Power Kite Forum

Ten Minutes with a Montana 2 7m

Baluk - 28-9-2007 at 07:08 PM

Wow.

Not a real formal review, but wow.

So it's a little touchy in gusty conditions, however, after letting out the depower strap, adding more power overall. This REALLY increased the performance in the gusts. I could easily board with very little trouble. in keeping the kite at an optimal power and not being under or over powered. IT was very nice. The winds were about 20-30ish mph. Not sure exactly, but it was a nice wind.

Okay, the bar pressure, almost none. I was surprised at how minimal it was. It was very windy and gusty and I was riding them out very well once that depower strap was let out almost all the way. The tension on the brakes helped a lot.

JUMPS! Okay so I only got one (or two as some witnesses as Yuri may say! haha ) IT was very big. I was surprised at the air that I got. I just turned the kite and boom was up, honestly, before I knew I was even off of the ground.... It picked me up so gently.

FLOAT! wow, did it ever. This thing has awesome float. I landed that jump with so precision... except for the fact that I stumbled
on my board once I landed, and pulled the bar to one side.

SUPERMANs could be fun, but not when you stumble and pull on the bar and next thing you know you are a few feet in the air, going completely horizontal for a few seconds and then crashing into the ground. This was my first hooked in superman. The kite was at the zenith and then it went straight to the powerzone shooting me up with it. I hit the ground ,everything was fine exept for my wrist, it was hurting a bit. A lot better know though.

Turning speed is very quick, again I was surprised. You can turn it on its tips easily.


Overall I absolutely love this kite. I am really thinking about maybe purchasing one.... I'm impressed.

Cheers

SecondWind - 28-9-2007 at 07:49 PM

Thanks for the review Baluk. I'm looking forward to trying out a Montana 3 - sounds like it even got better :thumbup:

KiteProject - 28-9-2007 at 08:29 PM

I was reading the description of this kite and there is this fine print:

"As with all sports equipment exposed to natural elements such as wind, sea water, dust, sand and sunlight, life expectancy varies. With heavy use in these conditions, Montana kites can be expected to remain operationally effective for a minimum of 2 years. Of course, with moderate use and care, this time period can be lengthened considerably. To optimize performance, it is suggested that equipment be updated and/or replaced routinely."

What does it mean? I am genuinely curious. It's a $700+ kite which is not cheap and one would expect a better life expectancy from such an expensive toy.

bloah - 29-9-2007 at 08:48 AM

the jump was at least 10 feet high, you landed softly and nicely but then the gust hit and I told anna, that you gona be in trouble and indeed you turned into superman for few seconds. How's your hand?

Baluk - 29-9-2007 at 09:05 AM

My wrists still feels a little wierd, and it does have some pain in it, but last time this happened, It was much worse. It already feels almost like 90% better now.

tridude - 29-9-2007 at 07:32 PM

Ten minutes...................ten feet! Not bad!:thumbup:

acampbell - 30-9-2007 at 02:13 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by KiteProject
I was reading the description of this kite and there is this fine print:

"As with all sports equipment exposed to natural elements such as wind, sea water, dust, sand and sunlight, life expectancy varies. With heavy use in these conditions, Montana kites can be expected to remain operationally effective for a minimum of 2 years. Of course, with moderate use and care, this time period can be lengthened considerably. To optimize performance, it is suggested that equipment be updated and/or replaced routinely."

What does it mean? I am genuinely curious. It's a $700+ kite which is not cheap and one would expect a better life expectancy from such an expensive toy.


That is not factory fine print to my knowledge, but something someone else added. I can only think that, besides the obvious line sets, they are refering to the moving parts of the bridle such as the "Z" line that rides ove the pulleys on either side. they are subject to wear but are desgned for easy replacement.

Then there are the wear-prone parts of the control bar.

But this is all the same on any de-power.

acampbell - 30-9-2007 at 02:18 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Baluk


So it's a little touchy in gusty conditions,


On the M3 they added a cell at each tip and this has increased stability and reduced any tendency to tuck in gusts.

But the M2 is still an excellent kite at any rate..