Fuel economy challenge

[Duane Ausherman]

Go to http://www.craigvetter.com:80/pages/201 ... -VFEC.html

[Deleted User 61]

Now that is a sport that interests me!

[vanzen]

Craig Vetter seems to have been at this for some time. Very cool endeavor.
In a similar spirit, Progressive Automobile Insurance has sponsored the
Progressive Automobile X Prize

"The essence of each competition is to design, build and race super-efficient vehicles that achieve 100 MPGe (2.35 liter/100 kilometer) efficiency, produce less than 200 grams/mile well-to-wheel CO2 equivalent emissions, and could be manufactured for the mass market."

Many entries, some survived the competition, three winners took the Prize.

One of the winners, the 175 mile per charge electric Li-Ion Motors Wave II:

[Deleted User 61]

They need to cover the top in solar cells.

[Zombie Master]

Very interesting. I just don't know if I can ever forgive Vetter for the Windjammer; how it disfigured, and destroyed the handling of so many great bikes form the 60 and 70's. Was it good business? I'm sure, but that was his business. Vetter seems to be a guy who likes a shroud.

[vanzen]

They need to cover the top in solar cells.

Good idea. I got to nose around the X cars at the Detroit Auto Show a week or so ago ...
Pretty damn cool !
My favorite Progressive X entry / winner, though, was gasoline powered.
It uses an 1800 cc Honda engine and GTP looking carbon fiber shell ... Wikispeed SGT01
No cup-holders, AC, or DVD ...

[Garnet]

"No cup-holders, AC, or DVD ..."

That'll never sell.

[Duane Ausherman]

Very interesting. I just don't know if I can ever forgive Vetter for the Windjammer; how it disfigured, and destroyed the handling of so many great bikes form the 60 and 70's. Was it good business? I'm sure, but that was his business. Vetter seems to be a guy who likes a shroud.

Cosmetics is a matter of opinion. I only know about the BMW motorcycle of that era, not the other bikes. The Windjammer either altered it not at all, or improved the stability at road speed. Not a single employee of mine rode with a Windjammer, or any fairing, but we still road tested a lot of fairings. We installed a lot of Windjammers too. In fact, my dealership was the highest volume outlet in the world for Vetter, by far. Number 2 was far behind, less than half the sales.

The Windjammer could have negatively affected the other brands, but I don't know that. I think that few understand the great financial impact that the Windjammer had on motorcycle sales of all brands of motorcycles. It was huge.

I would posit that the Windjammer was the single largest factor of motorcycle accessories to affect sales in the last half of the century.

While Craig can be very irritating at times, he is just a design genius. He is now working on ideas that are ahead of his time, as usual. An evening sitting around discussing tech/life/energy is very interesting. However, he is anti-nuclear totally. I think that unrealistic in the extreme. We will see.

[vanzen]

"SUPER-ECO", on the left, powered by 1171 cc BMW brick & Craig Vetter's "FREEDOM FIGHTER" on the right.

[Garnet]

I go along with Duane on the Windjammer isue. It got me, and a lot of other guys in my region, into "touring" in the mid 70s. Living on the Canadian praries at the time, you really needed some protection from the ellements if you where going to go somewhere in the early spring or late fall.

It was also a decent quality for the price compared to the competion. We rarley traveled at sustained high speeds because of road condions, so handling wasn't an isue, even on the Jap bikes of the day. And clothing just wasn't what it is today, you needed at least one set of leathers, preferably a hot and cold weather set, as well as REALY good rain gear. A full fairing was cheaper than the second set of leather.