Hi Crew,
I have only had a little go in light winds so I will post a better reveiw after some more time on it,But from what a felt from flying the 12m it was... Fast,super stable and was never in the wrong place at any time doing tricks.
But for now here are some pics of the new RPM
This one in the pic's is a 10m
Very Square like wing tips
3 Struts only but she still sits nice and solid
A lot more like a "C" kite in the wing tips
Here are all the different rear line attachment points
Here are all the different front line attachment points
Neoprene coverd one pump clips
The bar,Nice coloured bar floats,Comfy as grip, Improved solid insert.
Check out that Fat solid wing tip strut Beefy or what! man this thing is solid!
New improved Strut seam webbing,No cnance of a split strut seam
All in all this kite looks and fly's extreamly well,
Regards
Luke
Cool ! When I took it out I would of thought I was on a Havoc 07- 08 not the 09, Slingshot with a better Bar. May be you should go back & try a 08 havoc to see. Then in stead of hype you can compere,
Kitepower Australia
I've only flown in light winds so far,
but what I've experienced so far I like and I think lots of people will too.
"SSCKSC"(Like the Havoc?)
Not to say It's a good kite or bad kite, but just like a 07-08 Havoc.
HI guys sorry it's taken me so long to make a post on the new rpm from slingshot, yes I am a part working for the company..
My post ok I took the rpm round australia and demoed it at locations and with a massive variety of riders.
The biggest telling factor of how good and versatile this kite was is proably kitestock in Dongara wa.
I had people deoming the kites all day, and every rider was unique in how they rode and what they wanted. A rider would go out come back in say yes they liked it but might prefer something a little quicker or something sitting back a bit further and by making a few adjustments in a matter of two or three minutes and everyone would come back amazed and saying they couldn't believe it set up just how they wanted..
The rpm is a kite which sits really nicely between the fuel and the rev, with alot of both in them. You can set it up fast through the window, lighter steering rev like or slower through the window heavier bar pressure more like the fuel in no time at all.
My advice to anyone who has a demo on this kite is play with the settings takes such a short time and you realy can tune it to what you want.
Flying very stable and smooth reverses nicely like a fuel will when riding down the line, has great pop and will park in the sky for wake/ freestyle.
Has no pulleys at the rear lines so has a direct feel and drive..
Kite is very well built and reinforced along strutt seems, has a segmented canopy, and more wear pads on the leading edge. Bridal is very short nothing like I've seen before. Slingy has finally done some work on the pigtails as well. Bar is very simliar to rev bar with a new piece in the centre to stop snagging your fingers, and help reduce chicken loop wear, time will tell on this.. Has the proven css safety as have the rev and fuel..
A quick thanks to all who I got to meet and ride with around OZ, and I look forward to catching up again somettime in the future..
David Sorensen
Wow... Flew the RPM for a while last night and it's just incredible... Suited my riding stye perfectly and gave me another meter or so in height with every pop.
The rev2 was cool - But I liked the ozone sports better... The RPM just blew everything out of the water though... I couldn't believe it... I'm stoked! Had one of the best sessions in a while...
Hurry and and bring back my Demo 12m!! I am hanging for a burl on this thing!
nah thats alright im used to waiting in line. enjoy lads.
cheers
Luke
Yep Loved it too.
Only tried the 8m, and it is such as sweet kite. I had it on the fastest settings and can see why the wave riders are up in arms over this kite.
It flies and turns as fast as a 7m rev, boosts as big and long as the rev and just parking the kite above you during a jump, the glide and hang is massive. I'd love to see someone mega looping this kite cos the speed of it looping and climbing the window is something else.
And yes, a small and quick setting change makes the kite slower and dosile for the spinny, flippy guys.
Not sure about the windrange tho. The 8m felt almost as grunty as a 9m rev, but top end seemed limitless. I were out last night in 20-30 knts, and in the 30+knt gusts, it just ate them up beautifully. Nearly better than the rev.
Re-launch was like the rev, pull an outside line and round she goes. Effortless.
Overall. thankyou slingshot for such as sweet kite. This kite would suit anyone. Smacking waves, boosting, wakestyle, even learners. You can tune it to whatever you want.
Now the big question
Do I go the 8 and 12, or get an 8 & 10, and stick to the 13 rev for light stuff.
Has anyone tested the 12 rpm and 13 rev back to back for bottem end? I thought the 'fuel' setting killed a lot of the rpm's bottom end so please take that into account.
Walshy is right its a good kite i loved the feel of the bar, the feedback through the gusts you hardly felt. pull a little depower on and unhooking was a brees but the chicken loop did wander a little chasing it to hook back in 20-30knts felt like the kite could handle a lot more. only tried the one unhooked loop the kite was fast but didnt try to pull my arms off ,lot of lift and landing speed though felt good till i got spanked. did put it in the water but with leading edge facing me couldnt get it to spin but a yank on the middle lines just sent it straight up and with all the depower i hardly moved from where i were. was a bit choppy so i cant weight to give it a decent wake session on the flat stuff.
OK the power of the rpm pretty much sits right betweent the rev's.. The 12 has more power then the 11m rev but not quiet as much as the 13m rev.. The 14m RPM is awesome rode it the other day in maybe 12knots was riding up wind when everyone else was on the beach watching or going downwind..
Very impressive for a bigger kite had loads of grunt and pop. :-)
pretty keen to hear some wakestyle reviews? I was looking to get fuels for next summer but might consider the rpm?
I ride boots - We've got a 12 I've been riding and its just insane for anything unhooked. Its stable, doesn't have to be trimmed and will just sit there while you do your thing. Plus it's got awesome pop and a nice amount of slack in the air for your passes.
Gonna try it with some rails on Sunday...
i have a 13m rev the only problem its too slow, is the 14 faster than the 13 rev though the window, i know the wind will be light when flying larger kites but the rev just seems so slow compared to the 11 and 9 in the range, is the 12 rpm the answer thanks
Is it just a coincidence that two of the most impressive of the 09 kites(going by peoples reveiws) only have 3 struts? the two kites being the RPM and the OZONE light XC.
Hey I am pretty sure the 14m isn't any quicker throughh the window then the 13m.
It does however turn more directly..
Has really nice grunt. If you do want the quicker kite get a run on the 12m..
I have a REV 2009 11m and one REV 2009 7m.. u think its worth going with the RPM instead? I rely like the REV so i just wonder is the RPM a better kite? /Henrik
I recieve the 8mtr RPM on Friday morning and flew it that aftenoon on the setting I recieved it with, which was freestyle. The wind was 22-25knts and this kite was on fire, so easy to do hooked in tricks as it boost so high and kite loops very smooth and lands you with good speed. Unhooked kiteloop on 22knts was so much fun and if I wasn't so chicken sh.t I would've landed each one without butt checking, but my knee was telling me to go easy. The kite was mentally fast so any attempt of waketricks was abit over extended on the landing as I continuosly brought the kite up after each move making the trick alittle lofty, so I'll use this for wave next time I go out. The next day was a low 14knts of wind with a couple of 16knt gusts and I through it up anyway with a greater bar pressure setting. But I can't really comment as it was too light to say, although I was surprise to see it had a little pull even at strength. That Friday was an awesome freestyle session for me as I was riding with (PKRA rider) Tom Herbert and eventhough I didn't have any world class moves I thought my kite match his.
So far comming from the Fuel 08, Rev 2 to an RPM was a good choice and would highly recomend all style of riders to do yourself a favour and buy one and try not to smile afterwards..its hard.
flew RPM again, nice kite, has 3 struts, is very stable in the sky. It is a bit of a slow machine, but is very suited to a freestyle or an unhooked rider, I would'nt fool myself & say it is a good allrounder or good for the surf, but the kite does have good lift, very nice in the kite loops & really it is like an old Havoc, just with 3 struts, some attachment points & a better bar. If you are looking to ride flat water, progress with your unhooked riding & look good doing it, this would be a new kite option. But hey its a kite from the past thats done a full circle.
But its nice to have something new & it does feel good in your hands unhooking & kite looping. Just hated getting stuck trying to relaunch the bitch of a thing.
But hey, that was just my experience...
I took the 8m RPM out again today in 20kts for a flat watter session and set it up with slower steering and on the wake settup on the front lines. initially it got up and going upwind easily but when trying to load and pop the kite just sat there not really wanting to do anything no pull or lift even unhooked at full power didnt realy want to play. the wind did pick up to around 25kts and it did start to feel ok and provided a bit of lift but if i was ridding my bandit i would have really been flying.
My question to other larger riders 90kgs is the kites dont seem as grunty as a hybrids or delta kites would i be better off on a 10m in 20-30kts as i like kites that feel well powered that will give you that little extra pop? to me it didnt seem to have that much of the c kite feel, is it just the way i set it up? I think i still like my rev better and cant see myself upgrading to the rpm yet.
Hi Wax man,
I'm 75kg and would ride the 8m from about 24 - 30knts so maybe if your 90kg you may need the bigger size?
You said at full power? One thing I found I needed to play with sometimes was trimming the front lines a bit. If the kites front lines are to long the kite stalls and doesn't pull and grunt, possibly describing what your feeling..
What size rev are you comparing it against??
I have flown the 9 11 13 and 15m revs and allso had the links 9 and 12. I had all of the lines set on the last not on the kite but could power it up a bit. I think i am just to used to the power of the bandit, i love ridding my 8m bandit dos from 18kts and it just hauls ass. the bigger size rpm probably 2m bigger size than the bandit i would normaly ride would probably be the go like a 10, 14m quiver. I will just have to wait to demo a bigger size we only have the 8m at the moment. I love how tuneable the kite is so much diffrence between the 2 settings. time will tell if i change back to the ss kites.
Had a great kite on my 14m RPM yesterday at Cottontree in 15-20 with gusts to maybe 24. I'm an intermediate rider on a 135 twintip board and still getting used to kite. Coming from a Rev, the RPM is so very smooth, does not race forward in the window in gusts and just sits there with lot's of grunt and pulls. The canopy has no flutter and despite the size turns easily and quickly in it's own space, riding with one hand is very comfortable and my fingers don't seem to get any ropeburn with the new bar. Jumping is easy with lot's of hangtime. The kite is easy to control by sheeting out or using the board. Build quality is very good and the ability to change settings I feel will allow me to hopefully progress easily.
Watching Ben Wilson and local Kevin carving up the waves riding the RPM yesterday on surfboards was very impressive.
There will be a couple of RPM's for those in Brisbane to try this weekend at the Breast cancer charity event this Sunday @ Brighton Beach
