lemur1599968673 Posted February 10, 2006 Report Posted February 10, 2006 Hi All Not a bit of snow on the ground here in Atlantic Canada and the frozen farmers feilds are calling so I am looking for some advice re buying a buggy. Not much of a buggy scene here...none actually...YET:)... Im partial to Peter Lynn products but not etched in stone. Probably 30% use on feilds and 70% beaches....worlds highest tides only 1 hr drive away...there are 2 very good hard packed sand beaches but softer sand and "gravelly" capability will open MANY more spots. Watching vids of guys jumping from flat has me gob struck and that is an obvious goal...Im only 130 lbs...I get my speed fix on ice with skiis so that not a priority...I have a 4.2 C-quad along with 2, 3 and 5.5 m open foils, a 4\5 and 8\11 Vios and a 7.3 closed foil and a 10m Venom....VENOMS ROCK.....I think I have kites covered...hehehe I have learned that this sport\addiction is about trade-offs and I expect buggys are the same...at either end of options are buying used off of internet or breaking bank and buying latest top of the line new...not excited obout either. I could get a middle of road unit and resell when Im ready to upgrade. I am very mechanically handy so modifying does not scare me. Are there any makes\models I should avoid? Do I need to upgrade bearings to handle salt water? Are wide tire units specific or can you easily switch from normal width to wide (or vise versa)? Will wide tires work on firmer surfaces or will they wear out quickly? If I order new what spare parts (if any)should I also order to avoid down time? Thanks all Rob Quote
Cliffie Posted February 10, 2006 Report Posted February 10, 2006 If you are looking to get into buggy jumping I would avoid the PL buggies and get a flexi bug. My PL XR is too flimsy for jumping for sure but I am sure the jumpers out there will give you more detailed/better advice. Quote
.Joel1599968690 Posted February 10, 2006 Report Posted February 10, 2006 Definetly go either a Flexifoil Buggy, or even a parastorm typhoon. The parastorm is a nice fit, that will suit both long stretches cruising up and down, and buggy jumping. The flexi, is an excellent buggy, however the seating setup isn't as comfortable if you are wanting to take nice day long cruises. I have a PL Comp buggy, with a few modifications etc etc. I would suggest you stay well away from a PL if you want to buggy jump. Simply putting the buggy on 2 wheels at 50 km/h (about 31mph) the thing flexes consistantly, even more around 30km/h (about 19mph) the thing flexes. I have also managed to bend a bolt a week on the thing the past month. The other option is PL offer a stub axle, or one that uses 15mm bolts instead of 12mm. However, you then need to get the bolts from PL as the 15mm are not standard, they are 20mm bolts machined down to 15mm. Going a parastorm or flexi you simply can't go wrong. Other option is a Libre Special, but not sure about jumping with them. I know their race buggies are top notch, but not sure at the lower end. Regards, .Joel Quote
8015 Posted February 10, 2006 Report Posted February 10, 2006 Peter Lynn buggies are Ok for starting out and doing basic freestyle stuff, but as Cliffie says, won't stand the impacts from jumping. The favourites here for that sort of thing are Flexifoils (usually extra strengthening is added) or Parastorms. The libre special is a less favourite option being longer and a bit wider, but it is pretty strong and not as heavy as full blown race buggy. Bearings don't need upgrading for salt water use, if you accept that you will need to change them at least annually, perhaps 6 monthly, but I strongly advise taking them out, degreasing and then packing with some decent grease (I use lithium but a lot of folk prefer marine grease) - the pathetic amount of grease in them is, pathetic and not enough to prevent water ingress. When you come to change bearings consider stainless steel bearings if you can find a reasonable supplier, I get them for about a pound more than normal but a lot of places will double the price or more! There are many tyres you can fit on the hubs (8" diameter, 2.5" wide), standard (4" wide), wide (6.5" - 8" wide usually) - Both 16" diameter, and even bigfoots. The bigfoot tyre is actually 21" diameter by 12" wide but on the narrow 2.5" rims you will only get 8.5" width and a nice curved profile, and we call them "bigfoot lites". On a 5 or 6" wide rim these develop their proper wide flat topped shape but are only necessary on soft sand, for mixed sand the bigfoot lites work well because you get less rolling resistance on the hard, but plenty of width in the soft. The thing is that you can put any tyres on the back without any worries, but on the front it needs to fit in the fork and this is where you have to de research. The original PL comp fork only fits standard tyres, the XR fork will fit 6.5" tyres I beleive, other makes I'm not sure about. It sounds like you shold only need standard or wide tyres on your beaches (best on grass too) so don't worry about bigfoots! One issue is to look at the wheel bolt sizes - most of these buggies come with 12mm bolts (M12) but Peter Lynn does some buggies with a bigger 15mm bolt for extra strength, now this is an ISO M15 size, but that in itself is not a standard thread size and can be hard to track down, and his bolts are also the fine thread version I beleive. Libres and most race buggies come with 20mm bolts which are much stronger. The bolt size impacts the bearings and the hubs since many of the hubs used with 12mm bolts can't accept the 20mm bearings - this is not really an issue since your axle is tapped and you are stuck with whatever size you choose, unless you bust a wheel (anyone done that?) or want to make up a spare set with different tyres. But bigger bolts bend less often! Spares wise - bolts! However don't worry about getting the buggy manufacturers bolts unless it's a 15mm PL. The others are all off the shelf sizes and you can choose stainless steel (grade A4 by preference or A2) or High Tensile steel (grades 8.8 and above). 8.8 bolts tend to last a bit longer than A4 before they bend, and are cheap so you can keep a stock and replace any that rust. Accessories - a splash guard or belly pan are pretty essential - especially if animals use your field, or the beach is wet. A helmet is mandatory, some folk prefer to wear pads (I did for a while), it won't be long before you want to fly on a harness but it's not essential. I assume you already have groundstakes - a holster for carrying one on the buggy is useful but vcan be easily made. Footstraps are a personal preference, they should be loose either way, just enough to stop your feet bouncing off but not enough to trap them in a crash. When you get to jumping you will want a lapstrap, I think all the jumping guys make their own when the time comes so don't worry about it straight away! JIM Quote
8015 Posted February 10, 2006 Report Posted February 10, 2006 Wow, Joel says nearly the same as me - I must be doing good! JIM Quote
sonicseal Posted February 10, 2006 Report Posted February 10, 2006 Go for a flexi. The best buggy in that catagory and you'll get good money and no problems if you want to sell it for a more race specific type. Parastorm buggies: My paramedic buggy jumping buddie (Carl999) is concerned about the high frame sides. You take a sideways knock and it could break your floating ribs resulting in possible punctured lungs Quote
.Joel1599968690 Posted February 10, 2006 Report Posted February 10, 2006 Wow, Joel says nearly the same as me - I must be doing good! JIM Yup Yup If I knew what I knew now about buggies etc I would have steered away from a PL. But the buggy has done me well so far. I just don't trust it on anything except flat oval or flat sand. I myself am looking to pickup a flexi buggy in the next month or so due to the very reason I don't feel safe throwing it around over 30mp/h as it just flexes all over. Now that I put the extended downtube on its like it has its own suspension system.... only time is needed before the siderails break off from the downtube where they bolt on. Regards, .Joel Quote
shrimpo Posted February 10, 2006 Report Posted February 10, 2006 Rob You can Pm Teleplayer, don't now how far east you, he is in Toronto. He flys with some guys that Buggy, and have modified some PL's to up grade them. Grant the PL improter flys with them as well. Shrimpo Quote
lemur1599968673 Posted February 10, 2006 Author Report Posted February 10, 2006 WOW...just the sort of info Im looking for guys...Ill have some more questions as soon as I re-read and absorb...prob take a day or 2.. Hey Shrimpo...I deal with Grant as Im a PL dealer... I have learned that it pays to go with the best product possible and while I am convinced that Venoms fit that bill for kites I am clueless re buggies and hence the post. Some great heads-up info on bolts and bearings...I have also found that it can be these small "irritants" that can cause biggest headaches...Thanks again all. Rob Quote
Nigel No-vice Posted February 10, 2006 Report Posted February 10, 2006 Just a quick point on PL bearing, new for 2005 they were 20mm as standard Quote
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