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The new North bar shipped with the Rhino 6 has a FUNDAMENTAL design flaw that is a serious safety risk that will show up after less than three hours of use. The new chicken line uses a cleat system for depower and has a pulley on the top. A single line, not much thicker than a kite line comes from the two centre/front lines at the kite. Both front lines converge to this single line that goes through the pulley, loops back to a rectangular metal O ring, and travels through a smaller metal O ring. The end of the centre line is spliced to a loop connected to the large O ring. Hard to explain how it looks without a photo and there is no photo on the North site showing it. Problem is that where the line passes through both O rings, it wears on the line during normal flying. After less than three hours of flying this line will wear through and the centre line will snap -- effectively the same effect as breaking your chicken loop. When this line breaks, even if you let go the bar, both back lines are still fully powered. Even if you are connected only to your leash the kite does not depower! This happened to two different bars in less than 24 hours at a beach near Sydney on the weekend. Two different kiters, two different bars, two different kites. BOTH SYSTEMS BROKE IN EXACTLY THE SAME PLACE AFTER LESS THAN THREE HOURS ON THE WATER. When are North going to learn to field test their gear before putting it into production? DO NOT BUY A NEW NORTH KITE UNTIL THEY RECALL, REDESIGN AND REPLACE THIS CATEGORICALLY UNSAFE BAR AND LINE SYSTEM.

Here's a photo of the design flaw. It's incredible that something like this made it into production. This is your main connection to the kite and bears the heaviest load. It wears from friction and will break after less than three hours.

thanks for pointing this out. We have a rider with exactly the same bar and it is showing wear at just the same spot.

North, on 10/7/05, issued an URGENT NOTICE to all dealers who have received the new bar, outlining this problem and how to correct it. I don't know how to post this notice, but the problem and the fix was addressed on an eariler post. Hard to imagine they did see this before releasing to consumers. GO FIGURE

i've been using my 06 ironheart for 2 weeks straight probably have about 40 hours on the thing already, and that little line has shown no wear whatsoever. They have fieldtested, the bar has been running for almost 3 months now, only recently has it broke for a couple people. i defend North here because i am sympathetic and it seems like youre(Robbo) trying to smear their rep.


anyway i did the suggest modification, which took a whole 30 seconds.

Sorry, I meant this as a positive post. in the sense that they recognized a 'potential' problem and took corrective action

consumer wrote:i've been using my 06 ironheart for 2 weeks straight probably have about 40 hours on the thing already, and that little line has shown no wear whatsoever. They have fieldtested, the bar has been running for almost 3 months now, only recently has it broke for a couple people. i defend North here because i am sympathetic and it seems like youre(Robbo) trying to smear their rep.


anyway i did the suggest modification, which took a whole 30 seconds.

Another brand-bias delusional comment...

Robbo clearly stated what the problem is... and there was an URGENT NOTICE to all dealers... and you suggested a modifcation... so I take it that it is a potential serious problem...

My question is... why not let all the customers know... Robbo could be more brand friendly than you... but given the standard here... he does not need to be... and he is letting the most important people... the customers know of the problem... that's a "PUBLIC SERVICE"... why didn't you if you were aware of the problem... I know... it's because it's you pet brand...

People like Robbo... with well-documented assertions should be encouraged to speak... not admonished...

Robbo wrote:WATER. When are North going to learn to field test their gear before putting it into production?

hey vietkiter, suck my cock and read that line.

thanks.

consumer wrote:

Robbo wrote:WATER. When are North going to learn to field test their gear before putting it into production?

That's the standard of smearing? That's quite benign here.

vietkiter wrote:Robbo could be more brand friendly than you... but given the standard here... he does not need to be...

I am quite aware of why you feel compelled to defend North... brand sensitivity...

PS... I have no reason to believe you are gay... so why offer up yourself? I would also politely decline if you offer your ass also. I am sure the experience would be quite unpleasant for both of us. Only a nice person would make such a suggestion.

But if you are gay... PM stuntc about his role in StuntC*ocks, the movie.

So what is the modification?
Thx
Arjan