Flew it for the first time 2 days ago in a 15-20 knot seabreeze.
It is a great kite pretty similar in feel to the 2010 Vegas which is a good thing but just a lot sharper. It feels tight in the sky if that is an understandable description. Really responsive and no extra movement when you turn the kite. Still has heavy bar pressure for feel during unhooking but will turn really quickly if you want it too. I love the new locked in plugs so you don’t have to swim if you crash it hard and the plugs pop out. Re launch is the same as last year’s so they haven’t compromised anything there. I’m super stoked they have managed to make a high performance kite that the rider is able to be comfortable with within 5 minutes of using it on the first session. That’s what stuck out the most, normally with new kites you need a few sessions to get used to it but with this one I felt like it was a safe user friendly Ferrari:-)
Questions just call Daniel. Anderson 0450105063
As for discloser im a North Rider so you may doubt my opinion in this review but i feel that the kite will speak for its self if you try it
All i can say is North Rocks man,Still riding my 09 Vegas 9m and 12m and would like so much to up date but very hard to part with the ones ya love.
Camo
I rode the 9 demo off Darren at Pinnaroo. Wind 20-25 knts on 135 xride. Bloody nice kite. This is a really really fast kite and I felt right at home on it from the first tack. I agree with Dan 5 mins and you should have it dialed in . It is no slouch in the boosting department either. Great allround kit 9/10.
Darren was generous enough at the exmouth expo to let me be a kite hog for a day at one of the wave spots up there as the expo was held in flat water which isn't my usual kite conditions
It was a good day to try the low end of the 9 meter size as it was between 14 and 16 knot winds and several other kite surfers where out on 12 and 10 meter more flatter kites . We were all on directionals. I was on the 5ft8 freewave from underground
Went out first with the vanilla settings out of the bag , freestyle at the kite settings and no changes on the bar, I did manage to hold ground but had to do the walk of shame on one occasion , came in after several tacks and wanted to adjust the back lines to sit the kite a little deeper in the window so adjusted the knots under the floats at the bar . This kite became a different beast altogether , the negatives of flying the kite further back was , more edging on the board to get upwind, a more old c kite stlye of flying with pure grunt and a little more bar pressure but the positives far outweighed those two negatives, I was finally lite and tacking upwind much higher than the guys on the larger gear. The best positive came in kite steering response . The most responsive kite I have ever flown.... period! . The other positive when down the line ridding was since sitting back in the window it would drift really well so any poor timed top or bottom turns where easy to correct . This isn't just a freestyle or wake style kite but a
pretty darn good wave kite too if you like throwing the kite about in the turns as you go down the line
My thoughts on the new 2011 9m rebel as a total novice and starting my first real season.
After getting my arse handed to me last weekend trying to fly my 13m bandit 3 in 25knt I bit the Bullet and grabbed a 9m rebel off Jas at Briskites .
I can honestly say I have struggled to hold an edge upwind and have walked the walk of shame far to often :(
My first crack at the 9 took me about half an hr to hold my pos then I held my runs until I was knocked up, you guessed it then the walk back but hey I held my spot ;)
Yesterday was my second session on my 9, Scoob gave me a few pionters about weight shifting and I was off, holding my line heading back to shore after my session you couldn't of knocked the smile off my face with a shovel ;)
I can honestly say it all clicked for me yesterday.
I'm no lightweight at 105kg the reb has a heart the size of Phar Laps !
Thanks guys and thanks North for such a cracker and user friendly kite !
Hey Marv,
Haven't you heard? All 5 line kites get ripped in half when they roll in a crash! 
Lol!
DM
