The History of the Vetter Fairing Company

Oct 13, 1966 - Nov 6, 1978

It was October 13, 1966 when I decided to stop talking about making a fairing and actually start making a fairing. This is what happened:
212 West Springfield, a rented house in Champaign, Illinois. In the living room, above, was my Bensen Gyro-Glider, my lathe and some blue styro-foam roughly shaped into a fairing.
We made a ramp to ride our bikes into the living room. The owner, Kermit Nogle, "looked the other way," bless his heart. In hindsight, I think he sensed something special was happening there.
Front: Me, brother Bruce, Jim Miller, Mike Walker Behind Bruce: Jim Voorheis and Steve Sanderson

I would ride my Yamaha 305 into the house and strap it down with eye bolts I had set into the floor. I shaped the foam around the bike, making sure I maintained full lock with the handlebars. When I got it close to the shape I wanted, I covered it with body putty and sanded it smooth. Then I waxed it with Johnson's Floor wax (choice of REAL fiberglass experts) and made a mold. From that mold, I made my first fairing.

November 10, 23 days later, first ride with a windshield. It was cold.
February 19, 1967: About 10 Vetter fairings were now in existence. Most of my friends in the black and white above picture wanted fairings too so I taught them how to do fiberglass. They each made their own fairings from that first mold. We had a deadline coming up for our first advertisement so we had to take take pictures. There was a huge rain/ice/snow storm that morning. It was really cold in Champaign! We had to shoot pictures anyway.

Our first ad appeared in the March, 1967 Cycle World:
Thats how it began in 1966

Now, let me tell you how the story ended:

Nov 6, 1978, I sold the Vetter Fairing Company to my banker.

He put it into bankruptcy Jan 31, 1983

As I have time, I will fill in the middle of the story for you
Posted Oct 13, 2009

Revised Nov 28, 2011
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