A: Yes, there is a steering mechanism at the front wheel. The steering mechanism is the key part of the Kitescooter. You can't keep balance without, really!
(Early model steering mechanism)
The questions are derived from emails and posts in kite landboarding forums. Very often people use the word "Windscooter" instead of "Kitescooter". I've already though about adopting this naming. You still have to convince me.
Q: Is there a steering mechanism in the Kitescooter or is it just two wheels in line?
A: Yes, there is a steering mechanism at the front wheel. The steering mechanism is the key part of the Kitescooter. You can't keep balance without, really!
(Early model steering mechanism)
Q: Do I need mountainboarding experience to ride a Kitescooter?
A: Mountainboard experience is rather a disadvantage than a help. Wrong kind of foot activity, that causes oversteering of the Kitescooter all the time and makes it feel 'wobbly'. The idea of first learning to kite with a 4 wheeled board is plain nonsense.
Q: What kind of experience is helpful for kitescooting beginners?
A: Snowboarding, wakeboarding, (water-)monoskiing, surfing, windsurfing. Kiteboarding of course and anything that improves your kite handling.
Q: How long does it take to learn to ride a Kitescooter?
A: (cited): My son (19 years old, learned how to surf by himself in 7 days, great skier, windsurfer and kiter, NO snowboarding experience) nailed it instantly, he started to carve by the third run. For me (I am 49, same sporting background as he, only I never was able to stand up on the surfboard) it was a bit longer. About half an hour. The biggest problem for me is phsycological, when starting. It turned out to be much easier on the STEEP slope. No need to push - just stand up on it and here it goes. by the end of my first hour I was making turns both ways.
Q: The footstraps have a strange geometry. Isn't that an inconvenient stance?
A:
The stance is probably not what you expect! The strap orientation is quite misleading. Despite of the orientation of the front strap, your feet should align as follows: rear foot 0 to +- 10 degrees, front foot about 45 degrees. From either side of the board the same. Very much what you would expect from a directional kiteboard, snowboard or windsurfing board.
(Recommended stance on a scooter)
Q: A 2-wheeled board like the Kitescooter can't be used for sliding, right?
A: Wrong. Moto-cross motor bikes do slide very well, don't they? If you use a third point (kite or your hand on the ground) you can do huge slides. Under wet conditions, this is a really effective way of slowing down. One thing makes sliding more difficult: the Kitescooter edges hard (harder than a 4-wheeled board) so the force required to start sliding is much bigger. I personally slide only on wet grass because of this.
Q: The Kitescooter does not provide as much grip as a 4-wheeled one?
A: Wrong. The Kitescooter is equipped with sharp edged wheels not round shaped ones. The more you tilt it, the harder the wheel 'cuts' into ground. This may be the reason, why the Kitescooter outperforms most 4-wheeled boards (that would need different tire threads depending on how soft the ground is).
Q: How do I start riding (downhill) with the Kitescooter?
A: Put your rear foot into the strap. Push with the other foot into movement and put it into the front strap. Initial movement is the key to easy start.
Q: How do I start riding with a kite?
A: Point the board 20-45 degrees downwind. Put your rear foot into the strap. Power up your kite. When the kite starts pulling forward, push with the foot on the ground into movement and put it into the front strap. Power up even more and turn slightly upwind when you have reached enough speed. Choosing a too small kite or using few kite power is the most common mistake of a beginner.
Q: Aren't just all 2 wheeled boards more or less the same?
A: No. The differences between different brands are MUCH bigger than between the 4 wheeled boards. All 2-wheelers share the same principle of steering (positive caster) but the parameters/characteristics can be chosen from a very broad range. These parameters include: amount of caster, wheel size and inertia, steering dampening, emphasis on gyration effects or suppressing them, ground clearance and center of gravity and even more.
Q: What other 2-wheeler ATBs do you know?
A: Sicnomen (France) www.sicnomen.com, X-Board (Austria) www.httrading.com, Dirtsurfer (Australia) www.dirtsurfer.com, Grassboard (Germany) www.grassboard.com.
Q: What's the difference between a dirtsurfer and a Kitescooter?
A: Dirtsurfer has a larger positive caster (over half of the wheel radius), emphasizes gyration effects due to wheel geometry and is quite large. Kitescooter has a small positive caster, supresses gyration effects and is relative short despite more deck space. As result, Dirtsurfer has lower movement resistance due to the wheel size while Kitescooter is way more stable when riding fast, edging hard and jumping. Beginners take advantage of the better stability at low speed. Dirtsurfers front wheel appears rather loose.
Q: Why is the Kitescooter B-125 superior to other 2-wheeled ATBs?
A: The Kitescooter B-125 is the lightest all terrain 2-wheeler, provides good straps, a long deck, a brake, reasonable large wheels and well chosen steering characteristics including a dynamic steering dampening for riding rough terrain or low speed.
Q: Can I ride backwards with a Kitescooter?
A: No way. If you're a prodigy child that can drive fast backwards with a car + trailer, then there is a theoretical chance to do ;-)
Q: Can't you build a bidirectional Kitescooter by putting a steering mechanism into the rear wheel?
A: No way. Such a mechanism is inherently destabilizing. I've tried, although it was clear from theory it won't work . It proved to be unusable in reality. I could ride it with utmost concentration for a few meters but then lost balance with no chance of regaining it.
Q: Can a Kitescooter compete with mountainboards in their slalom races?
A: It does not only compete very well, it seems to have advantages over most 4-wheelers. Bigger wheels, less board width (that matters when riding around the poles!), hard edging of the wheel rather than relying on the tread and not to forget the superior control at high speed and in a curve.
Q: Can a Kitescooter compete with dirtsurfers in their slalom races?
A: Indeed, it does compete very well. Kiterscooter's tighter turning radius and it's hard edging wheels allow to get around the poles quicker, with more tilt.
Q: Why is the Kitescooter so expensive?
A: The Kitescooter B-125 is made of a very strong aluminium that requires a time and energy consuming heat treatment to develop full strength. Also the steering mechanism looks simple (from outside) but is hard to manufacture. CNC turning, milling, hard anodizing, steel and aluminium hardening and many precision parts make it impossible to produce the Kitescooter for sweeties. We provide a cheaper KiteScoot made of stainless steel since July 2004, the F-120.
Q: Why can't I buy a Kitescooter from my local kite equipment dealer?
A: Going through the normal distribution path would increase the Kitescooters price to double or three times its manufacture price. As the manufacture cost is really high it would be way too expensive in a shop.