Craig Vetter was the unanimous choice of the MDA committee for the 2006 Honorary Membership. Vetter didn't invent the motorcycle fairing - numerous examples had been on the market for many years - but he was arguably the first to make them look good. He was also an astute businessman, hitting the market with his Windjammer after-market fairings at a time when motorcycle performance was exceeding the limits of rider endurance.

Bike manufacturers had been scared away from protective bodywork in the 1950s, when models such as the Ariel Leader and Vincent Black Prince had been universally rejected by the customers, mainly on aesthetic grounds. During the 60s and early 70s, few bike manufacturers offered much in the way of wind resistance, but Vetter's products became so popular that many buyers in the US would not consider buying a new Japanese model unless one of his after-market fairings was fitted. Eventually, the major manufacturers responded by producing fully-faired catalogue models, but Vetter had started the trend.

But it is perhaps for the Triumph X-75 Hurricane that he is more generally acknowledged. The Hurricane holds a rightful place in motorcycle design history by being an early example of the integration of body components, notably in the merging of the tank and side covers.

Although only produced in limited numbers, this approach influenced mass-market models such as the Honda 400N and Bol d'Or series, and a whole new way of thinking about bike design from which today's models evolved. 

Previous year's recipients were -

2001 - Massimo Tamburini
2002 - Willie G. Davidson
2003 - Mitsuyoshi Kohama (Honda)
2004 - Atsushi Ishiyama (GK Dynamics/Yamaha)
2005 - Gerald Kiska

Images:
1. Craig Vetter (right) with the Motorcycle Design Association's Honorary Membership award, presented by MDA President Glynn Kerr at Vetter's ranch outside Carmel, California in December 2006. (copyright Diane Morett)

2. Vetter fairings combined looks with functionality, and were instrumental in generating widespread demand for faired machines
(copyright Craig Vetter)

3. The Triumph X-75 Hurricane was a leading example of bodywork integration
(copyright Craig Vetter)