nos sonic 06 11m and "upgrades"

[shastadogs2]

i bought a new old stock sonic 11m today, been flying Cs since 03, naish and north and fuels and rrd, all different but all great kites.

but now, i am finally going to see what the flat kite buzz is all about. not minutes after i pull the trigger, kite is barely on the ups truck, when i pick up a couple of threads regarding bridle and bar upgrades on this kite (and i swear on my mother's eyes that i have been all over e-space looking at everything i could find on the kite and never heard of these upgrades before.)

now, when i read "upgrade", what i hear is "didnt get it right the first time." sheit!! so i go to the globekite website, and sure enough, f*** me, there is are downloads regarding the bar upgrade, something clear-as-mud to a nontechie like me: unitie this knot, turn this cleat around, put this extra line on, it just looks like total sheit.

when i was in mexico last year i saw a few sonics flying and their wind range looked huge. and the price on this new kite (complete) rivaled the listed price for used 06's. but. . .shit-oh-dear, have i had my stool pushed back here or not? what is with all this bar razzamatazz? anyone out there made these changes from the stock set up? do i need to and why? is there a bridle revamp as well?

thanks ahead of time

jimi

[OzBungy]

There was a bunch of minor stuff but most of it is not necessary. All the production kites after the first batch had the upgrades.

The only ones you really need are the wear patches on the LE at the ends of the bridle and a safety line on the clamcleat in case the webbing breaks.

It's also a good idea to put a stainless washer on the clamcleat bolt to help it clamp onto the webbing better and some locktite on the bolt and the eyelet on the clamcleat.

There's some movies about how to fit the upgrades here:

http://www.globekites.com/gkweb06/Downloads.htm

[Scribbler]

I doubt you'd be getting the non-upgraded set-up unless the kite has been sitting at the bottom of a pile since Nov/December 2005... if it is, you'll need to add the patches to th eleading edge, rig a re-ride ring to a centre line & add a 'stopper' knot to either side of the bridle.
All the bits for which should be supplied by the kite-seller. Its a pain but easy to do.
I have a .pdf of what you'll need to do if it is the early '05 version... but after the earthquakes in Taiwan internet is fooked and I can't attach files until they fix the undersea cables (!)

The 'upgrade' with extra line on the bar etc. you're referring to from the website is as Ozbungy says optional/uneccessary unless you really want it...

so chill fella, hopefully you wont need to do anything...

[lezo]

Sonics were sold out in Nov/Dec 2005, so I also think that it would be impossible to buy an unused pre-mod Sonic now.

My 11m came with the mod kit in Dec 2005. I did the mod in 15 minutes and rode a lot in 2006 without any problems. My 8m came last spring with all the necessary modifications in place (plastic window protecting the LE under the bridle knot, knots on the bridle etc). The weak webbing on the CL was a problem in the very first series, even on my 11m it was already fixed.

The original bar setup is very simple and gets even simpler if you throw away the useless stopping ball. The optional modifications proposed in 2006 were intended to better adapt the bar and CL line for unhooked riding. If this is important for you right now, it's better to get the 2007 GK bar or the 2007 Waroo bar (and the 2007 Trix). If you are learning/cruising/waveriding/doing hooked-in trics/boosting big air/snowkiting, the original bar will fit you perfectly.

Have fun

[shastadogs2]

thanks mates
hearing from you guys made me feel better (well, that and the xanax)

[kjo]

you will need to upgrade the clamcleat,

the bar doesnt last long... sad to say but buying a used sonic 06 may be a bit expensive if you have to buy a 2007 bar also afterwards

[munteruk]

My bar has lasted fine. I've had it since late 05 and used it regularly for two seasons. Its slightly agricultural and basic but the equipment does the job. For sure 07 stuff is better but the 06 bar was ok.

[kjo]

It is wonderful not to use the kite but... most 06 sonics are like mine around here... does anybody more have this problem???