found this on powerkites.de.................looks easy/peasy to adjust in. Flysurfer has the same type of trimming adjustments on their mixers. Nice illustrations and what it should/should not look like.


http://ghidora.liquidweb.com/%7Einventoh/images/stories/down...

I have that and forwarded it on to all that I knew had a new CF. Couldn't find a way to post a pdf though.

Just saw this demo CFII 5.0m on eBay. Looks like a good deal. I'm tempted, but not convinced that this will perform any better than my Riot which is more or less new itself so I'm holding off on the CFII's for now.


http://cgi.ebay.com/DEMO-Crossfire-II-5-0m-Kite-like-the-fle...

Spanking good deal if you can score it cheap enough... I'm getting the 6.5m CF II soon... on order...
Not familiar with the Riot... Would love a chance at piloting one someday...
After finding a great setup on the CF II's I'm very impressed with them... very fun kite...

I've just gotten back from 2 weeks vacation and had a chance to fly the CF II 5.0m with newly corrected bridle for a good while in 9-11 mph winds building in the end to just over 12 mph steady. I flew it against the Flexifoil Blurr 5.0 and the Peter Lynn Reactor 4.9. When I get a chance to fly them all in higher winds I will post a complete review in another thread, but I though it worth commenting now on the CF II with the corrected bridle since previous posts in this thread (including mine) had cast some doubt about the kite's bridle issues and performance.

I can now say that any doubts I had about the kite and bridle are completely vanquised and I can wholeheartily recommend this kite as a versatile, high performance kite suitable for any experienced flyer who wants to go somewhere in a buggy, KGB, or on skis. That being said, with the great price of the kite for its performance, I would still recommend it for the static flyer and jumper, especailly if they aspire to get some wheels or skis in the future.

Recall that only a few of us (Bobby, Dlish, maybe some others) got some of the first few kites that slipped through with some incorrect knot settings on the ground adjustable bridle. HQ issued a teriffic technical bulliten on how to correct the problem, but after my first pass at putting in the fix, it turns out that I had not "set" the new knot placements under load, so that when I flew the kite with lots of stressful upwind work, the knots drifted way out of spec.

My second attempt has prove much better. Other customers going forward should not even worry about this issue as all kites leaving HQ USA have been inspected and adjusted as necesssary and futer production runs should be in spec.

Flying in 9-11 mph winds, the kite flew fine on the standard (more lifty) setting. Flying static and taking the kite through its paces all the way to the edges of the window, the kite was rock solid steady and easy to fly. After landing the kite and changing the "DTS" (Dynamic Trim System) to the low lift "buggy " setting, I launched again and put the kite through the same paces. This time, while I could tease it towaards the edge of the window it would still occasionally bow-tie, snapping shut like a mouse trap. But this is not really a problem for reasons I am about to explain.

I next hopped into the buggy and took the kite for a run with the DTS on the standard (lifty) setting. 8-11 mph winds meant there was no danger of an OBE. Due to higher than normal beach crowds, even on Kite Beach, I was constrained to a short course that put me on a broad reach one way and an upwind run the other. The kite was terrific in every way. It stayed stable in the tricky downwind runs and turned on a dime to let me work it and keep it flying. Upwind runs were smooth and productive if I kept sining it for power.

I then landed and put the DTS on the high-speed, low-lift "buggy setting". In the light wind, I had no benefit from this setting and in fact saw a drop in performance upwind, but I did notice that on any point of sail there was very little tendancy to tuck and luff (bow-tie) when pushed to the edge of the window. Sometimes a wing tip would start to tuck but a quick application of brake to pull it back, or a turn to speed it up would restore order right away. Clearly this kite likes to be in motion.

Soon the wind bult to a steady 12+ mph and the default lifty setting started to feel a little bit drafty under my arse, so I went back to the low lift buggy setting. Clearly this 12+ wind was the sweet spot, as the kite took on a new behavior. The low lift setting was now a great benefit that tamed overhead lift and improved upwind performance. The kite was now steady all the way to the edge of the window upwind and downwind-- if you learn how to read it. I have yet to test in higher winds, but I suspect that static flying on this setting under such conditions will be just fine.

Airplane pilots and and aviation enthusiasts will know that many commercial aircraft have "stick shakers" that will rattle the control yoke to let the pilot know of an impending stall and that corrective action (change angle of attack) must be taken immediately. The Crossfire II does much the same when set in motion. I found that on the low lift, high-speed setting in stronger winds, when the kite was about to luff, there would be a momentarty shudder in the foil that could be felt in the handles and even heard as a delicate "whump". A quick application of brake tension or a move to sine the kite to increase apparent airspeed would avert any collapse and keep the kite moving smartly. Jibes required proper execution and were less tolerant of slopiness than the Blurr or the Reactor, but were fine in a wide range of tacking angles if you stayed ahead of the kite.

Some other higher performance buggy kites may be easier to fly, but HQ makes it clear that this kite is not for the beginner. But the versatility of this kite that makes it suitable for a wide range of disciplines in the hands of an intermediate to advanced flier, plus the affordability for such a high perfomance foil, earns it a strong recommendation. In these conditions it kept up with the more expensive Reactor and the Blurr (but I remind you again that it takes a bit more touch than those do).

I'll look forward to flying the CF II 5.0m in higher winds to complete my head-to-head with the other kites and will look forward to flying the larger sizes in light winds. I'm sure I will be pleased.

Great review AG,

I'm happy to hear the great news... I have a CF II 6.5m on the way so I hope to compare it to the 5m of Dlish's and back up the bridal claim to be resolved from the factory... This has been (in my eyes) an exciting and anticipated kite...

Screwy...

Angus, its good to have you back. Thanks for the review. You are one of those I'm always excited to see a post from and this review is why. I pondered earlier about the possibility that the kite would behave differently if in motion. This makes me more strongly consider an 8 meter for those low wind days. I've been happy with my corrected bridle flying static but haven't had wheels to test one with the buggy setting. I'm glad we are finding what this kite likes and where it fits into the scheme of things.

So for my second kite I picked the Crossfire II 5.0. It should be on the way right now and I might have it by the weekend.

The only other kite I have flown is a Beamer (version 1) 2.5....Any suggestions for me to avoid killing myself?!

I figure I'll start with low winds and be sure to use the kite killers but is there anything else?

I'm 185 lbs and have been flying the Beamer for a few months in varied winds.

You are probably ready and on track. Light winds (under 10 to start) and kite killers with some room to run. Helmet is never regretted unless you leave it at home. I bought my first crossfire at 5 months with the beamer but would've been fine with it at 2-3 months.

Now that I have a buggy on the horizon and fall winds to look forward to, I'm looking forward to some more time with the Crossfire. My winds all summer have been little or nothing, so I've gotten my biggest kite out every chance I've thought I had to fly. When the wind picks up, the Blade will be a little lifty and I'll be eyeing the CF II 5m. Have any of you had further experience with this kite in the 5+m sizes? I still need to experiment with the 5m to get the buggy setting dialed in and then take off in a buggy with it in that setting to get to know the kite better. I am thinking the 8m is a good choice for my typical light wind days as well and am interested in any flight experience anyone might have.

well the CF II 6.5m is my fav kite right now (jumping) but I don't use it in the Bug at all... I have, but it over flies too easy and is very frustrating and I haven't found a setting that works yet other than give it a lil break to keep it back in the window a lil further and that works a charm but if I'm gonna bug I'll use a more bug friendly kite... I totally love this kite, so don't get me wrong... its the first out on the field... but I'm not real happy in the bug with this kite... when I've flown others it makes this a fun jump/freestyle kite for me...
good luck BB, that bug you are getting should be the bomb...