Most everyone is familiar with the old Vetter fairings that found their way on to almost every two wheeler at some time or other, but many other companies have produced fairings of their own design and I just ran across one that’s new to me, it’s called a Jacwal Superwedge. This one is mounted on a 1978 Yamaha XS1100 for sale on eBay and the owner says the fairing is from the same era. The advertisement here shows a Kawasaki Z1 outfitted with lots of things from the same company, including an auxiliary fuel tank that attaches behind the seat and “Supermirrors” that mounted to the Superwedge fairing.
The design might not suit everyone’s tastes but it is interesting, with a fixed lower portion and an upper windshield and hand guards that rotate with the handlebars. It actually looks like it would be pretty effective and might increase mileage somewhat. The company was located in California. Different and kinda neat.
Tin Man 2 says
Wow,Inovation from the 70s.It is facinating that these neat designs keep turning up,just when I thought Ive seen it all! Maybe with high fuel prices we will once again see small time inovators comming forward again.
Harry Hauss says
In ’78 I bought a used ’77 Gold Wing
with a Jackwal on it. A friend painted it with
urethane aircraft paint……Beautiful!
Nathan says
Why?!?
todd says
Why not a full “dustbin” type? I’ve thought it would be cool to hammer up an aluminum one for an old BMW.
-todd
dom says
Thanks for this posting, it clears up a mystery for me in one of my blog postings. Now I know the name of the manufacturer!
Fairing Options for Airheads
tim says
It looks extraordinarily like an early Britten design, or the “plastic fantastic” built by STeve Roberts in sunny Wanganui. Early – mid ’80’s I guess.
Jeff says
Death Race 2000 🙂
Brandon says
As ugly as a large dustbin fairing would be there could be a market for something like this. A suzuki sv 650 with a dustbin fairing could have a market if suzuki dressed it up.
nicolas says
The design might not suit everyone’s tastes … aaargh
Isn’t it what inspired the late fugly Ducati Multistrada fairing ?
Jim says
Ah for the days when 350cc was considered a real motorcycle.
Rich Peabody says
I sold a Jacwal to a customer. He had an 850 Suzuki. The fairing has dual 5 3/4 round headlights side-by-side. He really liked it! I rode behind it once and it as fine. It was considerably heavier than the (then) current Vetter offerings, being made of fiberglass. The weight was pretty far forward, too. I think that era was way cool, but that the newer stuff works MUCH better.
I have a (bad) pic of the Jacwal, if you’re interested.
Have fun!
JR says
What if you have a head on collision? Do you face-plant into the windscreen? Does it break off easily?
Rich Peabody says
I remember, too, that I sold one of these space ship looking things to a guy with one of those pretty blue and white Suzuki 1000’s …. The windshield blade was plexi (early for Lexan, I believe) and there was quite a bit of fiberglass that swung with the bars that the plastic attached to…
I remember their wheels, too…I believe that they required disc brake conversions on the rear….my shop was a mile from Lester and I would get some super deals from them so I sold very few other brands…
guitargeek says
Just my opinion, but I’m pretty sure this is the ugliest thing ever bolted to a motorcycle.
Hrlydavison says
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I came across this bike and thought it was very unique looking. I too had never seen a fairing like this. Its shape looks like the front end of a sea harrier(the vertical take off jet) The design is very modern for a vintage piece, the closest thing to an “Art” accessory that you are going ever going to find. But I may be biased too, I bought the bike off of Ebay two days ago. 🙂
wd515 says
If you turned the fairing the other way so it’s facing outwards, it would look identical to the buell 1125r.
Konrad says
I had a Jacwal Superwedge on the first motorcycle I ever bought—a ’75 R90S that I bought in 1982. When I first got it, it was still gel white, but I had it color-matched (silver smoke) to the bike, and I thought I was the coolest thing on wheels. The fairing lost an argument with the back bumper of a housemate’s car while it was parked in the driveway, and I went back to the bubble cafe fairing that had also come with the bike. It was pretty crudely put together, but it did cut a swath stylistically while it lasted (4 years)—you couldn’t be a shy person and ride that bike, , ,
wvpc says
I bought a Superwedge and mounted it to my 75 GoldWing in the spring of 76. Rode it around all summer then quit my job and rode to San Diego with some buddies on Harleys. Tat bike was swoopy even for CA at the time. Left it the gel black color cause I could not afford to paint it. It wasa pretty good touring fairing. From what I remember the faster you went the better it worked. I did have a front tire cupping, tread wear problem that I didn’t quite get sorted out. The bike was stolen in 77 and totaled by an excon in Pensacola. I took the insurance (lost my *ss as a 22 year old) and never did see it again after that. THe bike had all of about 22K on it. I still wish I had it back. I ride an old 83 R100RT now. I am sticking to riding behind a fairing for comfort.
chip says
wondering if anyone knows where to get an old full bubble fairing for a Japanese bike like they had in the first Mad Max movie. Early 70’s kinda thing. There has to be some of these things around in the United States. Had ZERO luck tracking one down on my own