Britten V1000

Britten V1000
Manufacturer Britten Motorcycle Company
Also called The Britten
Production 1991-1998
Predecessor Aero-D-One
Engine Water-cooled 999 cc 60 deg V-Twin quad cam 4-stroke
Top speed 303 km/h (188 mph)
Transmission 5-speed constant mesh / opt 6-speed
Brakes Front: Dual 320 mm (12.6in) cast-iron discs, Rear: 210 mm (8.3in) disc
Wheelbase 1420 mm
Weight 138 kg (303.6 lb) (wet)
Fuel capacity 24 l (5.3 imp gal; 6.3 US gal)[1]
The No.7 Britten V1000 at Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum in Alabama, USA

The Britten V1000 is a handbuilt race motorcycle designed and built by John Britten and a group of friends in Christchurch, New Zealand during the early 1990s. The bike went on to win the Battle of the Twins in Daytona International Speedway's Daytona Bike Week festivities in the United States and set a number of world speed records.

The bike was designed from first principles and hosts a number of innovations including extensive use of carbon fibre, the radiator located under the seat, double wishbone front suspension, frameless chassis and engine data logging.

A total of 10 Britten V1000s were produced by the Britten Motorcycle Company and now exist in collections and museums around the world.

Renowned motorcycle journalist Alan Cathcart said of the bike:

"It’s an easy bike to ride, in the sense it’s got a very wide power delivery, but to really get top performance, you have to ride it like a grand prix bike."

And having ridden all the superbike contenders in the world today, I can say that the Britten is the closest to a grand prix bike. It’s incredibly ironic that instead of Europe or Japan, the most sophisticated and technically advanced motorcycle in the world comes from New Zealand,’[2]

Specifications

Engine

Transmission

Chassis

Racing Achievements

1991

1992

1993

1994

A blue motorcycle
Jason McEwen's 1994 Britten V1000 is on display in a museum in the Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum.

References

  1. Motorcycle Classics - 1993 Britten V1000
  2. Faster and Faster: Britten V1000: The greatest motorcycle ever built
  3. Britten Motorcycle Company - information - technical info
  4. Motorcycle News, (UK weekly newspaper) 22 December 1993, p.4 Britten sets new flying mile record. "New Zealander John Britten, creator of the V1000, lent rider Jon White the race bike he took to Isle of Man TT in June after White had twice crashed his Britten-powered streamliner" [img]. Accessed and added 28 September 2014
  5. One Man's Dream - The Britten Bike Story (video), 1995, Ruffell Films
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