Psycho2 test!

[just do it]

Just got back from Cumbuco Brazil. After 3weeks of warm weather and winds coming back to this shit English weather is more of a shock than I anticipated.
I was lucky to scam a Psycho2 prototype of Armin at Flysurfer and give it a thorough test over the three weeks. It was a 14m which won’t actually be made they decided to go for 7m, 10m, 13m, 17m and 20m. I think this is a good decision as the 14m was quite powerful.
On my first outing in increasing 15 to 20mph I was thrown by its turning speed.
Being used to the old Psycho and the Titans I tend to pull on the bar with conviction and pretty much know that when I do spins, board-offs
I have to redirect the kite in mid air as hard as I can and it will be perfectly in front of me on landing. Not so with the Psycho2, oh no! My first few big rotations all ended up being full on kiteloops which is quite scary with a 14m foil.
Saying that, the Psycho2 seems to be reasonably gently as it goes through the powerzone which makes kiteloops more than achievable for us mere mortals.
The next big question for me was: How would it compare to the hangtime and jumping performance of the old Psycho?
Well, after my timing got used to the fast turning speed I jumped higher, at least as floaty but with much more control than on the old Psycho. I even did the LEI rider thing and landed with the kite dead above my head and with slack lines. Both being an absolute no no on the old Psycho but not a problem with the new one. The stability is awesome and gives you so much confidence to try crazy stuff. Throughout the whole time I never got it to luff ones.
I did steer it into the water on a few occasions which enabled me to try out the relaunching capabilities.
As with everything on the new Psycho2 I was pleasantly surprised. Less drag when launching straight downwind of you than on the old Psycho and the added bonus of the reverse launch capabilities already praised on the Titan and Voodoo.
In actual fact the Psycho2 was so easy to handle and so stable aswell as being very responsive that I think the Titans will have a hard time to find their place in between the Voodoo’s and Psycho2’s.
Maybe my opinion is a little biased as I can fly most Flysurfer kites with my eyes closed and to a less experienced rider the Titans still offer a very good compromise.
Maybe it’s the awesome power of the Psycho2 that will remain the Titans popularity. My 14m Prototype was at least as powerful as a 18m Rhino2. Well this was a kite that an American instructor was using.
He was about my weight and the boards we used were comparable. He got going not quite as early as me and needed another couple of miles more before he could stay upwind and another 4mph before he could jump.
On the other hand I could still hold on to it as they had to change down to their smaller X3’s.
I would say in the thin Brazilian air it is great between 10mph(12mph if you are over 75kg) to 22mph with its sweetspot around 16-18mph.
On one day all of the instructors stayed on the beach watching me as they really couldn’t get going. They were obviously pestered by their students about this strange flying mattress. Just as they were trying to tell their students that these kites don’t relaunch I demonstrated a perfect reverse launch without even having to get out of my footstraps. When will people finally realise that Flysurfer kites relaunch at least twice as good as all LEI’s?
A little later the wind increased nicely and I took a rest on the beach to watch the instructors trying to regain their students trust. Within 10min one guy on the X3 and a guy on a 16m Rhino had to swim in twice because they couldn’t relaunch their LEI’s. After that their students had enough and came to me to ask me about this strange kite I was using.
Yes there is a world outside NAISH and other LEI’s.
So, all in all the Psycho2 Proto gave me nothing but pleasure and I can’t wait for the production model.
After I returned I told Armin what I have just written down and he told me that mine was obviously an early prototype and the final version has even more bottom end is more stable and turns even quicker.
Great!
That means sq007 will have to talk to Graham about letting him use a Flysurfer again.
Please Graham at least a large one!

[taabsr]

I will have the lates proto to test. probably the one equal to prodution. as soon as i get it wet i will let u know how it feels and how it compares to other FS and tube kites i've flown.

[Nukin]

Sounds good....when do they go into production?

[SkyScrab]

I heard, they will arrive here in Germany the first week of April. Looking forward to...

btw here is a test of mine about the 10 m² Voodoo.


Ferdinand

[taabsr]

the forecast is 1st week of april.

[Antti]

I just tested a Psycho2 18.0 proto on snow in extremely gusty 2.5 - 7 m/s wind and I have to say that although I have liked my old Psychos (9.5 & 15.5) a lot, they are going to be sold as soon as the production versions of the Psycho2 come out. All the disadvantages that the old ones have (like slow turning, lack of stability and excessive bar pull) have been hugely improved.

Can't wait to take the kite on water!

[just do it]

It is really good to see that the buzz is back about the Psycho.
The new Psycho2 delivers everything and will just like the Voodoos and Spirits be a great seller which will hugely satisfy the riders.
It has been Flysurfers most developed kite ever. Thats why it is still not out.
The first Psycho was already out in December 2002 so this Psycho has taken another 3-4month to develop and it shows.
Unlike what some people believe to be the trend the interest in this new foil is fantastic.
It seems that a lot of riders really, really want to ride foils and the Psycho2 will deliver and bring people back to foil riding on water in huge numbers.
I haven't read a single bad review about the Psycho2 yet and they were all protos which always have little niggles.