Why Is Magnum XL-200 So Rough

Please tell me why this ride is so rough. I liked it a lot, but it was so rough. I'm not sure how peoples think it is the Number 1 coaster.
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I Survived Millennium Force!

1.) Millennium Force 2.) Steel Eel 3.) Raptor 4.) Mantis 5.) Magnum XL-200

Well, it is 12 years old, and was amde by Arrow. Although it is my number one ride.
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"Why does S:UE only have one train?!?!"-Andy Byington 2001"
Festivus is upon us...

I don't see how anyone can call this coaster rough. It is a little bouncy in the end, but those bunny hills were designed that way to get great airtime.

I havn't been on it, but I think I know why. It was built in '89, right? Shockwave @ SFGAm was built in '88. That thing is rough due to the way it was designed, primitive computer software. I bet in that 1 year the software used didn't evolve much, so the transtions are still pretty poorly designed (but that doesn't mean it's a bad coaster, just that the transitions could be better.)
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Why won't my signature change Jeff?
I'm bored. What should I do?

Uh....maybe because that's how they designed it?

If it was any less rough I don't think I'd feel compelled to go on it. I think ALL the coasters at PKI are just as rough or rougher (Except Top Gun of course). Some folks LOOK for that.

It seems that half the coaster nutz like the "smooth speed and air" ride, and the other half prefer the "insane, wild, throw you around, rock your world" ride....

I guess that's why they make both kinds!!!

One is food, the other is water....Humans must have both!

~Tocci

It depends on the day, the seat, the allignment of the planets and other things. I'm not sure I'd call this a flaw, but perhaps "personality."

First off, we're so used to B&M and Intamin now that anything that doesn't feel like that is rough. Second, rough shouldn't be confused with forceful airtime, something Magnum does a lot of (try tightening your belt). The turn around can be a bit rough, especially if you have a bad road or guide wheel, happens all of the time.

In any case, it just depends on the day. That's 80's engineering for you.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

It's because it's arrow, and that is the way they ride. The only roughness i have felt on it is when the wheels lose contact with the track and bounce back down. Gemini does it also, and Kings Island's mine train and mega looper seem to do the same thing. I haven't noticed it with the suspendeds, but thats probably because the swinging offets it. It's just poor design and has nothing to do with age, in my opinion. A twenty-some year old Schwarzkopf at Hershey still rides as smooth as new.

i never knew magnum to be very rough. maybe at the end on the speed bumps. considering how old it is i still think it's one of the top rides in the country. it still the best ride at cedar point.

I've been on it during both rough and smooth rides. Although I've never had a 'painful' ride, my son has, generally through the bounces when his thighs hit the lapbar. That's why Jeff's suggestion of tightening the seatbelt makes a difference. It seems to be that it's rougher on the hot, humid days, and smoother on the cooler ones. Regardless, I still love it. But then, I love Mean Streak as well when they trims are off.

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead

This summer, i rode magnum 6 times in a row, and all of them were very different. The first was very rough and wooly, and the transitions were pretty harsh. (this was at the beginning of the day.) About 30 minutes in, the first train was still running pretty rough, but the other 2 were much smoother.

If you want a good ride i would suggest asking Miss Cleo what time of day, which train, and which seat, because for us nonpsychics, its pretty much impossible to predict.

Granted, Maggie is rough because its a kick a.ss coastersand is not around to coddle you and make you feel like you are all safe and snuggled in your B&M easy chair. Its there to kick the living crap out of you, and it will do it everytime. :) Thank god for supposedly "primitive" engineering!

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Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity.

Arrow Arrow Arrow! I guess they're still up to it to, with X. ;)
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.:| Brandon Rodriguez |:.
http://www.coasters2k.com

I know this will sound a bit rude but....

Are you guys wimps or what? If I want a smooth ride, I'll slide across my floor in my easy chair. I'll stay home. I ride coasters to feel forces of all sorts. I want to be thrown around, slammed against the side of my seat, twisted this way and that way, and yes...shaken some. Smooth rides are boring IMO, I want the coaster to kick my butt and make me feel a sense of danger. Magnum does shake some, but by no means is it rough to the point of not being enjoyable. Just my opinion.

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Work like you've just gotten paid, Love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one's watching!

I have to agree with you DWeaver. I generally like supposedly "rough" coasters , and that includes Arrow looopers, more than their B&M and Intamin counterparts. A lot of time, people confuse roughness with intense positive and lateral forces, especially on rides with OTSR's where sudden lateral forces cause you to bang your head on the shoulder harness. I enjoy those types of rides much more than the easy-chair B&M's and Intamins. It's called a THRILL ride, not a relaxation ride. Now some rides are rough beyond the point of being enjoyable (SP, FoF with OTSR's), but only a very few, and most people agree Magnum is not close to being too rough. Yeah, Maggie (still the number 1 steel roller coaster in the world in my opinion), shakes you up a bit, but that's the primary reason why I like her more than her bigger blue sister (oh yeah, and I suppose ejector airtime factors into the equation somewhere, too :) ).

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"It looks like they just decided to hang up wheat all over the park" - my friend Steve, describing the FearFest decorating at Kings Island.

then dweaver would like the coney cyclone,riverside cyclone,the gasm at sfga,psyclone at sfmm,mean streak and the backbreaking screechin' eagle at now closed americana. all but the coney cyclone are the bad kind of rough.

When I rode it in May the whole ride hurt my body, and I'm only 14 years old. I did really enjoy the ride, but then again it must have been a bad day. Heck, I have only been on it once.
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I Survived Millennium Force!

1.) Millennium Force 2.) Steel Eel 3.) Raptor 4.) Mantis 5.) Magnum XL-200

Ah Magnum.....created by the best amusement ride manufacturer to date!

Maggie isnt rough, unless you havent taken staple prevention methods.. then OUCH!

virginiareelfan said:
then dweaver would like the coney cyclone,riverside cyclone,the gasm at sfga,psyclone at sfmm,mean streak and the backbreaking screechin' eagle at now closed americana. all but the coney cyclone are the bad kind of rough.

Just because we like rough coasters doesn't mean that we like coasters that suck (as many of those do.)

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Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity.

I like it rough, oh wait I'm on the wrong site. I dont mind rough coasters and I have never really had a bad ride on magnum would ride it all day instead of working for sure.
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Army Rangers lead the way

The three times I rode it over two seperate days it rode differently for me. The first time I absolutely hated the ride. It felt like it was running on square wheels and the roughness was due to bumpiness. Must have been a bad running wheel somewhere. It really sucked. Then the next day I rode it to give it one more chance and it was alot smoother. I still dont think it is a number 3 ride in the country, but is good for a 1989 ride. I have never really liked Arrow's anyways so I might be prejudiced on that.

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Bob Hansen

"Excuse me while I kick the sky!"
kickthesky@hotmail.com