Vekoma rides

Mostly when we think of Vekoma we think of clones of SLC and Boomarangs. Whenever coaster enthuisiasts review parks they make a small comment about "they have an amazing coaster called boomarang that is only found in about 40 or 50 parks across the country!" Well what do you think about these coasters(SLC & boomarangs). Are they really that bad or do you just make a small mention since everyone knows what they are. Personally, I HATE SLCs because all they do is bang my head. The best part of that ride is the exit ramp. On the other hand, I haven't been on De'ja vu or the Invertigos but, I think boomarangs are a ton of fun even though there are a ton of them. What do you think? In addition, for those who have ridden De'ja vu, did you like it

I agree with you completely...SLCs are awful, Boomerangs are great, and Deja Vu is amazing. Many people do not realize that Vekoma has a few wood coasters in Europe...I've always wondered how those are.
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"A gun is not a weapon...it's a tool...like a butcher knife, a harpoon, or an alligator"

Deja Vu is amazing is you can get on it with an under 1 hr. line

Funny, I find SFEG's Mind Eraser very smooth.

Boomerangs do get kind of old, but I love the Flying Dutchmans. The kiddie coasters are alright too.
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SLCs and Boomerangs are generic, so making a big deal out of them is unnecessary...we all know what we mean. There ARE differences in how they are maintained, and how they ride. Some are rougher than others, I have a slight preference for the full-circuit coasters. To me, Deja Vu was basically an Invertigo on steroids, and they are all pretty good IMO, smoothness-wise - but in terms of capacity, shuttles just don't move crowds of people...
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rollergator said:
SLCs and Boomerangs are generic, so making a big deal out of them is unnecessary...we all know what we mean. There ARE differences in how they are maintained, and how they ride. Some are rougher than others, I have a slight preference for the full-circuit coasters. To me, Deja Vu was basically an Invertigo on steroids, and they are all pretty good IMO, smoothness-wise - but in terms of capacity, shuttles just don't move crowds of people...
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I asked if overall do you enjoy them. I know they are generic but nobody really says their opinion about them. Just wondering if people like them or not.

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SFDL NEEDS A GOOD EXPANSION!!!!!!!

rollergator said:
SLCs and Boomerangs are generic, so making a big deal out of them is unnecessary...we all know what we mean. There ARE differences in how they are maintained, and how they ride. Some are rougher than others, I have a slight preference for the full-circuit coasters. To me, Deja Vu was basically an Invertigo on steroids, and they are all pretty good IMO, smoothness-wise - but in terms of capacity, shuttles just don't move crowds of people...
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I asked if overall do you enjoy them. I know they are generic but nobody really says their opinion about them. Just wondering if people like them or not.

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SFDL NEEDS A GOOD EXPANSION!!!!!!!

Well, I LOVE their flyers...Boomerangs I've been on that ran pretty smooth (enjoyable) would be Knott's and Wild Adventures'. SLCs...SFA's is pretty good, SFKK's was pretty rough. I personally enjoy their flying coasters, then Invertigos, then the rollerskaters before either the SLC's or the Boomerangs...but that's just me. Personally, I'd love to try out their woodies, heard great things about Loup Garou...
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I happen to like both SLC's and Boomerang's. Of The two SLC's I have been on(Top Gun PCW,and Mind Eraser SFDL) I liked Mind Eraser better because of the mist and I didn't think it was that rough if you just keep your head back.

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Where has the magic gone in the name Disney?

I thought Deja Vu was a great ride.

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My 2 cents:
Vekoma rides aren't all that bad. To me, they're just less expensive, and it shows in the way they age, and the way they're constructed. The only SLC clone i've been on is Mind Eraser at SFNE. When it opened in '97, it was built new, and gave a ride as smooth as any B&M I'd ever been on. Granted, it was shorter, but other than that i thought it was great. Last year, i rode it once at the beginning of the season and seriously felt like i was going to fall out. I'm a fairly big person (6'0, 220lbs), but not huge, and i felt as though the restraints weren't meant to hold me in. I have never been so terrified on a coaster and have never ridden it since. I think that the reason so many SLCs get bad reps is because most of them are at SF parks, and it's my general opinion that SF isn't as concerned with maintenance as other parks (Superman, for instance, was even getting pretty rough after only 2 seasons!)

The Flashback at the same park, however, to me still gives a great ride. It's a little rough, but bearable. The only problem i have with that ride is that the seats aren't comfortable at all - there's basically no padding. Now, I've had friends who were shorter and thinner, and they've had the exact opposite reaction (being banged around the boomerang, but feeling comfortable on the SLC). I don't know if this is a coincidence or not.

Anyways, I'm glad to see Vekoma coming up with innovations like Deja Vu and the Flying Dutchman - let's just hope they are well maintained, as i couldn't imagine these more extreme layouts being at all enjoyable were they allowed to get rough.

Edit: Absimillard; i forgot about DLP's Space Mt. You're totally right - it's not the best "coaster," but possibly the best coaster experience i've ever encountered!

*** This post was edited by nelson324 on 12/31/2001. ***

I like Vekoma. They do make sweet rides. I hate SLC's and Boomerangs though, because during the ride on an SLC, I worry about my head, and cant concentrate on the ride. Boomerangs are awful. SFWOA's Mind Eraser is very smooth. I rode it once this season out of the whole year. One ride on ME, but over 150+ on BKF :) :) Get that? It was very smooth, I didnt hit my head once. But, it was just... Too boring. But Vekoma is a great company, and I think they deserve respect. Two Face at SFA is a coaster in my top ten! ( Imagin that! ) XFlight is awesome too! They make good coasters, but Boomers and SLC's are out of style. I would take an Invertigo to replace Serial Thriller, Mind Eraser or even Big Dipper any day! Invertigo's rock da house. Peace out :)

*** This post was edited by SFWoAsteve on 12/28/2001. ***

I have been on 2 SLC: PCW Top Gun, which was a major head trasher in 1995 and a slighly more enjoyable ride in 1999, after that, I lost faith in the SLC serie.... until I went this summer on the SFB Vampire, which is a 1999 model... and, its was totally smooth! You can really appreciate the nice layout and great sensations of the rollover and double roll. But, you also notice the problem with the ride: trains are too long, so, all inversions feels like you barely do them with valleying! Also, I dont like the OTSR, which simply prevent you from getting your hands higher than your shoulders!

I have been on a couple of Boomerang: my favorite is the La Ronde one. Its simply disorients you in a way those with a Vekoma train don't seem to be able to do!

I have had the privilege of going on the Weerwolf/Loup Garou. Its aimed at family and thus, is not that big, but... the trains!!! Forget the fiberglass shells sitdown trains, these are the real deal when its come to wooden coaster trains! So confortable and so open... Loup Garou gives a good ride in the back, giving good airtime, no top 10 ride, but still a whole heck of fun!

I have been on 2 Vekoma mine trains: Calamity Mine at SFB and Big Thunder Mountain at DLP. Both got comfortable train with a single lap bar for a row. Calamity Mine has a very twisted and compact layout. The 2 lift hills are parallel! Nice helix, good effects, good ride overall.

BTM is the big daddy of all mine trains: 4 tunnels! a drop in total darkness, the famed headknocker ( I always asked myself why there was a trim brake there. I knew why after I hitted my hand on the headknocker when I got airtime there on a rainy day! ) and 2 good pops of airtime. Add the facts that its on an island and its got 4800 feet of track and its a no brainer its the best mine train ( and possibly best family coaster! ).

Now, for custom looping coasters... I have been on two. Let's start with the worst ( worst? NO! Its absolutely abyssmal! ), the infamous Goudurix. For Steel Phantom, the problem was too much speed, which caused the train to track horribly, thus causing continual, but not so bad headbanging. For Goudurix, the whole design of the Butterfly element is the problem! You get 3 insane shots to the head during it, then, your bones are grinded in the horrible Arrow Boomerang that follows... At least, the first ( and only! ) drop is not so bad and the corkscrew are semi smooth. A friend compared both Steel Phantom and Goudurix and said that Goudurix made Steel Phantom look like a MF when its come to smoothness!

The other looping coaster I have been on... The costiest rollercoaster ever, first to have a launch on a slope, first coaster to invert riders in the dark, first to include an onboard soundtrack and the only to feature the true "horseshoe" element. Yep, I'm talking about the DLP Space Mountain. 5 years of designing, 2 years and a half of building and a 100 millions $ later, we have what is possibly the greatest coaster experience in the world.

If you ever wondered why there are those extra side bars on the OTSRs on Deja Vu, they were added because it was possible for you to reach up and touch the running gear (wheels) while the train was in motion. They had to keep people's hands down some way.

i like the Boomerang at Knott's a lot, Deja Vu was really great, ive never been on a SLC

Th boomerang at SFDL is ok. I have to disagree with SFWoASteve, and say that Mind Eraser at SFWoA was horribly rough when I rode it this summer. I had such a headache that it actually made me sick and woozy feeling for about 45 minutes after riding. I've NEVER had that reaction to a coaster before. It kind of upset me, because it made my lone ride on Big Dipper that day kind of stink, because I was too worried about my pain to enjoy the ride, and I didn't have enough time to ride it again. (Wanted Villain one more time.)

Jman

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Jman
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SFWoAsteve said:
or even Big Dipper any day!

Don't think of touching Dipper ;) Could one even fit?
They could put it in a parking space next to X-Flight/
2 big green monsters :)

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I don't think the SLC are that bad. I enjoyed T2 at SFKK. It is nowhere close to a B&M, but still a fun ride. Equal to, or better than most non B&M or Intamin steel coasters. The Boomerangs, and fun to ride once per visit to a park, but are nothing special. Just another one for the coaster count. The Invertigos are much better, but again, only really good t o ride once per visit. I still haven't had a chance to ride Deja Vu, but I haven't heard anything bad about it, aside from the fact that the one at SFGAm is hardly ever working.

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Current favorite coasters:
Wooden: 1) Beast 2) Raven 3) Son of Beast 4) The Boss 5) Timber Wolf
Steel: 1) Raging Bull 2) Millennium Force 3) V2 4) Wild Thing 5) Mr. Freeze

I like Vekoma's rides. They aren't the best company, but thay aren't bad. Boomerangs are pretty fun. Well actually, SFWoA's was. I didn't like SFMW's because it killed my back. That was train design though, if it had SFWoA's train, I would have liked it. Invertigo's are fun, but I don't think they are very intense. It's fun to look at the other person's expressions on the ride though. SLC's are fun, but SFMW's was pretty boring. Maybe SFWoA's was the same way and I just remember it different, but in my memory, Serial Thriller was alot of fun while Kong was okay. Flying coasters are cool. X-Flight is much better than Stealth, so Vekoma is improving. I think more could be done with the flying design, so far, they have all been fairly short. The kiddie coasters are good kiddie coasters. Deja Vu is awesome. That is my favorite Vekoma ride. It is very intense, thrilling, and smooth. It is right up there with Raging Bull for my favorite ride at Great America. The tilt coaster looks really good and Hammerhead Stall looks awesome.

amen, bigkirby, the ONLY reason to touch Big Dipper is to transfer the ride in its entirety to my backyard...back to Vekoma, has anyone heard anything about the TILT since the Jersey boardwalk idea seemed to go "belly-up"...
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