RRD Passion 9m 2011
Reviews / Kites
21,639
At a Glance
The Passion was new last year for the RRD line up, it was a Delta based design and still is. There are quite a few changes this year, although they are small tweaks rather than drastic modifications. The biggest change is the bridle; last year the kite featured a direct connection to the rear of the kite. This year there is slightly more going on and the rear lines connect to a V bridle with a pulley that in turn connects to the main bridle of the kite. This year the Passion features 6 pulleys on the bridle, two more than last year. We were keen to see how this would affect the handling of the kite. The panel layout is similar, the wingtips are ever so slightly squarer and the trailing edge features the scalloped outline seen on last years Obsession. The wing tip flaps are gone and overall the kite looks a little more refined. The trailing edge features Dacron reinforcement and the whole kite is well made with plenty of patches on the high wear points.
The Bar
At last RRD have upgraded the bar, we have been waiting to see this for some time and it is a great bit of kit. In previous years while the kites were quality the bar was looking a little dated, especially the chicken loop. However, now they have a new all singing all dancing bar with everything you would expect. Clam Cleat depower above the bar takes care of trimming the kite, O’shit handles are there for when it goes wrong and the new chicken loop allows you to connect to an internal front line safety or simply leash to a suicide loop. The release is simple to activate and easy to put back together and the whole set up sits nicely against the bar for unhooked moves.
On the Water
The new Passion will feel familiar to riders who own the 2010 model. It retains that stable, easy-to-fly feel. This year the canopy feels tighter and when you depower in the gusts the airframe stays solid in the sky, making for a very smooth ride. Turning speed is fast and direct, which surprised us as we thought the added pulley and V bridle on the wingtips would slow things down a little and make it feel a little less direct. The key to overcoming this, no doubt, is the wider wingtips. While the Passion retains it’s Delta shape this year the wingtips are a little more squared off. Jumping and hangtime is good, it isn’t as exciting as the Obsession to fly, but it still delivers some punch in terms of performance. If you like freeriding with an easy slant where you can let the kite do it’s own thing then the Passion will delight for sure. The low end is impressive, sadly with the UK summer we never really got to push the top end of the wind range, but it felt fine in winds ranging from 16 to 25 knots. The depower on the bar is very direct so if you do get overpowered it is simply a short movement required from the rider to dump the excess wind. Upwind when powered up was good; the Delta shape penetrating the edge of the window well.
For
Refined design that has improved on last years; even more stable and solid in the air. Great gust control and good low end. Plus you get the new bar, which is a welcome addition to the RRD line up
Against
The complicated bridle will no doubt put some riders off, but it honestly doesn’t feel like the bridles of old. The kite is sharp and direct.
Overall
The Passion is the perfect tool for the freeriders out there that want an easy kite to fly, it isn’t going to set the world on fire in terms of performance, but then that isn’t the point. Stability and solid handling are what is on offer here.
This review was in Issue 22 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit RRDRelated
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!
