Good.
Light bar pressure, very easy fast steering and auto-relaunch.
Not so good.
The stopper ball thingy wasn't working but there is a simple fix for it.
The webbing holding the chicken loop on is a bit dodgey and has been replaced.
Some kiters were a bit heavy handed and were either stalling the kite or pushing the bar out too far and dropping out of the sky. This has been fixed by using the trim adjuster and not letting go of the bar.
Like the kite, does everything I want it too. Haven't flown many different kites so I really can't comment. Just one issue though. The webbing has been found to be dodgey and mine is starting to split but it hasn't been replaced
, when is that going to happen
Hpoe it happens before I lose the kite
quote:
Originally posted by windburn
Like the kite, does everything I want it too.....
GregW.
Was flying it yesterday in about 20 - 25kts. Weigh about 90kg and use airush switch. Think its a 135, not sure. Nothing wrong with the kite itself, plenty of power for me 
. Bar pressure is great, but it took me a while to dial in the cleat adjustment. Just the webbing is a bit of a worry, especially in stronger winds!!! By the way water relaunch is sooo easy
quote:
Originally posted by windburn
GregW.
Was flying it yesterday in about 20 - 25kts. Weigh about 90kg and use airush switch. Think its a 135, not sure. Nothing wrong with the kite itself, plenty of power for me
New Sonics have just arrived and they all have had the modification from the factory. If yours hasn't I can email you the video on how to do the mod. Or you can take it to the shop you bought it from.
Jason
www.briskites.com.au/
Gidday,
Just got back from 2 weeks at Mui Ne, Vietnam. I got my Sonic 11m the day brfore going so have had a good 10 days on it. It absolutly blows my Xbow out of the water. Like some others have said, it takes a bit to get used to. Don't go out in light winds for the first session!! I am 80kgs and have a 128 board. I had fun in anything from 15 to 35 knots (was a bit scared when it gusted 35 though but handable). One day it was blowing 15-33 off shore!! I get sore elbows after a few hours on the xbow, but the bar pressure on the sonic is nothing. The common thing is to think you have no power and to pull the bar in, which over sheets it and you actually loose power. Jumps, well I've never had so much pop. Waves, it is really easy to ride with one hand on the bar and it turns FAST. Unhooked, I can't do that....sorry. Tuning, do all the bits they say. Stopper works fine, enough to unspin the bar or to let go of the bar to de-power/power up the sinch. Pump it up HARD also. 
quote:
Originally posted by BrisKites
New Sonics have just arrived and they all have had the modification from the factory. If yours hasn't I can email you the video on how to do the mod. Or you can take it to the shop you bought it from.
Jason
www.briskites.com.au/
I've got an 11m. It's one from the first batch. It flies great however you need to keep an eye on the section of the LE where the front lines are connected to the kite. The knot on the connection rubs your LE and will create a whole in your LE (very quickly). This has happened to my 11m. I am still waiting on the aftermarket kit from the dealer I bought it from but he's taking his f@#!ing time. GK have come up with a fix, so they say. On all the new kites they have a grey pad that is glued on the section of the LE where the damage occurs. Keep an eye on this as I can aready see a little wear on this pad on my new 14m. It will be a long time before it wears through it but keep an eye on it anyway.
Has anyone else had similar bad luck with the earlier models and what kind of customer service have you got from your dealer?
Apart from this I'd highly recommend these kites.
Cheers
Hey Guys,
this should answer all the bug questions and I know the NSW dealer just got the kits in.
Ok, so here's the skinny...
Nothing's broke so there's no real 'fix' ... there's a few mods that we asked Globerider for and Mat Pendle (GK designer) has done it quicker than we expected... we got news today that there is a simple extras kit for the few existing kites and that the mods will be factory fitted on future kites.
Closest one to a 'fix' is that Litewave Dave spotted, on his well abused demo kite, that the knot on the pigtail that attaches to the webbing on the Leading edge ... where the FRONT KPO bridle attachment goes (SEE PIC BELOW FOR LOCATION) ... was in a position (facing inwards) to rub on the dacron of the Leading edge ...
This could possibly cause undue wear over a lot of use, especially with sand in the equation.
Globerider have responded by reinforcing the area... they are sending out simple patches for existing owners for piece of mind... which are put on here...
Also new...
At the moment its easy to self land and get to your kite by just grabbing a front line ... its been done a many times in strong wind and has not been a problem .... never the less...
We asked for a front line re-ride facility so that when you are self landing, especially in strong / gusty wind and want to get to your kite / pack down etc ... you can just attach your handle pass leash to it and let the kite go onto a classic style front line leash out... this involves a stainless ring, a pigtail and a stopper ball. Its easy to fit and were pretty stoked that Mat has already done it.
Of course, we also asked for a new stopper insert to go inside the rope... a rubber one, not a tube... this will also be included in the kit.
Another thing we asked for is an extra stopper ball at the end of the de-power rope (before the front lines attach) ... This is beacuse when you punch through the stopper and the bar moves to the end of the rope for a full 'let go the bar' safety release ... it can wedge the sliding stopper balls/tube at the top of the rope... It doesn't get stuck and its very easy to recover... but we figured if there was another stopper ball already there at the end... it would more easily just slide back down to arms reach so you can re-engage the bar stopper... So Mat's put that on too.
The bar is still nice and simple... here is a pic with the re-ride mod... the HP leash is shown attached to the re-ride (it should still be used attached to the point between the c-loop and cleet when riding)...
The final and very simple mod is designed to help stabilise the kite more in strong and gusty wind... something I have subjected my 11m demo to on far too many occasions last 2 months.
As I have mentioned before... when you are getting to the top end of the kite's wind range (25-30 knot + gusts) and having to sheet right out to tap into extra de-power for heavy gusts... the LE may flatten out and flare for a split second if you are continuing to ride/edge .... as opposed to letting go of the bar for a full safety de-power in which case it is fine and does what it says on the tin. NB: THE SONIC DOES NOT INVERT (in case anyone has heard reports of some 'bow' kites possibly inverting, not that the Sonic is a 'bow' kite anyway)
It is to do with Mat's unique KPO bridle system ie: the tow points of the front lines where they attach to the LE bridle pulley are designed to actively move with sheeting to help optimise the power delivery of the kite.
In the strong gust / sheeted out / still riding scenario ... the KPO moves inward ... towards the centre of the kite ... this allows a load bias towards the centre part of the bridle and allows the tips to open more ... a heavy gust can very briefly make the pulley go further than it needs to which is what can cause the flare. Bear in mind this is something that we have found in very gusty, dense, UK wind up to 10 knots + beyond the kites 10-25 'safe in 30' claimed range ... wind we have only subjected the kite to for our own testing and one or two squalls...
Mat has simply added 2 small pices of 15mm of bridle with a knot at each end (see PDF sheet below).. these hitch onto the bridle 95cm from the its attachment point at the Leading edge... it effectively stops the KPO pulley at that point.
If we could be bothered with marketing speak we could call it the Kite Power Optimiser Override Limitation System (KPOOLS) ... but its effectively just a knot.
I actually put these on my 11m today (good old Q-line) and had the best session ever on the 11m... though with a nice 15-20 knots, sunshine, acres of flat water and waves I didn't notice the KPO getting that far... averaged around 2-3 inches away so it wasn't even needed. After all the recent super gusty 30 knot sessions on the 11m (for the sake of testing and not having the 8m)... today reminded me what it was all about. I self launched, self landed, stopper was working a treat and the kite was solid and smooth ... 4 hrs straight, no stress
Ok... so I hope that covers the mod pack, as I see it, in enough detail for a friday night... I am very pleased to see such a speedy response to all of the suggestions that we have been throwing at Globerider.
The first US kites will all be supplied with this pack fitted, cos Dave's kites have been on a slow boat from China
I believe the next kites due in the UK will be up to this spec and we will also be sending packs out to dealers and all existing Sonic owners for free.
I can't speak for the rest of the world but all distributors have been informed today... If anyone has any problems getting hold of anything, I will ask for some extra kits so if anyone is having any problem getting hold of any just contact me... please also remember that its all very easy to DIY !
All future kites will be coming with these mods factory fitted.
Here is a copy of the PDF showing all the bits...
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Unfortunately Litewave Dave was on the money with wearing on the leading edge. My 11 Sonic wasn't a demo and definately not abused but after a month I noticed 2 small holes on the leading edge where the pigtails were rubbing. Not something to expect from a new kite! So anyone that has the first batch of the 11's, without the patches, I would recommend they apply the patches in the kit as it is not a case of 'peace of mind'. I think MikeM might be glossing over the problems with the Sonics because all the reports are true. The only problem I haven't had is the failed eyebolt. Last week I FINALLY got the kit and made the alterations which seemed to have fixed the problems. Even though this might sound like a negative post, because I like the performance of the Sonics I picked up the 14 Sonic 2 weeks ago and haven't looked back.(Fingers crossed)
I've had about 7-8 sessions on my 11m sonic and I am very impressed with it. I'm 68kg and somewhere around advanced beginner level. I can stay upwind but before the sonic hadn't really boosted much or done much with transitions. Since getting the sonic my riding has improved significantly. I'm on a steep learning curve but have started landing a few jumps and carving the board more through transitions.
I've found the sonic to be a great kite. It definitely flies differently to my old X2s but once you understand the effect of sheeting in and out on the control of the kite it certainly isn't any harder. It has excellent wind range (for me maybe 13 - 25kts) and I think is quite forgiving. I've swung right under it on a few overcooked jumps and have been relieved to find that instead of hindenberging down into the powerzone it just drifts back and gently regains tension on the front lines.
I also appreciate it's control when on the beach. I feel less likely to be lofted or unintentionally dragged when handling the kite on land and this is another big plus for me.
I've not had any problems with inversion though I also haven't really pushed the wind range limits with it either. If it's over 25kts I think I'll go get a smaller kite.
I haven't flown any other bows
