Cabrinha MOTO X 9m 2024
Reviews / Kites
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At A Glance
The Moto X has emerged as a versatile weapon in the freeride and crossover kiteboarding scene, catering to riders who enjoy riding twin tips and surfboards.
Crafted with the innovative HTD Lite airframe and boasting features such as the ISC (Intuitive Steering Control) and Bi-Directional Pure Profile Panels, the Moto X strikes a perfect balance between high performance and user-friendliness. Its three-strut, moderate aspect ratio hybrid design, coupled with a reactive wing tip and a lean profile, enables quick and nimble flight around the wind window and makes it exceptionally responsive.
The use of HTD Lite, a lightweight yet ultra-rigid Dacron, along with short, pulleyless bridles, enhances the kite’s reactivity. Ultralite bladders significantly decrease the overall weight of the kite, while EVA rigidity battens on the trailing edge, Nano Ripstop canopy and durable TPU leading edge bumpers ensure durability and stability. For 2024 the Moto X features a refined canopy design integrated with a full HTD Lite Dacron skeleton, which work together to make it one of the lightest and most responsive versions of the Moto X to date.
Its prowess isn't limited to a singular kiteboarding discipline; the Moto X excels across freeride, surf, freestyle, and foiling, making it a quintessential all-rounder. Notably, it's smooth handling, characterised by light bar pressure and prompt steering, alongside a pulley-less design, offers direct feedback and instantaneous kite response. The Sprint 3.0 inflation system enhances ease of use by improving airflow and facilitating maintenance, further accentuated by a new process that augments the bumpers' durability against abrasion.
Included with the kite is a stylish expanding roll sided backpack designed for ease and efficiency in transportation and storage, addressing the rider's need for practicality alongside performance. It's big enough to get two kites in at a time, saving space on the way to the beach and for those hard to reach spots allowing you to take two kites with you in one bag.
Sizes: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14m
In The Air
The Moto X is a very versatile kite, and for 2023, the dynamic steering system has been introduced to make it even more so. As you’d expect from a Cabrinha kite, the quality is top-notch, and it feels really solid and well-built in the air. The handling is direct and responsive, and the kite has a very smooth and stable feel about it.
The depower is excellent, and the kite is easy to control in gusty conditions. The throw is quite short, and it is easy to dump excessive power from the kite when you need to. The low-end power is impressive, and the kite generates a good amount of pull when you need it; we were really impressed with how early the 9m would get us going. Upwind performance is also really good, and the kite flies forward in the window, allowing you to hold your edge and ride upwind with ease.
Jumping with the Moto X is a lot of fun; the kite has a good amount of hangtime and is easy to time for take off. It’s not the most aggressive take-off, and it's quite forgiving and easy to get a decent jump out of it, even with less-than-perfect technique. It’s got a good amount of float and strikes a decent balance with a smooth launch and excellent air time. Relaunch is very easy, and the kite gets back up in the air quickly after a crash.
In the waves, the Moto X performs exceedingly well; the fast and dynamic turning lend to this discipline and in cross-on-shore conditions, the kite really pivots and turns on the wave. It’s got a good amount of drift and can be flown aggressively down the line; the kite will hang when you need it too, although if you want the ultimate in drift, then check out the Drifter, which we have also tested this issue. The turning speed is fast and predictable, allowing you to position the kite exactly where you want it. Freestyle riders will also enjoy the Moto X; it has excellent pop, reasonable slack to perform tricks, and very precise handling.
Overall
The Moto X is a great all-round kite that will appeal to a wide range of riders. It’s got excellent low-end power, a large wind range, and is very versatile across freeride, wave, big air and freestyle disciplines. If you want a kite that can do it all without compromise then the Moto X should be on your shopping list.
Videos
This review was in Issue 104 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit CabrinhaRelated
By Rou Chater
Rou has been kiting since the sports inception and has been working as an editor and tester for magazines since 2004. He started IKSURFMAG with his brother in 2006 and has tested hundreds of different kites and travelled all over the world to kitesurf. He's a walking encyclopedia of all things kite and is just as passionate about the sport today as he was when he first started!
