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Over The Shoulder Restraints. (OTSRs)


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Let me be clear, I'm not talking about floorless coasters, stand-ups, inverts, or SLCs. I'm talking about the basic, sit-down loopers.

 

Arrow, TOGO, Vekoma, they've all put out these types of coasters, and so many of them have all these awful reported cases of headbanging. Why? OTSRs of course. As so many on this board can relate, these clunky restraints are the biggest reason why so many of these types of steelies are a painful experience.

 

So...why have them?

 

Premier took the hint when it came to Flight of Fear, Jokers Jinx, Poltergeist, and The Chiller. They removed the OTSRs on them, and put in lap bars. They became much bigger hits after that, so it puzzles me that Arrow, Vekoma, and TOGO haven't done the same with their sit-down steelies. Schwarzkopf proved, years ago, that all you needed with these rides was a lap bar, and to just let centrifugal force do the rest. But now, even their coasters, including Magic Mountain's revolution, are being fitted with OTSRs. Why?

 

The only reason I can think of, is the public perception that OTSRs are necessary for any kind of looping coaster.

 

So, let's discuss. Apologies if there's another thread on this that I've not yet discovered.

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Haha, I was thinking about starting a topic just like this. I was thinking the same thing when I was riding the Boomerang and Sidewinder (Arrow Shuttle) a few weeks ago. I didn't see any need for OTSR on the Boomerang. There aren't any negative g's The Sidewinder has some pretty nice negative G's but no reason at all to have OTSR's... It doesn't make sense.

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The reason they're needed is because that is/was they only safe way to ride an inversion at the time or for that type of ride. Premier obviously found an equally or safer way of keeping patrons safe on the ride. Vekoma and all Arrow loopers had them because that was what was deemed safest then by Arrow (who built trains for Vekomas and their own) and still safe today, otherwise they might change them. We still see new Vekoma trains with them and they ARE improved from the infamous horse-collar restraints. They do try to make the experience more enjoyable for their guests and have put money into designing new trains. Some parks don't really see a problem with their current trains or can't afford new trains so they leave them. OTSRs aren't really as big of an issue as they are sometimes made out to be. Sometimes rides may stall UPSIDE DOWN or close to it (Boomerang Cobra Rolls) and they do not want anybody to become injured and die because that costs the park and manufacturer money.

 

They are needed because they keep you SAFE. They know what they're doing, don't question them. Better to have a slight headache than to be a bloody splatter on the ground right?

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I don't think a coaster can do inversions other than loops with a Schwarz style lapbar.

 

But, I am a huge fan of Flight of Fear and it's awesome lapbars. Would it work on the Arrow and Vekoma loopers? I dunno, not without an entire train redesign, which may change the rides beyond recognition - Like Vekoma's trains on the swinging Arrow, Vampire.

 

Many Vekoma and even more Arrow loopers aren't that rough and do not require changes. Lapbars provide a freedom of movement which may not be suitable on many rides. I think changes like the new trains on Carrowind's Boomerang are awesome and lapbars are not needed... They need to design a similar train/restraint system for SLCs.

 

Having lapbars creates safety issues. OSTRs never fail... Is there even one incident of it happening? Seatbelts on lapbar coasters are a pain and they slow down dispatching horribly. You've also got to consider what the public perception of a lapbar is. How many people won't ride a classic schwarz because of what they perceive as insufficient restraints?

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The safety argument is a very good one. One I hadn't fully considered.

 

This now makes me wonder if there are ways we can improve OTSRs to the point where headbanging is a non-issue? I know there have been a few efforts with this already, but will designers ever try to tackle the issue on a larger scale? Vekoma in particular, I think, could benefit from a remodel of their OTSRs in general, as they've always seemed a bit overly large to me.

 

Also, ever notice that there are virtually no complaints about headbanging on a B&M steelie? None that I've noticed, anyway. I wonder why that is?

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One thing of note on the Premier trains is that the butts in the seat are WAY recessed. I'm tall, and my knees are equal with my chest level on Freeze, FOF, etc. The Premier design also restrains your legs, possibly to prevent a rider from slipping out. So presumably riders need to be positioned differently for inversions. Consider that OTSRs prevent you from leaning forward. This could be a factor.

 

One thing that I don't see is putting OTSRs on non-inverting rides. See: Kingda Ka (considering Dragster runs without them), Intimidator 305... Why OTSRs on these two?

 

Ultimately, I think OTSRs may just be a holdover from the days before computers, i.e. the early Arrow days.

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Also, ever notice that there are virtually no complaints about headbanging on a B&M steelie? None that I've noticed, anyway. I wonder why that is?
^ I may be wrong, but I thought I read on this site that the reason there's no headbanging on B&Ms is because the upstop wheels touch the track, while on most Vekomas or Arrows, that's not the case.

I've heard the same thing about Vekoma's upstops not hugging the track... but I get plenty of headbanging on B&M's! It's not the same as the constant shuddering on a Vekoma and some Arrows, but I cannot stand B&M flyovers because my earss get a beating. I seem to be the only person who gets this though.

 

One thing that I don't see is putting OTSRs on non-inverting rides. See: Kingda Ka (considering Dragster runs without them), Intimidator 305... Why OTSRs on these two?

Because Intamin lapbars kill people. Thats why.

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Sometimes rides may stall UPSIDE DOWN or close to it (Boomerang Cobra Rolls) and they do not want anybody to become injured and die because that costs the park and manufacturer money.

huh no one was hurt in 1997 when Sicorro did just that

 

http://users.elis.ugent.be/~lvertvel/accident.jpg

 

You've also got to consider what the public perception of a lapbar is. How many people won't ride a classic schwarz because of what they perceive as insufficient restraints?

I think this is the real reason.

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B&Ms do have headbanging but I read that it is caused by tiny flaws and fluctuations in the track and joints between sections. It is less noticeable on some newer ones though because they have a stricter standard for deviation. and Vekoma has a less strict standard. I dunno

 

^Good point. I meant specifically Vekoma's Boomerangs where when they stall, the front and back ends are more in a sideways hanging position than just straight down. But I'm not totally sure if you could fall out or not by leaning toward the ground at 50 ish degrees in a lapbar, but I think that it is possible. Is there a picture of a stalled Boomerang for reference?

Edited by mightbeawannabe
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But, I am a huge fan of Flight of Fear and it's awesome lapbars. Would it work on the Arrow and Vekoma loopers? I dunno, not without an entire train redesign

You just answered your own question right there.

 

We've already seen plenty of examples of new restraints that do away with OTSR's for looping coasters - Premiere's lapbar system, Vekoma's "vest" that they've put on an SLC and a couple of loopers, the X-Car restraint, etc.

 

The biggest issue here is retro-fitting an old coaster would cost the park hundreds of thousands of dollars to do this. So unless they are wanting to re-market an older ride, like Morey's Piers did with Great Nor'Easter, I don't think we'll see this happen.

 

I would hope that any future Premiere, Vekoma or Maurer Shoune installations come standard with their updated versions of lapbars for looping coasters, and it would be nice to see some other manufacturers, like Gerstaluer or B&M for example, follow suit.

 

But I also know that developing a new restraint system, when you already have one that works just fine for the parks, is VERY expensive to put into production. So unless a park is willing to fund that development when ordering a new ride, I doubt that's going to happen either.

 

So to answer your question - Why do we have them? Because it's expensive to do anything else.

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^ Not to mention the security aspect of it. I know tons of people who wont ride Monte cause they think they will fall out. Due to the fact that the average member of the GP does not know much about roller coasters besides some are steel, some are wooden, and some coasters go upside down. I think OTSRs are now senonymous with steel inverting roller coasters in most peoples eyes.

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I really do wish that B&M came up with a new/better restraint and stop buying the current restraints they have. (Yes, B&M does not make their own restraints. Neither do most companies.) Although most B&Ms don't have much headbanging, I think the whole rider experience would be improved by a lot if there was a smaller, less bulky restraint, like the vests that are now being used.

 

B&Ms do have headbanging but I read that it is caused by tiny flaws and fluctuations in the track and joints between sections. It is less noticeable on some newer ones though because they have a stricter standard for deviation. and Vekoma has a less strict standard.

No, that's what we call the B&M rattle.

 

Headbanging really has nothing to do with the upstop wheels being tight to the track or anything like that. All that does is cause extra rattle and vibration, and in the case of some bad Arrows and Vekomas, some really hardcore jostling. That's it. Headbanging is the result of lateral movement. <--- like that. Quick transitions that are in theory perfect (I305 and Maverick for example) still cause some headbanging (neck chopping) due to the fact that the designer only takes into account one uniform heartline height as well as one uniform speed, both of which do vary.

 

Now in the case of most Vekomas and Arrows, the headbanging is caused by poor transitions that cause quick lateral movement. Oh and both of these 'cases' can be interchangeable between manufacturers.

 

So basically true side to side headbanging is caused by lateral movement. Not because of some random fluctuation of joints or track segments.

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Doesn't the State of California require OTSRs on any coaster with inversions? If that is the case, obviously, Montezooma's Revenge was grandfathered in or exempted for some reason.

 

I do like the restraints on Tatsu, and I think that a vest is a good step away from the "traditional" OTSR. Restraints with a vertical adjustment like the ones on X2 and on some European Schwarzkopf coasters are another thought.

 

Eric

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Lawsuits are a major american pastime these days. I believe parks get an insurance discount for having otsr's. Theres some company that recently built a lapbar only train for a boomerang in Europe so I think it can be done for ALL Vekoma and Arrow loopers! This could hae saved GASM at SFGadv! Gave it a Bizzaro makeover instead of Medusa!

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^ I think those ones on some European Schwarzzys are brillant. You basically get the same safety as traditional OTSR's, but more freedom, IE, if your short and ride an Arrow or Vekoma looper, you can't see anything to the sides of you...

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I don't like them either, but as stated I believe California and maybe some other states require them. And what Robb said makes a lot of sense too. If a park already has OTSRs and they work just fine they are not going to replace them simply because that big of an expense would be used for something that needs it more. Besides Tatsu, the most comfortable OTSR I never felt was on Invertigo, lots of cushy padding and that isn't exactly the smoothest coaster out there. I remember riding Tidal Wave and Revolution with lap bars only when I was a kid, it was so awesome...so free. I really miss that. I still ride Revolution because I love that coaster, but the OTSRs it has don't make sense as they are very high and don't seem to do much except cause pain. If it were at all feasable for the park financially, I would love to at least see newer style, almost Tatsu-like softer, closer fitting more comfortable restraints, but that will never happen.

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I've only ever been on two extremely comfortable OTSRs actually. Kingda Ka and Stormrunner, the design is just brilliant...

 

Actually, I experienced a bit of neck-chopping on Storm Runner. Not sure why, when I read about other people's rides on it.

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Sometimes rides may stall UPSIDE DOWN or close to it (Boomerang Cobra Rolls) and they do not want anybody to become injured and die because that costs the park and manufacturer money.

huh no one was hurt in 1997 when Sicorro did just that

Come on now, it's a miracle no one was hurt. Those people were holding on for their lives.

 

Awesome photos though, thanks for the link.

 

I've only ever been on two extremely comfortable OTSRs actually. Kingda Ka and Stormrunner, the design is just brilliant...

 

Actually, I experienced a bit of neck-chopping on Storm Runner. Not sure why, when I read about other people's rides on it.

Same! I didn't even get the neck chopping on I305... The only Intamin where it was a problem was Rita, possibly because it's just so awful a ride in general that I couldn't ignore it.

 

I'm assuming it's a height thing. On different people of different heights, the restraints "chop" a different area

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^ I think it would be slightly challenging to fall out of those restraints though.

 

I do remember riding the SooperDooperLooper at HP and having that feeling sitting near the end of the train. Since the car slowed down a little nearing the top of the loop, the restraint was the only thing keeping you from falling for probably a quarter of a second. I think lap bars and OTSRs have the same quality of safety, but OTSRs to the public eye give the feeling of protection.

 

Also, I do hope those strap retraints on i305 catch on one of these days.

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The safety argument is a very good one. One I hadn't fully considered.

 

This now makes me wonder if there are ways we can improve OTSRs to the point where headbanging is a non-issue? I know there have been a few efforts with this already, but will designers ever try to tackle the issue on a larger scale? Vekoma in particular, I think, could benefit from a remodel of their OTSRs in general, as they've always seemed a bit overly large to me.

 

Also, ever notice that there are virtually no complaints about headbanging on a B&M steelie? None that I've noticed, anyway. I wonder why that is?

 

I've had a couple of headbanger experiences on Dominator,nothing bad mind you but not what I was expecting from the ride either.

 

Vekoma's new vest design in use on Carowind's boomerang would work wonders for many of the larger Arrow loopers out there like viper or anaconda but the biggest problem I've had is actually elbow banging when going through curves as your elbows end up hitting the seatback of the train during these elements making for an uncomfortable ride experience.

 

Didn't vekoma already change the OTSR's on their next gen SLC trains?

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I think the OTSR's on Intimidator 305 have to do with the sharp, speedy turns. With a lap bar, when you go through a turn the top half of your body would swing over very forcefully, but your lower half would just stay in there. I think in some cases, the upper body half of a passenger may be too much stress on the lap bars, thus...well you know.

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