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Craig Vetter is literally a legend in our own time. He is one of the foremost motorcyle designer and IMO a genius.
If you've never read any history on the man I highly recommend it. His is an interesting story. And becuase of his ove of long distance touring and subsequent development of the venerable Vetter fairing his efforts have changed the face of motorcycling forever and for the better in my opinion.
I would like to relay a story for any of you that don't fuly appreciate the prowess of the Vetter design. This based soley on my own experience and YMMV.
I've had several vintage Jap bikes and some had windshields...fork mounted windshields. However when I bought Zilla (my '82 XJ1100 Maxim) it had a Vetter windshield mounted. You may know the story but when I bought it the bike was pristine. I got it from the original owner and it only had 5000 miles on it. I fully intended to remove the hideous fairing and return the classic to it's gorgeous nude former self.
However I rode the bike a little with the fairing. One day a friend twisted my arm to take a short 300 mile road trip. I wasn;t interested solely because the Fairing was still on and it "cramped my style". I just thought the thing was disgusting aesthetically and wanted it off QUICK.
But I relented and took the trip anyway. In short ... that day...I begin to realize the advantages of a frame mounted fairing. Note I said I "began"...becuase it wouldn't be until a couple years ater that I fully appreciated the prowess of Mr. Vetter's design. However that day in the fall of 2004 I decided to keep the Vetter IV on ...at least for the rest of the winter.
Of course after the my road trip to Big Bend in November of that year and the return voyage back to Oklahoma in a blustery 34 degree head wind of 40 mph I was sold. If I had been riding my 750 Maxim with that puny little fork windshield it would have been MISERY at best. Not only would I have frozen to death on I-44 but I would have been fighting the wind like a ghost in a bad dream only to awaken with the sheets wrapped around my neck.
Two years ago I was headed west from McCamey, TX to Fort Stockton. It was my annual road trip to Big Bend National Park in my home stomping ground of west Texas. It was a dark and dreary night. Rain was trying to set in and the mist was thick. The wind was blowing like a HUGE fan out of the south at a stiff 45 to 50 mph! Remember I'm headed west in this fierce cross wind.
I lead out of town at 70 mph with my riding partner in pursuit. After 10 to 15 miles he had fallen "off the map" disappearing into the dark mist. I pulled over and waited. He finally caught up and complained the wind was about to wreck him. I thought "...ya big sissy..." and yelled over the wind gusts "SUCK IT UP!!!" I dropped the big Eleven in gear and rolled west again at 70 mph. The cross wind was aweful. But the Yamaha with the Vetter simply tilted left and sliced through the wind like a buzz saw through balsa wood. Again he fell far far behind. Then it dawned on me. The poor guy had one of those stinkin' fork mounted windshields. The force of the wind was directly exactly upon his handlebars. He was fighting the steering of the bike as the windscreen acted like the rudder of a boat in a rolling river. I felt like such a heel for having chided him and had to apologize later. On the other hand the wind force on my Vetter was distributed upon the frame. The wind had a much harder time pushing around a 700 lbs bike than 50 or 60 lbs of front fork.
Long story short he now has a Vetter on his Eleven for touring and loves it.
And because of Vetter's excellent efforts now any touring bike worth it's salt is equipped with a FRAME MOUNTED fairing. The Goldwing...the Voyager...The Venture Royale, BMW's K1200LT and a whole variety of sport touring machines utilize the potent design of a frame mounted fairing.
I have friends that ride Harley's with fork mounted fairings. They'll tell you they are great....UNTIL they hit wind. That's why for my money the only Harley worth a flip for touring is a Road Glide because it's the only one with a FRAME MOUNTED fairing.
Kudos to Craig Vetter and his contributions to teh sport of motorcyle touring!
Cg
If you've never read any history on the man I highly recommend it. His is an interesting story. And becuase of his ove of long distance touring and subsequent development of the venerable Vetter fairing his efforts have changed the face of motorcycling forever and for the better in my opinion.
I would like to relay a story for any of you that don't fuly appreciate the prowess of the Vetter design. This based soley on my own experience and YMMV.
I've had several vintage Jap bikes and some had windshields...fork mounted windshields. However when I bought Zilla (my '82 XJ1100 Maxim) it had a Vetter windshield mounted. You may know the story but when I bought it the bike was pristine. I got it from the original owner and it only had 5000 miles on it. I fully intended to remove the hideous fairing and return the classic to it's gorgeous nude former self.
However I rode the bike a little with the fairing. One day a friend twisted my arm to take a short 300 mile road trip. I wasn;t interested solely because the Fairing was still on and it "cramped my style". I just thought the thing was disgusting aesthetically and wanted it off QUICK.
But I relented and took the trip anyway. In short ... that day...I begin to realize the advantages of a frame mounted fairing. Note I said I "began"...becuase it wouldn't be until a couple years ater that I fully appreciated the prowess of Mr. Vetter's design. However that day in the fall of 2004 I decided to keep the Vetter IV on ...at least for the rest of the winter.
Of course after the my road trip to Big Bend in November of that year and the return voyage back to Oklahoma in a blustery 34 degree head wind of 40 mph I was sold. If I had been riding my 750 Maxim with that puny little fork windshield it would have been MISERY at best. Not only would I have frozen to death on I-44 but I would have been fighting the wind like a ghost in a bad dream only to awaken with the sheets wrapped around my neck.
Two years ago I was headed west from McCamey, TX to Fort Stockton. It was my annual road trip to Big Bend National Park in my home stomping ground of west Texas. It was a dark and dreary night. Rain was trying to set in and the mist was thick. The wind was blowing like a HUGE fan out of the south at a stiff 45 to 50 mph! Remember I'm headed west in this fierce cross wind.
I lead out of town at 70 mph with my riding partner in pursuit. After 10 to 15 miles he had fallen "off the map" disappearing into the dark mist. I pulled over and waited. He finally caught up and complained the wind was about to wreck him. I thought "...ya big sissy..." and yelled over the wind gusts "SUCK IT UP!!!" I dropped the big Eleven in gear and rolled west again at 70 mph. The cross wind was aweful. But the Yamaha with the Vetter simply tilted left and sliced through the wind like a buzz saw through balsa wood. Again he fell far far behind. Then it dawned on me. The poor guy had one of those stinkin' fork mounted windshields. The force of the wind was directly exactly upon his handlebars. He was fighting the steering of the bike as the windscreen acted like the rudder of a boat in a rolling river. I felt like such a heel for having chided him and had to apologize later. On the other hand the wind force on my Vetter was distributed upon the frame. The wind had a much harder time pushing around a 700 lbs bike than 50 or 60 lbs of front fork.
Long story short he now has a Vetter on his Eleven for touring and loves it.
And because of Vetter's excellent efforts now any touring bike worth it's salt is equipped with a FRAME MOUNTED fairing. The Goldwing...the Voyager...The Venture Royale, BMW's K1200LT and a whole variety of sport touring machines utilize the potent design of a frame mounted fairing.
I have friends that ride Harley's with fork mounted fairings. They'll tell you they are great....UNTIL they hit wind. That's why for my money the only Harley worth a flip for touring is a Road Glide because it's the only one with a FRAME MOUNTED fairing.
Kudos to Craig Vetter and his contributions to teh sport of motorcyle touring!
Cg
With a fairing, my intake of insects has been reduced and have even had some high speed rocks deflected from impacting my chest (had one actually crack a Lexan sheild), I am sure that one would have made me say bad words had my chest stopped it. One day, I hope to have a naked G to park next to my "dresser".
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