Moto Coaster (Six Flags Darien Lake)

Last updated
MotoCoaster
Previously known as Orange County Choppers MotoCoaster (2008-2009)
OCC Motocoaster.jpg
Six Flags Darien Lake
Coordinates 42°55′49″N78°23′00″W / 42.930384°N 78.383450°W / 42.930384; -78.383450 Coordinates: 42°55′49″N78°23′00″W / 42.930384°N 78.383450°W / 42.930384; -78.383450
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 2008
Cost$3.4million
General statistics
Type Steel  Launched  Motorbike
Manufacturer Zamperla
Designer Werner Stengel
Model Motocoaster
Track layoutStacked Figure-8
Lift/launch system Flywheel Launch
Height44 ft (13 m)
Length1,198 ft (365 m)
Speed38 mph (61 km/h)
Inversions 0
Capacity250 riders per hour
Acceleration0 - 38 mph
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
Trains6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 12 riders per train.
MotoCoaster at RCDB
Pictures of MotoCoaster at RCDB

The MotoCoaster is a motorbike roller coaster at Six Flags Darien Lake in Darien, New York. It was the park's first launch coaster, and was the first MotoCoaster by Zamperla to be installed in the United States, [1] [2] though the Pony Express, a similar type of coaster with horse themed trains, was constructed around the same time and is currently operating at Knott's Berry Farm. [3]

Motorbike roller coaster Type of steel roller coaster

A motorbike 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.

Darien, New York Town in New York, United States

Darien is a town in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 3,158 at the 2010 census. Darien lies in the southwest part of Genesee County, southwest of Batavia.

Zamperla Italian company

Antonio Zamperla S.p.A. is an Italian design and manufacturing company founded in 1966. It is best known for creating family rides, thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The company also makes smaller coin-operated rides commonly found inside shopping malls.

Darien Lake partnered with Orange County Choppers for naming rights for the coaster, along with a promotional giveaway of a custom painted OCC motorcycle, and a custom built bike to remain at the park. [4]

Orange County Choppers Motorcycle manufacturer based in Orange County, New York, United States

Orange County Choppers (OCC) is a motorcycle manufacturer and lifestyle brand company based in the town of Newburgh, located in Orange County, New York, that was founded in 1999 by Paul Teutul Sr., The company was featured on American Chopper, a reality TV show that debuted in September 2002 on the Discovery Channel. The series moved to Discovery Channel's sister channel TLC in 2007. Following cancellation of the Discovery series, the company was also featured on Orange County Choppers on the CMT network in 2013. ‘’Orange County Choppers‘’ returned to Discovery Channel on March 1 2018 for a premier viewing of their reboot of American Chopper. The full series is set to start on May 28 2018.

The coaster installed at Darien Lake is actually the prototype coaster that was used for tuning and testing at Zamperla's factory in Italy. [1] [3]

Italy European country

Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a European country located in Southern Europe consisting of a peninsula delimited by the Alps and surrounded by several islands. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean sea and traversed along its length by the Apennines, Italy has a largely temperate seasonal climate including Mediterranean and Alpine zones. The country covers a total area of 301,340 km2 (116,350 sq mi), and land area of 294,140 km2 (113,570 sq mi), and shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino. Italy has a territorial exclave in Switzerland (Campione) and a maritime exclave in the Tunisian Sea (Lampedusa). With around 60 million inhabitants, Italy is the fourth-most populous member state of the European Union.

The coaster was originally named the Orange County Choppers Motocoaster (OCC Motocoaster) when it first opened in 2008. However, the name was changed to the Moto Coaster in 2010 after the naming rights with Orange County Choppers expired.

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<i>American Chopper</i> American reality television program

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Arrow Dynamics American amusement ride design company

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References

  1. 1 2 Reynders, Nico (2008-01-15). "First Zamperla Motocoaster for Darien Lake!". Theme Park Vision. Archived from the original on 2010-01-26. Retrieved Sep 6, 2008.
  2. "Prototype MotoCoaster To Open at Darien Lake". Ultimate Rollercoaster.Com. 2008-01-12. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  3. 1 2 "Darien Lake to debut MotoCoaster". Park World Online. 2008-01-12. Archived from the original on 2008-06-09. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  4. Deckert, Andrea (2008-04-22). "Darien Lake teams with Orange County Choppers". Rochester Business Journal. Retrieved 2008-09-06.[ dead link ]