Buggying

Hi everyone,
Had ago at a 3m kite the other day and loved it. Alot of fun. But becuase i live on a farm and the nearest water is about 2hrs away somthing on the dirt was the go. I've been looking at the Briskites deals they have and to me for under 1500 its a pretty cheap sport to get started in considering I used to race qaud bikes. Any way before i spend any money i wanted to hear from people who do this sport often and get some idea whats the way to go with kites and buggy's and so on, size, 2line, 4line, de-power, wide tyres, wide axle. more info the better. We get a good 10- 45k wind most the time here if thats any help, and the ground is rough.
Cheers
Lance Wise.

Hi Lance and welcome to XK

Firstly before considering buggying, and as every newbie is told you need to be confident at flying a kite
ie; be able to fly a kite around without having to keep your eyes glued to it, otherwise it usually just end up in grief
and generally getting hurt.

As for kites, well what better to do than join the XK demo system and try as many as you like before you buy
then make up your own mind what you prefer for your style.

Buggy's well the sky is the limit literally, if you wish to try freestyle then the smaller lighter buggy's are the go
if speed thrills you then possibly the bigger race buggy's maybe more the go.

Generally speaking though most people start off with about a 3-4mtr kite to learn and usually the kite fits in your quiver with the wind ranges. Most people start with the smaller buggy's either way and then just progress there respective directions.

Keep an eye on the 'For Sale' section as good second hand kites usually go cheap and so do the buggy's but you have to be quick for them. I'll be listing a few kites soon to sell, just offering to a few mates first

All the best Lance and hope you get bitten with the kite bug

Kite Junkie
JD

Welcome to XK Lance, your best bet is to pick up a 2 or 3m 4 line fixed bridle kite to begin with and get the hang of flying that first before jumping in the buggy. First couple of times out in the buggy with the kite there is a fair bit going on and for you to think about until you get the hang of it so being able to fly the kite without thinking about it or looking at it to much will help you heaps.

PKD Buster and the HQ Beamer would be a good starting point, you will eventually want to add more kites to your collection once you get going in the buggy.

Where are you located? There may be someone in your area that can show you the ropes.

if you have flown a 3m kite and enjoyed it, what make and model kite was it?

it may be a good place to start.

what is your weight? if your a skinny runt, 60kg, start at about 2m, if your a heavy weight 95kg+, 4m, in between 3m.

buggy wise (no punn intended) Bobm in this forum has a decent second hand PL buggy for around $300 plus post from canberra. (if its still available)

also, would you prefer to buy a new kite or go for second hand.
second hand can be a lot cheaper, about half the cost.

i would recomend to start with a fixed bridle foil kite, and then when your skills improve, you will try more types, and go from there.

the demo system here in XK is the best, join up, and try a few. only problem is the system can take quite a while for you to get a demo kite. maybe Goz can advise you as to what may be currently available without too much delay.

keep asking questions, as you see you will get a few variations in the responces, take it all onboard, but you have to decide for yourself which way to go.

one tip i would give is do not be in a hurry to get a harness and connect yourself to it. take it slow and as your confidence grows, get tougher with the kite, chuck it about the wind window and enjoy the thrills.

try and locate other kiters as near to you as you can, try their kites, if they are XK members you wont have a problem getting a fly or three.

welcome to the forum and kiting.

Peter

Hey Lance ... Welcome to XK

The boys have given you some pretty good advice there
Don't be fooled by thinking it's a cheap sport though ... lol ... cause eventually the bug bites and you will have a 'room' like we all do.


Where are you located mate ?


Marty

What gear you'll get will depend on what you want to do.

For me, it's having a cruise at 40km/h with a big stable depowerable.

_DSC0821.jpg (542.28 KiB) Viewed 459 times

I found the things that helped me were:
- starting on a small fixed bridle kite (a cheap one that you won't think twice about letting go of)
- getting a wide axle and wide wheels - lets you do powerslides real easy, which is not only fun, but IMO essential for controlling speed.
- find someone else to buggy with (no one plans on having accidents, and it makes it more fun).

Hmmm, not a real big fan of the rough ground. Makes 25km/h feel like 50.

(no one plans on having accidents, and it makes it more fun).

i dont think accidents make it more fun. do you enjoy them Jabs?

if you will be flying alone, as i did for the first 2 years or so, thats all the more reason on taking it slow, and build up kite flying skills before getting mobile.

cause eventually the bug bites and you will have a 'room' like we all do.

room? i wish i had my gear in a room, try a trailer and a garage
but, i dont think anyone would call me normal, i'm a special case (case of what, i dont know)

@Wise, the question of where you are located keeps coming up.
You wanna know why?
because we all wanna be the one you fly with and learn from

i've had my fingers crossed, please be a queenslander, please be a queenslander, we need all the land kiters we can find.

buying the gear, imo, comes second, having a 'flying mate' or buddy is the best investment you can make

I think it's the 'friends' that Jabs is refering to Petes

yeah, but couldn't resist

Thanks guys.
Got alot to learn, i'm 45min west of Toowoomba. With about 2500hec of land to choose from(sure to find a smoother spot). Yes means i'm a farmer

Kite i flew the other day was an old ozone not mine, uncle inlaw borrowed it from a friend. Not as touchy as i thought it would be, some reason i thought it might act like a stunt kite.

Speed more then air. Broke my back when i was 18, off a motorbike don't really want to learn how to walk a 3rd time.

I wieght about 100kg. hope is, that it'll keep me fit.

Been looking at the beamer package that briskites do for a start (http://www.briskites.com.au/index.php?l ... tail&p=166). Maybe a 4m(for my fat arse probly more like the 5m), i'd like my wife to get into it to, so if possible what ever i start with is good size for her to end up with(she's about 70kg). I'd like to buy new just for the fact i know how many times its been on the ground and dumped and so on.
The other kite the briskites fella said might be the go is the HQ apex de-powerable, Beginner-intermediate.

Thanks again
Lance

wooohooo a queenslander

if you have back problems, you wont want that type of buggy. no back support at all. zero zip zilch.

you will want one with a high back seat like the libre v-max

a lot more $$$$ but ay least you'll be able to use it.

I was all set to buy a PL buggy. Then I had a ride in a Libre Vmax. And that was the end of the PL idea. Sure the Libre was $500 odd bucks more expensive, but I have never regretted that decision. I can cruise in it for a good couple of hours and not get stiff and sore. (I'm 46 and 80 odd kgs). And I have demo'd a few kites from the demo system (which I highly recommend) some of which I was so impressed with, I ended up buying. Particularly the Apex 7.5m - really nice kite for relaxed cruising in 15-35 km/hr winds. Here's a vid you may have already seen of buggying with the Apex and Libre Vmax: http://www.vimeo.com/8732914 The other thing to keep in mind, if you buy something like the Vmax/Apex, you probably wouldn't have any problem selling them quickly. Second hand Vmax's don't seem to last long on the forum! I was also really impressed with the 3m Hornet - great fun in the paddock with the buggy when the winds starting to blow. The hornet's also in the demo system, and there's some vids of it on my Vimeo site. Some of the demo kites I've ended up hating, that's the beauty of the system - you won't get stuck with something you hate if you demo it first.

Ps: I've got a Beamer IV 4m which I think very highly of as a buggy kite. Plenty of pull. There's one of them in the demo system too!

Hi Wise,

Welcome to the forum.

As a newbie myself I've been learning on a 1.8m on handles. I would suggest starting with a kite on handles (there are many others on the forum much better qualified to advise on size and type) and make sure you get some kite killers to use while you and your wife learn. With the kite killers you can just let go when things go wrong or you make a mistake and no harm is done.

I'm all good if i moving it when i stop and rest i get stiff.

Think i might have to go to briskites shop and have a sit in them if they are in stock.

whats the demo system and where is it.(new to this)

what sort of speedo do you use on the buggy's(gps)???

if you can wait that long, get ya butt to yeppoon at easter, there will be a lin e up of buggies you can sit in and try.

check out the queensland section for the details. viewtopic.php?f=37&t=10043

as far as a speedo, yep a GPS is the go.

they range from the basic Garmin Etrax at about $160 and the skys the limit.

have a look at the speed thread for photos of GPS's viewtopic.php?f=17&t=12033&start=0

the demo system is here viewtopic.php?f=65&t=9096

see, its all here mate, enjoy.

How do the kite killer work??
the ozone i used had a kite killer but uncle didn't want to try it out for some reason.
i was doing big figure 8's if that a good way to learn. going in and out of the power zone

hello wise and welcome ,yes like you i'm a heavy weight and started with a 4m2 kite and me having worked up Toowoomba way myself and seen the wind i'd say a good kite would be a beamer or broozer prob more the brooza 3 or 4 m2 for you. If your coming down this way let us know as i'm just down the road from briskites in Redcliffe and if you come on a weekend might even be able to have a fly and show you a buggy too keep asking questions and looking at the posts mate as they help a lot too

I think at this stage the beamer IV 4m is going to be the go.
I put my name down for a demo but got a feeling I might buy one before I get it.
seems to be recommended by most people, plus it comes as a pretty good package.
4line, kite killers and so on.
Is that a good or bad idea???

Lance

Hi Lance,

I've only been buggying for 12months or so. I started with (and still have) a very early Peter lynn buggy and a 4m beamer III. Its a great setup for a beginer. The beamers are not lifty and provide plenty of pull in a wide range of winds. Good starter kite. And I agree with Peter, wait till your comfortable with your skills and setup before strapping yourself into a harness.

I've just got a smaller kite for windier conditions and will be looking for a bigger one in the next couple of months for lighter conditions - not sure myself whether to go fixed bridle or depower. Something to ponder on anyway

I'n terms of buggy I am looking now for something that offers much more lateral support . My back kills at the end of a long session in the peter lynn buggy. I just want to cruise - and not do maniac stuff like jumping and stuff so a bigger wider buggy will probably be where I go next.

cheers, Shawn

Summing up what everyones been saying about buggy's sounds like i really need to sit in one.