Are Vekoma SLCs really that bad?

[LiveForTheLaunch]

The thing is, even the "good" ones are just mediocre at best. Thunderhawk at Geauga Lake/Michigan's Adventure is often regarded as one of the better ones and I still wouldn't really care to reride it. It's an okay ride when it's smooth but nothing spectacular still. The bad ones are just atrocious, there are some that are very intolerable even for me, and I am very tolerant of rough coasters. So yeah, I'd say the bad ones are as bad as everyone makes SLCs out to be.

 

[Screaming Coasters]

^^ Thanks for pointing that out Smithy, but I didn't comment on others specifically and I'm sure you're smart enough to decipher what my post meant. I hate nitpickers.

But from my experience of Infusion, it wasn't rough, just jolty. Most older Vekoma's suffer from this, whether its a sitdown or an inverted coaster. So I base my experience on that, and although it isn't a broad opinion to give on my behalf, I've still experienced one.

A lot of people only have one experience of WingWalkers, and yet they can form an opinion, whats wrong with that? Same could be applied to Dive Machines, Tilt Coasters and so on...

 

[furie]

True Erol, but you then went on - with your experience of one - to call everyone else who had an opinion based on multiple experiences "a p**sy".

With a single experience under your belt, you were saying the opinion of those with multiple experiences was invalid.

Nobody is saying you can't have an opinion based on your one experience, but you can't then tell other people who have a much wider experience that they're wrong.

I've been on three (four if you count relocations ).

Infusion is okay, but it jolts me about too much. The "fun/discomfort" ratio is pretty even on it, so I'll ride it if there's no queue. If there's a queue, I'll go and do something a little more enjoyable, like trying to sneak a sandwich in... Even as a "not enthusiast", I rode Traumatizer from opening year and generally avoided it because it was a "bit bashy". I love the layouts, but I can't be doing with the earache.

Kumali is meh. It doesn't really hurt much, brilliant first drop, really, really dull.

Odyssey I loved. It's down to scale though. The first half is just so vast and fast - brilliant fun. The fun/discomfort ratio is in the fun side of things, so it's a winner.

So in my experience, they're a mixed bag. I'd take an SLC over Baco any though!

 

[nealbie]

They're mostly just bumpy (Infusion, Kumali, Odyssey). Limit at Heide Park was quite enjoyable but El Condor made me want to cry.

So I guess they're far less than ideal, but Erol is right, for the most part coaster enthusiasts do seem to be pussies made of glass (furie and Marc I accept have valid excuses through their retarded backs :lol: ).

 

[CoasterCrazy]

I've solely ridden Blue Tornado at GL, but what possibly agonises me the most about SLCs is that their layouts show great potential for forces and intensity (in the right way). If B&M produced an invert with an SLC layout, I'm certain the ride experience would be comparable to Nemesis.

If you neglect roughness, they'd actually ride quite well. But that's the problem. The headbanging, whilst from my experience could be worse, just detracts completely from the experience; BT looks good, but like the other Vekomas in the park, seems determined to give you a headache.

If you're a ten-year old riding one for the first time (like I was when I first rode BT), they're brilliant and to an extent, genuinely rerideable. But to anyone else, they're just mediocre, slightly painful creds.

 

[Screaming Coasters]

So in my experience, they're a mixed bag. I'd take an SLC over Baco any though!

You make my eyeballs sad :'(

Baco <3

 

[ashtonrick]

They seem to get worse with age. I've only been on 2 and here's my opinion:

Traumatizer / Infusion - was really smooth when at Southport and never really got much headbanging the first few seasons at Blackpool, but it was noticeably unpleasant on the back seats last Saturday but not too rough on the rest of the ride - the last two inversions are definitely the roughest though.

Jubilee Oddessey - Fantastic when I rode it about 5 years ago, but last September my god was it painful. No matter what seat we sat in you just got head battered right after the first drop and loop to the brakerun. Very unpleasant - we tried front, middle and back. Realised on the third ride though if you hold your head forwards you don't get bruised ears though, but by then it was a bit too late :-(

 

[wakey1512]

Age batters them. Fact. They modified the train chassis to make it stronger and more durable which was introduced around the same time Kumali was built. Unfortunately since 2006 no new SLC's have been built (correct me if i'm wrong)

 

[SaiyanHajime]

I never used to think so. But the more I rode, the more I thought they were crap.

Even Batman clones suffer the same fate to a lesser extent.

Kumali is fine, but the clones aren't enjoyable anymore, and it's hard to be objective about them at all.

 

[Darren B]

I don't think they're as bad as everyone makes out. However, my opinion is based only on the 3 British SLC's and El Condor.

I found The Odyssey to be the roughest out of the four by a country mile. The second half (after the cobra roll) is quite brutal; it is however the best SLC I've been on. The drop, loop and cobra roll were fantastic and are worth taking a beating for.

El Condor and Infusion give off quite a rattle but I don't think either ride ever borders on painful. When you think about it - Infusion is probably one of the smoothest coasters at PBB.

Kumali, I thought was excellent. Yes, it's got a pretty short and uninspiring layout but it was a lot better than I expected. I've only ridden it front row but I found it smooth with no pain attached.

One thing I will say for SLC's against the B&M Inverts I've ridden is that I find the drop to be a lot more enjoyable. I expect my opinion may change once I've ridden a few more B&M's this summer but, as it stands I'll take an SLC drop over that of Nemesis or NI.

 

[FaceYourNemesis]

I've only done Blue Tornado at Gardaland, and it was bloody horrible. There's a line between rough and torture.

Needless to say that one example alone has put me off SLCs for life.