Jump to content
KiteLife Forum

wanting to learn to buggy


Ken
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hello,

I'm just strating to get back into kiting and would really like to try buggying.

I want to learn to fly the kite before anything else, any suggestions on what I should look for in a training kite?

I was thinking quad line, and looking at some of the flexfoils, but can't really see spending that much right now.

Basicaly how should I go about starting in this sport?

Thanks

Ken

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The best thing to do is to get in contact with any local groups that are currently buggying in your area. By talking with the local groups you can get a better source of information for the area that you will be buggying at. Here in Vegas, we have access to many large flat dry lake beds, the surface is very hard and similar to sandpaper, so grip is very good. We dont need much power to plow through soft sand or mud and speed is usually the key to a good buggy kite, standard wheels are best and usually pumped fairly firm on air pressure, larger buggies work best for high speed stability but the comp's work great too. This type of advice will kill you if you currently buggy on surfaces that are muddy or with soft sand, or in a park with grass and obsticals to maneuver through. Your local group will be using what they have learned to be best for their areas.

Contact your local kite shop and they should be able to point you towards a known local group or group of kiters that get together regurlarly. Your local shop should also be able to tell you what equipment is good for your area. Your local shop should also have demo equipment that you may be able to use.

You are correct in thinking of getting the kite mastered before the buggy tho, the more experience you have in flying the kite - the easier it will be for you to learn to buggy. I highly suggest using a quad line kite right from the start as it gives you the best control and the ability to depower when necessary. There are a lot of kites available that are a lot less expensive than the Flexi's but in power kites, you usually get what you pay for. Remember that when you purchase a kite, it is a purchase that will last you for many years - dividing the cost out over that lenght of time makes the purchase very affordable...even on the most expensive kites. I know many buggiers in our group that fly kites that are over 5 years old and still do just fine on them. Other brands besides the Flexi's are the HQ Beemer, JoJo, Peter Lynn Rebble, and of course Ozone kites, just to name a couple other options for you. I have buggied on all the above kites including the Flexi's and they are all at the top of their class for performance and quality.

Start out small at first, something in the 2-3 meter in size and learn to fly it well and then expand from there with either another size or a buggy.

Hope this helps you out.

Happy Winds!

Kent

www.awindofchange.com

customerservice@awindofchange.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

that helps alot, I'm planning on talking to my local shop tommorow. I've looked at all of the brands you've mentioned, but keep coming back to the bullet. I guess I just like the way it looks.

I'm alittle worried about getting a 2-3m kite, I want to be able to learn to control it with out it dragging me all over, is this even somthing I should worry about?

Thanks for all the help, I really appriciate it.

Ken

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello,

I'm just strating to get back into kiting and would really like to try buggying.

I want to learn to fly the kite before anything else, any suggestions on what I should look for in a training kite?

I was thinking quad line, and looking at some of the flexfoils, but can't really see spending that much right now.

Basicaly how should I go about starting in this sport?

Thanks

Ken

Ken,

The best advice I can offer you, is for you to join the following two buggy related forums, and then ask all the questions you need. The forums also have many useful buggy resource links, such as manufacturers, dealers, and instruction, etc...

American Kite Buggier:

http://groups.msn.com/AmericanKiteBuggier

Power Kite Forum: http://www.powerkiteforum.com/index.php

BTW - I live in Texas, but I was born in San Luis Obispo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Fury is a great kite, all of the Ozone kites are extremly well made and will last you a long time with very little trouble if any. Super stable and easy to learn. I highly suggest starting out on a 2-3 meter kite to learn on. That size shouldn't start to get to crazy until the winds get above 13-15 mph. Great kite to learn on and will teach you tons about power kiting. Just be cautious when launching in stronger winds because even that small of a kite has plenty of power in the right conditions.

The great thing about that size kite is that you can learn on it in the lighter winds without getting dragged too badly....but you will still keep it around after you get experienced for those days when the wind is nukin! A 2-3 meter Fury is a great buggy kite for winds from 15-30 mph (depending on your weight, buggy, experience, terrain, line lenght...etc....)

So even though you are purchasing a small kite to start out with your money is not lost at all later on...I am positive it wont collect dust in your kite bag and will get many years of good quality use out of it.

Just about every one of the pilots in our buggy group carries at least one quad line power kite under the size of 3.0 meters in their bag....I have a 1.5 LD Stunt, 2.2 Yakuza, 3.4 Yakuza, and 5.0 Yakuza for the smaller sizes in my personal bag...these are my most used kites. Our most used demo kites for training and beginners are the 1.5 LD Stunt, 2.0 & 3.0 Fury, and the 3.0 & 5.0 Riot.

Let us know how it goes!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...
The best thing to do is to get in contact with any local groups that are currently buggying in your area. By talking with the local groups you can get a better source of information for the area that you will be buggying at. Here in Vegas, we have access to many large flat dry lake beds, the surface is very hard and similar to sandpaper, so grip is very good. We dont need much power to plow through soft sand or mud and speed is usually the key to a good buggy kite, standard wheels are best and usually pumped fairly firm on air pressure, larger buggies work best for high speed stability but the comp's work great too. This type of advice will kill you if you currently buggy on surfaces that are muddy or with soft sand, or in a park with grass and obsticals to maneuver through. Your local group will be using what they have learned to be best for their areas.

Contact your local kite shop and they should be able to point you towards a known local group or group of kiters that get together regurlarly. Your local shop should also be able to tell you what equipment is good for your area. Your local shop should also have demo equipment that you may be able to use.

You are correct in thinking of getting the kite mastered before the buggy tho, the more experience you have in flying the kite - the easier it will be for you to learn to buggy. I highly suggest using a quad line kite right from the start as it gives you the best control and the ability to depower when necessary. There are a lot of kites available that are a lot less expensive than the Flexi's but in power kites, you usually get what you pay for. Remember that when you purchase a kite, it is a purchase that will last you for many years - dividing the cost out over that lenght of time makes the purchase very affordable...even on the most expensive kites. I know many buggiers in our group that fly kites that are over 5 years old and still do just fine on them. Other brands besides the Flexi's are the HQ Beemer, JoJo, Peter Lynn Rebble, and of course Ozone kites, just to name a couple other options for you. I have buggied on all the above kites including the Flexi's and they are all at the top of their class for performance and quality.

Start out small at first, something in the 2-3 meter in size and learn to fly it well and then expand from there with either another size or a buggy.

Hope this helps you out.

Happy Winds!

Kent

www.awindofchange.com

customerservice@awindofchange.com

hello ken you should start with a small kites a flexifoil bullet 2,0 or hq beamer 3.6 are 2 i like for starters and if you dont have a buggy yet check your riding area if its hard pack then small tires will do but softsand or mud will require big tires see what kind of tires other buggiers are using when you get better a larger kite will be good for more speed and for flying in lighter winds then the smaller beginner kite will be good for a strong wind. one last thing if your not sure of the winds DONT GO RIDEING better safe then sorry!!!!!!!! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...