Vetter streamliner body kit

[Grant-53]

There is a useful discussion on fairing canopies in "The Leading Edge" by Goro Tamai. The trailing taper length should be twice the height.

[JeffM]

Originally Posted by sendler

Alan has added a truncated fairing behind his head. But this is where he has the license plate mounted so it has to be clear and open to the rear.
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2013 Craig Vetter Fuel Economy Challenge, Vintage Days
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I wonder if using a complete fairing behind the helmet in combination with the license plate mounted in the tail, like folks do with Pulsars, would combine for more drag reduction?

Pulsar tail (with inclosed tail light/license. I bet you could leave part of the rear of the plexiglass open to make it (semi)legal. For instance, clear plastic just to the rearward mounting screw in the photo below or you could just bring a screwdriver and remove a cover for states where covers are illegal:



or just open (small kamm effect )

[Frank Lee]

Since covers Harm The Great State Of Minnesota they're not an option here.

[JeffM]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Since covers Harm The Great State Of Minnesota they're not an option here.

In Utah it is legal to have a cover.

If I were to set my bike up with a cover, I'd make it quickly removable so travel in other states would not be an issue.

Jeff

[PeterS]

There have been quite a few comments through this thread about "cheap" and people not being willing to spend to get a good product . I am far less concerned with the dollars outlaid than with the effectiveness of the result.

That said something that I haven't heard mentioned so far is wind noise for the rider. It's something that is increasingly affecting me. Ear plugs help, a good helmet helps but what I want to build is a good efficient aerodynamic fairing, as close to Craig's ideas as possible but with a silent sweet spot for my helmet.

From those with experience of Craig's fairing, is this possible? (I note that Terry Herschner's windscreen on his Vetter Zero seemed to change in the various photos, the later ones showing an added bubble in the upper section .)

[sendler]

My experience with the tall Zero Gravity Sport Touring wind screen on my Ninja250 and the tall Givi screen on my PCX150 has shown that you can achieve near silence from wind noise but you have to have the top of the screen high enough so that your helmet is almost entirely below it which means you are looking through the wind screen. Which is a compromise on vision when riding in the rain. Many large touring bikes such as the Goldwing have a tall, look through, windscreen height so I guess you get used to it but I find it distracting to have the extra layer of water droplets and road film in the way of my vision. You can't reach up to wipe the front of your wind screen while riding as you can your face shield. It rains a lot where I live. The position I prefer is to have my sight line just above the top of the wind screen and less than a foot to the rear of the edge which creates an air flow that blows the beaded water straight down and off my visor. At speeds greater than 40 mph, I never have to wipe my visor even in pouring rain. And a dirty screen is not blocking my main vision It is not quite as as quiet or aero but my visor remains beaded and clear even in cold fog.
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If building a solo streamliner from a clean sheet, I would use the two position flipping seat that Kraig Schultz is using. You can sit low, under the screen for maximum aerodynamics, comfort and lowest noise, or sit up just above the screen in traffic or bad weather for the best visibility.
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Schultz Engineering - Building a Two Position Electric Motorcycle
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[PeterS]

Thanks Sendler, on one of my windscreen set ups I had a "sweet spot" , clear vision over the top of the screen and no buffeting but I had to rebuild the handlebars and lost that position and have never been able to get it back again. it was a fluke and apparently a very small and definite position..

I wonder if that little upturned lip on the top edge of a screen would divert the airstream upward sufficiently yo achieve a sweet spot?

[Frank Lee]

The lip doesn't really do anything aero- they are more for rigidity of the windscreen.

[PeterS]

Surely it deflects the airflow upwards , even a little ?

[Frank Lee]

Not that I could ever tell.