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Craig Vetter, 2011
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I am an American inventor and designer. I love things with wings, wheels and little engines. My lifetime goal has been to design and build products that:
"Help us live better on less energy"
Motorcycles can do just that.
Among my heroes are: Jesus Christ, Henry Ford, Glenn Curtiss, Soichiro Honda, Stanley Hiller, Burt Rutan, Roy L. Clough, Jr; Ed Zagorski, Del Tackett and Buckminster Fuller. Charles Lindbergh, now a fallen hero*
If they could change the world, I could too.
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The Last Vetter Fairing: 2009 |
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The Windjammer: 1971-83 |
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The First Vetter Fairing: 1966 |
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The Triumph Hurricane: 1973 |
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The Triumph T-160: 1975 |
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In 1964, at age 22 I set out to help to make motorcycles more useful transportation. My inventions of the 1960s and 70s changed motorcycling and the highways of the world. But I did more than design. I manufactured my dreams and organized and managed what became the Vetter Corporation, second in size to Harley Davidson in the US. By 1980 I sold my corporate holdings to dedicate myself to my family. Living on our ranch in Carmel, CA, my wife Carol and I have raised two great boys, Zak and Morgan. |
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For an upcoming book on motorcycle design, I am interviewing,
"designer-to-designer"
the great people who have shaped our motorcycles.
There are good reasons why these guys are at the top.
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2005 interviewing Willie G. and Louie Netz
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"Of all the projects I have been involved with, I am most proud of the competitors who participated in the five years of the Craig Vetter Fuel Economy contests."
Craig Vetter
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1983 Riders meeting, Craig Vetter Fuel Economy Contest.
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"Craig Vetter, more than any other single individual, created the modern touring motorcycle."
Ed Youngblood, long time AMA President and motorcycle historian, 2004
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1978 Vetter-ized Honda GL. They come this way from the factory, now. |
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"His legacy reached into nearly every segment of motorcycling"
Bill Stermer, American Motorcyclist, Aug. 2000
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My design for the Triumph Hurricane of 1973, England, 2003 Reunion of Hurricanes
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AArgh! There is another Craig Vetter... |
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The Craig Vetter in the greenish shirt writes stories and books about stuff I don't know much about. We have stayed in touch with each other since 1970 when we discovered we existed.
The picture, right, was taken , in the summer of 2005 in Chicago where the "Other Craig Vetter". lives. He is Liberal. I am Conservative. We have a great time together.
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| That is me, in the black shirt, the "Real Craig".
The guy in the greenish shirt is the "Other Craig"
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The way you can tell us apart is I write about motorcycles and design. The "Other Craig" writes about camping and rock climbing and stuff like that.
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*Lindbergh: A fallen hero
He was my childhood hero because he flew the Atlantic by himself. But then he decided to hug trees.
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Trees are the result of solar energy which means they are a renewable asset. I have planted thousands of trees in my life. The trees my boys and I planted 25 years ago are keeping us warm today. We continue to plant trees to this day.
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Trees are for planting and using, not for hugging.
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A tribute to my father who died in January 2010
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This page posted Nov 24, 2009
This page updated Oct 29, 2011
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