I first had the chance to ride Predator during a trip to Darien Lake in its first season under Six Flags, and I thought it was a really good wooden coaster. It had some pops of air, and great laterals to go along with a nice layout. The speed was decent, and although it wasnt glass-smooth, it seemed to just have some "shifty" or "bumpy" moments that actually added to the fun. I returned to the park with some friends of mine who had moved to Rochester, and I happily told them how cool this little woodie was. After that ride some 6 years after my initial ones, 4 simple words came to mind - What the HELL happened?!?!?! It became sadly apparent that Six Flags did nothing short of totally neglecting this coaster. How else would you explain it? I was stunned how a ride could deteriorate that much in so short a time frame! Needless to say, the looks of death I got from my friends when we returned to the station were quite priceless! LOL That most recent ride on Predator goes down in infamy as the worst roller coaster ride I have EVER experienced. If that were my only ride on this abomination, it would get a 1 by far. However, knowing what it could (and used to) be, I will give it some credit and keep the rating at a 3. The way I look at it, its an average of my rides on it. The first was about an 8-level ride, while the more recent one literally was about a negative-2!! And for the entertainment value alone, the review that follows is based on my most recent ride on Dairen Lakes Predator, when I discovered that there actually can be some roller coasters that make me wretch.

You really cannot deny that Predator looks awesome! The layout is intriguing, and it looks gorgeous sitting alongside one of the parks many lakes. You think from the ground, "wow, what a nice little 1-2 punch of Ride of Steel and this woodie". Well, thats partially correct, as Predator is a punch all right.....more like a sucker punch to the skull and lower back though! We strolled right up to the station, amazed how short the line was for a coaster I said was "solid and real good". Apparently the rest of the public knew what was up with this pile of trash. The crew, to add insult to injury, was pathetic on this ride, as even though we strolled up to a basic 2-train wait, it took us 15 minutes just to finally board the train! They were extremely slow and uninterested, although I cant really blame them for being stuck working this coaster. I can only imagine the vile looks they are given from returning riders. After dispatching, the train slowly rolled out to the lift hill.

On the plus side, the lift was exactly as I had remembered it, as it offered a nice view as the train steadily climbed to the top. Little did I know that hell on earth was about to ensue! Did you ever wonder what a pothole on a roller coaster would feel like? Well then, youve come to the right place! As the train headed down the first drop, it was like we had transported into the middle of a pinball machine. The train literally bounced, slammed, and shook down the drop. I was getting thrown around like a rag doll, and my lower back then got obliterated at the bottom of the drop as the train felt like it hit a pothole. The train had managed through all of that to actually gain some decent speed, and now went into "dryer" mode over the next few hills. I say this in that the forces and pain delivered to riders was about on par with what a rock would feel like if thrown into the dryer. Does this thing have cinder blocks for wheels?!? The first turnaround was equally awful, as the "nice laterals" I remembered were now replaced by violent slams into the side of the train throughout the turn. At this point, profanity flung back from many other riders, but none as loud as those directed at me from my friends seated 3 rows in front of me! The next series of hills were even worse than the first few, as my skull now throbbed from the rattling my brain was receiving. I wanted to get off th

This was probably the worst wooden coaster Ive been on. The ride looks like it should have provided an air-time filled and tolerable ride, but boy was I wrong. There was no air at all on the ride and the whole ride was unbearably rough, even on straight bunny hills. I will never reride this unless its completely retracked.

Ok, so first of all, when I went up the lift hill, it broke down and I got stuck up there for about 10 minutes. I lold at the time, but when it started, the only thought that came into my mind was "ow". Its short, compact, rough, and slow. Nothing working for it at all. Nuff said.

I really hate this coaster. Im willing to give all rides a chance and if I dont like my first experience, often times theres still room for a second chance. Ive given this ride several chances and I agree with my fellow posters: ugh. First of all, ouch. It hurts because its too rough. Then, to add insult to injury, its very long. I dont care much for Darien Lake and this is a huge reason why. I usually enjoy woodies, but this one is horrible and should be put out of its misery. I second the crappy pretzel stand idea.

My first hint should have been when the ride op told a train ahead of us to "enjoy that bumpy ride". Wanting a credit above all else, I greedily ignored this warning. After all, Predator looks like a great ride with a lot of airtime. Boy how wrong I was.
Predator is the worst woodie that Ive ever been on. I feel it beats you up more than Son of Beast. I rode in the second to front seat, and got the hell beat out of me. I should have known. With such notables as Mean Streak and the recently razed Psyclone, Dinn Corporation is not known for producing quality wood. There is a dusty plaque in the station displaying some obscure coaster club award that Predator won in the early 90s. And I dont doubt that this was once a good ride. It certainly looks the part. I even noticed some brand new track showing a feeble attempt to correct nearly two decades of neglect. A partial re-tracking is useless when the whole ride blows.
Burn this thing down. Put anything in its place. Even a $5 stale pretzel stand that constantly runs out of salt and mustard would be an improvement.

The Predator is a wood O&B roller coaster. It was built by Dinn & Summers in 1990. It is 90' tall, it is 3,400' long. Appearence: Looks nice by the lake, nicely laid out. Capacity is large, duration long, it is fun and rerideable.

This wooden coaster was actually so terrible, I almost regret riding it in the first place. My first impression was that the seating position was somewhat awkward and uncomfortable. Once the ride began and I was in the initial drop, I new I was in for a horrible ride. The problem with this coaster is that it is incredibly rough, likely do to a combination of its age and lack of maintenance. The whole time I rode this coaster I was simply focusing on not smashing my head against the seat back, and trying not to injure myself from the side to side jerkiness. There was really no fun at all here, as it wasnt even very fast, nor did it offer any memorable air time. My advice? When you see this ride at Darien Lake, keep on walking by and get in line for Superman instead. Believe me, youll enjoy it more without the headache and bruises from the Predator.

This ride is rough, on top of that the trains are uncomfortable, and the ride is slow. It looks good when you are walking by it, but it is all eye candy. Save yourself some discomfort and move on to Superman, instead.

ok the first time i rode i give it a 9 because i held on the entire time and you get some air on the second hill. The second time i rode with my hands up to whole time when the ride got over, i couldnt even talk because my head was throbbing with so much pain. and my back was almost broken. that ride i gave a ZERO.

APPEARANCE-9 Awesome location and the ride looks really good. It has a very nice look even with its age. Like B-Fun said enjoy the lift hill because because once you crest the hill, just like this review it all goes to S&*#. CAPACITY-3 Two trains help but they wait so long I am not sure why. They also check your seatbelt, then put down your lap bar and check that. Sometimes the other train is back before they even check your seatbelt. They act like you are going to go on an airtime filled monster, I think they want to make sure you dont jump out to save your back from the beating it is about to endure. RIDE QUALITY-1 Slow, Rough, Boring, Rough, Sucks. FUN-0 I have never given a zero because most rides could be so bad they are almost funny, not so here. RERIDE-1 Unless I read an article about them retracking the whole ride this has made my never again list, which is very small considering most the rides on that list have been torn down. OVERALL-14 AVG-2.8 I will go two but ONLY the fact that it is such a nice looking wood coaster saves it from my "1" graveyard.