History of the Windjammer Fairing design and company

[SgtSlag]

http://craigvetter.com/pages/Vetter_Fai ... mer-1.html The Windjammer design changed the history, and the course, of motorcycling, forever. The link, above, takes you to the history of how it happened, written by the man himself: Craig Vetter. I've ridden bikes with handlebar-mounted windshields. The windshield acts as a kite, catching the force of the wind, twisting your handlebars as the wind blows your bike around the road. They require a lot of grip to hold the bike steady, to keep it from wandering as the wind blows. They will tire you out, very quickly, in high wind situations. Riding without any windshield will do the same, as the wind beats on your body, and chest. Craig Vetter came up with the idea of mounting the windshield to the frame of the bike: the wind blowing on the windshield, had its force applied to the frame of the bike -- not the driver's arms! It was revolutionary. The rider could use their entire body to counter the wind's force, which was applied to the whole bike. The ride was more stable, the driver was protected, and shielded, by the frame-mounted fairing. It was much easier to ride, with far less fatigue, and stress, from the wind. Drivers could ride farther, longer, and easier. Eventually, manufacturers copied his designs, incorporating custom-built designs on larger bikes, to create the early touring bikes. This made it unnecessary for riders to use aftermarket equipment -- they could buy a touring bike, fully equipped, right from the dealer. The Windjammer designs are still with us today. The modern Gold Wing has evolved Craig's original designs for their modern bikes. Kawasaki did the same thing, with their Voyager XII bike, in 1986. They adapted Craig's original design to a factory-built design, customized for the Voyager bike. Thought I'd share Craig's story, in case some of you were not aware of how this essential design came into being. I had a Vetter Vindicator fairing on my 1979 Honda CB750K, which I purchased in 2006. I later adapted a pair of Gold Wing Lowers to fit it (only slight cut-outs were required to make them fit perfectly). I also owned a 1983 Kawasaki 440 LTD, which I found a Vetter Quicksilver fairing and a proper mounting bracket for, around 2008. That QuickSilver fairing had an amazing impact on riding that small bike. I remember, fondly, riding it in a high-speed side-wind. I was leaning over, at around 60 degrees, riding straight, at highway speeds! Without the QuickSilver, I would not have been riding at all that day, because of the winds. I can\'t tolerate handlebar-mounted windshields... We rode that Honda through four days of rain, in 55-degree temperatures, huddled behind that Vindicator. It kept us going, in spite of the cold and wet. The factory fairing and lowers, on our Voyager XII, have kept us safe, and dry, in many a dire riding situation. I love Craig's designs. His legacy is still living on, in modern bikes. Thanks, Craig! Cheers!

[cranky]

.. I've heard songs of praise for his fairings... good stuff!!!

[Steverides5]

own a 1982 CB900C Honda and it’s a good light tourer. When I bought it I went on eBay looking for old cheap Vetter luggage boxes for day tripping. I was amazed by what people are still asking for them today. Never did buy them, instead, I bought my Voyager and now I use my old Electra Glide for touring local to home.

[SgtSlag]

I, too, shopped e-Bay for Vetter parts, 10 years ago. I needed, and found, a mint mounting bracket for a QuickSilver fairing, for a 1983 KZ440 LTD. Got it, mounted it. What a joy to ride with the fairing... I found better options, though not much better in price, on CraigsList. I also learned a lot of people were trashing their old Vetter fairings, from forums. Sad. Mounting brackets can be fabricated for modern bikes. They still work, if they're not broken. The early 70's fairings were made of fiberglass, but the later units were made of ABS plastic. Repairing them is not difficult, using ABS Glue. That ABS plastic withstands the years, quite well. My 1979 Honda had a Vindicator, from around 1980. It was solid, and working, in 2009, when we circled Lake Superior on that bike. It served, and protected us, very well. As far as I know, no one is offering an aftermarket, bolt-on, frame-mounted fairing, of any kind, for any bike, today. The handlebar/fork tube mounted fairings are kites, which catch the wind, and twist your handlebars. Frame mounting is the way to go. Cheers!

[Nails]

Apologies for bringing up a month-old post.

As far as I know, no one is offering an aftermarket, bolt-on, frame-mounted fairing, of any kind, for any bike, today.

Sure they do. Google "generic motorcycle fairings". I've been tempted to rat out an XII, stripping it down to a naked and then sticking on one of those bullet-shaped Dunstall-style fairings. Basically shoot for some old-school sports tourer look. https://www.dimecitycycles.com/airtech- ... treet.html, and see the Vintage Dream on https://www.airtech-streamlining.com/ (lots of other pictures in the Gallery). Love that look.

Edit: Okay, there aren't many frame-mounted ones, but they do exist. Certainly full-fairing Dunstall types. I'm pretty sure these would be more difficult to mount than they were on those 750K bikes!

The handlebar/fork tube mounted fairings are kites, which catch the wind, and twist your handlebars.

I think you're overstating this. Here's one comparison of frame vs handlebar fairings: https://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/2 ... lide-ultra (Road Glide vs Electra Glide, frame and handlebar respectively). "Several sections of road during our SaddleSore 1000 had us battling heavy crosswinds, which brought to light a difference between the bikes. In these situations, the Road Glide remained rock steady as it leaned into the onslaught. The Electra Glide, however, battled with the crosswinds a bit. It wasn’t dangerous, but the fairing’s interaction with the wind created steering inputs via its fork mount. These were easily addressed, requiring only a little of extra attention to maintain a steady path."

Maybe Vetter's magic extended to his windshields. My Jammer basically rotted apart (PO fed it some dirt). I salvaged the windshield and welded up some brackets to the handlebars and/or triple clamps (don't remember). It worked fine, taking the blast off my torso; and I don't remember any handlebar wrestling matches. I used huge, ugly dirt-bike brush guards, and I could tuck my feet behind that naked Goldwing's cylinders. I was living in Ignacio (between Durango and P Springs), and rode throughout the winter commuting to Farmington ("as long as there isn't too much ice"). Later took a road trip from NM to Ohio -- continuous rain almost all the way (past Indianapolis), on the last weekend of November. All I'll say is that I'm not sure I would've survived at all without that fork-mounted windshield.