It had some major problems early on, but it was groundbreaking at the time. Always fun! But late in it's life it did get very bad about running in general, and it was very rough the last time I rode it in 2000. I would not rank it above Chang myself though...I love Chang. I hate to say it but the stand-up that tears my back & neck up is Mantis.
I rode it for the first time in '90. Since I rode Iron Wolf (SFGAm) earlier that year, I thought King Kobra was terrible. It was a very rough ride and entirely too short (strangely, I think they tried to make up for the short ride by using the slowest lift I have ever seen). The only good part were the small hops just before the brakes. Ah yes, the brakes. I remember waiting in line for about an hour to ride and was nearly deaf by the time I got to the station.
King Cobra at PKI was the most underrated coaster in the park. Sure it was aging, and a little rough, but it shouldn't have been torn out. Cripe, SOB beats the heck out of you 10 times more than KC ever did. Anyway, this ride gave great airtime. My favorite ride was in the back seat-- which gave INSANE airtime. Most of the ride consisted of your feet being slightly lifted off the floor. Plus the loop was pretty intense. It was a sad day to see it go.
