Knoebels acquires Bayern Kurve rides, will debut one in 2023

I guess I’ll swing by Knoebels next year, no matter where I am it’s not too far.

Love me some Anton goodness.

Replacing 1001 Nacht?

Today... we are all Amy.

Did they break up?

More like *dismantled* but… yeah

This is glorious. I didn’t realize that there are so few left. Shocked that Great America Keri’s theirs going.

im guessing the one from Kennywood is in storage and still fully functional. They removed it once and reinstalled it. They just did the sane thing with Kangaroo.

I hope the Knobels version will use the power rail so they can put scenery in the middle. It would be sweet if they can salvage the Schwarzkopf lighting or recreate it. The Olympic rings, watch tower, spectator lighting and light poles make it a great looking ride at night. .

I thought (assumed?) the Kurve would go where Wipeout sat. Maybe the horn would be too loud for the nearby cottages. Best to disturb the campers instead.
I hope it runs well- good and fast like Kennywood’s was.
Speaking of ride removals, the folks over to the Knoebels FB fan page are sick and tired of rides being removed. Latest to be announced is the 40 year old Ball Crawl out of Kiddieland, which is one of four or five rides in recent years. Although they do admit the Balls hasn’t opened at all in two years (Covid) and it was usually occupied by a snake or two anyway.
But… the memories…

Just for the record, the Kurve from Kennywood was sold to California’s Great America to be a parts donor. The two that Knoebels acquired are from elsewhere.

It's almost a shame. I rode the Bayern Kurve at (California) Great America. That park does not deserve that ride. They ran it at about a quarter the speed of the one at Kennywood.

I never thought it was possible for the Bayern Kurve to give a boring ride.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

The Bayern Kurve (Berserker) at CGA was surely disappointing, but their Calypso (Centrifuge) made up for it. That ride kicked my butt so that I had to ride the bench afterwards.

RideMan said:

It's almost a shame. I rode the Bayern Kurve at (California) Great America. That park does not deserve that ride. They ran it at about a quarter the speed of the one at Kennywood.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

That's how I felt the last time I rode Cedar Point's Matterhorn. The ride barely even got up to speed for the cars to tilt. And the ride cycle was less than a minute.

Then again, a Cedar Fair park is the only place I can handle a Musik Express/Super Himalaya or Tilt a Whirl these days because I know the cycle will be insanely short and it won't hit top speed.

I had no idea they were rare. That's too bad. It's a great flat. Magic Mountain had one at one point I think.

Obligatory bump, going to be there in August and its been radio silence. Assuming they have run behind on completion, anyone been there yet this season?

Photos on the Internet show a track in place, frame for the platforms and backdrop, and not much else. It looks like another year+ long project. IMO, unless something drastic happens, you’ll be doing without.

This guy put out a good video with an interview about the ride. It came out about a month ago.

Oh, I like that guy, JPVideos. He’s a big fan of the park and an even bigger fan of their Haunted Mansion. I watch him at least once a season when he does a detailed update of the dark ride detailing whatever may be new that year. This year’s entry was especially good and he was excited about all of the attention the ride’s anniversary is getting.
Anyway, it sure seems like Bayern Kurve is coming in low and slow. I guess I knew that they were building one out of two but at this point I’d forgotten. Electronics, tubs, and a missing backdrop seems like a lot to do yet. I wonder if between the two they can come up with a vintage sign and a sunburst?
She spoke hopefully about the potential speed of the ride and that really seems extreme. I wonder how fast Kennywood’s would run, because that was plenty fast, thank you.

Yeah, Kennywood's got going fast enough to be uncomfortable for me. I can see them turning it up to 11.

The thing I never liked about Kennywood's ride was the way they had the seats configured. They had replaced the generally-circular upholstered back cushion with a much larger, much thicker square foam back cushion. Which on its own was fine. But because of the added thickness, it meant that your body sat forward of the two side cushions which Schwarzkopf thoughtfully provided, and which were still present in the Kennywood cars, but your body never touched them because they were behind the back cushion. The result was that when the train was running level, at the start and end of the ride, you would be shoved mercilessly into the chrome plated bars on the side of the car and into the end of the cushion on that upper rail, instead of being caught by the much larger and softer pads on the sides of the seat.

Here's hoping Knoebels goes for an almost-full restoration on the train, with proper seat pads, lights, and badges. I'm not holding out for the electrical bus-bar along the track; I assume we'll be stuck with the giant extension cord instead.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

RideMan describes one of the most fun things about riding the Kurve. I always enjoyed it when the ride slowed down and the cars leveled, but seemingly a little too early. It would cause the hump/hill in the back to turn into a lateral airtime moment, especially for riders toward the front of the train. I thank him for his observant description of Kennywood’s ride, as I always wondered why their ride seemed to do it so severely (I didn’t mind, but held on tight nonetheless) and never realized it was due to the altered back rest.
But, alas, it’s too late now to worry about. I’ll never forgive Kennywood for ditching their beautiful ride. Now I have to travel far to find one and most don’t run all that well anymore. Knoebel’s shows promise, as at least they seem to understand the intention of the original ride. I still question that targeted speed though, lol.

I honestly don't know how any Bayern Kurve could run at 70 mph. I consider myself lucky to have grown up in a time when these rides were literally everywhere (Geauga Lake, Cedar Point, Canada's Wonderland, etc) and I remember them all going very fast, but not 70 mph. But if anyone can do it, I'm sure Knoebels can. While it sounds absolutely insane, I'll be in line for it when it's open!