Vetter Mystery Ship

The Mystery Ship was a limited edition motorcycle created by Craig Vetter and released in 1980. Only 10 were built, of which seven were sold.[3][4] An example is on display at the AMA Motorcycle Museum in Ohio, and another at Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum [5] in Leeds, Al. The one on display at the Barber museum is #9 and is a Turbo charged model.

Vetter Mystery Ship
ManufacturerCraig Vetter
Production1980
ClassSportbike
Engine1,015 cc DOHC inline-4[1]
Frame typeGusseted steel tubular frame
Weight495 lb (225 kg)[1] (dry)
Fuel capacity6 US gal (23 L)[2]

It was based on a Kawasaki KZ1000 motor and modified chassis, with aftermarket magnesium racing wheels, Yoshimura exhaust, and custom Vetter-designed fairing. Frame modifications took two days labor per vehicle.[4] The $10,000 price, though described as "outrageous"[6] at three times the price of the unmodified KZ1000, was not enough to cover production costs.[7]

The name "Mystery Ship" was derived from the Travel Air Mystery Ship aircraft.[6][8]

Legacy and influence

The Mystery Ship influenced the fully faired look of modern sportbikes.[9] Cycle World said this of the design:

The Mystery Ship's styling certainly did anticipate attempts by the Japanese manufacturers to integrate a protective fairing with the bodywork of sporting machines. Honda's technological tour de force 1981 CX500 Turbo was the bike that followed most closely in its wake. Not far behind were the turbo bikes of Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki--all of which were attempts to merge style and rider protection with performance. And this trend, when crossed with the full-fairing style of GP bikes, gave us the look of today's sportbikes.[4]

American Motorcyclist said the Mystery Ship "set the stage for specialty motorcycle companies like Bimota."[10]

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References
  1. "1980 Mystery Ship — Craig Vetter's Limited-Edition Rolling Artwork", American Motorcyclist, American Motorcyclist Association, 56 (7): 79, July 2002, ISSN 0277-9358
  2. Goddard, Nick (February 15, 2013), Craig Vetter on Living Better on Less Energy, Hell for Leather online magazine, archived from the original on February 18, 2013
  3. Hall, Landon (June 30, 2009), "Found on eBay: 1980 Mystery Ship", The Classic Life blog, Motorcycle Classics, archived from the original on July 10, 2010
  4. Johnson, David (May 1995), "The wreck of the mystery ship: Craig Vetter's forgotten motorcycle", Cycle World, 34 (5): 80
  5. Schmitt, Dan. "Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum". Team Chicago Challenge television program website, originally published in Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader Magazine. Retrieved 2013-04-12. Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. Wasef, Basem; Leno, Jay (2007), "Craig Vetter's Mystery Ship; The Childhood Fantasy Bike", Legendary Motorcycles: The Stories and Bikes Made Famous by Elvis, Peter Fonda, Kenny Roberts and Other Motorcycling Greats, MotorBooks International, pp. 67–71, ISBN 978-0-7603-3070-8, retrieved 2011-08-29
  7. Johnson 1995: "If I make 200 I'll lose my ass," [Vetter] said. "There's no way I can make money on the Mystery Ship. There's too much time and money invested in it."
  8. Brown, Don (July 2004). "The Hurricane Dialogue: The True Story of the Triumph Hurricane as Told by the Men Who made it Happen". Ed Youngblood's Moto History. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
  9. "Craig Vetter: Fairing and Motorcycle Designer, Innovator, Racer", Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame, American Motorcyclist Association, archived from the original on June 13, 2010, retrieved 2012-10-26
  10. "Dads Motorcycling: It Runs in the Family", American Motorcyclist, American Motorcyclist Association, 54 (6): 26, June 2000, ISSN 0277-9358
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