Steel Dragon smoothest coaster?

I think MF and SD2000 both look cool. SD2000 is built on air time and MF is built on speed. i would probably prefer MF cuz it has a steeper drop and i really like the speed. if i want air time ill just go to my home park PKD and ride rebel yell, ill get plenty of air time there. as for SD2000, im glad its up, but i dont see it any different from any other out-and-back cuz i could just ride apollo's chariot. SD2000 just has to be higher cuz there is more speed to it, but its still based on air time. and for everybody that just like MF, if SD2000 was in the US, thats where ur talk would be and MF would just be old news. . .so stop complaining. if u think its a horrible ride than dont bother talking about it.

Listening to people bash a coaster that they know almost nothing about just points out the average age of most of the 'buzzers' here. A bunch of kids, and while most of you are rather educated and mature there are a whole lot of whining babies on this site. Never in the history of the world has coaster riding been as good as it is right now. Yet all some of you can do is complain. It's annoying. Grow up, appreciate what you have and have fun riding coasters, isn't that what it's all about.

And I agree with CoasterCraze647. If SD2K was in the U.S. and MF was in Japan, everyone on this forum would be talking about how much SD2K rocked while MF stunnk. Patriotism is good, but not when it is based on ignorance.

How long did you have to wait to ride it?

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"Bathroom 1 looks too intense for me"-Ed Markey

There's a lack of maturity in an otherwise great thread here, keep in mind people that one's "favorite coaster" more often than not isn't completely based on ride quality.. The verdict is simple, if you want airtime and scale, Steel Dragon. Speed, and, speed, Millennium Force. Personally, I tend to prefer lots of hills and helicies, over innovation and gradual transitions, which is why I prefer Mamba over most coasters, including MF. I'm sure Steel Dragon is head-and-shoulders above Mamba, so...

Back to the topic, Nasai, I noticed the same thing on Mamba! One of the many things that blew me away on the ride, was that the astonishing comfort and lack of shaking. Every inch seemed engineered perfectly with rider comfort in mind. Their coasters lack Giovanola or Intamin intensity because of this, but for many people that can be such a good thing.

Did you ride in the very front Nasai? In my opinion that's where Morgan's are designed for!

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Musician, snowboarder, member of ACE and the ECC

Bruce, the wait time on the ride averaged 15 minutes! The beauty of this ride is that it exists in very much a family oriented park so there aren't a tremendous amount of 'thrill riders,' even for Japan. I rode the coaster in the early afternoon after (and also during) a
massive rainstorm. We basically spent the day running back and forth between the pools, spas, and waterpark to the coaster whenever it was back up and running. Unlike the US parks, the moment that the rain stopped, they were racing to get it open. I was thoroughly impressed.

Ed, I rode the coaster in my personal favorite spot...the last car. I did so everytime, with exception to my first ride which was in the middle. There was a huge difference between middle, and back in regards to air. The rear had some ejector on the 8 bunny hops. The middle had some small air on the 3 big hills. All in all, I would imagine that the rain could have even slowed the trains down somewhat. On a hot (and always humid) day in Japan, I bet that thing soars. My buddies from Tennessee were there that day, and they rode the front. They said there was no airtime whatsoever. When they rode in the tail later in the day, they were laughing hysterically at all the airtime, so there is a vague answer for you. Just so you know....most parks in Japan do NOT let you pick the seat. I was able to con them into the first ride in the rear, and I got lucky later in the day. If you go there....go early. The park closes on weekdays at 5pm. Granted, the park is virtually empty (again for Japan), and you won't really have to stand in line anyway. It opens at 8:30am.

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;)Rollercoasters are like parrots...if you take care of them, they should outlive you;)

I personally found MF to be LOADED with air...maybe it was just because I rode it in August. But anyway, although SD2K may be a good ride, I just wish that Morgan would put a bit more thought behind their designs. Aside from Steel Eel, all their hypers have nearly the same layout. Wild Thing's is a bit different, but it just adds yet another helix. Also, I highly doubt that SD2K could be smoother than some of the B&M's and Intamin's around. But, I haven't ridden it, so I can't say anything for sure.

-Raven_Rider

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"Hold on tight, with all your might, and enjoy your flight on the Raven!"

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Intamin Fan said:
"Stealth, are you saying you have ridden MF, or are you just faking that you have? First you say it looks better (indicating that you haven't ridden it) and then you say it is better. Which is it? A video cannot possibly convey what a ride feels like."

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Intamin fan, why would saying that something looks cool mean that you havn't ridden it? Thats makes no sense to me at all. I think Hypersonic XLC looks cool, does that mean that once I ride it I can't say it looks cool anymore? And, yes he's ridden it, it's in his track record, and I don't think he'd fake some dumb thing like that.


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Let the Trix Rabbit eat the yogurt!!
Kerry -Bright Man of the Elite Eight

Gosh people...keep the childish comments down. I started this thread to find out about other Morgans. Not to read childish rantings from everyone about which coaster is better, or what coaster is the coolest. Please someone....anyone.......write something with substance about the TOPIC. There are some great comments above this one. Keep THOSE coming. Everyone else can take their foolish comments and blow. Thank you!

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;)Rollercoasters are like parrots...if you take care of them, they should outlive you;)

Ok, to try to steer this back to the original query -- I've only ridden two Morgan's so far. Both were VERY smooth, but I had very different reactions to them.

Steel Force was good, but the midcourse brake run was on pretty heavily, which probably killed the airtime on the final approach (it seemed to be TRYING to give airtime, but just wasn't there). It was a fun ride, and one I'd happily ride again, but it didn't grab me as one that I'd go out of my way to ride again. That's probably more an issue with how its run than the design itself, though.


The other Morgan I've ridden is Phantom's Revenge, which is just insane, and one of my favorite coasters anywhere, wooden or steel.

I REALLY hope to ride Steel Dragon someday. It looks like my kind of coaster -- airtime machine.



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--Greg

http://www.pobox.com/~gregleg/
*** This post was edited by GregLeg on 7/28/2001. ***

I would love to ride SD2K. That looks like an incredible coaster. On "The making of a coaster" show on Discovery channel the way it looks lit up at night is tremendous. I would love a night ride. Did you get a night ride Nasai?

I have ridden the Steel Force, and I really like that coaster. GregLeg you must have been there on a bad day cause the several times I was there I was getting alot of air in both front and back. I guess its all a matter of taste. I you liked Steel Dragon I am sure that you would like Steel Force. Its just 20 miles an hour slower. :)

The only Giovanola I've ridden, Titan, is by far the smoothest coaster I've been on.

I havent ridden a Morgan yet but I would love to. SD2K looks like a great coaster. I agree that you really can't and shouldnt compare it to MF. First off, most of us have not been on both, so you really cant make a legitimate comparison. Second, as pointed out before they are completely different types of coasters. The ONLY similiarity is that they are both over 300 ft.

Lets just be happy they are building these monsters and continue to build them! Its just like the CP - MM debate. Two great parks who love to build coasters that are hundreds of miles apart! What is there to argue about, just be happy both exist!

Amen to that CP Twister!

Coaster Fantom, the park closes at 5pm on weekdays until schools are out for the summer break. In Japan, schools run all year, so summer break is in late July through August. I thought the park was open til 9pm, but alas...no luck. I will have to wait until I move to Nagoya to ride it at night. By then, I am sure there will be something bigger...I hope you all get a chance to ride this coaster someday. Definitely a good time.

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;)Rollercoasters are like parrots...if you take care of them, they should outlive you;)

Japan's big on Melodic Metal, so maybe a tour will someday land me in Tokyo. Nasai, did your buddies ride in the VERY front? The only worthwhile seat on Mamba past the back car, in my opinion, was the very front. The second seat, as it sounds SD2K might echo, is fairly limited on the airtime, especially on the bunny hops.

Two more things, did the speed off first 3 hills seem a lot faster than you expected, and were the trains aerodynamic so the wind went around you, instead of right at you? That was another thing I loved about Mamba, it seemed like it was really booking off the first 3 drops, much more so than an Intamin hyper. I wonder if it had to do with the wind? Morgan trains aren't very exposed, which seems to lead people to dislike them altogether, but I thought they were roomy and comfortable.

I'd also ridden the new Phantom, but that was so far and away non-Morgan-y, that it's hard to compare with other Morgan hypercoasters.

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Musician, snowboarder, member of ACE and the ECC

Ed, I must say that I was thoroughly impressed with the Morgan trains. Lots of room (especially for us tall Americans, and very quiet. They really keep the wind off of you, which to some can be bad, however I prefer to hear myself scream. Just me........
My friends rode in the front car, but second row. I don't know if all Morgan trains have 3 rows, but this coaster does. Perhaps the air is good only in the very first row?
Given what I had known about Steel Dragon, I expected it to slow miserably over the tops of the 2nd, and 3rd hill, but to my surprise the thing kept kickin' and that put a big ol' smile on my face. It wasn't like MF, but this isn't supposed to be MF, so that wasn't a bad thing anyway. All in all, I would suggest a trip! Great country, great ride, great park, and the people are gracious as heck. Besides, an all day pass was only $35 dollars, and they have 7 coasters, a space shot, and some really interesting flat rides (only in Japan). GO!
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;)Rollercoasters are like parrots...if you take care of them, they should outlive you;)

I've only been on 1 Morgan...and it wasn't all theirs. Phantoms Revenge. That ride is great, tons of airtime, smooth, and the trains on it were totaly comfortable. It wasn't smoother than MF though IMO.

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MF Drops-25
SOB Rides-4

I found Steel Dragon to be the smothest coaster I've ever experienced. When I first saw it, I was a bit intimidated. But after my first ride, I was hooked. I rode 14 times. I forced myself to stop for a while, to eat and experience the other rides. The water park was closed, it was only April. Just as well, I couldn't stay away from SD2000. I really enjoyed the Intamin woodie, as well. One funny thing....there were very few people in the early part of the day. I went into the robot exhibit, and was the only patron. There were AT LEAST 20 kids working at the exhibits in there. It felt really weird. So much over-employment.........

but, back to the subject.......YES!!!! SD2000 is the smoothest, and from what I've heard the other Morgan rides are similar in this regard. Great ride. Sayounara, nasai-san

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cmiesen

All Morgan's, except for PR, have 3 bench cars. For Mamba, the very front was the only seat with airtime in the front car, and I specifically remembering being unimpressed with the 2nd row. I'm a die hard Morgan lover now though, and I hope I can get out there to ride Steel Dragon! On the bunny hops, was it kind of airtime on the way down, and then slam you into the car at the bottom? I noticed that on Mamba, but the front car was just float all the way over. I'd imagine SD2K's second hill gives some major airtime in the back car...

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Musician, snowboarder, member of ACE and the ECC

Ed, the back seat absolutely floated the entire time. I am referring to the front seat of the back car, though. I never had the feeling of being slammed back into my seat, although not every hill provided MEGA floater air. As far as the bunny hops go, the air was amazing. Absolutely, without a doubt, the most air of the ride. The second hill is glorious, but the air was different, and I didn't notice as much because I was "in the moment" as it were...:)
Just go ride the thing.

Cmiesen, you were in April? What I loved was that it was July, and the park was very underpopulated! As you can see, in Japan every restaurant, and shop is over-staffed. That is the nature of the people. Service is MOST important. I can't wait to move there!
I hope everyone can go and enjoy SD2K. If so...
Kiotsukide!

One more thing...Ed, I too am a musician. Japan is huge on metal, and even more so on Prog Metal.
Get there now. You can book gigs yourself if you are savvy enough. Later!
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;)Rollercoasters are like parrots...if you take care of them, they should outlive you;) *** This post was edited by nasai on 7/29/2001. ***