Has anyone flown one yet? I'm hopeing to be able to experience it for myself. Is it true that a 9 will fly like a 11? Any comparisons to the legendary Fuel?

They'll be a 12m Link on demo at Brighton this Sunday

I am keen to try it out, my name is Alistair Murchison on 0407 483 360 can I get you phone number to call to check that it will be goingn ahead (assuming the wind becomes marginal?)

Cheers

I'd say it is at Brighton Brisbane as that is where Mike hails from. The local dealer is briskite. Hope to get a ride myself.
Also heard there are demos flaoting around the gold coast at the moment.

Had a fly today of a 12 at the Goldie. Definately an improvement on the Turbo Diesal.

got to try a 9m link today....maybe 16/17-20/22 knots gusty.....am 82 kg riding 132x37

very smooth flying kite....gentle power feed...little pull when looping the kite or rather putting through a snap 360 degree turn...

in this wind strength, the kite hungered for more wind if you wanted to boost well with it....definitely could easily handle high 20 knots from what i found today....

my 10m SLE of another brand felt much more powered by comparison....but then it is 1m larger and it should...

the Link has excellent construction, flew without any flutter, has light bar pressure and powers on in gusts like a very flexible board....

definite improvement on Slingy's last year bow....

In oz you'll get a 9 link deal for around 15-1600 ko and your lift second hand about 3-400 I reckon, but in a popular airush locality.

I hear it's way cheaper to buy kit in SA though (as in south africa) esp naish and slingy.

is there gonna be both 5th line and 4 line SLE at Brighton on sunday?????? only a 12mtr???? the wind is pretty naf this time of year.

I,m very keen to try both SLE and 5th line.

Merman

There was a 12m Link at demo Brighton (Melbourne) on Sunday.

I think the Link is a very poor kite when underpowered but I suspect it has good topend range.

There were several of us riding nicely powered up on Sonic 11, Nova2 12, Waroo 12, assorted Xbow and Switchblade and a few C kites. The wind was about 15 knots with gusts up to 18 knots and quite sharp lulls down to 10-12 knots.

One of the guys had a demo Link 12 from a local store rigged in 4 line mode. I think the bar was 55cm. It felt quiet long compared to my Sonic bar.

A longtime Slingshot Fuel rider took it out first. He crashed it straight into the water. He eventually got it relaunched in the light conditions and was able to ride a bit. He found it very slow turning and very lacking in low end power. We made sure the kite was pumped up hard using a Slingshot pump and pressure gauge and moved the lines to the highest power pigtail knots.

The same guy later went out on the Nova2 and was comfortably powered up. He later took out an 06 Fuel 11m and was powered in the gusts but underpowered in the lulls. He was able to pop a few tricks on each run (back roll kite loop) with a short walk between runs. He certainly did much better on the Fuel and the Nova than the Link. The Fuel rider had tried the Rebel a few days earlier and is very enthusiastic about the Rebel.

I had been riding nicely powered on my Sonic then took out the Link. I too dived the kite straight into the water. It just would not turn fast enough to get it around durning a strong power stroke. I was able to relaunch fairly easily. I was able to get the kite to turn by pulling in a good handful of back line leader.

I found the bar pressure quite high compared to my Sonic but less than a Crossbow. It was very hard trying to keep the bar pulled and trying to make the kite turn. When underpowered it is the slowest turning kite I have ever used (slower than the Rhino 2/20 or 16m Crossbow).

I eventually caught a gust and was able to ride reasonably well with the stopper locked hard up against the bar holding on maximum power. I was able to relax a bit and ride upwind and do gentle turns with one or both hands working the end of the bar. I quite like the stopper.

I returned to the beach and took out my Sonic and was well powered again.

The Link felt as though it might have worked better if we could shorten the back lines and had a longer bar. Everything was rigged for maximum power and it was the proper bar and lines for the Link.

I and the other guy are both very experienced riders and have ridden lots of kites. We both know how to trim kites for maximum power.

I have sent emails to various Slingshot reps asking for their opinions. One guy replied and says he likes his Link and is surprised that we did not like it.

The construction of the Link is the usual excellent Slingshot quality. It does have a huge, tubular batten in each wing tip which would make it hard to fold the kite down small. The 9 struts is amazing to look at but with one-pump it is hardly an issue.

The bridles are the Sonic/Waroo configuration. A bit longer than the Sonic but shorter than the Waroo.

Yeah 12m or under link needs a bit more wind to fly...so agree that it's not a low end kite. It is a heavy kite and it flies so far to the edge of the window that it flies out of power. When it's in the power it has alot of grunt and it turns fast. Pumped up to 10psi and this kite is rock solid.

i have just ridden the Link 12 on the 5 line setup

firstly let me say i am a fuel rider and i do not like the feel of the bridle set on any kite i have tested so it was no surprize to me that i like the Link on the 5 line set up much better than the bridle.

Changing over takes about 20 mins but make sure you folow the new fine tuning notes put out by Slingshot this week.

The settings were perfect and the kite feels like a Fuel but a little slower.

Very smooth with plenty of power rode it in 13 - 18knts - it cold handle heaps more wind.

The kite is very predicatble with the positive direct pull that you come to expect from SS.

The bar works great with the 5 line set ....and when you compare it to what North are offering with their bar ( which looks like the most least thought about set up I have seen) itis the bomb. Beats me why other comapnies don't copy the progress SS has made on bar design.

I would totally recomend for general kiting ......Existing Fuel riders will still be impressed but may prefer the dynamic style of the fuel

Just seen one of the new colour schemes for the Link that just arrived. Green and yellow, with a little black and white, looks very Aussie (just needs the boxing kangaroo). Good looking kite if you like to fly the flag and show a little patriotism. Hopefully they will bring out the same colours in the fuel.

Got to ride the 15m Link in the 5-line setup today. Before I got to ride it I was on a 06 15m Fuel, so it was good comparison, I was riding in about 14kts in surf.
In the sky the Link looks at least 3 meters bigger (projected area) than the Fuel. The first thing you notice when you get going if the smooth power delivery and how fast the kite turns, it runs rings around the 15 Fuel, turns like a 13m. For a big bow kite it is very light on for bar pressure and there is a ton of range on the trim. The Link has defiantly got more power than the Fuel once going and flies faster, I was going upwind better than the Fuel and was riding faster. Jumping feels totally different and will take a big to get used too, but that’s like all bow kites.
It hasn’t got the raw bottom end grunt and punch that Fuel delivers, it think that is the main thing that separates these two kites.
The 15m Link will be a good light wind kite and it will suit the free rider that likes to cruise back and forth or the larger framed riders.

had a quick go on 9m link yesterday.
first thing to say is that i think this kite is more like a standard c 9m in terms of power and if you normally ride a 10/11 you will definately want to go for the 10.5.
this kite flys around the turns and io think the nicest to kiteloop unhooked out of all the bow/hybrids i have used so far.
only had a quick session in about 18knts before the wind died so cant say too much.
will be flying more this week (in both modes hopefully)and will post my views
will have both the link and airush flow sle for demo at Brighton (scarbs)WA next sat
cheers
happy kiting
lee

Apparently there is a bridle mod to help the Link out a bit, maybe keeps it further forward in the window for better upwind/ bottomend performance..speak to your local rep/shop, Haven't flown it, have seen some riders on it, it seemed to fly and turn well...just couldn't go up wind.....p.s the candy strip colours are butt ugly... diffently not the kite of the season by far!!!!

i found the link 12 was nice to fly but it didnt have much boost for big jumps.....is there a way 2 change the kite.

also as the kite was powered up the tips on the kite looked really weird, is that a design fault?