Every time I watch tributes to John Britten and his amazing creations I can't help it but tears come to my eyes even now (2019). I weep for our loss and the loss his family must have felt. Truly a remarkable man taken too soon.
I remember seeing two V1000s in about 1992/3 at Ruapuna Bears and they handicapped them by starting them at least 1000m back as they started waaaay around the sweeper into the main straight. Both bikes blitzed the field by laps and it was great seeing them passing bikes on one wheel all the way down the main straight. Did I mention THE SOUND! WOW, these bikes sound so grunty in real life.
Thanks for the video Jonathan, I used to watch the Britten's race when I was a young lad. I never realized how special those bikes were or would become (even more so).
i know im randomly asking but does any of you know of a method to get back into an Instagram account?? I was stupid forgot the account password. I love any help you can give me!
In '92 it would have been a telescopic fork model, with the Britten engine, not the wishbone bike we know as the ultimate Britten. That came out in '94 for Daytona
I went to the Magog bike show in New Plymouth circa '82. Denco Engineering of Christchurch were showing their speedway 500 single engines, and their first 1000 V-twin. That was commissioned by John Britten for his first special. It led to great things.
Thanks for posting this up #john. Brings back a lot of great memories. I now live in Australia so yeah great memories at ruapuna for bike racing drag racing etc. Last time I saw the Britten was at wigram wings and wheels. Very nice...
3 Brittens on the track.Blue and pink one was ridden by Andrew Stroud and the yellow and black one was ridden by Steve Briggs.The other bikes on track at that time were the Aero D Zero.One of Johns earlier creations which has a ducatti engine.Not sure who was riding that and also on track was Johns old Triumph race bike.
I was so happy to see The Bike at the Wellington Museum...2002.... I had a poster of it on my bedroom wall when it first appeared in Performance Bike Magazine in 1992.. Such a cool Plinth that it sits upon too.. Still to see it and HeAr it!? This bike needs to be Respected with a Road Version... maybe INDIAN could do the honours? They seem to have a few quid at the moment and a decent factory?
I got to see the Britten racing at Wanganui's Cemetery Circuit as a lad; probably 1993 or thereabouts. Can't quite remember, but I think it may have been Stroud piloting it. Realised it was special when it started lapping the rest of the field, but was a bit young to truly appreciate it then. A stellar chapter of our country's motor racing history.
saw andrew stroud on on the Britten at wings and wheels festival at wigram airbase Christchurch.down the straight on the back wheel and what a sound .totally unforgettable.rest of the field typically way back!amazing man taken miles too soon.
brittenv1000 Absolutely, also for myself growing up with Dyslexia too, knowing that finding it hard to read and write wasn't going to stop you to pursue your dreams, Thanks
I know this may sound blasphemous but I'd love to see them reintroduced as a road bike, with some modern touches and technology infused into John's original design.
+Jonathan Mackie They've made great advances with carbon fiber in the last 25 years so I'm pretty sure they could reduce the cost of manufacturing the bike significantly. I'm willing to bet if they kept them starting somewhere near $45-50k, they'd sell out almost immediately!
It's hard to credit, but a 1995 Britten was good for 170bhp (154bhp/litre), and a new production Ducati Panigale is 195bhp (162bhp/litre) for road use. No doubt which is a more integrated, clever design
"Modern touches". This bike is still more modern than any other motorcycle. Britten was probably the last motorcycle company to do anything new or original, before the big guys all went soft, shook hands, and vowed never to do anything at all interesting for at least the next 2 1/2 decades. As for the Britten vs Ducati argument, just think of it as Lotus vs Ferrari. Chassis, suspension, and an overall lighter weight makes a far more competitive machine than just a really expensive engine packaged into a free car/bike.
![Check out this BRITTEN V1000 | An eventful motorcycle day in Christchurch [E7- S6]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/c7NzAmK-gJs/mqdefault.jpg)
30 years later those blue and pink beasts still look like the most awesome two wheeled machines on the planet!
Every time I watch tributes to John Britten and his amazing creations I can't help it but tears come to my eyes even now (2019). I weep for our loss and the loss his family must have felt. Truly a remarkable man taken too soon.
One the most intriguing motorcycles on the planet.
I remember seeing two V1000s in about 1992/3 at Ruapuna Bears and they handicapped them by starting them at least 1000m back as they started waaaay around the sweeper into the main straight.
Both bikes blitzed the field by laps and it was great seeing them passing bikes on one wheel all the way down the main straight.
Did I mention THE SOUND! WOW, these bikes sound so grunty in real life.
These bikes are great creations. I wish they mass produced these bikes. But seeing the limited amount of these bikes makes them special.
I just stumbled across this today. Thanks Jonathan you do a good video mate. Good voice for narration 👍
Thanks! Great video. Britten was way ahead of this time.
Saw two Brittens in full battle trim at Mid-Ohio late ‘90s. They ate everything on the table!❤️
Yes, we can dream on and build on, and thats what the man meant, RIP John Britten,
Splendida moto. Pura arte. Dopo 30 anni, è ancora splendida.
Thanks for the video Jonathan, I used to watch the Britten's race when I was a young lad. I never realized how special those bikes were or would become (even more so).
Nice wee video man! Thanks a lot. I was there, was a great weekend.
Awesome video man!
What an amazing piece of New Zealand motorcycle history these bikes are part of.
i know im randomly asking but does any of you know of a method to get back into an Instagram account??
I was stupid forgot the account password. I love any help you can give me!
I remember seeing it at Ruapuna in 92. The guy riding it wasn't holding back at all and that beast roared like nothing I've ever heard.
In '92 it would have been a telescopic fork model, with the Britten engine, not the wishbone bike we know as the ultimate Britten. That came out in '94 for Daytona
I went to the Magog bike show in New Plymouth circa '82. Denco Engineering of Christchurch were showing their speedway 500 single engines, and their first 1000 V-twin. That was commissioned by John Britten for his first special. It led to great things.
Thanks for posting this up #john. Brings back a lot of great memories. I now live in Australia so yeah great memories at ruapuna for bike racing drag racing etc. Last time I saw the Britten was at wigram wings and wheels.
Very nice...
3 Brittens on the track.Blue and pink one was ridden by Andrew Stroud and the yellow and black one was ridden by Steve Briggs.The other bikes on track at that time were the Aero D Zero.One of Johns earlier creations which has a ducatti engine.Not sure who was riding that and also on track was Johns old Triumph race bike.
Great video! Well documented and great down to earth commentary. Thanks for sharing!
Leonardo da Vinci of motorcycles ,way ahead of his time.
i was there for that event, thanks for sharing your footage , great job,
I was so happy to see The Bike at the Wellington Museum...2002.... I had a poster of it on my bedroom wall when it first appeared in Performance Bike Magazine in 1992..
Such a cool Plinth that it sits upon too..
Still to see it and HeAr it!?
This bike needs to be Respected with a Road Version... maybe INDIAN could do the honours? They seem to have a few quid at the moment and a decent factory?
Nicely done. Thank You.
we need to revive motorcycles John Britten, with the help of crowdfunding. start their civil production
I got to see the Britten racing at Wanganui's Cemetery Circuit as a lad; probably 1993 or thereabouts. Can't quite remember, but I think it may have been Stroud piloting it. Realised it was special when it started lapping the rest of the field, but was a bit young to truly appreciate it then. A stellar chapter of our country's motor racing history.
I saw one around '93, if I remember correctly it was shown at Princess Wharf around Americas Cup time, or such !!
What do you mean by saying not very cool looking? All of these motorcycles are beautiful!
Awesome video man thanks for posting :-) been a fan of these bike for years
That later Bike was capable of lifting the front wheel in any gear, and also at full speed. Great to watch, I've only seen the Te Papa one up close.
saw andrew stroud on on the Britten at wings and wheels festival at wigram airbase Christchurch.down the straight on the back wheel and what a sound .totally unforgettable.rest of the field typically way back!amazing man taken miles too soon.
That front end is great.. but.. it rarely seems to have the front wheel on the the ground!?
Great video. Looks like it was an awesome day! John is still doing kiwis proud!
brittenv1000 Absolutely, also for myself growing up with Dyslexia too, knowing that finding it hard to read and write wasn't going to stop you to pursue your dreams, Thanks
It behooves us to carry on his legacy - and better it!
#NoIAmNotJoking.
such a awesome bikes. britten.
I know this may sound blasphemous but I'd love to see them reintroduced as a road bike, with some modern touches and technology infused into John's original design.
Totally agree, I would get one :-)
+Jonathan Mackie They've made great advances with carbon fiber in the last 25 years so I'm pretty sure they could reduce the cost of manufacturing the bike significantly. I'm willing to bet if they kept them starting somewhere near $45-50k, they'd sell out almost immediately!
It's hard to credit, but a 1995 Britten was good for 170bhp (154bhp/litre), and a new production Ducati Panigale is 195bhp (162bhp/litre) for road use. No doubt which is a more integrated, clever design
Dan we can all dream. Still such a stunning machine after all this time.
"Modern touches". This bike is still more modern than any other motorcycle. Britten was probably the last motorcycle company to do anything new or original, before the big guys all went soft, shook hands, and vowed never to do anything at all interesting for at least the next 2 1/2 decades.
As for the Britten vs Ducati argument, just think of it as Lotus vs Ferrari. Chassis, suspension, and an overall lighter weight makes a far more competitive machine than just a really expensive engine packaged into a free car/bike.
He put the rear suspension in front of the driver so it can be controlled
Cheers 👍
There should be a National holiday named after John Britten, but as per Govt utter disrespect and UNappreciation of Kiwi pride.
thanks, hare krishna
the result from the heli and other cameras around the track, th-cam.com/video/2p3UEp49oew/w-d-xo.html
Innovaitve bike, but I'm not it's biggest fan.😌
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