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When Cedar Fair L.P. purchased Dorney Park in 1992, it was apparent that there were big plans
for the park's future. In 1997, Dorney Park debuted the largest addition the park had
ever seen ' Steel Force. Standing 205ft tall and reaching speeds of nearly 75mph,
the Morgan manufactured hyper-coaster became one of the most highly rated coasters in the world.
In the summer of 2000, following the success of Steel Force, Dorney Park and Cedar Fair
announced another monstrous addition - Talon: The Grip of Fear. Featuring
suspended trains, this bird of prey, designed by Bolliger and Mabillard, stands 135ft tall,
with a max speed of 58mph, and a track length of 3,110ft - making it the largest inverted
coaster in the Northeast.
Talon is situated between Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, putting it very close to the
entrance of the two parks.
The first thing you will notice about the yellow, orange and blue bird of prey is the lack of
the B&M roar; the track is filled with sand to comply with local sound restrictions. As
your board the train, you will also notice additional padding, an improvement over previous
B&M Inverted coasters.
The ride begins with a climb up the 135ft lift hill. Once you reach the apex of
the lift, we head over the standard B&M dip, and are soon soaring down the incredible
120ft drop, which twists to the right - similar to Batman: The Ride. As we
continue screaming towards the ground, our speed increasing, we can prepare for the ride's
first inversion ' a 98ft vertical loop, providing us with very high positive
G's.
Next up, we go flying into the zero-g roll, creating a wonderful sensation of weightlessness. Immediately,
we are descending back down towards Earth, into a ditch, before we are flying up into Talon's
next inversion ' the Immelman. Screaming with intensity, we head up into the
Immelman. We then dive back down, soaring into an inclined spiral - right over
the base of the Immelman.
From this point, we head through an S-turn, followed by an immediate lunge under the lift
hill, where the on-ride photo is located. Next up, we fly into the last inversion
of the ride ' an extremely disorienting corkscrew, placed directly over the first
drop.
Exiting the corkscrew, we dive down into a helix, placed extremely close to the ground,
creating quite a sensation. As the positive G's continue to overwhelm us, the
pressure on our bodies increasing, we finally exit the helix, navigate a right turn and
return to the brake run, concluding our unforgettable journey.
Talon is an extremely fast and action packed roller coaster. Although it does not
pack as much of a punch as Batman: The Ride, Talon is still one of the most intense B&M
Inverted coasters to date. Talon has lived up to its hype, and is definitely a
ride not to be missed. B&M and Dorney Park have created a true masterpiece.
Rating: 8.5/10
Pros:
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First Drop
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Wide Array of Elements
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High G-Forces
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Very Intense
Cons:
-Matthew
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