RPM
2012 Slingshot RPM
Slingshot’s RPM has was a great kite already when it was released year 2009. The RPM is now released in its 4th version, tuned to perfection! You´re probably familiar with Ruben Lenten and Youri Zoon. Ruben is the guy’s that make insane kiteloops, Youri is the world’s kiteboarder champion. Perhaps is it a coincident that they both ride with Slingshot or perhaps do other kite manufacturers simply not produce kites that are good enough for those who requires top performance?
1Slingshot RPM 2012
The first pictures of the coming Slingshot RPM 2012 are currently being spread over the net!
The Slingshot RPM is the original “Open C” kite which has revolutionized the kite world almost as mush as when the bow kites entered the market. The RPM evolved to become the kite that made Youri Zoon the world kitesurfer champion. It has become a riders favorite throughout the world among both beginners and advanced riders.
The RPM 2012 is built on the same platform as the 2011 version, that is Open-C canopy and Slingshot’s patented Split Strut technology. Features that pushes kite design into a whole new level. Slingshot claims that they have refined the “Full Suspension Bridle” and modified the wing tip attachment points to optimize kite performance and to deliver complete tuning customization. These extra features and the new kite size 7m allows complete versatility in all conditions and all riding styles.
Slingshot RPM 2012 gives you:
* OPEN-C DESIGN PLATFORM
* SPLIT STRUT INTEGRATED 3 STRUT DESIGN
* NEW SIZE (7M), QUIVER BUILDER!
* REFINED FULL SUSPENSION BRIDLE
* PROGRESSIVE POWER STEERING
* LOW PROFILE WING TIPS
* SLINGSHOT ONE -PUMP
* DIMENSION-POLYANT DACRON LEADING EDGE AND STRUT MATERIAL
* TRI TECH PROTECTION
* SLINGSHOT LEGENDARY CONSTRUCTION
* LIFETIME RIDER HOTLINE SUPPORT
As you can see the RPM 2012 also comes in a new canopy design. Gone are the arrows 🙂
02011 Slingshot RPM Review
At a glance
The bottom end of the RPM seems to have been improved and we 
managed to get up on the board and ride in winds as low as 14 knots. Just pilot the kite through the wind window which increases the bottom end significantly, and it gets you going. The RPM flies upwind easily when you power up and it gives you nice boosts and floats with great precision at all time. The rock solid construction also provides great stability and we were impressed of the way that the RPM handles various wind conditions. Strong gusts are smoothened out which gives you confidence to perform tricks even when the wind is a bit to rough. The line swivel is a small, but great innovation since you don’t have to worry about your front lines getting tangled up and you don’t have to mess with bar after a break on land. Small thing like this swivel, adjustable bar settings, strong lines, reliable construction etc make the kite an overall user friendly kite without and annoying things to bother about. The RPM is the kite’s Volvo or Ferrari depending on how you look at it. It turns fast, gives great boost and loops fast and powerful. It relaunches with ease and is a pleasure to fly. Also a great kite for unhooked tricks since it generates good amount of pull when popping. Its park and popping performances are among the best on the market and there is no surprise that Youri Zoonand other pro´s are nailing 900’s and other insane tricks, it all becames a lot easier with the RPM. Without hesitation on of the best kites on the market suitable both for advanced riders and beginners that need a kite they don’t have to exchange as they progress.Conclusion
The 2010 RPM was a great kite and it´s no big surprise that Slingshot has chosen to tune up an already winning concept with some improvements when it comes to wind range, stability and rigidity. The RPM is now a very refined kite and you really get value for this kite, which besides has a good second hand value as well. Slingshot has set the bar high for all competitors this year and it will be interesting to see if they can match this monster. In fact with RPM, Slingshot might squeeze the market for the also very popular Fuel which from now on may be the choice for the more extreme and aggresive form of kitesurfing. For more information on the 2011 RPM check out Slingshot’s Official Site or visit Kiteboarding Review
Slingshot RPM 10m Review
I recently had a session with a Slingshot RPM 10m, 2009 version. A hybrid kite, i.e. a combination of a traditional c-kite and a bow kite.
First impression:
The kite is extremely robust and well constructed. The leader lines are reinforced to withstand really tough conditions! I´ve been riding kites from many different manufactures such as Cabrinha Crossbow, Royal, EH etc… but none can compare to Slingshot when it comes to construction. No wonder Ruben Lenten and Youri Zoon rides with Slingshot!
In the air:
The RPM is positioned a little back in wind window making it almost immune to gusts. You can let go of the bar and the kite is just parked there in the sky. The handling is fast, the kite immidiately response on your manouvers. You could have wished more from the RPM when it comes to jumping. The hang time is simply not very good and it feels like you fall down quite fast from the sky, but perhaps is it just me that isn’t good enough to control the kite in the sky… though I feel that I can jump a lot higher and more controlled with bow-kites.
The bar:
The bar has a metal aluminium core which makes it strong and indestructible. Slingshot are still obstinate when it comes to the the lines that goes through the bar, they look like some cheap rope bought in a store for sailing and they do get worn out quite “fast”. What you can do is to put some wax on the ropes, not only will it make them slide easier through the bar, but make it less vulnerable to wear. The depower strap is also quite shitty, you pull it down and attach it in some kind of cleat stolen from a sailboat and it works in the same way, it just tends to wear the rope. These ropes also have a tendency to scrape against you fingers when you ride with one hand placed on the middle of the bar. Conclusion is that bars where the center lines is wrapped in a plastic tube is much more comfortable!
Overall:
The RPM is great kite. The bar could be more comfortable, but I guess that is something Slingshot have worked with and I assume that bars from 2011 are nicer than this 2009 version. The RPM is a pro kite and my feeling is that you must be an advanced rider you fully enjoy this kite.
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Why Slingshot?
Are you a freestyle kiter that is tired of your old dusty kites? Do you think that your kites are to slow and not powerful enough to make tricks and give you big air? Perhaps is it time to try something new? I asked the Slingshot Support which of their kites they though I should pick, here is the answer:
The kite that I think would fit your style best is out RPM. The RPM is our Open C style kite. It is a strong freestyle Kite which is currently leadering on the PKRA Pro tour. But the kite is still manageable in the surf and down in line kiting. It is a 3 strut kite with split strut in the 2011 Model. This gives the kite great lighter wind capabilety do to it lighter weight 3 strut canopy. I have attached a link to the RPM page on our website. This will give you more detail on the kite and the style on riding the kite was designed for. Let me know if you have any other questions about the kite or any of our other products.
Here is the link to the Slingshot RPM 2011 version
Slingshot RPM 10m & 12m 2009 Review
By Slingshot kiter
I had the opportunity to kite a Slingshot RPM for three days in Sun Juan, one 10m and one 12m. My first kite was a Slingshot Fuel, then I moved to Turbo 2 and 3 and now I’m riding with a REV2. I always liked Slingshots products, but I´ve also been kiting Flexifoil and Ozone.
Anyway, let me tell you what I think about the 2009 RPM.
The turning speed on the kite is fast and what is also interesting is the way the kite turns, which is very tight. Some kites rotate in kites and bow kites tend to slide through turns and SLE’s such as the REV usually turns in an arc. The Slingshot RPM instead tends to almost pivot around its wingtip. Moreover, the kite doesn’t lose much power when you turn it, in fact you can actually gain power without having to turn the kite right up towards the sky. My REV2 turns a little faster, but the RPM turns tighter and it responds immediately.
The RPM is also very stable. I was expecting to have more or less wind since it was quite gusty the three days I kited, but the kite absorbed the gust very nicely and it didn’t dold in when the wind died like many others of the kites did. The 3-strut design makes the kite light and it doesn’t take much space when you pack it.
The jumping was amazing! The kite pulled you up and then you float a long time in the air and there was lots of tension on the way down. I never dropped like a stone which I did with my old Turbos. This could of course be a reason of that I´m better at kiting now and I know what I do, but the thing is that the kite was much more predictable.
In lighter wind I could still play around and be able to ride upwind or carve down a small wave. The kite didn’t got slow when I depowered and the bar pressure was perfect, not to light and not to heavy. I kept the lines attached to the outermost wing tip knot.
Another thing I noticed is that when you dive the kite you get power immediately and are ready to go again. My REV2 is more dependent on wind.
On overall I don’t really have anything negative to say about the RPM 2009. I never tried to kite unhooked, but I heard that the kite should be good for that purpose.
Good wind!
1Slingshot 2011 RPM features
Here is a video about features and benefits of the new 2011 RPM Slingshot kite. People without soundcards, don’t worry, a text based version of the video can be read below the video.
We wanted to take a kite that was acting really up to our expectations and that 
everyone was giving a straight feedback. And we only wanted to make it better, we didn’t wanna so much that it would give you a different feel. So you’re gonna get the same RPM as the 2010 version, we’re just gonna add a couple of things that really is benefit the kite in the way it performs.
One of the key standard features is the split strut. You can see it on the top of the canopy. It’s attaching the canopy to the strut in two points rather than the canopy going over attaching at a single point. 
It’s gonna provide a significant amount of stability and rigidity and it’s gonna beef up the durability to the canopy when it crashes and especially when it’s flying in the air, cause as you unhook it really allows the kite to hold that pocket a lot better cause the canopy is gonna be a lot more stable and firm through out your whole kite. Split strut also benefits the relaunching of the kite. It’s the same procedure as for any bow kite, just pull in a side line and the kite is gonna walk itself to the edge of the wind window and flip right up. Or you can pull both back lines and it will fly up backwards just like the Fuel.
Also a feature with the kite this year. 
We have the same open c-canopy that is tried and true. It gives the kite a really stable and direct feel that we’ve liked for past two version of the RPM (this is the third version).
Other features are of course the proprietary one pump that we have on all our Slingshot kites, the single infaltion point, you’re gonna get the struts and leading edge all in one.
We have our full suspension bridle which allows the kite to perform at a very direct feel. It performs very much like a c-kite. You get all the benefits of a c-kite, but you’re not gonna lose the benefits of a bow or bridle kite. It gets a little more pocket. It gets a little more of a softer feel when you want it to and it’s not gonna be quite as abusive as a Fuel is when you’re crashing it, you miss some tricks etc. and it relaunches super easy.
A couple of other stand up features that has been the same for the last couple of years is the superior customization of the kite. It has two different settings that you can apply. We have a wake style setting and a free style setting. So you’re wake style setting is basically to allow the kite to sit back further in the wind window. 
What you gonna do is to take the pigtail and move it from the forward pigtail just a couple of inches back to the rear pigtail, you can see that the length is little bit different. And the real performance that that’s gonna change it’s gonna cause the kite to sit further back in the window. So as you gonna set up for your trick, you unhook, the kite is gonna sit back there and have a little more pocket and give you little more explosive pop.
A side from split strut we also have a 9 meter quiver this year, so we’re gonna offer a 4.5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14. Last year we found that when you jumped in a session from your 10 meters to your 8 meters, sometimes that 8 was quick enough but it did not have quite have that low end you’re looking for and the 10 meter had a lot of power, but it was maybe just to much if you were trying to make some free style or wake style, so that 9 is gonna be that money kite in a quiver this year, where it’s just gonna cover that middle ground and you’re really gonna be able to fill out your quiver with two or three kites.
This is the 2011 RPM. Go in to your store and get one and I’m pretty sure you’ll like it!
02011 Slingshot RPM
It’s finally here, the 2011 slingshot RPM!
The RPM was the first kite to win a PKRA Championship, in fact it was the first “Open C” kite to win. Perhaps had it something to do with the rider, but still, the Slingshot RPM is a great kite!
A new thing with RPM this year is that it only has 3 struts and it delivers enormous amount of high end power and is suitable for all kind of riders, freestylers, wakestylers, beginners, you name it, this is a kite that everyone will enjoy!
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