King Cobra: A Love Thread

All right, I know I'm gonna catch some flack for this one (seeing as this is a pretty hated ride). I wanted to post a TR from my PKI trip this weekend and didn't have time, but I wanted to share how much this ride impressed me. I hadn't ridden it for a long time until my trip Sunday, and I couldn't believe how good it was. Aside from the restraints from the devil, I really don't see how anyone could complain about this ride.

Try riding in the very back...it is amazing. The first drop is absolutely gutwrenching, the loop made the vision go a little grey, the helix was very intense, and then followed my favorite part of the ride: the camelback, whose ejector airtime is probably the most powerful in the park (except for maybe Vortex's first drop). The ride then has a section of trick track (why does everybody praise Shivering Timbers for its trick track and nobody even mentions the TOGO standups?), a neat little turn, and a finale of rapid succession bunny hops that are absolutely insane! Great ride that is at least as good as Mantis, in my opinion!

Now the restraints are a different story. I'm a big guy, so the butterfly restraints are a bit painful, and the lap bar is so awkward to get in and out of that it's funny to watch people try to figure out how everything works. That is such a minor aspect of the ride though...once you're in, they're not that uncomfortable. The bicycle seat is nice and padded too, unlike the B&M stand-ups.

I really don't understand why this ride has the reputation it has. TOGO, or maybe I should say TOGA (Try Once Go Again ), did a great job with it, in my opinion. Anybody else agree?
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"I don't like Kings Island's Halloween decorating...it just looks like they decided to hang up wheat all over the park." - my friend Steve

*** This post was edited by MooreOn on 10/18/2001. ***

Yeah I do....It's one of my favorite rides. In my top 10. I haven't ridden a lot of rides but i have ridden some pretty darn good ones.

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It's his turn to feast, when you ride the Son of Beast.

I love the ride. The only part is through the helix if you dont sorta sit on the bicycle seat, it hurts your legs a little. Besides that, its my 5th favorite at the park (SOB, Beast, FOF, Vortex, King Cobra)

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http://www.islandguide.8m.com
all about PKI
the Beasts` Den

Well it's the best of the 3 standups I've ridden. I myself enjoy that little piece of trick track as well. CCI must have incorporated it quite a bit in their coasters. Mega Zeph at Jazzland has it, along with the previously mentioned ShivTim.

I'll always like King Cobra. What's the latest on the supposed dismantle/shipout of it? Haven't heard much in a while.

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I rode "X" and never went upside down.

She's MY favorite stand up! You can't beat the air on those hills!
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Moxie: Not quite Cola, not quite Root Beer, not quite Asphalt!
www.angelfire.com/oh4/tk173

I love the ride. It is a little short, but it it's a lot of fun. But the ride is such a pain to operate that i doubt it will stay open much longer. The dispatch time is so long that riders on one train will ALWAYS be finished before the next train is even close to being dispatched. My guess is that the only reason that is hasn't been taken out yet is that there is nothing new that would be small enough to fit there.

I think I like it so much is for its airtime and the fact that it doesn't kill my legs like the B&Ms

Personally, I hate the darn thing, but it does have some concepts that haven't been used on other standups, such as trick track and airtime hills. The restraint system, although comparable to a medieval torture device, was actually pretty innovative, but the engineering wasn't there yet. I can assume it's operations must be terrible, seeing as every time I've been to PKI this year it got stuck on the lift at least once. Terrible capacity though. Overall, the ride isn't that bad considering it was new technology that was being used before I was born. As for what they could replace it with, maybe a couple flat rides, but I assume none of you want to hear about replacing it since you like it so much.

I have a special place for King Cobra
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Montu, God Of Coasters

Raging Bull, Don't Fight It, Ride It

john peck said:
I think I like it so much is for its airtime and the fact that it doesn't kill my legs like the B&Ms

yeah, riddler had it a little, but mantis nearly killed my knees, i would hate to ride that thing BEFORE the trims were added to lower the g's...

Personally I guess it's the favorite of the 3 stand-ups I've ridden. (Chang, Mantis, KC) But I've developed a train of thought, (pardon the pun) that I am no longer interested in riding stand-ups. They are just a bit too painfull in one way or the other to me. I'll take a good sit down coaster any day over a standup. Maybe I haven't ridden the right stand-up yet? :)
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God please let SFKK get something in 2002. ANYTHING!!

I went to Kings Island for the first time Labor Day weekend and I must say, I really enjoyed King Cobra. Sure, the restraints are a HUGE hassle, but the ride itself totally made up for it. The bunny hops, the helix and the trick track was awesome. Its definitely up there with the rest of the stand up coasters today.
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Dayuum, Your HOT!

We love the cars on KC. Jill says "it feels like you're standing on a slatine cracker". I have to agree they do APPEAR, um, insubstantial, or at the very least, minimalist. I like the ride, especially the helix and trick-track (which is better on a stand-up, IMO)...even if it is a little short in track length...
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rollergator - intent on improving the "guest experience" - coming soon to a park near you

I agree with you all. Although I probably would rate KC near the bottom of the stand-ups I've ridden (Iron Wolf, Mantis, Chang, Riddler), I love the powerful airtime in KC's back seat. Almost as good as Vortex.

How DO those restraints work?

I originally thought there was a hydraulic locking system, in that the restraints have a "squishy" feel when locked, and I don't mean the padding! They are also quiet, unlike other electronic realeases (such as a PTC). But hydraulics are usually kept away from operators/ guests due to the possiblity of a malfunctioning valve which would result in gunk spraying people. Not good! You can see cables going into all parts of the seat in front of you, but I don't know for sure how they are controlled. I do know that each seat has an individual pedal, and you have a lapbar and two shoulder harnesses that close from the side. Here's a pic:
http://www.pki.com/attractions_rides_featured.jsp?id=754

Any info on this Rideman?
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Moxie: Not quite Cola, not quite Root Beer, not quite Asphalt!
Scale model rides: www.angelfire.com/oh4/tk173

I'll take KC over Iron Wolf on any given day.:)

The only thing that bothers me about this ride is standing under the brakes while waiting in line,talk about noise pollution.