Anybody using the Beamer with a buggie what do you think can't make up my mind on what kite to use with a buggy

Alot of kites are good with buggies. Some Questions:

What surfaces are you going to primarily be riding on?
What wind speeds to you want to shoot for?

The Peter Lynn Vapor is one of the best. But pricey.
Following that...the Peter Lynn Reactor II.
A better entry level would be the Peter Lynn Viper.
An HQ Beamer is more of an all around kite that under the right conditions would suffice.

more....more ... more.

I use a Beamer IV 5 m in my buggy most of the time, if the conditions are right for that kite.

Beamer is a great kite and a good all-arounder as designed. If spending more time in a buggy, consider something more specific to the task such as a Peter Lynn Viper or Flexifoil Rage. They are fast kites with lower lift overhead and will go upwind better. For more money there is the Flexi Blurr which is still easy to fly but performs well. The Peter Lynn Reactor II is my favorite but just remember that it is a four-line biased kite and will want the proper attention paid to the brakes to get the most out of it. That can be done with practice. It will also set you up well for race kites later on like the PL Vapor, PKD Combat or others. HQ Prodigy due soon too.

On my last trip to Sandy Point I had the 4m Beamer IV out for most of the day - a brief stint with a 3m Flow when the wind got up a bit too much for the 4m. A picture's worth a heap of words so here's the video from the day: Flying the 4m Beamer at Sandy Point Sure, there are faster kites, but the Beamer does make a fine buggy engine. I set my PB with it on the day. Ignore the fact I'm flying it on a turbo bar (I prefer bar over handles), it's fine on handles. Mind you, had I had my 5m Apex 2 depower on the day, I would not have had to change kites at all!

Right now Dirtslide has an amazing bunch of top quality buggy engines . YaS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s and Butans. If you are looking for used, you can't lose ! http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=14767



The Yak are full on race , the Butans are a bit more tame . A better choice if you are just getting in to buggy engines. + an amazing bang for buck $$ IMHO !

Great Video John, What a great beach, Cant figure out where it is though. East or west coast.......
Flying with a group of guys is great but every once in a while a day by your self make you realize why we fly.

Good job

Grant
Coolbreeze
KC888

Thanks, Grant. Here's the beach: Sandy Point Not quite the West Coast!!

beamer 5m would be my choice

what type of buggy do you drive?

vapors would be a little much as your first kite if it is your first kite. race kites arent for everyone either.

lol ... have you tired the prodigy from HQ? we had the 3m (now with daskirtz) ... not much to write about it.
the prodigy is available now up to the 10m.

There was a Prodigy at WildWood inthe spring. Looked like a reallly nice kite. I did not fly it though...

The Beamer is a perfect kite for buggying, especially if it is your first kite. It has exceptional stability so it makes it very easy to figure out the buggy without having to worry about the kite.

As mentioned above by Big Kid, the terrain you are riding in makes a huge difference as to what kite will work best. If you are on a hard pack surface with tons of room the higher aspect ratio race kites such as the Vapor, Reactor II and the Yakuza GT are a dream. If you are on tall grass or a short field then the lower aspect ratio kites like your Beamer or the Flow or even the Hornet will actually be better to use than the more expensive race kites.

I have had many beginners start out fresh with the Beamer series kites and they work excellent. Many of them stay with the Beamers as their kite of choice, others that want to get more aggressive with the speed will move on to the full race kites. It all depends on what you want to do and where you are riding. I really don't recommend you start out with a high aspect ratio race kite as these kites do take a little more finesse and attention and could actually be more frustrating to you when your first starting to learn to buggy.

Use your Beamer and have some serious fun, it is an excellent kite.

I fly my Beamers when the wind gets high. I have an order in for a 3.5m Reactor II to beef up the performance in the higher wind section of my quiver. The Beamer is the one that I was flying the first time I started linking turns in the buggy because of the stability and predictability mentioned by others. When things get crazy with the wind, those same stability and predictability characteristics become favorable again and the more experienced rider can have a safe enjoyable ride when more aggressive kites would be intimidating. Not the perfect kite for everyone in all conditions but certainly has its place in the buggy.

I flew the 3.4 (?)m Prodigy prototype at Nabx 10 and I didn't want to take it back. I set my personal speed record of 45.1 with it and really enjoyed the power it had. The stability was plenty for me and if I kept pulling against the kite when the wind really blew, I just kept accelerating. The Prodigy might not be the highest performing race kite out there, but that market is already covered. I'd place the Prodigy in between the PL Reactor II and Vapor performance wise, leaning more towards the Reactor II side but with an edge to the Prodigy.

I should add that I set my personal best at the time At NABX 2008 with a 3m Beamer at 40+ and I was holding back because I was bouncing around in my little XR+ and felt my feet were about to bounce off the pegs. The Beamer is a great kite and I recommend and sell them all the time. I still recommend it for the buggy for a novice who is is also using it for general recreation as well. But if you are being buggy-centric then the Viper and Rage are worth a look as they are just as easy to fly and go upwind well for just a little more $. I still think HQ would do well to put a kite in this niche for slightly faster speed and lower lift for the buggy- Something between the Beamer and Prodigy.

The HQ Crossfire II fills that gap very nicely but you need to set it on the speed setting and not the power setting. I wonder why this kite doesn't get near as much recognition.

Quote:

Originally posted by awindofchange The HQ Crossfire II fills that gap very nicely but you need to set it on the speed setting and not the power setting. I wonder why this kite doesn't get near as much recognition.

The Crossfire II is a very powerful kite and a blast to static jump with but it picked me up out of my buggy one too many times. My 6.5 Blade IV was MUCH easier and safer to fly in the buggy. I'm usually pro HQ because they make great products, but the Crossfire II was a handful in the buggy especially in the "low lift/speed" setting. I could keep it in the air somewhat with it in the lifty setting but then it was ready for liftoff and still very eager to fold up the nose. The word was that it required some skills to get the most out of it but I was happily flying Blurr's, Reactors, and I had a 6.5 Blade as well all of which I could make the lines sing with while in the buggy.

One time it picked me up about 6 feet out of the buggy seat on a gust and I got a really bad ankle sprain when I came back down sideways on the buggy. That was in October of '08 and my ankle only in the last month has been back to normal. I'll also mention that I had a 5m Crossfire before getting the Crossfire II and while it also would be a lifty menace in the buggy, I didn't have the folding nose issue with it.

Worth noting, my kite was one of the first to arrive in the states and there was a bridle issue. A fix was issued which I executed to the best of my ability and then it was given a once over and further adjusted by Jan-Hendrik Junker who was at the time HQ product manager from Germany, so I felt confident that the kite was flying as designed.

Again, a fantastic kite for static flying and jumping and quite a beautiful kite at that, but I wouldn't recommend it for buggy use unless the winds are steady and you aren't at the upper range of power for the size used.

Uh huh. Also very overbuilt and heavy for it's size. Good snow kite, land board and general recreational but not so much for the bug.