It's been a long time since I posted a video. So I'm pleased to share with you footage of my new S3.

I initially convinced myself that I absolutely must have this bug for when I'm travelling abroad. The bug packs down into a bag and is reasonably, not too heavy.

It is of course BS. When do I ever get to go anywhere? I'm averaging about one holiday every 15 years.

Truth is, I'm a sucker for shiny rims wrapped in fat juicy tyres, so I decided to get one after seeing both Haakon and Bobby O post beautiful pictures of theirs on Extreme Kites.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4ZOsBw5kgM

Great video as always Redsky . When you get the time please share your thoughts on the buggy. I was always curious if they made those front forks from solid bar stock or if its tube? If its tube it must be reasonably thick wall. Glad you got some buggy time in,,, I haven't been kiting in at least a year

60 MPH.....HOLY MOTHER OF BUGGIES!!!:wee:

Great video.

Quote: Originally posted by kteguru

Great video as always Redsky . When you get the time please share your thoughts on the buggy. I was always curious if they made those front forks from solid bar stock or if its tube? If its tube it must be reasonably thick wall. Glad you got some buggy time in,,, I haven't been kiting in at least a year

Thanks kiteguru!

Yeah, the forks and downtube are solid except for the side rails. The rear axle is fibreglass with surprisingly zero flex. I went for the Midis option with Midi XXL on the rear. This makes the bug about 36-38Kg est, a lot heavier than their 28Kg barrow config but still so much easier to haul than my ball-busting Dust Devil.

The S3 is ideal for someone like me who lives in a flat/apartment with no access to a garage. I can manoeuvre the axle with the wheels attached down the stairs and into the car.

I have to come clean here and admit that the bug doesn't quite fit in my car folded as seen in the video. The choice of tyres means I'm just short a few inches of width in the back of the car to make that work.

So what's it like to ride?

The wide seat together with the low side rails is not as supportive as a full-sized race buggy, obviously. As a result, the lateral pull while riding upwind in strong wind can twist you in the seat a little but this is also partly due to my preferred riding style, a long as possible buggy while steering on tiptoes.

I'm sure if I shortened the bug by a few inches then I would be seated in a more upright position as the designer intended.

I had some initial worries about how sharp the edges of the forks are and thought that I might cut my lines on them, but once up and riding your lines don't come close. It did make me think and appreciate the evolution of race buggies and how they designed out these potential faults.

The aluminium seems more prone to scuffs and nicks than stainless steel. Maybe it's a softer metal?
The welds on the S3 though are a work of art and it's reassuring to know that it will never rust.

Do I still prefer my Dust Devil? Absolutely, but the S3 isn't trying to compete here, it does what it does best, being a lightweight bug that performs like a bigger buggy, is perfectly stable at high speed, slides with confidence and yet packs down into a sports bag for the airlines. Few, if any medium-sized bugs this good-looking can compete in this department.

I'll be glad to answer any more questions you have about it.

Quote: Originally posted by Jack.Oh

60 MPH.....HOLY MOTHER OF BUGGIES!!!:wee: Great video.

Thanks man!
The S3 has a speed limiter installed, unfortunately.

Glad to hear your enjoying the new buggy. N + 1 is always the correct number of buggies to own :D. I'm surprised to hear you live in an apartment. Where do you keep the Dust devil and the dominator? You certainly can't hide them under the bed:D. I'm running out of room myself in the garage,,,,too many buggies/too many kites. I was going to comment on the 60mph also but we all know you do that in your sleep without even trying .
It's a shame kiting has died down so much in the last 20 years,,,, I was hoping someone was going to hit 88mph but it never happened.

Just don't ask where I keep the kitecat! :D
I was hoping someone would hit those crazy speeds too, that was always the dream.

I have hope for the future. We should in all seriousness consider ourselves pioneers of the sport, that's something to be proud of.

I can imagine one day, maybe 20, 50, 100 years from now, when people have more free time, they'll take up the sport and discover all the amazing buggy's we built by hand, all the events and get-togethers we attended and search through the wealth of old archive footage and think crazy bas****.

Nice video, RedSky! Cool water scenes!
I like the idea of the little folding S3, but the midis would not work on soft beaches like in holland. On your hard beaches in UK they work much better. Unbelievable speed in a buggy that size!!!
Windspeed was around 7bft?

Wow! Great video! I want one too! How small is it when you get it down to airplane size and how long does it take to bring it back to riding size?

Well played! That was one of the better kite buggy films I've watched. The slo-mo water scenes were next-level. I'm too large for that buggy but it looks ideal for what you are doing. Thanks so much for the post!!!!

Quote: Originally posted by Juan

Nice video, RedSky! Cool water scenes! I like the idea of the little folding S3, but the midis would not work on soft beaches like in holland. On your hard beaches in UK they work much better. Unbelievable speed in a buggy that size!!! Windspeed was around 7bft?

Thanks, Juan

I'd say the windspeed was 6.5bft.
Randy and I are still waiting for an invitation to your beach parties btw.

Quote: Originally posted by Randy

Wow! Great video! I want one too! How small is it when you get it down to airplane size and how long does it take to bring it back to riding size?

Thanks Randy
It packs down this small, minus the wheels of course.
https://www.extremekites.org/gallery/image/12496-sysmic-s3-1...

Not sure how long it takes to bring it back to riding size as I've only ever done it once in my living room and I wasn't sure where everything went, but I guess now I'm more familiar with it, I'd say 15 minutes from scratch?

You have to bolt the wheels on, axles, insert the side-rail bolts, fix the seat and you're done.

I keep the S3 in three parts, the rear axle with wheels attached, the seat and the forks. Takes just a few minutes to tighten the bolts and I'm ready to roll.

Quote: Originally posted by Windstruck

Well played! That was one of the better kite buggy films I've watched. The slo-mo water scenes were next-level. I'm too large for that buggy but it looks ideal for what you are doing. Thanks so much for the post!!!!

Thanks Windstruck!
I had fun editing the slo-mo. Ideally, in my minds eye, I wanted to hit the water so hard that I came out of the buggy and flew across your screen in slow motion. It would have made a great scene but on each try, I lost my nerve. And there's something to be said for driving yourself home at the end of the day. :D

Invitation granted!:D

Thanks for the info Tom and the invite Juan. Now I just need to get my own Sysmic S3 and a plane ticket....It would make going to various events like WBB, IBB and the like much more practical than loading up my Flexifoil in the car and driving for several days.