Mean Streak - better?

There was talk and pics during the offseason of work on the MS track. Has anyone out there had a chance to ride it and can tell us whether they think the ride is any smoother?

There is definitely new wood on the track. It seemed smoother, but still jerky as if it were slamming against the sides of the track. So too early to tell for me. I only rode it once.

In my one and only ride for the 2009 season, I found that the ride did seem to hold speed better than it has in the past, but it was still quite rough, and had a lot of lateral shuffling. The spots where I feel like there should be airtime were still completely forceless. I know others enjoy this ride, and that's great, but I will feel no need to make my way back there again this season :)

I rode it once and it did seem to be a little smoother. I agree with josh though there was not that much air time if any. There is a lot of new wood in between the track. The train rides over the new wood. I was in the back so maybe there is better -G's in the front.

(off topic) WT's queue changed. They moved or replaced that big blue wall and removed queue. They made more room behind the stage of the BMX show. I wonder if they are planning on using the space for something. I was thinking a few fireworks during the show but I realized it would be too close to WT's rear spike.

They replace significant portions of wood on Mean Streak every year. That shouldn't come as a surprise. It also should not surprise you that it rides the best after an extended period of off-season maintenance.

^^The space behind wt's queue is full of cadallac cars at the moment

Mean Streak is still very rough, and in my opinion it is a much nicer roller coaster to look at than to ride. It did seem to move faster through the circuit.

We are still recovering from minor whiplash.

^^ Cadillac cars or Antique? I thought I saw both running.

I only ride MS in the front from now on....too painful for me!

It did seem a bit faster this year and maybe a bit smoother! I rode it two times on opening day one in the middle and one near the front! The front was way better and a lot funner of a ride than the middle, except being stuck on the brakerun for 15 minutes, but that is another story! I think the trains had something to do with it too: the "mean" green train was shuffling a lot and slamming the sides of the turns, but the "old" gold train was fast with a lot less shuffling and slamming!

On Sunday afternoon I rode Green train 3-1. I thought it was actually a little bit harsher than it has been the last year or so, but not nearly as rough as it used to be. My sister thought it was much rougher than her last ride last season.

I will never ride "mean" green train again! The gold train gave a much better ride.

The front row on MS really isn't that bad.

I would never sit in the very back row. Has anyone here ever been crazy enough to do it?

BTW, was MS really fun and smooth when it came out in 1991??

Mean Streak and better shouldn't be in the same sentence together, unless you're saying, "Getting punched in the back repeatedly by a gorilla would be better than riding Mean Streak."

^ Or if you're saying "The park would be better off with Mean Streak scrapped for firewood".

There is never anything better about MS. Like you have read above, nothing "special" was done to it this year that isn't done every year...any "changes" you are perceiving are either due to the ride just coming off its maintenence, all in your mind, or simply due to the nature of wooden coasters; in MS's case the rides vary from "very dull" to "so-so".

Never wasting my time with it again, after giving it "one more shot" the past 4 seasons and always being disappointed.

Yup I am a survivor of multiple back seat rides on MS.

But I have quit riding the back seat of Magnum due to one year where the back car was literally vibrating and jerking in ways I have never experienced. Overall I am one of the crazy people that prefer the back seat.

CPboy77 said:
The front row on MS really isn't that bad.

I would never sit in the very back row. Has anyone here ever been crazy enough to do it?

BTW, was MS really fun and smooth when it came out in 1991??

yes it was! i literally came out my seat on the 1st drop...to the point,i was scared enough to put my hands down. but,,,that was then,this is now unfortunately. they need to smooth it out and take out some of those trims and it'll be all good like the old days.

RaceRinger said:
Mean Streak and better shouldn't be in the same sentence together, unless you're saying, "Getting punched in the back repeatedly by a gorilla would be better than riding Mean Streak."

I'm sorry, but I don't find Mean Streak that bad at all, granted I always ride in the front car. If you want to ride a rough wooden roller coaster, ride Cyclone in the Coney Island area of NY, or ride Son of Beast...though it's not nearly as rough as it used to be when it opened.

I personally like Mean Streak, just because it's beautiful to look at, and it's such a scenic ride to be on, by the lake with the sunset. Is it thrilling? No. Is it kind of dull? Yes. But still, I love being in the middle of it all, and I love the short morning and evening waits.

I can handle rough. I can't handle rough and boring. I've been on rough wooden coasters that were fun. Beast and the Paramount racing woodies come to mind, as does Grizzly at KD. Son of Beast, Mean Streak, Villain, Texas Giant, the Hurlers, and Georgia Cyclone are all examples of rough and boring woodies that I would never consider riding again now that I've gotten them counted (well, couldn't ride Villain again if I wanted to).