Question about The Beasts

So the Beast didn't have trim brakes when it first opened, but then they installed them?  Why is this?  And can they really turn off the breaks for times when they want the ride to be more thrilling?  This is what I seem to be hearing.

Trouble with The Beast is that first of all, its trains are terrible. They can barely handle even the huge curves, but that's not the big problem. The big problem is the uncushioned seat back and the seat divider that comes up to your armpit. Whoever came up with that idea must not have arms or something...the ride needs a taller primary seat divider, and it needs the secondary ripped out. It needs proper seat backs; if they must have the high backs, do as they did on Thunder Run down at SFKK. Then there are those lap bars, which are about 45-degrees out of spec, meaning that instead of riding with the bar in the third notch as I usually do on modern PTC trains, I can barely make the first without difficulty, and the second is downright unpleasant.

Second, it goes too darned slow. What's the point of having a 136' hill or a 141' hill if you're gonna put trim brakes all the way down? If it were going just a touch faster, there would be decent airtime on that second hill. Instead, what do you get up there? Another trim brake. The third hill, of course, is the infamous mid-course brake shed, which I think was originally put there for blocking purposes (I know, it isn't a block anymore...) and that's where the braking varies the most. Most of the time when I ride it, the train is barely moving when it gets to the downtrack end of that shed, and the result is that it crawls through the second tunnel ("would it help if I got out and pushed??), picks up speed a bit in the far-back dip, then loses it all on the quick hump just before the lift hill. Bet you can't guess why there are anti-rollbacks on that hump. Then the train creeps up the second lift, and makes that terribly effective shallow drop into the bottom of the helix. Usually at least two of the three trim brakes are set, though, and in the past season the helix has done an awful lot of bouncing. It wouldn't be so bad if the trains weren't so awful.

Then there's Son of Beast. With 218' of lift you'd think they could have thought of something more interesting than a pair of helixes. I mean, John Allen was right when he said that curves don't do anything for people. Maybe that's a bit extreme, but honestly, there's nothing particularly interesting or entertaining about Sonny's helixes. And it's got a whole bunch of them. The layout is, except for the first drop, loop drop, and last drop, nothing but curves...and the ride has trains that can't track curves at all. There are a couple of big drops on the ride, but those are the only parts of the ride that run well, because that's the only straight track on the ride. Perhaps I'd be more forgiving of the coaster if it could actually navigate the track without banging through the incessant curves and causing serious injuries to riders (um, yes, it has caused some VERY serious injuries, and no, I don't want to talk about it.) The trains are so bad that 2:3 of the seats deliver unacceptable rides: rows 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, and 18 are all practically unrideable because of the constant lateral bucking whenever the train tries to round a curve; rows 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, and 17 (particularly Row #17) are halfway reasonable, but only halfway...the seats are still unpadded, badly angled, poorly designed, and do not accommodate people of normal size. Bottom line: They're lousy trains. Fix the trains so that the coaster can at least run right, and most of the problems would be solved. Maybe history will repeat itself in 2005 and Son of Beast will get new trains.

Yeah, right. I'll believe it when I see it.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

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Sean F. said:
 I think the Beast is one of the best coasters I have ridden. Those that say things like, "It doesnt' have airtime" or " it just stays close to the ground for most of the ride"  were either expecting too much from the ride, or they just don't 'get it'.  The Beast wasn't designed to be an airtime machine. To me, it is all about seclusion. Being out in the woods and not being able to see any of the park is something special.

Here here!!  I couldn't say it better myself.  The Beast isn't an airtime laden out-n-back.  It's not a lateral monster.  It's a terrain coaster that's all about speed, tunnels, and The Helix.  At least that's what I think when it's running better than average.
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Scott W. Short
mailto:scott@midwestcoastercentral.com
http://www.midwestcoastercentral.com

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*** This post was edited by ShiveringTim on 12/6/2001. ***

I'll agree with Rideman on many of his points. I however, do find the Beast interesting. I enjoy the low-to-the-ground technique, but I will also admit that the ride has serious and unnecessary issues with the trains and speed.

Sonny....well, lets just say I ride it in hopes of aquiring a liking for it...which has not happened yet.

Beastie is indeed a decent ride, though it has the trim that just doesn't need to be there.

I love both coasters I think their great! but the Son is too rough! but besides that their great coasters and I'm glad that KI is only a 3 hour drive from my house

I have to add my support for the terrain-hugging aspects of the Beast. My favorite part is racing along the ground alongside the maintenance road shortly before the second lift hill.

SoB ... my friend Johnathan says he has found the best seats for this ride, and I look forward to trying them next season. But overall, I find SoB disappointing. I like the drops coming right out of the station, but after that the ride is too predictable. Will I ride it each time I go to PKI? Probably, time permitting. But I have no desire to ride it more than once a visit.

I do want to chime in with support for the Racer. Last seat backwards is a great ride. Excellent airtime, and the coaster always seems to surprise me ... no matter how many times I ride it. I think I could spend a very happy day riding the Racer alone. You could call me a convert, though, because until I experienced the ride in that particular seat I didn't care for the Racer.

I usually don't chime in for opinion-only threads, but this one touches a nerve.

I have ridden the Beast for 15 years, and I find it hard to believe that it can be argued that the Beast (of years ago) wasn't one of the top if not THE top wooden coaster ever built.  IMO, the best of the best, even compared to today's new CCIs.  Unfortunately, the trims have changed all that, and serve only as a reminder of what was. 

*sigh*  Makes me a little sad, frankly.

As for SOB, I agree 100% with RideMan especially regarding the trains overall ride quality.  I've ridden that thing once - which is enough for me.

IMO, SoB is complained about way too much!  When I rode it last month on the final weekend of operation at PKI, it was actually smooth(in non-axle seats of course).  But, however, the ride just has an uninteresting layout, as said before.  The helixes can get old after a while, and dare I say 'boring'?  Beast on the other hand, I really enjoyed!  That's saying a lot, due to my love of airtime...I was genuinely shocked, because I really expected to hate the ride.  Also, that final double helix can NOT be beat, at night in particular!
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-Kurt Borowiak
"Hold on tight, with all your might, and enjoy your flight on the Raven!"

Several people keep comenting that the Beast is a speed coaster and people shouldn't complain about the lack of airtime.  But many people (me included) are arguing that they have destroyed the speed aspect of the ride, and in doing so they ruined some possible airtime moments on the ride.  I still really like the ride, but from the shed to the second lift it isn't anywhere near as thrilling as it used to, should be and could be.  Like I said earlier, instead of a kick butt romp through the woods it's more like a nice liesurely stroll through the woods.  That's my complaint about the Beast (nothing wrong with the ride after the second lift IMO).

Why did they add trims to slow down the trains before the second lift?  There is no need to slow things down there.  No hills or that could cause whiplash or anything.  Can you you guys think of any possible reasons.......the speed was the whole drawing card in this section of the ride.  why have they altered the masterpiece???

Tocci - Are you nuts? Just kidding, I actually get into the pain aspect of SOB (and the g-train Legend) in a very weird way myself.  My legs hurt for about 3 days after an extended session on The Legend, and every time I felt an ache I'd think "Ah, the Legend..."   Maybe this is getting into the realm of psychotherapy.  ;)
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"Ooh, baby I like it raw..." O.D.B.

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Johnathan said:
why have they altered the masterpiece???

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A lot of the public finds it just intense enough as it is.  I know many people still fear the beast because of the physical nature of it.  I highly doubt taking the breaks up a little bit would increase the still imense popularity of the ride.  Its still one of the most famous and revered (and best) coasters in the world.  I think PKI is happy with it the way it is.  Its not like you still can't get a good ride on it, though.  Its still runs like a bat out of hell at night. 

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Kicking screamin' Gucci little siggy.

Beast was great when it ran without midcourse brakes. The brakes ruin the ride. I still love it but every time get more and more boring.

I love SOB...Its fast and thruilling. I have been on it a ton and it beats you up but I like that.

 Just to clarify, the midcourse brakes have been installed on that coaster since day one. Same with the brakes on the first drop if I am not mistaken.

-Sean (who still hasn't ridden a ride where brakes ruin it for him) F.

Son of Beast sucks.  It is a abusively rough ride, and it is boring.  One hill, two helixes, loop, two helixes, two small drops and a brake run.  For a record breaking coaster, there is no line whatsoever even on a Saturday.  There has to be a reason.  The Beast has lost a lot of power.  Too many trim brakes have slowed the poor creature to a crawl.  I rode for the first time back in 84, and the ride was much different.  Hard, fast, verging on out of control.  Todays Beast is a much tamer version.
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Ticket price: $39.00, Wait Time: 2 hours, ride at night on Millenium Force: Priceless

Sorry, didn't mean to use the word "s---s".  I am not fond of the coaster.  That sounds a little more pc.
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Ticket price: $39.00, Wait Time: 2 hours, ride at night on Millenium Force: Priceless

The Beast,it's still my favorite coaster of all time.:)

As for SOB,it's the smoothest  wooden coaster over 100ft tall the state of Ohio has to offer.

Keep in mind, everyone, that Sonny is very Smooth. No matter what anyone else thinks. HOWEVER...it's the darn jackhammering that really make the ride unbearable (for me at least) to ride. The pounding and vibrating from the train is what everyone mistakes for roughness.

As for many coasters, its the trains. They just can't handle that course well, also since I am a fat and bulky person, it's a painful strain on my legs when that TINY lapbar comes down.

I wonder what type of ride you would get if you took out the loop and put on 3 PTC trains.....

*** This post was edited by john peck on 12/8/2001. ***

John peck,try riding the Villian for a change.I swear right after the turns the trains just keeps fighting the track.It's like you're going straight but the train just wants to keep turning,it just bounces left and right.Sorry,but to me the SOB isn't anywhere as rough as the Villian.

Sean F. and ShiveringTim have said it best. The Beast is not a airtime machine, it's a monster of a terrain coaster. The laterals in the helix are insanely powerful, and the sense of speed you get during the ride is incredible. I'm surprised at how much this ride is getting ripped on.

Shame on you if you think that a ride needs to have airtime to be considered good. How many of you can honestly say that you were disappointed by The Beast? How many of you can say you didn't have any fun on The Beast?...because that's what it's all about.

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