recent bashing of Vekoma SLC's

this is not really meant to start a big debate or anything...ive noticed recently in several posts that Vekoma's SLC's get a TON of negative attention....now ive only ridden one...MindEraser at SFA. and i have to say, i actually kind of enjoy it. some seats are rough, but i have really enjoyed riding it in the front....i especially like the heart shaped double inversion after the drop. i guess i just wanted to offer a little defense on their behalf....yes, they are not perfect, but they still offer a pretty decent ride at times. give me some feedback...have any of you had a really GOOD experience on a SLC? or am i the only one who kinda likes them?
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ROLLERCOASTERS....BETTER THAN OXYGEN BABY!!!!!!

Try riding them in the morning! Ultra smooth and fun. Just don't go back in the afternoon when they have warmed up...
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Don't look down-Oblivion

These things have all always been bashed. There has been no rash of bashing them recently, I'd say they have been getting less negative attention than usual. It's only certain people's opinion, why make a big deal out of it? If people don't like it, they don't like it. Don't try to make people be what they aren't.
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Hey, SFGAm management, can I buy a couple cages of Sky Whirl?

SLCs are not an outstanding design. They are noted as head bangers, and the pacing some how just isn't right. IMO Mind Eraser at SFA is about the best SLC that I have ridden. It either has less head banging or has better pads than those on other OTSRs,

Is T2 a Vekoma SLC?

Yup, T2 is a SLC.
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Don't look down-Oblivion

I love the layout, and I did love Serial Thriller, I just don't love the migranes I get from them.
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"Villain-Once You Drop, The Fun Don't Stop!"~SFWoA Rules In 2001~X Marks The Spot In 2001(SFWoA)~With SFWoA ANYTHING Is Possible!

Yeah, I think they have a really cool layout, the trains just don't negotiate it very well. lol Now if B&M took that design...WOW! ;-) I relaly like it that sometimes you come pretty close to other parts of the track, like the barrel roll over the...well, whatever inversion that is called. You know, like a half loop and a half corkscrew. lol

><> Aaron <><

I like SLCs--especially in the front.

(You KNOW I am long overdue for my coasterfix when I am loving the SLCs!!!!!!!!)

Why am I not surprised? She's riding one in her personal photo! :)

My favorite coaster other than T.o.T in my country is Lethal Weapon at WBMW. No prizes for guessing what it is, except it has the extra helix before the brakes. It is awesome & intense! I love the Heart-Shaped Rollover (Vekoma's name for the Sea Serpent.) Last time I was there was about a year ago and me & my pal rode it 11 times. After all it holds the Aussie record for most inversions.

I hate SLCs! I'd much rather ride a B & M, but then again, who wouldn't?

I guess the main reason everyone hates SLC's (that is... everyone who dislikes them), besides the fact that some of them are a little rough around the edges... is just that they are there park after park after park.

I travel 200 to 300 miles to ride new coasters. But two of their coasters are the same that's in my home park (SLC & Boomerang)!! The only difference is that they are located in a different setting w/ slightly different theming, but usually the same paint job!!

One gripe a lot of people have are the horrid restraints. The sign on the car ahead of you shows you the proper and the [improper] way of riding. When you ride the "proper" way, you have maybe a quarter inch of room on each side before your ears hit it. One little bump, and your head smashes into it... and that isn't comfortable!! Why have they not changed it since then??
B&M gives you more head-room, and you don't head-bang.
Intamin gives you more head-room on their inverted coasters, and you don't head-bang either!

The only biggest gripe that probably everyone has is that it's the same layout at each park (with the exception of the ones that have that additional helix at the end). I know that basically saves money and what-nots, but why didn't Vekoma have a number of designs pre-set so a park could choose which one they wanted that looked as though it was custom fit for the park?? Was their design program broken after they designed the first SLC?

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Proud to be an American!!

The Great Nor'Easter at Morey's Piers is very intense, and the trains are smooth, as the mechaincs are on that ride everyday 100%. I would match that ride against a B&M anyday. Some B&M's are starting to show their age a bit.

Taipan said:
"Why am I not surprised? She's riding one in her personal photo! :)"

And you can barely see her head. What kind of photo is that? ;) Now you know why we call it a "hang-n-bang!"

Agent Johnson said:
"The Great Nor'Easter at Morey's Piers is very intense, and the trains are smooth, as the mechaincs are on that ride everyday 100%."

But should they have to be? High maintenance rides are no fun, especially when they're at a park like SFWoA where the mechanics are, as one ride op put it, "on crack."

Agent Johnson said:
"Some B&M's are starting to show their age a bit."

I have to disagree with you there. The track itself on these rides seems to stay outright perfect. Batman at SFGAm is still smooth as glass. Batman at SFWoA on the other hand was rough mid-season in its first year. It's all about how well you take care of the wheels, I'm convinced.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"From the global village... in the age of communication!"
Watch the grass grow!

I've only ever encountered two (possibly 3) SLC's. One was the Great Nor'Easter at Morey's Piers in Wildwood. I liked it. I was expecting to get beat up pretty bad, but that was not the case. Granted, not as smooth as a B&M inverted, but I did not get off of it with a headache (as I did after riding Steel Phantom, Kumba, and Python). The seats were actually kind of comfy and the OTSR's were not bad at all (did I read somewhere that the OTSR's on Great Nor'Easter were not the original or at least a different design than most?)

The other one (or two) I have encountered as at SFA... Mind Eraser. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to ride it as it broke down just as I stepped into the station after waiting in line for 30 minutes.

Not sure if you would count Two Face as an SLC or not. It has the same individual seat design, but a different arrangement and it's track layout follows that of a boomerang more closely than a usual SLC. I will say this though... the OTSR's on this seemed much "bulkier" than on Great Nor'Easter and did bump around more (mainly because they were so close). However, that aside, of the coasters that were OPERATING the day I was at SFA (all but Mind Eraser and S:RoS), I would rank it just after Wild One, but before Roar, Joker's Jinx, and BatWing (in that order).

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"I wasn't always this cynical, but then I started kindergarden..."

I rode both Morey's Great Nor'Easter and SFGAdv's Batman The Ride quite a few times this summer, and in the defense of Agent Johnson, I must say that the two rides exhibited the same amount of "roughness". Batman seems to have gotten just a little rougher throughout the years, while the Great Nor'easter has always felt pretty smooth to me (contrary to what many say about SLCs).

SLFAKE,

Two face is an Invertigo. Although it appears that several people don't like them, they aren't bashed for their roughness as much. Personally I love them, going up backwards in the front seat is a little freaky. That's nothing compared to Deja Vu, but until I ride one of those an Invertigo is the only place to get that fealing. I also wanted to say that in my opinion I haven't been on a coaster that has more headbanging then the FoF's and their clones (Joker's Jinx). o if you like that one while it still has the OTR, then I don't think you would hate the LC's. ome people just fit in the cars better.

*** This post was edited by Incidentalist on 10/4/2001. ***

Incidentalist,

I knew it was an Invertigo... I just included it because of the similarities of the seat design. And I agree with being pulled up the lift hill backward and looking straight down from the front seat. As far as Joker's Jinx... I rated it AFTER Two Face... I didn't like it very much.

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"I wasn't always this cynical, but then I started kindergarden..."

Well I personally LOVE the design of the SLCs. They are compact and intense, rather Batman-like. Now the EXECUTION of that design leaves a little to be desired. I suppose, because of the length of the train, the train seems to "stall" in some of the elements. This is most noticeable to me in the front seat. Also, because of the gap between the side wheels and the track, there will always be a little side-to-side 'hunting'.

That is what is common to all the SLCs I've ridden, after that, they seem to diverge greatly. Mind Eraser @ SFA was the most all around enjoyable for me. T2 seemed to bounce up and down a whole lot, like a woodie. Serial Thriller @ SFWoA burned my ears up really, REALLY badly. I guess there is something to be said about individual care.
lata,
jeremy
--who needs to finish his homework

2Hostyl said:
Well I personally LOVE the design of the SLCs.

Does my memory play tricks on me again, but I recall you slating Vekoma in a recent thread...........