Kingda Ka is experiencing extended downtime....again

While SFGadv managed to get KK open for a bit after the lightning strike, it is down for an extended time. Again. It has been closed since Monday and there is no news as to when it will reopen. While the news sucks, at least El Toro is only a short walk away!

Of course, based on the TR's I'm seeing, it's almost like today someone will report it ran flawlessly the whole day!?!

Good thing I re-shuffled my NE trip to August due to all this un-guaranteed-ness!! Not that KK will make or break going to GAdv for me, BUT I'll have a new 1st time rider!

I think SFGA should tear it down. It shakes too much, is unreliable, maintenance costs are unreasonable, track and structure sway, and there are incidents that call into question the safety of this attraction. Pull the plug!

I was disappointed that it wasn't running last time I was at the park (I've ridden it, but not in 4 years). El Toro was MUCH better, but I still enjoy the ride on KK if I don't have to wait too long for it. That said, I don't think it's worth the $25M+ that SF has put into it.

I'm glad I finally got Jill on her first Intamin launch during the GAdv event a few weeks' back. She liked the silly POS better than Bull (of course the stapling on Bull was extreme). I was happy just to have survived it again - I wouldn't be overly disappointed if it went away with Sonny...to the island of misfit rides. ;)

I've only been to SFGA once since KK was built and it was on/off several times during the day before being shut down about half way through the day. TTD did the exact same thing during my one visit to Cedar Point. We got out of line after waiting over an hour 3 rides away on the loading dock. That doesn't include the other hour plus we waited to get to that point.

Both those rides to me, are unique and just a different experience. I just like my coasters to have more than a launch and a hill (or two hills for the amazingly different, KK).

With the way Shapiro is eliminating problematic, maintenance nightmare/expensive rides, I wouldn't be surprised to see this coaster removed in the near future.

Chitown step away from the bong because Shapiro will not be removing Kingda Ka anytime soon. It is currently the tallest/fastest in the world (soon to be beaten in speed but not height) and is worth MUCH more to Six Flags SBNO than elsewhere. After a while these problems will iron themselves out and the ride will fall into a regular schedule.

SFI should have taken the offer from Dubai to buy it during the off season. I think they will get rid of it as the park cant afford to be spending the million plus a year on maintenance costs they currently are paying. The company is going to get rid of all probmatic rides to save money. IMO its the worst ride in the park and i go there alot during the season and i usually only ride it once.

I think most of you are grossly over-estimating the problem and under-estimating the value of having such an enormous ride.

I guess it does have it's draw. But for me, SFGAdv's draw is the rest of their coaster lineup. I'd like to ride KK, but if I actually had a day at the park, KK would be potentially skipable, even if it was open all day.

That's about how I feel too. I went recently and KK was down but El Toro was up and everyone seemed to be having a great time. In fact, I heard a few people (I assume GP) say ET was much better and they weren't too disappointed that KK was down.

And Kingda Ka is down again, what a surprise.

It is not going to go anywhere, any time fast. It definately is something unique at the park. Selling it would be not worth it to anyone, because the price would be too steep.

It has its share of problems, but people do love it. Regardless of whether people do not ride it the day they go to the park or not, it still draws the park plenty of attention. It is something the park really draws the media too at least, which also helps for PR for the park.

SOB on the otherhand, has a bit more attached to it. Sure its got its fair share of followers as well, but when putting the two in a comparative light, I think that Kingda Ka does much more for the park than SOB. Ie the PR is mostly good for KK without negative reports being released to people, and its a signature coaster that stands head and shoulders above SOB, i'm not saying that SOB is not a well known coaster, but the GP get a different light shed on the ride than KK, because of all the negativity posted about it.

For the most part, Intamin hydraulic launch coasters are problematic at best. The two CF rides took a while to work all the bugs out, and even now they are available for service approx. 75% of the time. But, if that 25% is always when you are at the park it might as well be 0% availability.

As far as removing Kingda Ka, it's not going to happen. There is too much invested in it both time and money, and neither SF or Intamin are going to throw in the towel at this time. My recollection is that there have been very few major coasters removed before their time in recent years, the Bat at Kings Island, and especially Windjammer at Knotts come to mind.

Yeah I'd say that KK is staying, don't know if they did what park would buy it, the asking price would have to be over 30 million.

lol We're actually having a serious conversation about if Six Flags is going to sell Kinda Ka or not? ...With no mention of this from Six Flags?

^^I doubt the price would be that high seeing how they only bought it for around 25 million. That is like buying a used car for more than it was new.

Plus it would take extra money to move it and construct it again, so i doubt you would see it sold. It was a large investment, and in the past and now are still burning through cash to keep it operational.

The Dragster is still not much better, but it seems to be pretty consistent for all the trouble they have had with it. Lest we forget opening year how much money they had to put into it, maintaining it from June to July. They also wasted money equipping the trains with spoilers and wheels which were gone halfway through its first year. Then the following year had its famous cable incident, which im sure had a few people sueing because of injuries in the mishap. So its not like either of these coasters have seen their shares of additional money being poured into them.

Long live Stormrunner.

Dragster is having a pretty good year, actually. Rides were up 20% last year, they've already set a single-day record this year, and they're on pace to bury last year's numbers. I'm shocked too. Heck, I actually got on it this year, for the first time since 2005.