Favotire Part on the Magnum XL 200?

Magnum is always my first ride of the day. I love pulling into the Soak City lot, getting out of my car and hearing the combination of the chain lift and the "Welcome to Magnum XL-200" lift announcement... My walk quickly increases to almost a jog, because I am so excited to climb onto that train!

Josh M. said:
I love pulling into the Soak City lot, getting out of my car and hearing the combination of the chain lift and the "Welcome to Magnum XL-200" lift announcement...

For being there 3 days straight, I do not remember there being any lift hill recordings on Magnum anymore, Gemini didn't have it's either. I know last year it would repeat over and over again.
*** Edited 5/14/2006 1:37:33 PM UTC by randinator***

Magnum is my favorite roller coaster anywhere, rivaled only by The Beast at Kings Island.
Always my first ride, and I've gotten into more than one argument about riding it first, and usually last because it's next to the Breakers entrance.

So, I like that small little drop in the beginning, right after you leave.
This:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/mapletree532/Magnumscreenshot.jpg
It's like the first hill on Corkscrew, takes my stomach away every time. Then I like going up the first hill, then going down it. After that I like going up that second hill and feeling as if I'm being thrown into the lake. Next I like to go down that hill and into the first tunnel, only to come out on the third hill. I like the pretzel, but it's my least favorite part of the ride. Then I like the following bunny hills.
You get my point.

The bunny hills are somewhat painful though. The seem so rigid.

That would be sad if they got rid of that autospiel on the lift. Even though you can't hear it while on the ride much. The summer I worked on Ripcord, you would hear that thing in your sleep... early in the morning and late at night, that would keep playing even after the ride closed... Same with during weather closings... you would just hear the enthusiastic voice saying "You are ascending to a height of 205 feet...etc..."

I think its funny that they only had lift spiels on 3 rides....Gemini, Magnum, and WWL... I never understood having one on WWL. Sometimes for fun on MF we would use the lift speaker, and spiel to them on the way up. The lift is too fast to get through the whole thing. *** Edited 5/14/2006 8:18:49 PM UTC by Josh M.***

IMO, they should do something abotu the pretzel. It's really the only rough part of the ride, other than the bunny hops, but for me I dont feel any roughness on the hops. I always sit in the very back seat so I get yanked over the hill, which may have something to do about it. It is possible to replace track for the pretzel isnt it?

leave magnum alone.

Whats WWL?

WWL was White Water Landing

Yes leave magnum alone.

I agree that Magnum should be left alone... but did you all know that the Magnum you ride now is not the same track layout as when it first opened in 1989? Change is not always bad...

It wasn't drastically changed. It was more of a bugfix.

In the past I would've said the return bunny hops, but I'm growing quite fond of the first half these days. The Pretzel is really insane! So I'll say the whole ride. :)

The pretzel with the trims on a stiff rainy breeze and only two people in the train. Yep, thats fun right there.

Jugga - those were interesting rides, weren't they?! :)

I agree they should leave her alone. But at the same time agree that the pretzel needs some serious work. I was hoping they would have fixed it before repainting. Keep smae layout. Just get new track. Don't forget, it was replaced in '94. Get new track and maintain the trains properly, and it would be smooth as silk through that aprt of the ride.

I've always kind of wondered how much of the "roughness" is due to the trains and how much is due to the track. Like is the track really changing shape or something or do the trains just have more give and looseness than they used to? I've always suspected it's more the trains. It also seems to me that the pretzle is much smoother when the trims are off. It's like the trims knock the train around a bit and it takes a while for it to recover or something - I don't know! :)

During the season, those trains do take an awful beating (each one travels the course on the order of 20,000 times per season) with very little done to them besides replacement wheels (although usually not until they shred to pieces) and a visual inspection to make sure nothing is broken.

I also wonder how much of Magnum's "roughness" is just perception - people having a different idea of what rough is these days with all the new Intamins and cushy B&M hypers. If Jerry says the ride has been smoother, I tend to believe him since he's ridden the thing since the beginning, but to say the ride is painful and gets worse every year just isn't true. To me, it feels the same as it did in 1998. Whether it's different than times before that, I really couldn't tell you.

I never saw the ride as being rough. Matt is right about Intamin and B&M and the perception of "roughness." I mean even when I would have marathon days and knock out 30 or 40 rides I never had any bruises or aches (unless it was the first week of the season and I wasnt conditioned) Though mentally my body knew the ride and how to react during certain points of the ride and to me never seemed rough at all.

I know what you mean about "mentally knowing the ride." I have so many friends who complain about how rough certain rides are, and although yes, some are more rough than others, I always find if I anticipate the next element and how to react, It is much more pleasant...

Although sometimes its fun to just let the forces do what they will to you....

Are the Morgan hypers smoother than the Arrows? I always thought the arrows were smoother becuase when i rode Wild thing at Valleyfair!, It, to me was rougher than magnum. I think alot of people judge magnum as rough because it is loud. Think about it, when you come slamming into the tunnel all the sound is trapped in there. The trims are also loud, but followed by a bit of bumbiness. I wouldn't mind having the pretzel reprofiled. With the new paintjob though, it seemed logical to take care of that task last year.

Well, I've only ridden Steel Force and yes, it is smoother. But it is also a bore from start to finish. I'll take Magnum any day! :)

The Mamba at WOF it really smooth. It kind of rockets through the cammel humps though and makes me a little queezy.