Vekoma Roller Coasters

[kingdakacor]

Ok here is the scoop. I have been on my fair share of SLC Vekoma's and various figure 8's. Why do these headbangers get labeled just as such? Now I think Aerosmith in Hollywood Studios (even though I still love to call it MGM) and Mt. Everest are great rides. Now I am sure Disney had a hand in that. So why do we sometimes shudder whenever we hear Vekoma. I remember MindEraser at Six Flags America gave me an ear/head bash fest. Is it the track, is it their design? I am curious as to what the TPR world thinks about this.

[Skycoastin Steve]

Vekomas have uncomfortable restraints, horrible transitions from element to element, and too much space between the guide/upstop wheels and the rails, which makes the train slam into every turn and inversion.

[wlmoorer]

^second that...although I am very interested in trying out their new trains/restraints...Ive heard nothing but good things

[Skycoastin Steve]

^The new trains on Carolina Cobra aren't bad, definitely eliminated headbanging, but Boomerangs still suck out loud, so they can't solve that problem.

[KDCOASTERFAN]

Not exactly Steve.It's primarilly due to the way the seating assembly is mounted to the chassis.

 

Take a close look at any SLC running the course & you'll see the seats shaking from side to side,this is because vekoma mounted the center post loosely with the dampers on either side to keep the seats level but even with this the seats still have a bit of a swing/sway to them.Vekoma couldn't get around B&M's patent on the inverted coaster so they had to use a suspended seating assembly instead of a more rigid one.

[Angry_Gumball]

^Could this be why Invertigos seem to run smoother as it doesn't have those 'shock & center post' mounting?

You can clearly see that an Inverigo train has a pretty solid mounting.

This looks to have a slightly flimsier design. Are those really shocks on the side of the center post? I always wondered when I first rode Kong at SFDK (prior to even knowing who Vekoma was other than making Boomerang coasters and knowing about their bad rep for roughness).

[Shavethewhales]

It's worth noting that Vekoma has changed their designs so much in the past several years that the old reputation doesn't really fit anymore. Strangely enough though, now that they actually put out good rides, you don't see them getting many projects in the US. They haven't erected a new coaster in the US in several years, and the vast majority of recent installations are just old rides that have been moved. I guess that means they hold up well and Vekoma is making some money off of parts. If only a few of the dozen or so small parks that have bit the dust in the past several years they'd have more customers I'm sure.

[Movieguy]

It's not just the headbanging, it's the fact that nearly everything they build is a clone. from boomerangs to SLCs that have the exact same layout. I know it's probably more affordable for some parks, but it just makes Vekoma come off as rather dull and generic. I know they've put out some some decent woodies in Europe, but most people over here don't know about them.

 

I wonder why they don't replace the restraints on more of their coasters, like they did for the Great Nor'Easter? I understand the need for OTSR's on certain steel coasters, but really, why do they have to be so bulky?

[themeparkman25]

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Edited January 20, 2011 by themeparkman25

[robbalvey]

I wonder why they don't replace the restraints on more of their coasters, like they did for the Great Nor'Easter?

Because "they" (Vekoma) didn't just show up one day at Morey's Piers with some new restraints for free, Morey's Piers bought them. Just like Carowinds did, just like Gardaland did. Just because a restraint is a small part of a roller coaster, don't think that part doesn't cost hundreds of dollars, maybe thousands to replace the entire system, each. It's a pretty complex device if you've ever seen a roller coaster seat with it's fiberglass cover off. It has to be, because, well, it's the thing that's going to save your life.

 

I agree, I wish more parks would do this because those restraints are a huge improvement. But a park has to be willing to buy them first.

 

Their new coasters, namely, BG are fully heartlined though, which should be a step in the right direction.

Except that from the people I've spoken to that have ridden it said it was rough as hell. So who knows.

[robbalvey]

I wonder why they don't replace the restraints on more of their coasters, like they did for the Great Nor'Easter?

Because "they" (Vekoma) didn't just show up one day at Morey's Piers with some new restraints for free, Morey's Piers bought them. Just like Carowinds did, just like Gardaland did. Just because a restraint is a small part of a roller coaster, don't think that part doesn't cost hundreds of dollars, maybe thousands to replace the entire system, each. It's a pretty complex device if you've ever seen a roller coaster seat with it's fiberglass cover off. It has to be, because, well, it's the thing that's going to save your life.

 

I agree, I wish more parks would do this because those restraints are a huge improvement. But a park has to be willing to buy them first.

And to add to that, here's from the press release about Great Nor'Easter:

 

A Dutch manufacturer has been hired by Morey's Piers to build and install the new restraint system. The park says the upgrade will cost about $1.2 million and be completed in April or early May.

 

So it was $1.2 million to do the upgrade. THAT is why more parks probably don't do it.

[Movieguy]

$1.2 Million? That's highway robbery if you ask me, just for new restraints.

 

But then again, what do I know about park economics?

[THE ONE]

^ But you have to understand that they replaced the hole lower end of the train not just the restraints. Nothing on a roller coaster comes cheap.

 

 

I know the wheels alone are pretty expensive.

[BarryH]

Actually come to think of it, Vekoma kiddie coasters are kind of fun...

[ebl]

"$1.2 Million? That's highway robbery if you ask me" (Movieguy)

 

Engineering and manufacturing ain't cheap.

 

Eric "has worked in engineering since the '70s" L.

[Tmcdllr]

It's not just the headbanging, it's the fact that nearly everything they build is a clone. from boomerangs to SLCs that have the exact same layout. I know it's probably more affordable for some parks, but it just makes Vekoma come off as rather dull and generic. I know they've put out some some decent woodies in Europe, but most people over here don't know about them.

 

Well by that reasoning then you can say B&M is dull and generic, building clones with the exact same layout, or have you never heard of Batman, Batman, and Batman. And the dive machines are all basically the same ride. Intamin is probably guilty of this too, but to a lesser degree. And you can't really fault one of them for doing it. Face it, if you develop a ride that becomes popular and several parks want it, are you going to tell them no and lose millions of dollars for that project? Bottom line is these companies don't care about cloning so much because the more of the clones they can sell, the millions more they will make and if their customers are happy with the clones then it doesn't matter. I am not too keen on clones but there is nothing we can do about it and a clone is better than nothing at all so bashing Vekoma and no one else does not make sense because they ALL do it.

[Movieguy]

You know, you're right. B&M does a lot of cloning as well. For some reason though it's a little less conspicuous, to me anyway. Strange though, since it was always right in front of me, seeing all those similar designs on Roller Coasters in The Raw.

 

Doug "always comes away from these threads feeling embarrassed" Booth

[let1gre]

It does go both ways in terms of cloning, but at least for American audiences, almost every single Vekoma is a cloned model, whereas there are lots and lots of custom B&Ms and Intamins (and even Arrows!). Way more than custom Vekomas.

[CHILLERLC1]

The family coasters are pretty good. The Grover's Vapor Trail is not very far away from me and it's a custom layout.

[vacoaster09]

I've always been a fan of park chains who take a new style of ride and use it in their parks as a competitive and unique attraction. For instance you had the Euro-fighters with the beyond vertical drops, then you had Intamin with their take on the beyond vertical drops. Well has anyone ridden Gravity Max.

I think that if a chain like six flags took on this ride it would give them a competitive edge against the Dive Machines. This ride would be so different in the U.S. that it would surely get attention as a tilt coaster. If they get Vekoma's new trains with the new restraints then they should be a hit. I'm even sure they could make one that goes beyond vertical if they wanted.

[kingdakacor]

I agree with the kiddie coasters. They are fun and they build up my credits ! Come to think of it, invertigo aka face off at Kings was more on the smooth side. I guess you have to build what sells hence all the coaster clones by various companies. Maybe it costs less too in the long run. Vekoma booms don't take up much space unlike B@M's. Probably to get a custom track layout now would cost tons. Its funny how Six Flags (Think that was the right company) were disgusted with them and that is why they stopped purchasing them.

[Hydraglow]

I do wish they would be a bit smoother. Deja Vu would be phenomenal if the ride quality was better. Still a great ride regardless.

[BaMiTsPaT]

I prefer the Vekoma rollerskaters over the bigger models simply because they don't hurt as much. I mean, I don't HATE vekoma like some people on this forum may, but at SFNE there is a perfectly good B&M situated right next to it which usually has a shorter line and delivers a much more enjoyable ride

[rcdude]

I really think Vekoma rides are a mixed bag. Some of them are quite good, while others aren't. I've never found one of their rides that was the best in the park, but I've also never found one that I completely refused to ride ever again.

 

As far as my experience goes, I've found that my favorite Vekoma models are the Flying Dutchman, Invertigo and Deja Vu models, although my favorite Vekoma coaster is actually Space Mountain at Disneyland. All of these are rides that are must-ride attractions if I visit a park with them, but not something I'd go out of the way for. The Junior coaster comes next on the list because, as far as generic family coasters go, Vekoma makes some of the best. I've only been on two boomerangs, but have found that they can vary depending on their train type and generation. After riding about four more next year I'll know more about this. Now, while Vekoma's regular family coasters are good, the suspended variety aren't so good. They are rough and semi-painful, although I have yet to ride one with just a lapbar. Finally, the worst Vekoma design, at least in my experience, is the SLC. I will pretty much never ride one of these unless it has no wait or there is an ERT session on it.

 

Overall, I don't think Vekoma is that bad. I think of them as the budget alternative to a B&M or Intamin, and parks probably know that if they don't spend as much they won't get the same level of quality. At least half of the Vekoma rides i"ve been on are worth riding if you visit the park, and the other half aren't horrible, just not very good. Also, as far as roughness goes, I find Arrow coasters to generally be rougher than Vekoma coasters. Most kiddie and family coasters are rougher than Vekoma's junior coasters. Additionally, I have been on Intamin rides that are rougher than the smoothest Vekoma coasters, so I guess not all Vekomas fall under that stereotype.

[Geauga Dog]

I don't think Vekomas are that bad, in fact I actually like them. They may not be B&M quality rides but for some of the smaller parks they are the closest they will get to having one. Plus some of their layouts are pretty cool. Imagine a B&M invert with the Vekoma SLC layout - you just might have a ride as intense as Batman. The layout of their Flying Dutchman clones are better than the B&M Superman clones.

 

You can thank Premier Parks/the old Six Flags for putting majority of the clones out there. It seemed every new property they bought back in the 90's the first thing they would do is add the Boomerang and SLC clones.

 

Though I have never ridden it I find the layout of Kumali at Flamingoland to be interesting and I would like to see a clone of that here in the States.