Yo Tubbyman, I myself weigh 190lbs, and this is DEFINITELY my new "light wind" kite. I have the same board you're speaking of, and can get out if it's starting to whitecap. Usually around 12 or 13 and I'm able to stay up wind.

I haven't had the pleasure of flying the Hypertype 15m yet, but hear great things. I would prefer to be on a little smaller kite though, so if it picks up, I get a little more range.

Love always,

Tits Magee

thanks nukin, excellent bar review.

i thought the new solo bar has a swivel above the depower strap, as the best bar has the swivel below the strap? i could be wrong, as it is what i hear.

tubbyman, I would expect that the rrd has a little better low end because of it's size and speed. I struggled over getting new 16 and 12 meter kites and finally decided on the 13 solo. I live in savannah and it was the only kite I used this summer. I'm 160 and have a small and a bigger bd that I would take to the beach rather than two kites. Going with a tween sized kite allowed me to not have to choose between two kites and stay on the same kite as the conditions changed. in general I think a lot of the new 12 and 13 meter kites that are desribed as grunty have much more low end than bows of several yrs ago of similar size. solo is a grunty medium aspect kite but retains a great top end. I've briefly flown a hyper 2 15 meter and you will find a big difference if you like to unhook. Solo no where near as backline sensitive as hyper. I have a friend who has the 08 rhino 12 and it is extemely grunty for a 12(probably as good as 13 solo) but not a good kite for unhooking.

choosing- always a pain, hope this helps

Coyote - no swivel on my bar. The best has one below the bar like you said. Maybe Royal added it later on. I don't really think you need one because the line twists were not an issue.

Tubby - I had the 15m Hypertype and that kite was a light wind killer. I think the Solo will come close to matching the low end but definately have better top end. The amount of depower on the hyper is real small. The solo had a big amount of pull in the depower strap plus you also have a stopper.

I will give my input when I get it out in light winds and with the quick 5 second bridal mod.

Tubby - I have been riding my 13 in 12-17mph winds for the past few days. The kite will rock in light winds on a big board such as the Skywalker 135x47 or a surfboard.
The solo is great in the waves on a surfboard - just love the park and ride feel of the kite, did not mess with the bridal because it seems A-OK on the stock set up.

I weigh 165 on a good day.....

Hi folks,

Just wanted to know if anyone has seen any long term damage from running the bridal mod? I have recently bought the 13m Solo and considering doing it!.

I'm finding the 13 really slow, slower in the turn than my contra 3 14m .. is that normal? I also have the 9m wich I think is awesome, however I'm dissapointed with the 13 - slow and very poor for jumping (although I might not have mastered the technique yet). Put it this way, I'm 83kg and if I went out in 17knots I could jump WAY higher on the 9m (even though slighly underpowered) that the 13.

Maybe I should replace it with the 12m ERA, would the bottom end compare?

Any advice appreciated,

Hey Bobcat,

Well I'm used to REALLY fast kites, and then went to the 13m Solo after a recommendation. I did the bridal mod right away, and haven't had ANY problems thus far. I also got a KILLER deal from EK on a used (pretty much brand new) 12m 08 Era cause I wanted to compare the two. I can tell you that the Solo jumps NO WAY as high as the Era, HOWEVER, the hang time and stability of the Solo gives it a lot of bonus. Plus when you throw in the no bridal on the Solo and the parkablitly, better unhooked aspect, it makes it TOUGH competitor. I also get WAY more low end on my 13 Solo versus the 12m Era (I'm also 190lbs or so). So when you way the two, it's a tough choice.

DEFINITELY do the mod, you will be PLEASANTLY surprised. I just ordered a Solo 9m yesterday! Also, I've found you're almost always going to be able to jump a little higher on a smaller kite due to the speed, and it usually means a little more wind out there. Again, the 13 isn't a Lambo, but I haven't found it THAT much faster than the Era (at least with the mod).

Tits

Also, make sure you have the right size bar with the 13m! I've noticed a huge difference in just the bar size. That also means ensuring the knots are hooked up on the OUTSIDE of the bar as opposed to the inside.

Tits, Really appreciate the feedback, I will definately try the mod 'again'. I did try the mod briefly on 20m lines in slightly overpowered conditions for my weight (19-23knots). The short lines were killing the jumping ability anyway. I have to admit hangtime is surreal though, got some very long jumps on the 9m.

Tried the mod, definatley makes a difference - not a huge one but probably speeded it up 10-15%. Interesting what you say about the bottom end, the royal website has the bottom end of the ERA12 the same as the 13 solo ?

Do you think its possible to kiteloop the 13 solo?, I just can't get it to turn tight enough - and I have tried sheeting in/out also! even when the kites at 10 o'clock I struggle to loop it (downloop) before it his the water .. seems to have a huge turning circle. Is this normal or am I not doing something? ps. I also have the lines on the outside of the bar.

Bobcat - it will downloop easily - no problem and kiteloop as well. Try the fishing pole grip with both hands on one end of the bar. The mod will help as well. I have 7, 9 and 13 solo. My 7 & 9 are stock and I run the mod on the 13 only.

Thanks for that, definately a technique thing isn't it - I wasn't being aggresive enough with the bar, and I had it sheeted out a bit too much. Turned on a dime once I figured out what I was doing wrong. On another note, tried the 13m out in really low wind the other day for the first time - incredible low end. 190lb on a small board and I was riding in 11-12kts and doing tricks once it hit 13ish.

I can't believe that Royal don't market the 'low end' of them more, they are astonishingly good and I can't figure out why - medium aspect hybrid kites are not known for their low end are they.

Very happy man now, thanks for the advice.