On Saturday, June 1, 2019, starting in Zanesville, Ohio, a group of 9 vehicles participated in a Vetter Fuel Economy Challenge. The goal of the ride was to benchmark and document the impact of streamlining on fuel efficiency. The ride was free and open to all. Craig Vetter has published rules for doing a Vetter Fuel Economy Challenge http://craigvetter.com/pages/2012-Fuel-contests/2012-challenge-rules.html
The Bikes
The Riders
The Route taken
The Results This Ride
Multi-Year Results
Multi-Year Chart
The ride started at 9:30am from the BP gas station next to the WALK CAFE in Zanesville and continued 147 miles with stops for refreshment and fellowship including a stop at Marietta for Lunch.
Here is some video from the event including interviews with each rider:
Videos from Ride.
History: From 1980-1985, Craig Vetter (the inventor of the “Wind Jammer” motorcycle fairing), hosted an annual fuel economy competition in California. Participants in the competition were able to get up to 470 miles per gallon at the then national speed limit of 55mph. Craig Vetter Website
Beginning in 2011, spurred by rising gasoline prices, Craig Vetter once again began coordinating rides. A small group of people who are working on improving fuel economy for motorcycles gather from all over the country to participate in the Vetter Fuel Economy Rides. The rides are free and open to the public. The rides are conducted to raise public awareness, foster innovation and to share ideas with a goal of publicizing motorcycle designs that are highly efficient and practical for everyday riding.
Here's a picture I took of Craig Vetter sitting in front of his original streamliner from the 1980's while he told me the story about how it started out the "only proper color for a streamliner (silver)" and got painted blue after being broken in two in a crash.
