It's all been mentioned before, but just to summarise:

 

Combined with a whole bunch of other innovations at the time (such as moving to wheel assemblies/bogeys hugging the outside of the track and better computer modelling) manufacturers in the 90's were able to deliver a more comfortable and enjoyable ride by focussing on the rider's heartline instead of the carriage's centre of gravity. Think Jet Rescue or Superman Escape compared to Cyclone and you'll see the difference immediately:

 

 

The whole heartline thing is an interesting can of worms. Werner Stengel developed the concept in the late-1970s while working with Schwarzkopf and it's been present on most European designed rides since.

It's an easy argument to explain why Arrow = rough, B&M = smooth. But it's not entirely true. Vekoma rides are designed in this method and more often suck. And the fact that the heartline on a 4, 8 or 10-across B&M is going to be basically impossible to actually design around considering up to 5 metres separates the end riders. These riders are being subjected to far greater variances in force than say the train and riders on a non-heartline designed Arrow.

The most logical argument is simply that Arrow/Vekoma trains simple don't track well like djrappa suggested, which I think is absolutely true and the biggest cause of roughness.

But then you have rides like Arrow's Tennessee Tornado, which is said to be B&M smooth (@djrappa?), or Vekoma's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at WDW which I found to be remarkably smooth. Both feature the same track structure and rolling stock as earlier rough rides. In these cases I think it's a combination of advances in design -- they started designing rides that suited the limitations of their trains -- and really good maintenance.

Edited June 10, 201511 yr by Richard

Also very true. Then you have to consider that some coasters like say Storm at Sea World are designed to purposefully ignore the heartline to throw you out of your seat laterally much in the same case of the newer RMC coasters (Texas Giant being one of those) or even on a more basic level, every Wild Mouse since ever.

Generally speaking it's not a one size fit all argument for why or how some coasters are smooth, rough or just plain suck. In the case of Cyclone, i've ridden it just recently and found it to be no different to when I rode it a few months back or even a year ago. It's certainly not the worst coaster i've been on, and they did a great job making a custom used ride fit in again with WhiteWater World's waterslides. It just needs aesthetic love. The train is a shadow of its former self - the original red fibreglass is really showing now in large scratched off chunks, the padding is old and worn and frankly the entire queue is just a fix ontop of a fix ontop of a fix.

Frankly i've always wondered why they never bothered to install a vertical wind tunnel into the centre of that queue. It'd be the most fitting upsell attraction that Dreamworld have ever put in and would keep guests entertained for hours.

^Facepalm!

How did NOBODY think of that before?

Fits the cyclone theme perfectly... still features a turbine....

DREAMWORLDYOUNEEDTODOTHISSORTOFSHITYESTERDAY!

Somehow Dreamworld will find a way to ruin it. 

Perfect option to add to the end of any Flowrider session - call it Blowrider... great way to dry off

 

(yes, that name probably isn't a good idea)

Somehow Dreamworld will find a way to ruin it. 

2012 called. So far everything that the current CEO has done, particularly in the last 12 months, has been anything but ruin the park.

Perfect option to add to the end of any Flowrider session - call it Blowrider... great way to dry off

 

(yes, that name probably isn't a good idea)

​​Very subtle, if I do say so myself

2012 called. So far everything that the current CEO has done, particularly in the last 12 months, has been anything but ruin the park.

​​Maybe so, but I don't want to go ahead and say that "Dreamworld is fixing everything. I have such high hopes!" only for everything to fall apart. It's happened before, and I wouldn't like for it to happen again.

Yeah rock and roller coaster is silky smoothe and so is Tennasee Tornado. Corkscrew was the same. 

Id id say their rides are just more susceptible to bad track fabrication/installation and poor train maintenance. 

That reminds me, is Rocking Roller Coaster worth checking out? I'm going to Disney World in September and I'm still deciding what to do. I'm definitely going to Epcot for half a day and another park the next (only one day ) and I'm wondering what rides to do, maybe I need a topic on this... 

Everything at Disney world is worth checking out.

Just get a park hopper for the number of days you can spend there, and then see as much as you can.

If you get one park done quickly then move on, and order your parks based on opening hours (Eg I did AK at 8am when they opened, then another park by lunchtime etc.

 

Edited June 10, 201511 yr by Gazza

I did Disney World in 2006 not long after Expedition Everest opened.

We only had 1 day to do Disney World as my buddy and I both got sick but we managed to cram in Animal Kingdom, WDW Studios and Magic Kingdom in a day. I wouldn't recommend it but we were able to do it.

Rockin Roller Coaster was great and so was Expedition Everest. I guess we were lucky because when we were there everything on Everest was working properly.

Edited June 10, 201511 yr by DJKostya
Hit send too quickly

Just a quick little question regarding the Cyclone, what are the chances that Dreamworld would invest into refurbishing the ride? I know that they had stated last year that two rides would get a refurb, I wonder if they would continue that into the years to come with their other major attractions.

I rode cyclone in 2008 and got the worst ear ache from my ears bashing around back THEN. suffice it to say I wasn't too disappointed when I found out it was going to be down for maintenance in November which is when me and my boyfriend are planning our trip

The only thing that bugs me is that they still haven't made it clear to visitors that they can use the stairwell as a shortcut up to the station. Seems a lot of tourists still get suckered into taking the long route ???

Oh god that horrible winding route. NEVER again lol

 

But then you have rides like Arrow's Tennessee Tornado, which is said to be B&M smooth (@djrappa?), or Vekoma's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at WDW which I found to be remarkably smooth.

The Rock n rollercoaster is my favorite coaster I have ever been on. I could go on that thing all day if the que didn't go forever

Edited June 14, 201511 yr by Richard

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