Topic: Windjammer fairing

[eigenvector]

When I acquired my bike, from my uncle, it had a factory Windjammer fairing on it.  Not just the front-end, but the side covers that go with it.

I can't believe that Honda sold a CB550K in 1977 stock with a Windjammer on it, so I have to ask myself - how would it have acquired it?

I know I know, people mod their bikes all the time, heck I've done it to my daily rider, but something as elaborate as a Windjammer with side fairings on a CB550 seems a bit over the top - coupled that with the touring rack that was installed on back.

So I guess ultimately I have to ask - was that a fairly common modification to these bikes?  If so, when did that stuff come into vogue - I'm thinking mid 80's at the latest.
Note:  I say factory install, or at least dealer install, because the work on the wiring harness was top notch.  Seemless integration with the original wiring harness.

[ekpent]

Crappy bio on Vetter but he gave people the option to turn the Honda 4's into touring bikes before the Wings really hit, both 500/550 and 750. I do believe that dealers, not factories, would install these for a price and I have taken so many off I am now an expert on what it takes to make the bike right again As for seamless integration it was still a pretty sloppy splice. When removing check and seal the wire well        He is a legend and has been inducted into a Hall of Fame so good for him. Hopefully he did not invent the King and Queen seat         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Vetter

[eigenvector]

That's interesting.  I have read the bio on him.  That must have been where the fairing and rack came from.  When I first got the bike it took me a long time to figure out what I actually had, the tail and front end looked nothing like what any of the K's did.

The fairing works, I've ridden with it and it really does take the wind out, but it also makes the front end kind of heavy and certainly makes working on the bike all but impossible.

I removed it, still got it stashed in the corner of my garage.  The cigarette lighter was a nice touch to that fairing.

[ekpent]

WHAT-Yours did not have the radio    It was a good quality product for the time and I am sure he made "One Million Dollars" and pretty much showed the way for the birth of the moderne tourer back then. I am sure that for the rest of my life I am going to still be seeing cb750's coming out of hiding still dressed in their Vetters. One good thing is that the price can be a little lower and the bikes are or were owned by closer to the original owner usually when still dressed out 

[HondaMan]

Then of course, there's me, who won't ride more than 20 miles without my Vetter... 

I have a Vetter I, which was actually the second iteration: my Vetter 0 model was wiped off my K2 in a spectacular accident in September 1972. I drove my El Camino to Craig's factory in Rantoul, IL, where he employed about 40 hippies bikers, like he was at the time, all hand-laying fiberglass inner and outer shells, which were glued together to become the Vetter fairing. The lowers were not invented yet. I bought the factory-blem second-quality one I still have, sans windshield, for $150 and was REAL glad to even get it: the demand was so high for them that most folks waited 2-3 months for one. I didn't get the lowers until 1974, after being on order from 1973 when they appeared.

We put Vetters on every model of Four Honda made (and Suzuki tripless, Kawi Fours), and many Honda Twins, like the 450 and 350/360 bikes. Customers would come to my shop and see mine and simply say, "Get me one". Then they hit the road for thousands upon thousands of miles with little fatigue, and the Bike Boom of the 1970s was on. Craig had much to do with that gold rush, and I've known him for many years, though I haven't physically seen him since the 1970s. We still e-mail now and then...his friend and prototyper of the Phantom for the Bridestone 175 twin (Craig's first full-sized fairings) was my Honda mentor, a fella named Jim Chamberlain.

..but back to the fairing. On my 750K2, I have 140k miles with it, and much of that was at triple-digit speeds behind that fiberglass-and Lexan bug guard/windbreaker/debris shield. The bike has been on its side in accidents 4 times, and 3 of those times (except that first wreck) the Vetter took the beating and saved the bike: that first one was so severe it sheared the whole thing OFF the bike. I've ridden as much as 1180 miles, 2-up, in a single day behind it (central Illinois to Granby Lake, CO, 1973): not for the feint-of-heart!

The beauty of the Vetter is still in the eye of the beholder (and veteran?), I suppose. Craig made also the Quicksilver version for the smaller bikes: if I EVER find one in decent shape, I'll put it on my 350F!   

[Don R]

 Your seamless wiring was the exception. Most used scotchlocks to reduce the labor required for installation. They work OK until vibration causes the wire to come loose or break. I'm watching for a jammer bracket for my 750, when I find one at least one of my bikes will get a jammer on it. 

[ekpent]

Your seamless wiring was the exception. Most used scotchlocks to reduce the labor required for installation. They work OK until vibration causes the wire to come loose or break. I'm watching for a jammer bracket for my 750, when I find one at least one of my bikes will get a jammer on it. 

I may have a bracket for you Don and shipping should be cheap since we are close.  Eric

[oldhatt45]

As an original owner of a 750K6, when I bought my bike (Feb 1976), I bought it with a Vetter installed.  I also echo Hondaman's sentiments.  I put miles on my 750 from March through December in New Jersey.  I always felt comfortable with the Vetter on.  It also saved a couple of parts in the few mishaps I had. 
When I bought the bike, the dealer did a first class install and I never had a problem with it.  I will say that initially I had the stock fork springs on the front end and after riding her for a season, switched to the S&W progressive rate springs.  From then on, the bike handled just fine.  Also, from the dealer, I had Koni shocks on the rear end.  The S&W fork springs and Koni shocks were almost "factory parts" in my area.
When I finish getting my bike restored, the Vetter will be in place.
As far as maintenance goes, a few bolts and a connector and the Vetter is out of the way. 
The only thing I never had was the Lowers.  Would not mind acquiring a set and will probably look for a set next year.  Will also probably start looking for the Radio mount that was offered and fix it up with some modern electronics.

Also, for a few laughs, I also had a set of the "Hippo Hands" for cold weather riding.  And they did their job as well.
Charlie

[eigenvector]

I had no idea they had such a following.

They are ( I was going to say were, but that would imply they aren't used ) HUGE, but I will say I was greatly impressed by how light that thing is.  When I removed it I was worried it would be difficult to take off without dropping it - lighter than a feather, heck the bracket that holds it on is heavier than the fairing.

I'll have to make sure I don't ruin it.  I am not a fan of it, but sounds like plenty of people are.

[EricHa]

Windjammers were everywhere in the 70's. 4 into 1 and a Jammer were almost the expected upgrade around here when I was a kid.

[Bankerdanny]

A lot of people complain about the Jammer's (and king/queen seats) that came on their bikes when they bought them. But most of those people never spent 4-5 hours on the highway trying them out. The Windjammer SS on my '77 Goldwing made long days in the saddle effortless and comfortable. It was less so stuck in stop and go traffic, so I would not want one on a daily commuter and errand bike, but for racking up miles they are great.

I ended up redoing the wiring on mine with mostly factory style bullet connectors from Vintage Connectors. I wanted to be able to easily remove everything (or a future owner to be able to remove it all) if they wanted to go back to stock without having to completely redo the harness.

[Don R]

Your seamless wiring was the exception. Most used scotchlocks to reduce the labor required for installation. They work OK until vibration causes the wire to come loose or break. I'm watching for a jammer bracket for my 750, when I find one at least one of my bikes will get a jammer on it. 

I may have a bracket for you Don and shipping should be cheap since we are close.  Eric

Cool!

[strynboen]

they dont look so badd..specily if a set of side bags are mounted back...to balance it aut..im missing the back stuff..not the ugly senter,,but the side mounted

[HondaMan]

I had no idea they had such a following.

They are ( I was going to say were, but that would imply they aren't used ) HUGE, but I will say I was greatly impressed by how light that thing is.  When I removed it I was worried it would be difficult to take off without dropping it - lighter than a feather, heck the bracket that holds it on is heavier than the fairing.

I'll have to make sure I don't ruin it.  I am not a fan of it, but sounds like plenty of people are.

Ah, you might have the Jammer IV model? No leading-edge lights, and made of ABS? Or. maybe the Torque model? Those leading-edge lights are pretty heavy.

The fiberglass ones were lighter even than the ABS ones.

I added air fork caps tom most of the bikes I "Vetter'd " back in the day. After I did these to mine, the tune-ability for light/heavy loads (and drier fork tubes!) is a big help. When I would ride 2-up with all her stuff, we tipped the scales at nearly 500 lbs payload, so I would run 10 PSI in the forks, rear shocks at top notch. When we got home, I set them at 3 PSI most of the time, shocks at 2nd or middle notch for commuting. Makes a nice difference!

[eigenvector]

Now you have my curiosity piqued.  Have to root around the garage to see if there's something on it that says.  Probably get attacked and eaten by the spider that lurks in that dark and dangerous corner of my garage.

[lone*X]

I took delivery of a 75 550K1 with the full dealer installed Wind Jammer II in January of 75 and put about 30K miles on it in that configuration commuting to work (remember the 70"s fuel crisis'?)  and quite a few hwy trips on it as well.  Since the winters here are really mild and the summers hot, I rode most of the time without the lowers.  The 550 handled the faring very well and other than needing to add air assist caps and spacers to the fork springs, never gave me any trouble.   Took the faring off and restored the naked configuration after getting a GL1100 in the mid 80's and traded the Vetter to a friend for a riding lawn mower.  I must say I enjoyed the Vetter when the 550 was a daily rider.  Getting to work dry and or not bug splattered was a welcome relief.

[oldhatt45]

eigenvector,

Go to this link to do some reading on Vetter Fairings and.......
http://www.craigvetter.com/

I believe you can figure out which one it was.  If it does not have the Leading Edge Lights, it is Pre Windjammer SS (1975-76ish).

Hondaman,
I thought I was the only Honda Owner that has a set of Krauser Bags on a 750.  LOL  Thanks for Yet another Smile.

Charlie

[eigenvector]

Now I'm nostalgic.

Haven't gone home yet - work work work to do, but we'll see. Pretty sure it's a Windjammer 4.

[MoMo]

Like HM I installed more Vetters, 4 into 1 pipes, luggage racks and K/Q seats back in the 70s than I could possibly remember.  All that stuff was the rage and it did create the get-out-on-the-road-and see America rage.  No facts other than seat of the pants observation but I bet the sales of motorcycles doubled in the 70s-supposed gas shortage helped those sales too.  Now, when I get a bike to bring back to life all that stuff gets taken off and attempted to resell, usually no takers...Larry

[KRONUS0100]

Baby with the Vetter and lowers and Krauser rack
Baby without the Vetter and lowers and Krauser rack.......................................dumbass kid in rice burner on wrong side of line at top of hill on very back country road  early May 2014


I really miss the windshield and pockets



12/28/14  update     mounting bracket needs lower mounts fabbed and welded on.  gotta get on it, spring be here before i know it, really missing that windshield

[eigenvector]

Yeah, so it's a Windjammer SS with lowers.  Definitely been 'repaired' but it still works.

[tlbranth]

Put a Windjammer II on my 750 in 1973.

[ofreen]

Put this SS on the 750 during the winter of '77-'78.  Been on there ever since.  Beauty is as beauty does.

[brewsky]

I'm a fan!
On for winter or long trips, and off for summer.
Cut the windshield down so as not to have to look thru, but still keep head in still air.
The pop out vents are so effective I added some to my 01 Goldwing to eliminate it's buffeting. That was before Honda decided they needed to add a vent to the later models.

[70CB750]

They are actually hard to find on East Coast, must be this western thingy

When some show up on CL, people list them for hundreds of dollars and it never sells, I have been looking for one for 6 month now.