Vetter streamliner body kit

[sendler]

Originally Posted by PeterS

Could anyone estimate the CD of the current Zero Vetter ? I'm guessing .44

Vetter's team put a lot of work into the new bodywork as seen on the electric bike in a very short amount of time and has shown once again he is very passionate about the streamlining concept. They did a completely new nose clay and mold to come all the way up to the new molded cowl.
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It is time for some measurements. Maybe a University student somewhere could could put Alan's bike in the tunnel to give us some numbers. Cornell has a full sized wind tunnel for example and I'm sure many west coast schools would have one also. I would think it would be closer to .30cd.
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[PeterS]

That would be a truly remarkable number for a fairing with open sides! I hope you're right ... it would be great if some university engineering department took an interest in this .

It's the best I've seen and frankly satisfies all my motorcycle requirements . I'm going to sell my current bike and buy a BMW 650 Cross Country , a very light fuel injected machine that would perfectly fit with a Vetter (style) fairing. I'd buy one from Craig Vetter if I lived a few thousand kilometers closer .

With a fairing like the one above the BMW should be good for 120 US mpg or 2 litres / 100 km at 60 mph. I'd be entirely happy with that and also with the enclosed storage area and lack of wind noise ... that last one might just be the most pleasant !

[cvetter]

Craig Vetter here: Please understand that the streamlining above is intended to be the ultimate for the way we really want to drive: sitting up in comfort. Staying comfortable out of the elements. Providing the ability to carry a useful load. After all that is said and done... The Vetter Streamlining kit - the parts that make up the nose of Terry's Zero reduces the amount of energy needed to go down the road at the speed we can legally ride in the US.

At 70mph, Vetter Challenge Streamlining doubles the range of a unit of fuel.

[Grant-53]

If buying a Vetter fairing kit is not feasible I suggest adapting plans from a sailplane fuselage. There are sites that offer free plans to build model gliders.
Given the improvements in FE I concur that Cd of .30 is likely.

[RedDevil]

The longer the bike is, the harder it will be to control especially when hit by side wind. I would not lightly use a glider fuselage on 2 wheels.

In 2005 my wife and I went on holiday to Corsica with my Honda ST1100 Pan European stuffed with our 3 weeks luggage. Just passing the Belgian border we were suddenly hit by a hurricane-force rain storm from aside. On the highway, going maybe 80 km/h (50 mph). Had to make it list over 30 degrees (*) just to keep going straight, amongst the cars and all. Scary !
That was with a fully faired but very heavy bike (weighing over 500 kg including us).

If that had happened to a light streamlined bike it would probably have gone wrong.
A glider hull would certainly have kissed the road.

(*): So how did I know it was 30 degrees? Well, my right boot scraped the tarmac while the heel was on the footrest. That's 45 degree territory when riding alone, but the extra weight pushes it down further so I subtracted a fair deal. I did not dare list any more as I could feel the tires wriggle; it was also raining like turning over a swimming pool.
Luckily it happened right at an exit to the customs parking lot; I just stopped it slantwise over the slots, pointing right against the hurricane and waited for it to drop off. When it finally did we went over to the ever present Belgian potato fries shop, soaked to the bone despite full rain gear, to warm ourselves inside and out.

[Grant-53]

Yes riding a motorcycle in a hurricane is frightening, so is driving a van. The advantage of a glider hull or any oval cross section fairing is that the lateral Cd is greatly reduced. This means the wind does not push the bike as much. The other factor in stability comes from down force which can be generated by the angle of attack. The shape can be shortened to 75% Kamm cut off as long as the center of mass stays well ahead of the center of pressure. We are fortunate here in that we have over a hundred years of aviation and motorcycle history including four national museums within a hour's ride. I test all my fairings in cross winds for minimal wind steer effects.

[renault_megane_dci]

Streamliner + electric buy = awesome !

[RedDevil]

Originally Posted by Grant-53

Yes riding a motorcycle in a hurricane is frightening, so is driving a van. The advantage of a glider hull or any oval cross section fairing is that the lateral Cd is greatly reduced. This means the wind does not push the bike as much. The other factor in stability comes from down force which can be generated by the angle of attack. The shape can be shortened to 75% Kamm cut off as long as the center of mass stays well ahead of the center of pressure. We are fortunate here in that we have over a hundred years of aviation and motorcycle history including four national museums within a hour's ride. I test all my fairings in cross winds for minimal wind steer effects.

Thanks.
I really like the idea of a streamlined motorbike but remembered an article about the Peraves some decade ago where its side wind vulnerability was mentioned as a major concern. The current model is much shorter than what I remember seeing.
EDIT Looking at both models it doesn't seem to be much shorter, just higher.
Also no glider hull even though it is very aerodynamic. The one glider I've flown was very low, knees almost as high as my head; during winch start my head was the lowest part of my body. Cannot stabilize a bike like that.
I've ridden low recumbent bicycles too; they get very tricky at lowish speed, it takes some training to just get going.
The Peraves, like the Vetter bikes, allows a more convenient seating and much better control.

If I ever get a glider hull, time and funding I'd build a trike which can lean into corners, just like the Piaggio trikes but with double rear wheels instead of fronts. Both wheels on separate and counterlevered swingarms with a locking mechanism to keep it level at low speed. The swingarms bend slightly inwards when the bike is leaning so the track width stays more or less the same independent from the angle.
Powered electrically by a small battery and solar panel, also pedal power; to accelerate faster, to get home in all circumstances and to do away with the need for a heater. A real zero emissions vehicle but with performance to match traffic requirements.
Maybe when my kids are old enough to go to school by themselves...

[Grant-53]

Two sites that post free plans for sailplane models:
outerzone.co.uk/plan_files_0/571/Bowlas%20Baby%20Albatross.pdf
vintagesailplaner.com/Sheet1bis-9.pdf

[cvetter]

Airplanes act very differently than our land based motorcycles. Airplanes "crab" into the wind. In other words, the airplane thinks it is always going straight into the wind. A flag on the nose would always point directly towards the tail. Except rare times, like when landing and taking off, airplanes do not feel side winds.

Motorcycles are not that way. We are attached to the ground with a the front and rear tire which means we cannot "crab". Winds can blow us sideways quite quickly. Where I live in Central California, there are frequent cases where motorcycles and cars go off the road on Highway 1 (Big Sur coastline) killing the people. Winds can blow trucks over. Winds delay space launches.
We need to take winds seriously.
Sometimes it is prudent to stop riding until the winds subside. I have.

Craig Vetter