until I finished, just wonderful

I put a screen shot of the obs on. On both of these days I think there might have been a touch more on the beach maybe a few knots, I know it picked up yesterday at the end and I felt lit so you can see at 6.00 it blew to 20 knots for a bit. these weather stations are inland a bit and a bit unreliable but anyhow.

additional point is that after these full down winder runs you have to get back up wind, so the importance of upwind potential and low end power comes into play


Norlunga obs yesterday above sellicks below - W and WSW is onshore with a touch of side onshore at Port Willunga also if you dont know the last 2 columns of wind is knots knots: low average and peak gust

Haha noice stick figury, awesome!

The bottom end of the 9m is nothing short of amazing, I've done 3 dw'ers now where it's averaged 12-13 knots, glassy water, and have still been able to play on the waves no worries. I'm finding the enjoyable top end of the kites less than what is stated on the web site, for me at 85kg on a 6'1" sb quad fin I'm getting (in knots):

9m:
Useable: 10-13, 19-25
Optimal: 14-18
Stated: 15-29

7m:
Useable: 17-20, 26-30
Optimal: 21-25
Stated: 19-33

Never thought I'd be thinking of a 5m kite on the sunny coast but realistically for 90% of our days here the 9m has it covered.

I am on 2011 Reos. My most used kites are 6m, closely followed by 8m.

Are these Neos so grunty I'll need a 4m? Seems extreme!

Did some more flying over at Merimbula

on the Tuesday we had a late blow of around 25 - 28 knots, was great, I was on the 11m neo and swapped to the 8m Rebel. I think that its important to add more information about the Rebel vs the Neo and Dice discussion.

as Merimbula (when I have been there) is smaller swell, often wind well, the top end of the Rebel and stability is excellent, the smaller waves don't really require a dedicated drifting kite, so the Rebel performed really well, steady and grunty and precise to turn, you can still do full hang time boosts and transitions, confident of where the kite will be (the 7m turns fast but steady and is not too whippy so you can do fun moves and not worry about it looping insanely(experienced kiters))

I think the Rebel is a great choice for wide wind range, choppy and small waves, boosts, reliability, speed, jumping, steadiness.

it was great to get on the new Rebel and my mantra is "I love my new Neos, but also I miss my Rebels" its just that bigger waves win out, bigger waves and pure drifting, with fun freeride just pushes me to Neo.

Also I rode the 10m Neo (rather than my own 9m) and I found it similarly light and responsive, very close match to the 9m feel, I rode it with the 5'4" whip (24L) and they are a great match for small fun wave action and strapless pops etc.

Daz

ps I rode the 2015 Kontact when I was on the Rebel, its not just for big waves its for hell chop, just cut through it, the board is a bullet, so much fun

Anyone got a used 2015 7 m north neo they want to sell?.

Check buy n sell, Marty from delta has one

From what I've read here, this kite sounds a lot like a BWS Noise (good low end, upwind ability, use of one size smaller than normal, etc). It would be interesting to see how these two compare. I am currently kiting waves with Noises and was thinking of changing to something a bit faster, geared more for side-on conditions and was thinking of an Ozone Reo or the Noise Pro, but it would be useful if someone knows how the Neo compares with these kites. Any feedback?

Today I first tried my new 7m neo I was a 10 dice with some depower on so thought id try the neo.Well the 7 looks tiny on the beach as never had a 7 before wind was around 17 to 25 knotts was fully powered easy boost and upwjnd ....my idear was to use the 7 in 26 to 33 but now th king this kite wont do it will prob nedd to go to a 6 or 5 unbelievable ......

I'm 73 kg. I have 5'10 Aero Board.
Which size of the Neo 2015 would be better 8 or 9?
I want to kite from about 14 to 24 knots.

Select to expand quote

Wilq said..
I'm 73 kg. I have 5'10 Aero Board.
Which size of the Neo 2015 would be better 8 or 9?
I want to kite from about 14 to 24 knots.

Hmm tricky, the 9 would be best at the lower end of that range and the 8 best at the top.... the 8 will struggle in 14 to 17 knot range. I guess it depends whether you go out more at the lower, or higher end. I have neo 6,8,10 2014 for some 9 months now and feel that the amazing low end story is a bit oversold. You still need decent wind to fly the things and have fun. Great kites but.

Select to expand quote

Wilq said..
I'm 73 kg. I have 5'10 Aero Board.
Which size of the Neo 2015 would be better 8 or 9?
I want to kite from about 14 to 24 knots.

Hi Wilq,

I agree with Dave, the bottom end is being a bit overhyped, but having said that, they do have good bottom end. No kite is the magic bullet, but selecting the right size is important in the Neo's.

I don't know what the 5'10" Aero looks like nor do I know your skill level (both of which make significant differences to your expected outcome), however, the 9m would be a handful and a half at your weight in the upper wind range.

The Neo's have a 10 knot user friendly wind range. Yes you can hold them in much more if free riding on a twin tip, but on a surf board you need to take 5 knots off the recommended wind range. Once you start flying them in the upper wind range (top 5 knots), they are more difficult to turn when well powered, as you need to have almost slack rear lines to handle the power and you need rear line tension to make them turn (like every kite ).

Generally speaking, surfing with a kite and surfboard is always better with the kite in the lower half of it's wind range which is great because it means you are on smaller kites than most others and the North Neo's allow you to go one size smaller than most other brands.

For your weight, I'd suggest the 8m will give you 15 to 25 wind range, and the 9m would give 14 to 23 knots range. Again, this is dependant on skill and board shape and design (give or take a knot or two).

Best advice is to take one for a demo if you are near a North dealer.

DM

This is just my opinion and I respect everyone elses input (and encourage it 100%) for me the bottom end is not hyped up, I am a light weight rider and was advised to go 1m smaller from my 10m and 7m Rebels, Rebels are a very grunty kite and yet this advice proved correct. The 9m is my biggest kite and I have had no problems with the loss of a full 1m2. the percentage loss of a metre on the 7 to 6m is much bigger, really its such a massive loss of area and yet I rode it yesterday in 20 - 27 knots and through lulls and it is definitely a really great size and does have at least the power of a 7m - that's a loss of nearly 15% of area but with the same resultant power, comparatively the loss of a m2 from 10 to 9 is obviously 10% and therefore less area difference.

high end range I have not found this difference either, as it works as a surf kite I like to drop back to the 6m when ever possible obviously to ride waves, but if I was boosting I would really not need to. I think that the Rebel goes outside its recommended wind range capabilities, the Neo works in its wind range well.

I also think that there is a lot of variation in new riding styles and wave orientated kites, you can't recommend the same wind range for someone on a regular surfboard up against a thin gunny kiteboard or twin tip. A strapless rider with a larger surboard v a twin tip in chop, so I think Neo requires more thought on the kite size, but overall I really am confident recommending that the kites do have a lot more power top end.

I agree that making sure you have a right size Neo is important, for me as a Rebel rider that decision was not as critical for boosting but it was for wave riding.

I'm loving the 5m Neo for downwinders where wind strengths are consistently over 20knts (I tend to get away with smaller gear than most). I'm just under 70kg and ride strapless on a 5'6" 2015 North Pro Series. You could almost feel a little inadequate when walking down with a 5m when others are pumping up their 10m kites. The smaller kite size means you can use a lighter kite and enjoy the other performance benefits. This is a case where a smaller size gives impressive performance. I'll tend to use a 7m from about 17-23knts or a 9m from about 14-20knts. Used with the Pro Series it is such a fun, manoeuvrable and predictable kite and board combo. Here are some recent pics from a good day at our local.

7 m Neo is now my main kite at 85 pies for Dwinders .I can ride my nugget in light wind and a wave mutant in strong wind.Im quite impressed with the tight canopy and ability to handle high loads with out the wing tips folding.I like its stability in the boost aswell as its wave credentials.
I'm looking forward to hitting some ramps in 25 knots or smashing the lip for some big arial rotations!
The free ride element is so much fun!

I had the 7 m Neo going well in 14 knots on my nugget down wind and just looping both ways and down looping half loops back and forth just a few meters off the water .The kite sits with the trailing edge down nicely just a few meters above the water with no back stalling . It flys beautifully in the power zone in light wind.Fun factor with a big smile!