Viper (Six Flags Great Adventure)

Infobox roller coaster
name=Viper


image dimensions=
caption=
location=Six Flags Great Adventure
section=Frontier Adventures
type=Steel
model=mega heartline
status=Demolished
opened=1995
closed=2004
manufacturer=TOGO
designer=TOGO
model=mega heartline
track=out-and-back
lift=Chain lift hill
height=89
drop=84
length=1670
speed=48
inversions=2
duration=40 seconds (from the first drop to the brakes)
angle=75
capacity=1800
cost=
gforce=4.0
restriction=54
rcdb_number=33

Viper was a TOGO mega heartline roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure. Viper was closed at the end of 2004 and was demolished in June 2005 for several reasons.

Viper stood 89 feet tall and reached a top speed of 48 mph. It had two inversions; a dive loop after the first drop, and then a heartline roll. The ride ran three trains with four cars per train. Riders were seated two across and each train seated a total of 16 passengers. The trains resembled a snake, and were colored light green and orange.

History

At one point in 1990, Six Flags Great Adventure had 5 roller coasters. But due to ride rotation programs and the purchase of Batman the Ride, the park was down to only three by the end of 1992. Batman's opening brought the park up to four coasters in 1993. At that point a decision was made to buy a new coaster for the park. It was decided that due to the fact Ultra Twister was fairly popular, that TOGO would be recruited to design and build a similar coaster to occupy the site that Ultra Twister once stood on.

Construction began in the fall of 1994 and in June 1995, Viper finally opened after several delays. Initially, lines were long. But due to the rough restraints popularity faded by 1997.

By 1998, the ride was not operating for a majority of the season because its manufacturer, TOGO, was troubled financially and went out of business, making replacement parts difficult to obtain. In 2001, the coaster did not operate at all and was considered "Standing but not operating". Viper was not even listed on the 2001 park guides or the 2001 park map. Six Flags planned to remove Viper that year, but it was canceled because Six Flags failed to find a replacement attraction to fit the land occupied by Viper.

In 2002, after some modifications on the restraints and track, Viper reopened. The ride continued to be rough and the coaster was frequently experiencing problems. From 2002 to 2004, Viper almost never ran due to frequent performance issues with the ride. In 2004, Viper only ran one train when open, and on Labor Day the ride was shut forever.

In 2005, Six Flags demolished Viper in June for multiple reasons. They include the frequent performance issues with the ride, the massive amounts of down-time, and because the ride's popularity was completely faded due to the rough and overall painful ride. Other rides were removed as well this year, such as the nearby Rodeo Stampede and Taz Twister to make room for El Toro, the coaster to replace Viper.

Viper was one of 2 roller coasters ever profiled in FamilyFun magazine's yearly roller coaster article to be closed down, the other being in the same park.Fact|date=November 2007