Have been eagerly reading all the internet chatter about the ’08 kites that are just starting to come out. With a day off, blue skies, roasting top temp of 16deg and some northerly wind here in Melbourne, I thought I would call around and try some demos. Point Henry was the go, gave Goshen a call at Kitepower.

Intermediate rider, 76kg, Cardboards 133. Wind probably 15knts, gusting 11-20knts, others were out on 11m Sonics and 12/14 Rebels not really or just holding their ground upwind.

Owned: Diesel, Fuel, ’07 Waroo. Ridden: Venom, Switchblade 2, Turbo2, Instinct Edge.

+ Build quality looks better than last year. First thing I noticed is the POWER, put it up to 12 and it lifted a surprising amount. Out on the water it was just a matter of parking the kite and pulling the bar in for power, really grunty. Didn’t really stall like I thought it would when sheeting all the way in, just powered up more. Depower was great (it’s a bow it should be), handled gusts with ease. Stable, played around couldn’t get it to misbehave. Upwind was surprising, much better than the others out, but nowhere near the Instinct Edge 11m that I jumped on after it. Jumps were absolutely AMAZING, given the wind strength.

- Turned slowly really had to crank the bar to get it where you want it and the bar pressure was pretty high, which I guess is the pulleys on the bar?

Not really what I’m looking for in a kite now, apart from the huge jumps, looking for something with some faster turning and better bar feel. But great kite for those wanting stability, full depower, HUGE jumps, and great wind range.

Just got back from 2 weeks in Maui (had to throw that in!), where due to my Crossbow 1 exploding I had to buy a new Xbow3 12m. I agree with the positive comments about the improvements, but after using it for two sessions I went back to the store ready to throw it in the bin with the similar complaints (SLOW turning - it was slower than my Xbow1 16m, excessive wear on the bridal and the rear bridal lines were getting twists in them). The good news is that a number of people have raised these concerns and there is already a fix released where they add about 10cm to the attachment points for the pulleys on the leading edge. Unfortunately I didn't get to ride the fix as the wind wasn't light enough for the remainder of the trip, but the guys who got the fix for their new 9m's claimed it became a totally different kite that turned much faster, had a lower bar pressure plus maitained the improved stability, the awesome jumping and impressive power remained the same.

Waiting for it to warm up a bit in Melbourne to see if this has worked.

Cheers
Hamish

quote:

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Originally posted by Full Noise

The good news is that a number of people have raised these concerns and there is already a fix released where they add about 10cm to the attachment points for the pulleys on the leading edge.

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How is this good news? I would be pretty disappointed if I had just shelled out 2g for a kite that needed a 'fix' to fly properly.

I have been asked for more detail on the mod, so I thought I'd put the response here for all to read. Note a general disclaimer that this is simply the mod that Cabrinha did to my kite in Maui, and I am in no way qualified in aeronautics to suggest you do the same...

The mod was really simple and apparently they are sending it out to the stores soon. I'll get the kite out tonight and measure the exact lengths (and hopefully post a photo), but what they did was for the pulleys that sit on the leading edge of the kite, these were originally on about a 5cm piece of line which was attached to the leading edge. This was apparently a mistake in production as it was too short and didn't allow the pulley to sit at the right angle but instead pulled against the leading edge (hence the slower turning, the line wear, the heavier bar weight and bridal line twisting problems I was experiencing - note I haven't flown the kite since the mod, this is just what the Cabrinha guy told me in Maui when he did the fix). So, the fix was to basically double the length of that short piece of line to be about 10cm. On my kite they did this by tying a 5cm loop of 3mm spectra line onto the original 5cm line. I believe they will be releasing a 10cm "mod" to the stores soon at which point I will replace the loop that they have tied in there.

If this doesn't make sense or you want to discuss it further, give me a shout on 0404 657 891.

Cheers
Hamish

Just measured the extention and it is 3.5cm giving a total of 8cm from the edge of the kite to the loop in the middle of the pulley. Looks like approx 3mm spectra line.

Send me a message if you would like a photo and I will send you one.

Hamish

so wat do you guys reckon.. im pretty stoked with mine took it out 5 times this week.. from 12knts - 25knts and it handled really well. this is my first bow kite so i cant really compare it to others.. turns a lil slow i would agree but im usta c kites, mite make that mod and see if it makes any differnce.. other than that i cant complain, i like it!