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B&M Kicker extinct?

R

rtotheizzo17

Hyper Poster
B&M coasters were famous for their "kicker" or their pre-drop. I can't remember the last B&M that opened with a true kicker. Does anyone know why they stopped utilizing this element?

I understand the reason why they first started using it (tension on the chain), just curious if anyone knew why they stopped using them?
 
I don't believe a pre drop has been used on flying or hyper coasters coasters 1999. The pre drop is now only used on coasters with curved drops. Don't know why though!
 
The kicker arguably went extinct in 2005 with Hydra the Revenge, which was the first B&M inverting roller coaster to forego the pre-drop. (excluding dive machines, hypers, Hulk, and flying) The last B&M pre-drop was on Phaethon in 2007.

Why did they disappear? They were unnecessary. The pre-drop was indeed design to relieve tension on the system. Yet to my knowledge, pre-drop vs. non-pre-drop roller coaster do not show much of a difference as far as maintenance and lift hill upkeep is concerned.

Is it a loss? Meh. My top four B&Ms (Diamondback, Goliath SFoG, Tatsu, Hulk) all do not have pre-drops, and it is only at my number 5 (Raptor) that we hit one.

Yes, pre-drops give a nice pop of airtime. But in a world of beyond vertical drops and fast lift hills that produce plenty of airtime, I think we will manage.
 
The pre-drop was ditched by B&M because they solved the problem that the kicker was intended to fix: too much stress on the chain as the coaster went over the drop.

So, once B&M found a way to fix the chain stress (God knows how they did it.), they no longer had any reason to use the pre-drop. It was a shame, really, the kicker on Bull is one of the most exhilarating experiences on any coaster I've been on. (Which is not a lot, but still.)
 
[quote="BBH"

So, once B&M found a way to fix the chain stress (God knows how they did it.), they no longer had any reason to use the pre-drop. [/quote]

If I had to take a guess at how they did it, I would assume they either went to a stronger grade of steel, or increased the thickness of the change. Lighter trains may have also been a factor.
 
Well, note how sharp the transition between lift to drop is on the B&M hypers, or at least how sharp it appears to be. That may have been another factor into how they improved it, as it will take less time for the train to crest the top, thus, creating less stress on the chain. I'm probably wrong, and am not a physics major (they don't allow that in middle-high school) but it seems feasible.
 
Do they increase the speed of the chain as the train leaves the top of the hill now? I seem to remember seeing that mentioned somewhere, but I can't remember the source of that so it might be completely wrong.
 
I couldn't tell a difference between the chain gauge in, for example, Bull and Nitro, however, that may have had something to do with it. However, those two (and the non-staggered seats) use the same train design, so I wouldn't think lighter trains would have something to do with it.

I think B&M just realized that it was unnecessary and a couple of minor improvements could fix the problem without much trouble at all. Also, the new trains would presumably be lighter, so it was more of just an added feature for thrills if nothing else.
 
CanobieFan said:
Hyde244 said:
The kicker arguably went extinct in 2005 with Hydra the Revenge, which was the first B&M inverting roller coaster to forego the pre-drop. (excluding dive machines, hypers, Hulk, and flying) The last B&M pre-drop was on Phaethon in 2007.
Click to expand...

I don't know - http://rcdb.com/9647.htm?p=42803 - 2011
Click to expand...
Good catch.

With any luck, Kings Island is building a B&M next year, Walter Bolliger will be at the media day, and I can ask him this very question!
 
Hyde244 said:
CanobieFan said:
Hyde244 said:
The kicker arguably went extinct in 2005 with Hydra the Revenge, which was the first B&M inverting roller coaster to forego the pre-drop. (excluding dive machines, hypers, Hulk, and flying) The last B&M pre-drop was on Phaethon in 2007.
Click to expand...

I don't know - http://rcdb.com/9647.htm?p=42803 - 2011
Click to expand...
Good catch.

With any luck, Kings Island is building a B&M next year, Walter Bolliger will be at the media day, and I can ask him this very question!
Click to expand...
I wish I could go to IAAPA to ask questions like that: What ever happened to the pre-drop?
 
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