Warning about Turbo Diesel Bar Upgrade

[Windseeker]

Hey all, I posted my recent experience on kiteforum and after reading the responses there and on some other forums I'm not alone on this one...

There is a problem with the SS Turbo Diesel bar upgrade kit. The yellow stopper ball that they tell you to place on the chicken loop rope between the bar and the snowman rings to limit the throw of the bar is dangerous. The instructions say to place it on the same side as the below the bar leash connection. I believe this is wrong because is severely limits the amount of chicklen loop line that can be pulled out when the below the bar safety is activated. The front line re-ride leash connection is unaffected by this.

For now I have just loosened the yellow chicken loop stopperball and use the black marker line as a reference of where the maximum distance the movable ball should be place to help prevent inversions when you let go of the bar.

I have contacted Slingshot about this but am still waiting on an answer.

I'll put my oringal message below if you want to read what happened.

>>>

Well just got out for the first time on my new 12m SS TD and my initial impressions were good...... it was raining, really gusty and and pretty cold, but I was able to get a great session considering its my first of the year..... love the one pump (can't believe I waited so long to get a kite with this system) and the moveable stopper for crusing one handed, they make life so much easier!

but I have a question for others using the new bar mod for the Turbo Diesel. I performed the upgrade as instructed in the manual and found a potential major safety issue. My problem is the bar throw limiter (The little yellow stopper ball that is screwed onto the chicken loop rope) to prevent accidentally letting the lines go slack. So I placed it 50cm up the line as directed for my kite size but where I ran into the problem was triggering the safety release on the chicken loop when landing.

When I came in I landed the kite on the beach but a gust caught it and blew it straight downwind and it ended up leading edge down nose facing away, pulling pretty hard. So I pulled the c-loop release (with the leash attached to the c-loop ring not the front line ring) thinking it would depower the kite so I could tie the kite leash to a tree and go get the kite. But because the yellow stopper ball is screwed down the safety cannot pull all the chicken loop rope length out and the damn thing started pulling harder. So I ended up switching over to the front line and safetying that way which worked well. But my concern is that this unmovable yellow stopper ball is screwing up the proper functioning of the chicken loop safety ring.

I still want to use this leash connection for bar spins etc. Anyone using this bar notice the same problem???

[Jeff Ruoss]

To fix your concerns run your leash on the re-ride ring located at the snowman rings for the front lines.

[Windseeker]

The problem is that connection is not a spinable setup, which was a big selling point for me with the below the bar leash attachment point. Right now I have just loosened the yellow stopper ball so it slides, and won't interfere with the leash safety if I need it. I haven't had problems with inversions so I figure just using the black line as a visual reference will have to work for now.....

[windhorny]

I dont know about this. I had a similar concern until testing it myself. And also for the record I dont think it make s adiffernece which side you put the yellow stopper on. You get slightly more throw one way as to another but the reality of the situation is that the throw given when released is twice what you need to depower the kite safely. I actually have started to just put the safety on the chicken loop itself so the lines unswivel easily. This would be the same as the xbow setup. Of course you dont have the extra release as you do when leashing into the depower line. Look at how much the kite depowers when you let the bar up, now look at how much more excess line you get when you let the kite go using the leash on the depower loop. Its overkill. But of course this is my opinion.

My only issue with the ss bar setup is that when using the depower line as a leash, the lines dont want to untwist. I even added a ball bearing swivel(similar to the 04 swivels they used but heavier duty) and they still wont untwist. I have concluded that this is not a resistance issue as much as a geometry issue. There is something about the way the lines go through the stopper or something along those lines that keeps it from unswiveling. What is wierd is that when you attach the leash to the chicken loop, or basiucally take the leash off the depower loop, it unswivels perfectly. I still cant figure this one out.

[steve]

There is a post on kiteforum...think it was posted by greamef and the thread is TD upgrade bar instuctions INCORRECT. Includes pics. might want to check it out....be safe
steve

[windhorny]

I like their idea of just marking the position with a pen to know where to put the stopper. I am still surprised as I tested it with the ball on both sides and it seemed to depower just fine. Maybe its different self landing? I had also thought ot the oh shite handle but I realized how little I would actually use it. If you do this I would look at getting a replacement oh shite handle from an 04-04 fuel and velcroing the handle down one of the steering lines a bout 6-8" so you can grab it. Tis way it is in reach without poulling the front lines in and it stays out of the way when rotating the bar. That make sense?

[D]

I know nothing about the std, but this post on kiteforum says that the instructions were incorrect.

http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2327365

[Greg]

Windseeker,
I posted a responce on ikite forum, please check it out.
As far as setting the yellow stopper ball goes I suggest you move the stopper to the side WITHOUT the the de-power ring. Placed in this position the kite will have approx 1.5 times the de-power of the chick line alone which is more then enough to de-power the kite.
I'm going to look into the Slings kit directions to make sure there isnt a problem with the wording/pictures/drawings etc....
Thanks for bringing this to peoples (MY) attention! I dont want to hear of any horror stories.
I'm REALLY glade you'r O.K.!,
L.M.G. (a new Slingshot team rider)

[Windseeker]

Ya thx for the advice.... just want to make sure no one else runs into this potential senario I found myself in.

Goes to show you really should test out your safety regardless of what your flying...... I could have avoided this if I wasn't some damn eager to get out for the first time this year! :)

[Greg]

Jumping the gun can get you killed!! I try to test new equipment in sub-flying conditions to root out problems...
Glade you got off easy. Posting your experance is very usefull to the community.
BTW, it you take the TD to its upper range and/or beyound and make even a minor mistake, it can really kick your butt. For example: I boosted about 40'up on my 8m attempting a simple (low level) trick in upper end conditions. New kites take some getting used to... My mistake could have cost me a season or two in shallower water.
I'm being extra carefull and sticking to the deep end of the pool for a while,
Greg