Maverick Discussion

[jolash]

I guess we can have a Maverick general discussion topic..


I'd like to start by asking this question:

Why is it that Maverick is such a rough ride? Aren't these new-age rides supposed to be glass smooth? It's almost like an old Arrow (ok, not that bad, but pretty bad).

[Jake]

I'd like to know what causes a rough ride period.

It could be a combination of the forces exerted on the track, and perhaps not enough support to control said forces?

[MaverickManJZ]

Maverick is great. The wearing of the wheels could be what's making it rough. It's going at high speeds, inversions, intense drops, and tight turns.

[Nate]

I think it's major problem is switching direction very quickly at high speed. Your body doesn't have enough time to adjust causing head banging. Also this ride was a little under engineered if you ask me. Case and point- the in line roll that had to be taken out because it would of been a horrible experience. Another problem it has is Intiman's OTSR. They are poorly designed and really don't do anything but give you piece of mind.

[Michael]

^ uhm, it's called suck up the pain, and enjoy it, be a man ;)

j/k j/k j/k


here is the review I wrote after I rode it in august:



The theming: This was achieved so well, it's a perfect match for the surrounding frontier town, and is very eye-pleasing. I almost had a flash-back to SDC :lol:

The station: Entering the station, your greeted to a wonderful view of the stenzal to your left, and then throgh the opposing wall, you can see the tangled yet beautiful knot of Maverick's horse shoe roll. nicley placed cubby holes are available for riders who like to carry camera's or other things necessary to making PTR's possible :59:. The ride ops are in a hurry, yet they are very helpful and nice to the boarding riders.

The trains: These are pieces of artwork, beautifully detailed with wonderful graphics and pin-stripes along the sides, and are assembled in a way that looks almost, well, like it was made in the wild west ;) Sitting down, you notice how comfortable the seats are, and how high you sit up. Then the OTR's lower down, and you realize how much pain you’re in for :lol: They're not the greatest, but they are a little uncomfortable around the shoulders and upper arms.

The ride: crawling gently out of the station, you notice the LIM's in front of you. coming to a short stop, you wait for the train on the circuit to pass the blocks. Whoosh! your off with a surprisingly rough launch up the lift, but it's such a great ride element! Traveling up the lift, you notice the lights to your right, look out to the left to get a view of the turnaround after the launch, and holy god I'm at the top! I have never felt ejector air on a drop before, never. You are catapulted out of your seat for a truly breath taking drop. It's not even right, lol, you travel further and further, and it's blaintenly obvious your past vertical. You've just gotten the most insanely satisfying air time, when you bank to the right and the g's poor on. Screaming through the zigzags, you rip to the left, another bone crunching turn, yet you notice how smooth it is. Screaming out of the zigzags, you rocket upwards, and then your pulling nearly a full negative g, it's truly amazing, the ejector air on this ride is world class. Then the car banks to the right, and heads upward, suddenly, your completely weightless, and your field of view does a 180 degree spin, it's perfect. The G force are so incredibly perfect, it actually strikes you during the ride. An incredibly tight turn, and up you go, spiraling back the other way, it's just that awesome. Into another right turn, you get a nice head chopper and zoom under the brake run behind the station.

Slowing down, you come to a crawl, it's dark, yet you can see the walls just in front of you lit up from the entrance to the tunnel behind you. Bam, you hit the back of you seat, it's just one thing after the other :lol: There's no slowing down on this ride, the tunnel is lit up by blindingly bright by lateral neon strips, they pulsate and scream past, the noise is phenomenal. A strobe of the camera flash, and your banking left and rocketing at 70 mph upwards, and you've just realized what's coming. the trims are noticeable, yet add to the ride somehow, a light bit of air, and your slammed to the right, building the g's to the point where you can feel your face being stretched towards your chin. The water bombs can be heard behind you, and your rip through the gorge, the banking is so intense during this area. Now that I think about it, a barrel roll would have spoiled the moment, it's just awesome screaming just inches above the pond, you travel towards the lift, a train drops, are you going to hit it? Then you spin crazily to the right, avoiding the drop and dive downwards and pull up again. This time, you experience something that you've never done before, your suddenly whipped to the left, WAY left. Your nearly upside down, and then the out of control horse whips you back the other direction as it levels out for another air-time hill. At this point, your traveling so fast your just wondering how your going to slow down, your way out of your seat for a last ejector hill that nearly lives up to the first, you bank upwards to the right, level out, and come to a nice slow crawl. At this point, everyone has made their mind that this is without a doubt the best ride in the park, the tears of joy and screams of delight erupt, and everyone applauds, it's just awesome. Exiting the Maverick's station, I realized what a success this ride is, and how much this will add to Cedar Point's incredible experience. So I will say that so far, Maverick is the best rollercoaster i have ever had the privilege to experience. It's my new number one.

This ride honestly deserves all the hype it get's. There's no over-rating here, it's really this good.

[Comet]

^Surprisingly rough launch on the lift...
What type of rough is it, shaky, painful, or just uncomfortable?

[Jake]

It's mostly shakey from what I remember. It wasn't to the point where I didn't like the ride (obviously), but it was a little shakey none-the-less.

[Michael]

^Surprisingly rough launch on the lift...
What type of rough is it, shaky, painful, or just uncomfortable?

I mostly meant the acceleration, just a bit jerky, but really neat because out of no-where your jerked upto 20 mph :D very cool on ride...

[apsterling]

Not having been on said ride, I can't tell exactly where the roughness is, but I'm pretty sure it's the whole "Mathematically Perfect, Not Human Perfect" factor. It's a machine, and if it's built by a machine, there's just not that much human in it. Millennium is a better seeming ride to me, as it just has that human flow to it, as opposed to the mechanical feel of Maverick.

That said, I haven't ridden it yet.

[Dan]

However, apsterling, rides are designed to manipulate you in ways that aren't always flowing and normal. If a ride always takes you in the direction you want to go, the ride is somewhat boring. Millennium has the advantage of taking you to crazy speeds and heights, so obviously there isn't the opportunity for small curves and twists. However, rides like Maverick, being small, utilize that opportunity, and you get a ride that may be a bit bumpy, but is extremely fun. Just look at the amount of people who rank Maverick of MF. That's about all the explanation you need to prove that rides are meant to take you where your body isn't wanting to go. It's the forces that make the ride, keep that in mind. 500mph doesn't feel like much on an airplane, but 0-100+ gives you a forward force, making the ride enjoyable and intense.

[Arez]

I think you are confusing the uncomfortable restraints with the roughness of the actual ride. I found the ride to be surprisingly smooth..The only thing I didn't enjoy was being stapled in that awkward position.

-Alex

[jolash]

No, I found it rough... shaky, bumpy. Not to be confused with the hard snaps of the transitions.

[Michael]

Millennium is a better seeming ride to me, as it just has that human flow to it, as opposed to the mechanical feel of Maverick.

That said, I haven't ridden it yet.

That being said, you are aware you contradicted your entire point? Because just like Maverick, Millennium Force is made by machines too. Also there is the factor that yes, a machine made these rides, but it was designed by hand by a civil engineer. So in fact, it is as human as any other ride.

And I might be wrong so correct me if it's so, but if your trying to compare these rides to the very human aspect of constructing a wooden coaster, then your comparing apples to oranges. Because Wooden coasters are supposed to be different, much much different. But please, I'm not sure if that was what you were implying.

And the "human flow' thing is confusing me, do you mean that Millennium is just more graceful? Maybe that's a better way to put it.

[jolash]

I think he's trying to imply that robots like their rollercoasters rough, so they make them rougher, as compared to made by hand.


That makes no sense.

[Michael]

^ Please tell me that an enuendo was not intended there ;)

j/k j/k

But I think where (for me at least), Maverick excells ahead of Millennium, is that it is so unpredictable. Millennium in all honesty is a series of gracefull, flowing, turns and hills. Nothing else to it. Maverick is exactly what it's name implies. It's like a bucking bronco that wants to kick your ***, it's intense, fast, and very rough. And that's why it's so good. :cool:

[Nate]

I found the majority of the ride enjoyable, those restrains are the problem. The OTSR came right at my neck, my head sat above it, and everytime we made a small quick turn (inversions were fine) my neck got slammed. When I rode it a second time I braced a little more and was prepared for it.

I just wasn't expecting to get thrown around on a modern steel coaster. It wasn't bad, just not what I thought it would be. As for the ride itself, it is very smooth; the lift, launch, everything. The restrains are the problem. Intiman needs to find a better solution then those thin, cutting restrains.

[jolash]

But I think where (for me at least), Maverick excells ahead of Millennium, is that it is so unpredictable. Millennium in all honesty is a series of gracefull, flowing, turns and hills. Nothing else to it. Maverick is exactly what it's name implies. It's like a bucking bronco that wants to kick your ***, it's intense, fast, and very rough. And that's why it's so good. :cool:

That's actually one of the stories behind Maverick (Cedar Point actually released several different variations of the story). A wild, bucking stallion with you holding on for dear life.

Millennium Force is an engineering marvel. 7 years now... no trims. They don't need it. The hills are designed so perfectly that they require minimal usage of the up-stop wheels, reducing maintenance to a minimum. (Remember, trims aren't used so much for rider safety, that's what restraints are for. They're to reduce stress on trains) Nonetheless, this results in a forceless ride.

Maverick was designed and manufactured the complete opposite. They steered away from focusing on a conservative ride design. Track even had to be replaced because of its wild design.


Intiman needs to find a better solution then those thin, cutting restrains.

That's exactly the problem. It looks as if they tried to add some flex and cushion in them, and did that by making them thinner. Bad idea guys, bad idea. I say put some of that gel padding on the inside of the restraints, padding the sides of your head. Or how about some memory foam headrests? :rolleyes:

[Dan]

But, putting two and two together, one should see that their is a medium between Millennium Force and Maverick. Something not "forceless", but not so intense that track need be replaced because of it.

[jolash]

Then you'd have your average coaster, the one you find at every park.

If completely forceless and totally intense were on a line spectrum, Millennium Force would be near the forceless side, and Maverick would be all the way to the end on the intense side. Everything else falls in between.

[apsterling]

My point is, Millennium (to my knowledge) wasn't all Trig and Geometry in design, and that it was some hand doing (Much like making a coaster in NL, then AHGing it)

Maverick however, was essentially just FVD and HSAK-ing. No hand design, and I think it lacks in that regard.

Now I might be wrong on Millennium, so don't chew me there, but I think it's just more Humanly as opposed to mathematical.

[Mike T]

Could you explain what you mean a bit more. I don't follow what you are saying at all. And Millennium Force being designed by hand? Tell me more please.

[Voyage100]

I've got a bit question to you all. Did Intamin get rid of that heartline roll thing, as they found out as, its element pulled more than 5 or 6 in positive g-force? It still has to be one of my favolite part of Maverick, which I would love to say that coaster could be the greatest new ride in 2007 season for me. Still I miss that ground-hugging inversion..... :(

Sorry this is a really stupid question.

[jolash]

I've heard that it did upwards of 7 Gs actually. But yes, they removed the heartline roll because of excessive G forces exerted in it.

[Dan]

The maximum force they dare build from the computer is between four and five g's I believe...I know that the actual thing always differs a bit, but 7g's seems like a bit of a jump.

[Nate]

All I know is that I'm glad they took it out because it would of ruined that coaster.

[Matt]

My point is, Millennium (to my knowledge) wasn't all Trig and Geometry in design, and that it was some hand doing (Much like making a coaster in NL, then AHGing it)

Maverick however, was essentially just FVD and HSAK-ing. No hand design, and I think it lacks in that regard.

Now I might be wrong on Millennium, so don't chew me there, but I think it's just more Humanly as opposed to mathematical.

lol.

Millennium and all of its perfectly parabolic arches, no lateral forces, and almost no vertical forces, it HAD to be hand designed. Duh! Why didn't I see it before?


All sarcasm aside, Maverick's wheels are always needing replacement. Try riding it first thing in the morning after maintenance, then at night time before the park closes. I always seem to get a lot of vibration just from bad wheels. Plus with those OTSR's, the hardware that you sit behind, also vibrates. Take a look at KK, and a lot of people will tell you that it is also very vibrate-y. That hardware, whether it be going 128 mph, or 62ish mph with sudden direction changes, your going to have vibrations.

Maverick is basically a steel Voyage... except Voyage is a little bit better.

[apsterling]

lol.

Millennium and all of its perfectly parabolic arches, no lateral forces, and almost no vertical forces, it HAD to be hand designed. Duh! Why didn't I see it before?


All sarcasm aside, Maverick's wheels are always needing replacement. Try riding it first thing in the morning after maintenance, then at night time before the park closes. I always seem to get a lot of vibration just from bad wheels. Plus with those OTSR's, the hardware that you sit behind, also vibrates. Take a look at KK, and a lot of people will tell you that it is also very vibrate-y. That hardware, whether it be going 128 mph, or 62ish mph with sudden direction changes, your going to have vibrations.

Maverick is basically a steel Voyage... except Voyage is a little bit better.

Maybe they could use pneumatic wheels, but theyd need a way to guarantee pressure...

[thatdancingbear]

^ they wont work on tubular steel...

[SnooSnoo]

Maverick is basically a steel Voyage... except Voyage is a little bit better.

I wouldn't go THAT far.. as Voyage damn near killed me.. and you can only feel the bad wheels on the back wheels of certain trains.. Silver most notably.

[jolash]

^Maverick nearly killed me on my last ride in the back. I forget what train it was, but it was a brutal ride.

[MaverickManJZ]

I didn't find any part of the ride rough, after riding in the front and back. It was abit vibratey after the launch, but that was it. As far as the headbanging, I didn't head my head more than once. Seriously, it just pressed against it. I don't understand why people are *****ing soooo much about the 'roughness'.

[jolash]

Compared to the glass-smoothness of some of the new B&Ms, ie, Griffon, Maverick is very rough.

[sheikra182]

Im agreeing with Delirium on that one as well. Once you finally ride SheiKra and then go and hit up Maverick, ya your going to not think its very smooth. I never said anything about head banging either btw. I mentioned the arm abuse. Maverick's an arm beater.

[SnooSnoo]

Well you gotta remember boys.. Intamin isn't B&M.

Many of their rides suffer roughness, some extreme, some not so.. while for the most part, B&M is pretty glass all the way around.

Comparing B&M to Intamin is pretty pointless when it comes to that.. but if you want to compare intensity, Intamin makes B&M look like a cheap hooker.. :)

As for Maverick's Roughness.. as I said.. it all depends on where you sit. I've been in the front, middle, back.. kinda middle.. almost back of most of the trains.. and the ONLY spots I found roughness was on the last car of each train, normally the back right seat.

If your saying everywhere is rough.. you must have caught a ride on a bad day.

[sirloin]

I've found that while Intamins tend to suffer from a little rattle here and there, most aren't particularly bad. Millennium Force is butter smooth, as well as the 2 impulses I've been on, SROS at SFNE, and so on. SROS at SFA is the only one with overly noticeable rattle, and Kingda Ka is the only one I've been on that I've found to be particularly rough.

And don't you DARE accuse B&M of being weak. B-TR, Montu, Alpengeist, Kumba, Kraken (up front), and many others put alot of the Intamin's I've been on to shame.

[Jake]

And don't you DARE accuse B&M of being weak. B-TR, Montu, Alpengeist, Kumba, Kraken (up front), and many others put alot of the Intamin's I've been on to shame.

Of course you could counter that with Silver Bullet, Scream!, Medusa, and many other B&M's.

Maverick wasn't 'rough' per-say. But when compared to a B&M, most things do appear rough I suppose.

[Thrill Reconnoiter]

^And you can counter that statement with the weaker Intamins... LOL

What Justin was pointing out is how all the intense B&M's still manage to be smooth.

[Matt]

I wouldn't go THAT far.. as Voyage damn near killed me.. and you can only feel the bad wheels on the back wheels of certain trains.. Silver most notably.

Dude, Voyage was the single most intense ride I have ever been on. I thought it was one of the smoothest coasters I have been on, and I could not get enough of it. 20 some night time laps in a row were the best rides I have EVER gotten on any single coaster.

Maverick is cool, but it could be a bit longer, and with even more twists and turns.

Oh... and btw... not all b&m's are smooth. sorry.

[Jake]

Oh... and btw... not all b&m's are smooth. sorry.

Well, once they've been butchered by Cedar Point they aren't!

[Thrill Reconnoiter]

Okay, we have a Intamin vs B&M thread now....so post in there.

Any off-topic discussion will be deleted.

[jolash]

Well, once they've been butchered by Cedar Point they aren't!


You're blaming Raptor's roughness on the sole fact that it resides at Cedar Point? :confused:


For the sake of on-topicness, what does everyone think of Maverick's tunnel theming? I for one don't mind it, it's actually pretty cool. The bright blue lights at the end of the tunnel are actually pretty awesome. Everything's better with fog/mist though.

[SnooSnoo]

For the sake of on-topicness, what does everyone think of Maverick's tunnel theming? I for one don't mind it, it's actually pretty cool. The bright blue lights at the end of the tunnel are actually pretty awesome. Everything's better with fog/mist though.

Agreed. My best 3 rides were when the mist was on. 30 times and on 3 times with mist.. disappointing.