When most people think “launch coaster” they think LSM (Linear Synchronous Motor) or magnetic launch. However, before this there was another system that was ingenious for its time and worked almost as well, a flywheel launch. A flywheel is a heavy, rapidly spinning wheel that can store kinetic energy and release it in a quick burst. In the case of a roller coaster, this allows a slingshotting of the train with rapid acceleration. There aren’t too many of these out there anymore, but one of the best is Motocoaster at Six Flags Darien Lake.o

Motocoaster is a a Zamperla motorbike-style coaster and was the first of its kind in the United States. It accelerates riders from 0 to 38 mph in just 3 seconds up 44 feet and through 1,198 feet of track. It’s a smaller ride, but it’s quite a forceful launch experience compared to standard magnetic coasters. It’s a “stacked figure-eight” layout that takes about 30 seconds to traverse. It opened i. 2008 as the Orange County Choppers MotoCoaster, but has since dropped the TV show branding.

The flywheel launch was clever workaround invented in the 1970s by famous roller coaster designer Anton Schwarzkopf. The system allowed him to achieve high launch speeds without putting a massive, sudden strain on the local electrical grid. Instead of drawing a massive surge of electricity to power a launch motor directly, an electric motor is used to slowly spin a heavy steel flywheel, often over 1,000 RPM. One of the most famous examples of this was Montezuma’s Revenge, a shuttle coaster at Knott’s Berry Farm that went 0-55 mph in only 3 seconds. However, a recent refurbishment has converted this to LSM, perhaps leaving Motocoaster as one of the last remaining flywheel launches.

Given the motorbike-style ride it’s easy to compare this to Tron and Magic Kingdom and it holds up ok. Think of this as Tron Junior, but outdoors without all the special effects. If you’re near Buffalo, New York, between your rides of Predator and Ride of Steel, you might want to give Motocoaster a ride. It doesn’t look like much, but that launch may surprise you and it’s one of the very few places to experience a flywheel launch.