Hey Guys,

I'm been itching to join the forum, but I've always owned LEI kites until yesterday! I got a great price on a HQ NEO II 14m and pulled the trigger. I thought it would a great way to slowly get into foil kiting. I kiteboard and I'll only be using my kites on the water. Here's my question.

I safely and successfully launched my HQ NEO II for a test flight this evening and it looks great. But I'm afraid I'm doing something wrong.

It flew but the back lines were super loose. I landed it and re did the lines and looked to see if I could do anything to set it up different. Nope... flew it again and the same thing. It was super depowered, stalling and the back lines were super loose compared to the tight front lines. I got inside and checked the manual again, I hooked it up right!?!?! I’m now thinking it has an older bar that is not compatible with this model. The kite is very clean and in good condition but the bar isn’t so that’s my guess... but idk what to do now. Trim the lines?

Before I make any terrible mistakes on my kite or lines... I was hoping someone with experience could offer me some advice on this scenario?

Thanks guys!

JFL
not current on that kite but it should have a power/depower strap on the front lines ,sounds like it might be fully depowered.

Call me in the morning.

252-491-2113

In the meantime, take a photo of the bar you have and email it to chris at hq-kites-usa.com.

Chris

Hey junkie. Thanks for the advice. I did check the depower while flying... Nothing unusual. It was fully powered.

Hey Chris. I'll send you a pic. I'll try and give you a call while at work around 10ish... Thank you so much for being so helpful.

Thanks guys... I really appreciate it!

maybe the lines are hooked up backwards? If the rear lines are that loose it should be very, very difficult to turn. Was it hard to turn?

Yes. It was hard to turn... I hooked up the outside lines to the rear bridle and the middle lines to the front of the bridle. Is that incorrect? It appeared to be setup that way based on the manual they have online.

sounds correct ...

what were the winds? were you riding on the water when you were trying it?

My experience with the neo II is limited but is it like the others in the HQ series and has 2-3 knots on the center line of the bar where the main lines connect? if so what knot were you on?

Also does it have adjustments under the floaties? My ozones are like that but cant remember if the HQ is the same

nope, I didn't fly it on the water... Just testing it out, since it seemed off I didn't take it on the water. Winds were consistently 15 mph with small gusts. I do see 3 knots on each center line where the main connects. My lines are connected to the knot closest to the end of the center line furthest from the bar. If that is the problem, moving it down a knot or two could tighten up the back lines I assume. Under the floaties I could not find any adjustments but I could be wrong about that one.

there might not be anything under the floaties on the HQ so do not stress on that.

If your at the furest knot from the bar on the center lines than you have the brakes as tight as you can get them. If you move the main lines to the knots closer to the bar than the rear lines get longer ... so from what you currently have going on that would be the wrong adjustment

When you get Chris the picture of the bar he should be able to get you sorted.

okay. Thanks.

when you pulled in the bar were the rear lines still loose? could you see the kite change angles?

yes, when I pulled in the bar, the rear lines were still very loose. The kite did not change angles. It was almost as if the kite was flying with the center front lines only.

That sounds a lot like my Pulse 10m after I upgraded the bar to the Infinity 1.0. Back lines were very loose and the pulling in the bar gave no power.

I sent it to John and he corrected the lines.

Now the Pulse is like a whole new kite. Pulling in the bar gives immediate power.

-joedy

Hey joedy, thanks for the help... i wonder what john could have done to correct it?

For a small fee I'll fly it , fix it and keep it. Your best option though is to work with Chris. Will be a fun kite when you get it sorted out.

Very tempting mr. Spider... something tells me you've done this before. :evil:

i'll PHIX it for PHREE! and a thorough testing of course!

Thanks for the photos Jonathan.

First thing I noticed...the flying lines are not stock. HQ Kites come with coloured lines, and from the photos, these look all white. Is that accurate?

If that is correct, the first thing you need to do is check the line lengths. All the flying lines should be EQUAL in length. Over time, the front (or center) lines will stretch more than the bottom (or outside) lines since this is where most all the pull is originating. You can compensate for this by adjusting the position of the front line attachment to the bar's center extension.

Out of the bag, you can fly on the end of the extension, or the last knot. With some usage, you will need to move to one knot closer to the bar (this shortens the center line). If you find extreme stretch, you can move the center lines even further up.

Most of the issues you describe are a function of unequal line lengths.

If this is not the problem, please let me know. And we'll move on to the next possible issue.

Cheers,

Chris

good on Chris for mentioning line length. That is step one. I always forget that step when I tell people how to fix things lol I just jump right in to adjusting.

Actually what Chris said is true about the center lines stretching. In your case though it is opposite. Your rear lines are stretched. maybe it could be the person you bought it from flew those lines in the center that you have on the rear??

If your lines are different lengths .. AND the person you bought the kite from replaced the lines with proper lines you should be able to switch them as they should all 4 be equal weight rating. This will put the long lines (Assuming your lines are different lengths) in the center and the shorter on the outside ... should fix the problem as well as stretch them all back equal over time

Awesome advice... ill give it a shot tonight after work!

just make sure you do the steps and not just switch the lines.

check the lines to see if they are equal or not.

if not and you want to switch them make sure they are the same strength. Its highly possible they are not marked so you will just have to compare the diameter of the line and see if they are the same.

Since I dont know what bar you have ... another option might be add knots to the outside leaders and connect the lines to the new knots. This will shorten the trailing edge lines. Just make sure the knots you add are equal distance on both sides to keep your lines even from left to right

Got it... will post after i figure it out.

Is yor fly open?

It should have a zipper on the back to keep the air in / let it out -- if it's like the Matrixx.

When I was learning on a Matrixx my instructor (10 years of experience) did exactky that. I was like, "This kite sucks".

So, my NEO 2 has nice beefy bright orange "Front" lines (A-risers) that should be going to the center lines of the bar/chicken loop. The brake lines (smaller thickness bridles) go to the bar ends respectively. Make sure the lines are NEAR the same length, or just a tad shorter for the center/front lines...
I love my Neo BTW....it's an awesome no-pump, park in the sky and ride style of kite...
WEEE!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByEqAkC-z2Y&feature=share...

Nice video Steve!