 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Motorbike roller coaster" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Motorbike roller coaster | |
|---|---|
 Velocity atFlamingo Land, a Vekoma Motorbike roller coaster | |
| Status | In production |
| First manufactured | 2004 |
| No. of installations | 16 |
| Manufacturers | Vekoma,MaurerIntamin andZamperla |
| Type | Steel motorbike roller coaster |
| Motorbike roller coaster at RCDB | |
Amotorbike roller coaster ormotorcycle roller coaster is a type ofsteelroller coaster designed withmotorcycle type cars.Booster Bike atToverland was the world's first motorbike roller coaster.Vekoma was the first company to design such a ride, althoughIntamin andZamperla have since created similar designs.
A similar but unrelatedSteeplechase roller coaster wasKnott's Berry Farm's Motorcycle Chase byArrow Dynamics which opened in 1974. 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 before removed in 1996.
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 hydraulicallylaunched into a twisting layout. The first Motorbike coaster was theBooster Bike at Toverland inThe Netherlands, opened in 2004. A second, Velocity opened atFlamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo in theUnited Kingdom. A third, identical to the Booster Bike, opened atChimelong Paradise inChina.
The Vekoma Motorbike Coaster concept was first demonstrated with the use of theNo Limits roller coaster simulator,[1] and is included as a track style in the commercial version.
.jpg)
Intamin was the second company to come up with a motorbike roller coaster design. Their design utilizesdrive tires to launch its trains. Currently, only four installations exist - two inAustralia, one in Denmark, and one in the United States.
Maurer Rides offers a motorbike coaster concept known as the Spike Coaster. This innovative design features individual motorbike-style vehicles that allow riders to control their speed, simulating a real racing experience. Unlike traditional roller coasters, the Spike Racing Coaster uses a linear synchronous motor (LSM) system, enabling dynamic acceleration and deceleration throughout the ride.
The coaster’s track layout is highly customizable, often incorporating sharp turns, steep drops, and airtime hills to enhance the racing feel. Each motorbike seat is designed for ergonomic comfort, with handlebars and a forward-leaning position to mimic riding a real motorcycle.
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 aflywheel launch instead of a hydraulic launch system. The standard track layout is a 3-layeredfigure 8.
In 2008 2 MotoCoasters were installed in the United States. The prototype is atDarien Lake nearBuffalo, New York.
ThePony Express atKnott's Berry Farm,Buena Park, California, in a twist on the once famous Motorcycle Chase of Indian Motorcycles on aSteeplechase roller coaster, now sports aZamperlaMotocoaster styled as horses.
