Motorbike roller coaster
Velocity at Flamingo Land, a Vekoma Motorbike roller coaster
StatusIn Production
First manufactured2004
No. of installations16
ManufacturersVekoma, Intamin and Zamperla
TypeSteel motorbike roller coaster
Motorbike roller coaster at RCDB

A motorbike roller coaster or motorcycle roller coaster is a type of steel roller coaster designed with motorcycle type cars. Booster Bike at Toverland was the world's first motorbike roller coaster. Vekoma was the first company to design such a ride, although Intamin and Zamperla have since created similar designs.

A similar but unrelated Steeplechase roller coaster was Knott's Berry Farm's Motorcycle Chase by Arrow Dynamics which opened in 1976. That attraction featured single motorbike themed vehicles racing side-by-side, each on one of four parallel tracks, launched together. It was retrofitted in 1980 as Wacky Soap Box Racers until removed in 1996.

Design

Vekoma

Motorbike coaster ride vehicle

The Vekoma Motorbike Coaster consists of a train with nine cars, each consisting of two motorcycle seats. Each seat was designed to replicate the seating on a motorcycle, and allows free upper body movement.

After dispatching from the station, the train is hydraulically launched into a twisting layout. The first Motorbike coaster was the Booster Bike at Toverland in The Netherlands, opened in 2004. A second, Velocity opened at Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo in the United Kingdom. A third, identical to the Booster Bike, opened at Chimelong Paradise in China.

The Vekoma Motorbike Coaster concept was demonstrated with the use of the No Limits roller coaster simulator, and is included as a track style in the commercial version.

Intamin

Jet Rescue at Sea World is an Intamin motorbike roller coaster with jet ski cars.

Intamin was the second company to come up with a motorbike roller coaster design. Their design utilizes drive tires to launch its trains. Currently, only four installations exist - two in Australia, one in Denmark, and one in the United States.

Zamperla

The Zamperla Motocoaster consists of a train of six cars instead of nine, but they are set up similarly, two seats side by side per car.

Zamperla's coaster uses a flywheel launch instead of a hydraulic launch system. The standard track layout is a 3-layered figure 8.

In 2008 2 MotoCoasters were installed in the United States. The prototype is at Darien Lake near Buffalo, New York.

The Pony Express at Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, California, in a twist on the once famous Motorcycle Chase of Indian Motorcycles on a Steeplechase roller coaster, now sports a Zamperla Motocoaster styled as horses.

Installations

NameLocationManufacturerTrainsOpened
Booster BikeToverlandVekomaMotorbikes2004[1]
VelocityFlamingo LandVekomaMotorbikes2005[2]
Motorbike Launch CoasterChimelong ParadiseVekomaMotorbikes2006[3]
MotocoasterDreamworldIntaminMotorbikes2007[4]
Jet RescueSea World (Australia)IntaminJet Skis2008[5]
Moto CoasterSix Flags Darien LakeZamperlaMotorbikes2008[6]
Pony ExpressKnott's Berry FarmZamperlaHorses2008[7]
Moto CoasterJinjiang Action ParkZamperlaMotorbikes2009[8]
Moto BalaMundo PetapaZamperlaMotorbikes2010[9]
MotoGeeSärkänniemi Amusement ParkZamperlaMotorbikes2010[10]
Dinosaur MountainChina Dinosaurs ParkZamperlaPterodactyls2010[11]
SteeplechaseScream Zone Coney IslandZamperlaHorses2011[12]
JuvelenDjurs SommerlandIntaminAll-terrain vehicles2013[13]
Rocket CyclesAdventurelandZamperlaMotorbikes2014[14]
Storm RiderXishuangbanna Sunac LandZamperlaHorses2015[15]
Tron Lightcycle Power RunShanghai DisneylandVekomaLight cycles2016[16]
Wave Breaker: The Rescue CoasterSeaWorld San AntonioIntaminJet Skis2017[17]
Drydock ExpressWanda Theme ParkZamperlaHorses2018[18]
Paradise FallSun World Danang WondersIntaminAll-terrain vehicles2018[19]
PioneerOK CorralZiererHorses2018[20]
Yukon QuadLe PalIntaminAll-terrain vehicles2018[21]
Canavar DalgaWonderland EurasiaIntaminJet Skis2019[22]
Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike AdventureUniversal Islands of AdventureIntaminMotorbikes2019[23]
NamazuVulcaniaIntaminAll-terrain vehicles2021[24]
TRON Lightcycle / RunMagic KingdomVekomaLight cycles2023[25]
DarKoaster: Escape The StormBusch Gardens WilliamsburgIntaminSnow Mobiles2023[26]
Arctic RescueSea World San DiegoIntaminSnow Mobiles2023[27]

References

  1. Marden, Duane. "Booster Bike  (Toverland)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  2. Marden, Duane. "Velocity  (Flamingo Land Theme Park & Zoo)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  3. Marden, Duane. "Motorbike Launch Coaster  (Chimelong Paradise)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  4. Marden, Duane. "Mick Doohan's Motocoaster  (Dreamworld)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  5. Marden, Duane. "Jet Rescue  (Sea World)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  6. Marden, Duane. "Moto Coaster  (Darien Lake)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  7. Marden, Duane. "Pony Express  (Knott's Berry Farm)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  8. Marden, Duane. "Moto Coaster  (Jin Jiang Action Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  9. Marden, Duane. "Moto Bala  (Mundo Petapa)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  10. Marden, Duane. "MotoGee  (Särkänniemi Amusement Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  11. Marden, Duane. "Dinosaur Mountain  (China Dinosaurs Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  12. Marden, Duane. "Steeplechase  (Scream Zone)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  13. Marden, Duane. "Juvelen  (Djurs Sommerland)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  14. Marden, Duane. "Rocket Cycles  (Adventureland)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  15. Marden, Duane. "Storm Rider  (Xishuangbanna Sunac Land)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  16. Marden, Duane. "TRON Lightcycle Power Run  (Shanghai Disneyland)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  17. Marden, Duane. "Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster  (SeaWorld San Antonio)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  18. Marden, Duane. "Drydock Express  (Wanda Theme Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  19. Marden, Duane. "Paradise Fall  (Sun World Danang Wonders)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  20. Marden, Duane. "Pioneer  (OK Corral)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  21. Marden, Duane. "Yukon Quad  (Le Pal)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  22. Marden, Duane. "Canavar Dalga  (Wonderland Eurasia)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  23. Marden, Duane. "Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure  (Universal Studios Islands of Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  24. Marden, Duane. "Namazu  (Vulcania)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  25. Marden, Duane. "TRON Lightcycle / Run  (Walt Disney World - Magic Kingdom)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  26. Marden, Duane. "DarKoaster  (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  27. Marden, Duane. "Arctic Rescue  (Sea World San Diego)". Roller Coaster DataBase.


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