The 1980 Vetter Mystery Ship is a motorcycle designed by Craig Vetter.
The “Mystery Ship” is named after the Type R Mystery Ship racing airplanes built by the Travel Air company in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The first three aircraft of the series were built entirely in secrecy.
The Mystery Ship motorcycle design was based on the 1980 Kawasaki KZ1000 MkII. They cost $9,995 in 1980 when a stock KZ1000 MkII cost around $3,500.
Only ten Mystery Ship motorcycles were built.
Mystery Ship 1 shown in the photograph below has been donated by Craig Vetter to the American Motorcyclists Association Hall of Fame Museum in Ohio.
Photograph by Frank Bez
Craig Vetter had some racing experience on Rickman Kawasakis in the mid 1970s.
The Vetter Corporation sponsored Reggie Pridmore to ride the Team Vetter Kawasaki KZ1000 Superbike to victory in the 1978 AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) Superbike Series.
(see the Craig Vetter page for more information)
All this experience contributed to the design and development of the Mystery Ship.
(Photograph courtesy of Craig Vetter)
Standard KZ1000 MkII frames were used on the Mystery Ships. However, they had several modifications.
They were taken to Kosman’s Engineering where a frame jig was used to ensure accuracy, as the geometry of the Mystery Ship frames was to be the same as the 1978 Kawasaki KZ1000 Superbike racing motorcycle.
The steering headstock was removed completely. It was replaced at 26° by a machined headstock fitted with 62mm tapered bearings.
The frames were strengthened, and any unnecessary brackets were removed. Rearset footpegs and a gear change linkage system were fitted. A shortened rear brake lever was used.
The mounting points for the Mulholland Force 1 rear shock absorbers were relocated further down the frame and a box section swing arm was fitted.
3 spoke magnesium Dymag wheels were fitted.
However, some of the Mystery Ships had solid wheels.
The tyres used were Michelin M45 front and M48 rear.
Standard Kawasaki brake discs and calipers were used with Ferodo pads.
The bodywork was a two piece unit that covered a 6 US gallon fuel tank.
A Lockhart oil cooler was fitted into the nose of the fairing just below the headlight.
The Vetter Mystery Ship came supplied with a standard KZ1000 MkII engine which, according to Yoshimura, produced around 75 BHP at 9,000rpm.
A four into one Yoshimura exhaust system was fitted.
For those with deeper pockets, several Yoshimura tuning options were offered.
Stage I. $799.
1105cc with 10,000rpm cam. (101 HP)
Stage II. $1134.
As Stage I but with ported & polished head and 10,500rpm cam. (108 HP)
Stage III. $1348.
As Stage II but with larger valves. (116 HP)
Stage IV.
Superbike specification. Prices were available on application.
For those wanting a Turbo Charged option, for around $1,700, Vetter would work with Russ Collins of R.C. Engineering.
It was originally planned that 200 Mystery Ships would be built. However, Craig Vetter had a hang glider crash which forced him to stop production after only 10 Mystery Ships had been built, so a Mystery Ship is a rare motorcycle indeed.
Whilst recovering from his accident, Craig began to reflect on what he felt was more important. Although the Mystery Ship had been an important development, he decided to turn his efforts to bringing attention to fuel economy with the development of his Streamliner, a subject he has remained passionate about to this day.
Visit www.craigvetter.com for more information.