Craig Vetter and the Mystery Ships

Craig Vetter does more with less

Wind-cheating guru Craig Vetter has long lived by the maxim, ‘Do more with less.’ It’s a philosophy that inspired the legendary designer from an early age, and it’s what initially drew him to motorcycles.

Craig was a teenager when he acquired a Cushman scooter, which he attempted to modify with bodywork made of papier-mâché. After graduating from the product design program at the University of Illinois in 1965, and while riding his Yamaha 305 on a highway trip, he discovered the benefits of wind protection when he tucked in behind a long haul truck and trailer and traveled in its slipstream for a few moments.

“This experience led,” Craig says of riding in the truck’s draft, “to the Vetter Fairing Company.” Craig built his first fairing in 1966. He worked in the living room of a rented house in Champaign, Illinois, producing a mold he and his friends used to lay down fiberglass to make a fairing to fit their smaller Japanese motorcycles. Then, in the March 1967 issue of Cycle World, an advertisement for his Vetter Fairing appeared. His products filled an obvious void in the market, and from that point, Craig went on to design in 1971 the classic Windjammer fairing, followed by saddlebags and trunks, with products to suit many popular machines of the era.

Craig Vetter’s other projects

While operating his fairing design and supply business, Craig was also busy with other motorcycle projects, including designing in 1969 the machine for BSA that ultimately became the 1973 Triumph Hurricane. Listing all of Craig’s design accomplishments here — from motorcycles to human-powered vehicles to solar powered hot tubs — would be impossible. There are quite simply enough to fill a book, and he tells me he’s working on doing just that.

One chapter in Craig’s yet-to-be-released book will include the story about the Mystery Ship project, two of which are seen here — No. 5 and No. 6. Both are owned by Jim Balestrieri of Wisconsin’s Throttlestop Museum, and his collection of two is tied with the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum (with No. 8 and No. 9) for the largest accumulation of Mystery Ships. Only 10 of these unique motorcycles left Vetter’s factory, and two were equipped with a turbo. Those machines are No. 6 and No. 8. Identifying each bike is made easy as the production number is prominently displayed on the fiberglass side panel. No 1 was donated by Craig to the AMA Hall of Fame Motorcycle Museum. The whereabouts of No. 2 is unknown, while Vetter No. 3 is privately owned. According to Craig, No. 4 was in Germany when it was stolen and its location isn’t known. While not stolen, just where No. 7 and No. 10 might be also remains a mystery.

What is the meaning of the Mystery Ship moniker?

Craig told me he borrowed the name from the 1930 Travel Air Type R racing airplane, the details of which were so secretly guarded expressive newspaper reporters dubbed it the ‘Mystery Ship.’ Craig first heard about the Mystery Ship as a young teenager, and says, “I was taken by the name of this airplane,” and it’s one he resurrected for his own venture.

His Mystery Ship project started in the mid-1970s, when Craig was involved with the British-based Rickman company and its line of special café-racer frames that accommodated Triumph, Honda and Kawasaki engines. Using a Honda 750 Rickman frame, Craig began mocking up a Mystery Ship machine with a uniquely styled front fairing and rear bodywork. On his website he says, “The idea was to make the most wonderful sport-touring motorcycle in the world.” Along with this endeavor, Craig was road racing. Although he started on an Aermacchi 250 modified with a Yamaha YZ250 motocross engine, he was soon aboard a Rickman-framed Honda CB750, followed by a Kawasaki 903.

The Kawasaki, with an upgraded Z1 engine built by Russ Collins, was quite competitive. That combination led to the Vetter Corporation sponsoring a Superbike racing team with Reggie Pridmore campaigning a Vetter Kawasaki KZ1000. In 1978, Pridmore won the AMA Superbike Series on the Vetter Kawasaki, a serious bit of racing kit built by the late Pierre DesRoches.

Along with the Superbike win in 1978, that year is another important milestone. Late that year, Craig sold the Vetter Fairing Company and relocated from Illinois to Carmel, California. This allowed him an opportunity to focus on other projects, including Mystery Ship design and eventual production in his San Luis Obispo facility. To reflect the chassis development of Pridmore’s racer, Craig shifted the Mystery Ship build from the Rickman Honda 750 chassis to the Kawasaki platform and by January 1979 he had refined the design of the two-piece bodywork that fit over a 6-gallon aluminum gas tank.

At dealer cost, Craig bought ten 1980 Kawasaki KZ1000 MKII motorcycles and completely dismantled them. The frames were delivered to Sandy Kosman, legendary motorcycle drag race and flat track frame builder. In Sandy’s hands, the chassis was set in a frame jig and massaged to bring it to the specification of the ’78 Vetter Kawasaki. This was achieved by removing the headstock and replacing it with one freshly machined to accept 62mm taper roller bearings, and at an angle of 26-degrees. Further alterations included fitting a box section rear swingarm, while moving the rear shock mounting points allowed the Mulholland Force 1 air shocks to become more horizontal.

Oil was kept cool by a Lockhart cooler located at the front of the fairing, underneath the headlight. Essentially, each Mystery Ship was built to customer order with a base cost of $9,995, close to three times the price of a standard 1980 KZ1000 MKII at $3,500. Some Mystery Ships came with Dymag 3-spoke magnesium wheels, while others had solid spun aluminum discs in place — but all featured Ferodo brake pads in the stock Kawasaki calipers clamping original rotors.

On the build sheet, various stages of tune could be checked off — with each higher stage costing more than the one that preceeded it. According to the website Vetter Mystery Ship, while the base Mystery Ship was equipped with the stock KZ1000 powerplant (1,015cc) and Yoshimura 4-into-1 exhaust system, a $799 Stage I tune done by Yoshimura brought capacity to 1,105cc and developed 101 horsepower with a 10,000rpm camshaft. For $1,134, the Stage II tune built on Stage I, seeing a ported and polished cylinder head and upgraded 10,500rpm camshaft added to the equation to produce 108 horsepower. Stage III, at $1,348, added oversize valves to bring horsepower to 116. The price had to be requested for Stage IV, which took the engine to Superbike spec.

And finally, there was the ultimate. For $1,700, a turbo from Russ Collins of R.C. Engineering could be added. And that brings us to the Throttlestop Museum’s Jim Balestrieri and Mystery Ship No. 6, the machine featured here. Craig provided a copy of the build sheet for this specific machine, and it indicates Mystery Ship No. 6 was completed on September. 9, 1980. Under Engine Modifications, it’s noted ‘Turbo (R.C. Engineering),” with 1980 KZ1000 handwritten below the line. For the paint scheme, applied by Classic Colors by J.C., the color is Dino Red with a silver Mystery on the bodywork. Under Wheels and Tires, we see “Spun Aluminum Wheels (Hugh Mitchell Equipment), and Dunlop K81s front and rear.” On September 24, 1980, the bike was shipped via Yellow Freight to Mr. Dillard P. Coleman of Coleman Cycles, Inc., in Arlington, Virginia.

Craig planned to build 200 Mystery Ships, but after building 10 of them, he was in a serious hang gliding accident. During his long recuperation, Craig told me he began to think about the future, and what it was he wanted to do. “Ultimately, motorcycles were not as efficient as I wanted them to be, and they weren’t necessarily fitting with my goal to do more with less,” he says. “That led to me putting on fuel economy contests to see who could consume the least energy at 80mph and the development of streamliner projects; mileage went from 97.9mpg to 470mpg. My last contest was in 2015 when a deer hit and almost killed me. This stopped me for a few years, but I’m back and now at work on my book.”

A big fan

Jim is fascinated by Craig’s designs, and says, “I’m of a generation when Vetter was a game-changer in terms of motorcycling. In the 1970s, I had both a Honda CB750 and a Gold Wing, and they had Vetter’s Windjammer fairings and Hippo Hands. I’m from a colder climate, and with those Vetter pieces fitted, you could extend your riding season by a couple of months by cutting down your exposure to the wind.”

Although Jim wasn’t aware of the Mystery Ship when it was new, now he says the design of the bikes two-piece bodywork had an important impact on the overall motorcycle marketplace. Shortly after the Mystery Ship, Japanese-built faired sport bikes rose to prominence, and it’s a design influence still much in evidence in today’s machines.

As for his Mystery Ships, Craig says No. 6 was probably the most interesting because it has, “No miles! Turbo! Aluminum wheels, and a unique color,” he says, and adds, “plus, [Coleman] never rode it. He kept it in heated storage on a shelf since 1980.” Coleman retired from the dealership in 1999, and at some point, shortly after, No. 6 came down from the shelf and was sold to a pair of investors. They kept it until January 2013 when it appeared for sale at Bonhams Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction. No. 6 changed hands there, according to Bonhams’ website, for $20,125 with the buyer’s premium.

And then in January 2020 at another Bonhams Las Vegas motorcycle auction, Jim saw No. 6 was for sale again. “It was only one of the two turbos that Vetter built, and these things never come up,” Jim explains. “Although we have No. 5, I wanted to add it to the collection because it’s so unique.”

Jim bid on and won Mystery Ship No. 6. “It went around a couple of collectors,” Jim says, and continues, “With my purchase, it’s run through twice in just seven years.” But it’s found at Jim’s Throttlestop Museum something of a permanent home, alongside No. 5. Both of them are pickled for the duration, and neither of them have been running or riding since his purchase.

Jim says, “We’ll keep them and display them, as they form part of the history of American motorcycling, and the important role Craig Vetter has played in that.” MC

Another of Craig Vetter’s Mystery Ships: No. 5

As mentioned in the main story, Jim Balestrieri of the Throttlestop Museum bought Mystery Ship No. 5 first and calls it the “promo bike” as it’s seen in several images of Vetter’s glossy marketing brochure. According to the printed “Mystery Ship In-House Record,” which Craig provided, No. 5 was completed on August 16, 1980. It features a stock, naturally aspirated KZ1000 engine and is finished in “Standard colors.” The wheels are Dymag with Michelin tires — and the machine was originally sold to Norman Jones of Engle Motors in Kansas City, Missouri. It was kept in dry storage, with its original shipping crate, until 2000 when Jones sold the machine. No. 5 appeared for sale again in 2004 at auction, and once more at the 2018 Mecum Auction in Las Vegas — that’s where Jim purchased the machine with 48 miles on the odometer.

Vetter’s brochure says, “The Mystery Ship is a dollar for dollar replica of the Vetter Racing Team, Championship Superbike, upgraded with sophisticated styling. Beginning with a new KZ1000, the machine is completely disassembled, all unneeded tabs and brackets removed and the frame ground smooth.” It continues, “Additional struts and gusseting are welded in and the swing arm is boxed to produce a frame with the additional strength to hold both wheels in line under racing loads.” Notably, Vetter’s marketing adds, “The Mystery Ship is destined to be a collector’s piece, one of a limited edition of only 200. [Only 10 were completed.] For most owners, it will be a prized possession, ridden only on special occasions. Of course, it should be an excellent investment.”

Originally published as “Craig Vetter and the Mystery Ships” in the July/August 2023 issue of Motorcycle Classics magazine.