I'm going to try to make this short. Went out with the Speed 3 15m yesterday. First time flying it, (not the best start in 16 knot winds). But I got an overall feel of the kite and give it a It is used, so some wear and tear on the bar/lines is to be expected.

One thing that happened is the donkey dick fell off. The elastic holding it seemed to be damaged in the first place so I guess it just ripped/snapped off. So now onto my question; do I get a new one or fix the old one? I heard people getting the other ones that aren't solid plastic tubes. They are placed onto the chicken loop. Is that a better alternative? Or do I just get an entirely different bar considering this one is a bit worn?

I basically had to fly for the rest of the session without the donkey dick. This caused the loop to always slip off and forced me to ride unhooked which was awful considering the kite needs to be mixed/trimmed still. So it just kept stalling when the chicken loop became unhooked.

In the future, can I just thread the loop through the spreader bar hole, (hook portion)? Or is that deemed unsafe? Any thoughts? What are the ways you do it? Also, how do you place the donkey dick? I know some people have different ways of doing it. I've always placed it diagonally so it jams between the two curved rods on the bar. But now that I think of it; if I ever need to pull the safety, (never have needed to) it will snap or just not release properly.

I hated the hard donkey stick also but got used to it. You can buy elastic chord on ebay and reattach the stick back to the loop its actually very easy. You will need a very thin piece of string to help thread the elastic chrord through the stick. Flysurfer has a video on how to do this on youtube .

Quote: Originally posted by gemini6kl

I hated the hard donkey stick also but got used to it. You can buy elastic chord on ebay and reattach the stick back to the loop its actually very easy. You will need a very thin piece of string to help thread the elastic chrord through the stick. Flysurfer has a video on how to do this on youtube .

Cheers! I could probably find some of that chord at a local hardware store. Will try that!

Try this, it attaches to the spreader bar. I have something similar and I've never had the chicken loop fall off compared to the normal setup where it has fallen off if twisted in an awkward way.

http://www.adventurekiteboarding.com/pks-lock-tube-keeper-ch...

little more detail:

If you have a sewing machine, its actually really easy to make something similar to what skimtwashington shared with a little 1" webbing and small diameter hose. If you're interested, I can get you some pictures and more detail about the ones I've made.

But more to your point, I've been guilty of putting a carabiner through through the spreader bar hole a few times, which is essentially the same thing as attaching directly via the chicken loop. It does put a different load on the spreader bar and I probably wouldn't want to go hill gliding or do mega-loops hooked in that way, but it does work.

Quote: Originally posted by OCFlyer

Try this, it attaches to the spreader bar. I have something similar and I've never had the chicken loop fall off compared to the normal setup where it has fallen off if twisted in an awkward way. http://www.adventurekiteboarding.com/pks-lock-tube-keeper-ch...

I've use these same little, err, appendages with good success though mainly in warm temps. In the winter this appendage gets, err, angry (Bodyheat reference for those old enough and wise enough to get that one).

PVC or rubber Fuel line. Stays flexible in the cold, can be cut to any size. Use elastic line inside for retention spring and a plastic ball as a pivot for articulation.

Not a fan of the hard plastic either.

.