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Total Members Voted: 86

[MadwitTY]

With all of the recent advancements in 3D printing we may be able to design and print our own fairings out before they are released by Zero.
Anyone have access to a nice print and design setup?

[MrDude_1]

With all of the recent advancements in 3D printing we may be able to design and print our own fairings out before they are released by Zero.
Anyone have access to a nice print and design setup?

Even without them, for low volume production you just need to make one in the shape you want... then pull a mold from it.
That said, it would be silly when you can just bolt up cheap production fiberglass ones intended for other bikes...

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

With all of the recent advancements in 3D printing we may be able to design and print our own fairings out before they are released by Zero.
Anyone have access to a nice print and design setup?

Even without them, for low volume production you just need to make one in the shape you want... then pull a mold from it.
That said, it would be silly when you can just bolt up cheap production fiberglass ones intended for other bikes...

Someone has to step up and do this. I'm focussed right now on adapting a very large aerodynamic windshield, which is something, but it's unclear how to improve the lower half with off the shelf fairings, particularly for the DS.

[wavelet]

I thought Craig Vetter was planning on releasing a fairing -- didn't Terry solicit info here a while back on what people would want from (and be willing to pay for) a fairing? I haven't heard anything on that for a while, and the Vetter site doesn't seem to refer to it either.

A non-fully-streamlined fairing wouldn't give the range improvement Terry gets with his setup, but I'm sure a sport-tourer type fairing could still improve highway range by 30%-40%+... That would certainly be significant, and less expensive and less weight than add-on batteries.

Since Zero didn't add fairing options in the 2016 models, there's a clear market opportunity for 3d-party ones, at the very least until the next model update in (presumably) 2017.

[Doug S]

I thought Craig Vetter was planning on releasing a fairing -- didn't Terry solicit info here a while back on what people would want from (and be willing to pay for) a fairing? I haven't heard anything on that for a while, and the Vetter site doesn't seem to refer to it either.

There hasn't been much (if any) information about that project since Craig's accident this summer. I asked him about it when I was up in Hollister on July 4, and he said he was hoping to be able to get to it by the end of the summer, but wasn't optimistic...then he had his accident a few weeks later. No word about his recovery so far on his website, wikipedia or anywhere that I'm aware of. Perhaps Terry knows more?

As much as I'd love for Craig to do what he does better than anybody else, I'm not holding my breath. The guy's 73 years old, for crying out loud...we should all be productive for so long and do so much for our sport.

But back to the original topic, aerodynamics are wonderful, and I can't wait for something to happen on that front, but we need fast charging too. No matter how aerodynamic our bikes get, we'll never be able to properly tour without the ability to recharge quickly and frequently. I'm hoping that one year I'll be able to RIDE up to Craig's event from San Diego instead of trailering my bike. Aerodynamics alone will never get me there.

[togo]

I think if you send Carol the money (they take PayPal) they can have a Last Better Fairing made in about 10 days.  I was ready to order in December for pickup in january but family and work obligations got in the way.  I'll probably still do it.

[togo]

http://www.craigvetter.com/pages/470MPG/Last%20Vetter%20Fairing.html

http://www.craigvetter.com/pages/Online_Store/Streamliner%20Superstore.html

[Electric Terry]

You guys, the "Last Vetter Fairing" sadly was perhaps foreshadowing.  Craig's accident with a deer, compounded with not wearing a full face helmet, has him still recovering from TBI.  Traumatic Brain Injury.   This recovery has been incredibly slow and it's unclear whether it will ever be 100%.

What many of us were hoping for was a fairing halfway between the Last Vetter Fairing design, and a modern sport bike.  At least I was.  it would not have doubled or tripled highway range like the current design, but even if just 50% highway range improvement would have been highly desirable in a simple, lightweight, attractive package. 

There was no one better suited to do this in the world.  He even bought a Zero shortly before his accident, and had plans to buy another for this purpose.  Then without warning I get news that a ~250 pound deer hit him at a high rate of speed.  Things have not been the same since.

[MadwitTY]

That's horrible news 
I'm speechless. I hope he can recover completely from this.

[Doug S]

That is terrible news, Terry. The worst thing in the world for a workhorse like Craig Vetter is to not be able to work any more.

What many of us were hoping for was a fairing halfway between the Last Vetter Fairing design, and a modern sport bike.  At least I was.

For myself, I'm really hoping for the best aerodynamic solution that's not ridiculously bulky (i.e. no 10-foot tails). Aesthetics are a distant second consideration for me, I just want to ride as far as I possibly can on a charge, and charge again as fast as possible.

[Justin Andrews]

That's horrible news 
I'm speechless. I hope he can recover completely from this.

The family have been posting updates about Craig here.
http://www.vetterowners.com/threads/craig-vetter-seriously-injured-in-streetbike-crash.884/page-2

[Killroy]

I absolutely agree Terry, and I was really hoping that Zero was going to announce a fairing for its 2016 line, and was quite disappointed that they did'nt.

Fixing the Cd of the bike is tricky however, even the default riding position is not really that great in that regard either.

I too would like to see a more "stylish" vetter, or vetter like fairing.

OT, but

I did here from a Zero marketing guy at the Scotts Valley Market near Zero that mid 2016 Zero will offer a better Commuter Wind Screen.  That is all I heard.  That is not a full fairing, but some people say that a small windscreen helps 10% range, but on this forum I dont think anyone has done proper before and after testing in a semi-controlled manner.

A small windscreen would make the bike more comfortable in the winter and rain and possibly it would a ride with less wind noise.  Its a win, win.  There are a lot of aftermarket universal windscreens, but the brackets look like a pain to install and they do not always look that good. 

Its been brought up before, but I like what Terry is saying:  A full fairing that is somewhere between his Vetter fairing and Hayabusa.  I called it Vetter-Lite in another thread. 

Terry, do you ride your Vetter Zero much anymore.  I would love to try a Zero with just a Vetter fairing and still fairly light. 

[mistasam]

It seems this thread has drifted from a charger into aerodynamics, but I'm very curious how much range/efficiency would improve with even a "normal" sportbike fairing like this:

[togo]

I'm sorry, I thought everybody knew about Craig Vetter's accident.   Best wishes to his recovery. I know it's not going as fast as everyone would hope.

Craig's large fairing still shows for sale, and he doesn't fab them himself.  If you want one, contact Carol Vetter as per the links at his site. But if you expect Craig to help you install it, that is unlikely at this point. 

[RedWizardChris]

Its been a while since the last update, any new info on the timeline for the superchargers?