I have only been in a buggy a couple of times and I have one comming in December. Are there any major do's & dont's that you can share? I don't want to get dumped to bad or fly off into the sun set the first time out. Like I said only a couple times in a bug and the winds were light. Just straight down. I don't have knowlege of turning or jumps. So any advise or videos would be good. Thanks.:puzzled:

just make sure that on a high wind day, you never end up with the buggy facing directly down wind with the kite at 25 degrees in the power window directly in front of you going straight upwards...you will launch like a rocket out of the buggy...saw a friend get in that situation and he flew abouit 20 feet like superman and landed on his side....rung his bell so hard he forgot where he was for a bit..that was a 25+ day and he was using a 2.3 firebee...and for starters maybe wear a kite killer..just in case..I don't use them much any more...........

Thanks,I always use them.

youtube has lots of vids to watch

purchase vids, the only good ones i've seen

http://www.powerkiteshop.com/accessories/videodvdpowerkiting...

http://www.powerkites.de/modules.php?name=prod&art=Buggy...

I personally like the PKS vid more than the HQ one. More to watch. :tumble:

Get a helmet and gloves. Knee and elbow pads for learning is not a bad idea too.

Susan

When traveling at speed, never, I do mean never send the kite high and a little bit behind you to slow down. Bad habit to get into, eventually you'll do it with too much power and in a split second you'll be looking 5-10ft down at your buggy wondering what happened.

Also, if things are going poorly with your feet on the pegs, the chances are that they won't improve by taking your feet off the pegs, resist the urge and try and pilot the buggy out of trouble.

Sounds important. Thanks.

Do not do this!..........aj

Always take out a kite that is sized for the highest wind gusts of the day. If you only have one kite, resist the urge to fly it if it is too windy. It may be frustrating when you don't move very fast, but if a gust hits you and your kite is too big, you will pay for it.

Once you are comfortable in the buggy and have some experience, you will be able to fly a big enough kite that you could not fly in the power zone out of the buggy with it.

Make sure you have lots of space to buggy in. You should always have at least 300 - 400 feet down wind space between you and any obstructions when you start out.

Learn to use the buggy to steer you out of trouble, power the kite etc. If you feel too much power and you have the space, steer slightly towards the kite to depower it. This will speed you up, but it enables you to maintain control during a gust. If you want to stop or slow down, steer slightly and gradually upwind (away from it) while keeping the kite low (never let it get behind you). Steering your buggy is an important part of maintaining control and maximizing power in your kite.

If you are buggying up to someone or a vehicle, always buggy on the down wind side. There have been plenty of cases where people have pulled up to something and been hit by a gust, yanking them out and boom.

I know everyone here is going to yell at me for this but if you arn't strapped into the buggy and are GOING to hit a tree or something, and you know how to pendulum jump, it isn't a half bad idea to jump and ditch the buggy, as long as there are no bystanders around. I had to do this the other day with my 8 meter a gust hit me about 15 feet from a backstop and I ditched. Probably saved my ass and my buggy. Not the most fun thing in the world. Of course my buggy being homemade will not keep rolling without steering input, the wheel is a little off to the left so if will just flop if you let go. So if you are thinking of doing this maybe put a bungee cord on one side of the tire so it will turn to one side when you ditch and it will just go into a death spiral. DO NOT DO THIS UNLESS YOU NEED TO THOUGH!

Very helpful info guys! Thanks.

try these sites
http://www.kite-buggiers.co.uk/_videos/

http://www.racekites.com/howto/buggy01.asp


http://www.coastalwindsports.com/BetterBuggyBasics.html

Make sure you have the buggy set and pointed in the right direction (slightly downwind) BEFORE you launch the kite.

Always approach the buggy from the downwind side.

In the beginning, if you botch a turn and let the kite get behind you, just drop it on the kite killers. When it powers up behind you it is quite alarming but very entertaining for anybody watching.

Quote:

Originally posted by NPWfever I know everyone here is going to yell at me for this but if you arn't strapped into the buggy and are GOING to hit a tree or something, and you know how to pendulum jump, it isn't a half bad idea to jump and ditch the buggy, as long as there are no bystanders around. I had to do this the other day with my 8 meter a gust hit me about 15 feet from a backstop and I ditched. Probably saved my ass and my buggy. Not the most fun thing in the world. Of course my buggy being homemade will not keep rolling without steering input, the wheel is a little off to the left so if will just flop if you let go. So if you are thinking of doing this maybe put a bungee cord on one side of the tire so it will turn to one side when you ditch and it will just go into a death spiral. DO NOT DO THIS UNLESS YOU NEED TO THOUGH!

Not yelling, I've had to do it before during the learning phases. A couple things come to mind though, first off, 15ft from a backstop and heading towards it. Second, gust too big for the kite. Both things already mentioned above in this thead.

Now people sometimes wonder why I've got a small kite out some days, but with conditions both wind wise and park wise, I just can't guarantee things will be safe for everyone if I go any bigger. I haven't hit anything in a long time though. When the conditions are that rough, pull out a small kite and start practicing technique instead of going flat out. If something goes wrong and someone gets seriously hurt then it's just a matter of time before kiting in that area gets banned and that hurts everyone.

Well I was farther away but at 30mph things come up fast, in a 100 yard long field anyways. Also it was a phreak gust, steady 15mph wind with my 5.5 and out of nowhere 25mph and start hauling ass at the backstop, TIME TO BAIL!! Not so much a clean jump, more like treating the kite like an anchor and "climbing" the lines to get away, LOL! Yeah no jumping with an NPW. :ticking:

Thanks for the sites Snowbird helpful. Had to give this a bump as it is important to me.

A little known trick, if your kite is on handles with KK, keep them high. I actually had one wind around the rear tire at speed. This instantly pulled my handle, and hand under the wheel, ouch! I heard someone else did this too and it hurts

If you have the KKs tied at the end of the brake leader from your handle, it should use up most of your slack. My son has the cord through the lines in this pic (3c) by accident but you can see how there isn't much slack there in the KK lines. I actually have them at the very end of the leader now with the brake lines attached on my side of the KKs so I can take the KS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s off easily if the wind is really light.

http://www.coastalwindsports.com/ChoosingAKite.html

One other thought, be careful when you're using KS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s and start hooking in, it's easy to forget and let go of the handles in a pinch, only to find the kite's still powered and looping, but now you're not holding the handles, it's just supported by the harness.

I learned this one the hard way..........Many times.........

Do you have lines to both power and brake? Mine just go to power, when I let go i just bring my hands up above my head and it kills the kite. :singing:

Thank you guys all very helpful info. I will adjust my kite killers,And try to remember about letting go when not unhooked. I could see myself doing that:o Lot's of things to remember lot's of practice to do. I hope I do ok because I will be in the bug on sat. after thanksgiving. I will most likley start out with the Bullet 4.5 or maybe even a 3.0 Stylus we we see what the wind is like. I would hate to get my line all wrapped around the axcels though. Keep your fingers crossed.:D

Sthrasher - I think this has been covered already, but best advice is to start with a small kite. It it's not large enough for the conditions then step up to something slightly larger. Don't start out with something too large and find you're crazily overpowered because that always ends in trouble.

Next thing - if the only kite you have is way too much for the wind conditions and you don't have anything smaller, don't think 'well, this is all I have so I'll give it a go'... we've all done it and that usually also ends up getting hurt or filling your pants, or both :wow:

One more - don't start with a harness straight away. Get the hang of it just on handles first, and when you start to get the hang of things, then try out the harness. Practice flying with the harness flying static and work out how you get unhitched. This sounds obvious, but it's a lot harder to work out when you're being pulled along the ground backwards on your back through the bushes... :wow:

Give Dan or Dagon or myself a shout if you're flying this weekend in Sac and maybe we can meet up?

Good looking out. I could use the personel experience. If I get a chance to fly this weekend I will do that I just found out that I have to work this sun. So if not maybe we can try to plan a meeting again at the sod field around the 2nd of December. I know dilsh89 and I would love that experience. I would feel more comfortable seeing what to expect first before just hoping in. Because when the wind blows I just get kinda over-excited and the go for it attitude. And I know whith that I may get hurt So I need to be patient. I would love to have someone present So I don't have to learn the hard way. But I am willing to except some damage.

learn at your own pace, never listen to AJ, he's THAT guy. Does everything one shouldn't do. If you're close to the oregon coast. Or foresee coming up here. call me, we'll hook up for a lesson and let you demo some different gear.

hey aJ. DON'T DO THAT! :frog:

Well it's here!!! After a 14hr. round trip I got it! It is in good shape too. I need some help straping the seat in correctly any suggestions? Thanks. Today I am going to work then comming home to clean her up! You know bath chrome polish all that good stuff And fix the flat it has in front. Can I just patch it like a bike tire or do I need another tube? Do you think I should use pipe wrap around the side rails? I see most buggys have that. Ok cool any and all help will be useful thanks. Gotta go to work bye. Oh by the way I made kite traction freak with this post!! Same day I bring home the bug must be true!

If you got a Flexi bug, I can send you pics of how my seat is attached if you want...

Thanks, but it is a rockville classic.

No prob,
If you don't get any pics of a rockville seat set-up, and still would like some, I know of one in Idaho Falls, maybe that rider could get you some...

Sthrasher: the pipe insulation is ok bu I find it too thin....I use those water noodles...the ones at the dollar tree or walmart....plus for a lot of your buggy needs there is a place in sacto called Blue Collar Supply" thats where I go for a lot of other buggy related and misc parts...its off Florin Perkins..

http://onsmartpages.com/bluecollarsupply/home/

its a great place for all kinds of DIY materials...nut, bolts, berrings, scrap metal, buckles and strpping etc

DQ