B&M Inverts: Cobra rolls or Batwings?

Great Bear is definitely on the short side but I like what it has. At first I thought that helix/drop thing was really dull but now I love the way it feels to soar over Comet Hollow before plunging into the elements. And you're absolutely right about the drop to the river after the zero-g roll- pure genius.

That coaster would be just about perfect with another 500' of track... and another paint job, since the flat black/flat gray thing has never really worked for me. How about deep purple?

I like the B:TRs for what they are - short, compact, power-packed nuggets of full-on intensity.

For the most part, however, I like the inverts that have...for lack of a better term, variable pacing. Some floats, some non-inverting twists and turns, time to "catch your breath". More interesting layouts, IMO. Probably explains why Fire Dragon, Great Bear, and TG:TJC rate highly for me...and why one of my favorite moments on Montu is the swooping fly-by near the queue. ;)

*** Edited 6/27/2007 4:18:21 PM UTC by rollergator***

Corbra Rolls are better. Going from one inverson to another so fast is great.

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Sorry but I have to totally disagree with you guys saying that Bat wings are more intense than Cobra Rolls. Ice Dragons Cobra Roll is by far the most intense element I have experienced on any inverted coaster.

I have ridden: Talon, Raptor, Great Bear, Fire Dragon, Ice Dragon, Batman(x2) and Montu as far as inverts go.

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I love the Great Bear! Such a good ride.

^^^^ Well, I never said I didn't like the Batman rides!

As I've gotten older, I've found that I'm not as into loop-after-loop-after-loop rides like I once was, but I'm always up for a B&M invert because the elements really do create so many different sensations. By now they're all familiar but they're still so much fun. I can't say the same about Arrow and Vekoma elements.

^LOL, I didn't say you did...or didn't... ;)

I guess for ME, the Cobra Roll is the one element on a Beemer that *usually* bangs my head/neck...right at the beginning of the second inversion. Hundreds of laps later, I've never banged once in Montu's Batwing - and it ain't cause I'm watching, since I usually ride it eyes-closed.

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BamBam36 said:
Sorry but I have to totally disagree with you guys saying that Bat wings are more intense than Cobra Rolls.

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Difference between "more intense" and "better".

For me the one on Ice is very intense, much more so than any batwing I've been on but for me it's just taken too quickly to be comfortable.

I have no thoughts on Ice's cobra roll but I have very few thoughts on Ice in general. It's not at all a bad ride but after experiencing the perfection that is Fire, Ice is kinda "meh".

As far as intensity goes, I can't think of a cobra roll that makes my legs feel weak like Montu's batwing. Maybe I need to ride Ice again... without riding Fire first.

I still think B&M's cobra rolls are one of the most aesthetically pleasing coaster elements going. They just present a great visual.

However, most of them seem to have gotten 'bangy' to me. (maybe I'm just getting old :) )

As far as ride experience, for me, the Batwing is vastly superior.

With that said, I think the 'newer' cobra roll design that Hydra uses eliminates that bang and makes the element feel like one continuous motion vs the up-snap-snap-down ride the older ones give. The trade-off is a slightly different look and a less intense element.

Hmmm. Raptor with a Batwing for the turn-around element rather than that Cobra Roll. That'd be interesting.

Thus concludes my post of barely related random thoughts on a 6 year old subject. :)

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Hydra's cobra roll does have a different look, as if the track curves out more before entering the inversion. I agree that it's not as aesthetically-pleasing... can't remember if it's any less bangy.

Am I the only one who likes Ice just as much as Fire? I don't love either one, but I think they are both very fun coasters.

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I like Ice better than Fire, mostly because Ice has the zero-g roll (my favorite element). *** Edited 6/27/2007 8:03:35 PM UTC by person***

Normally that would be a deal-maker for me but Fire has that Immelman that ends in a helix- too cool.

Fire has that certain something...beyond just its uniqueness, it actually FEELS like a possible flight path for a living breathing dragon. No dragon in its right mind would do a cobra roll up against a wall - dragons don't flee, they fight. ;)

LOL....honestly, though, Ice feels too similar to all of those SLC experiences I'd rather forget - Fire is the one true Dragon, and my preference goes beyond rational explanation - as evidenced above... :)

^ I wouldn't call that a "flee", I would call it an attempt to flee, since the dragon hits the wall, tumbles around and heads in back in the other direction in a daze. ;)

^That's almost exactly what happens to me when I hit that wall...which is why I simply turn left and head towards Pyrrhock... ;)

"Right for headbanging, left for glee, choose the side that best suits thee"...

I thought Fire was so much better than Ice that I've often wondered if they designed the layout for Fire first then 'fit in' Ice (for moments of dueling, space constraints, etc).

;) (or not)

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Yeah, I think it's the zero-G roll that does it for me too, although I never experienced anymore headbangage on Ice than I did on Fire. Still, nice poetry Gates. ;)

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When you ride the monorail at HP, they say that Great Bear has 7 "elements" to correspond to the 7 stars of the constellation. So what would they be? You have 4 inversions, the helix... I suppose the drop could count... but what else?