 | |
| Manufacturer | Britten Motorcycle Company |
|---|---|
| Also called | The Britten |
| Production | 1991-1998 |
| Assembly | Carlyle Street, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand [1] |
| Predecessor | Aero-D-One |
| Engine | 998.7 cc (61 cu in) Water-cooled, 60 deg V-Twin quad cam 4-stroke |
| Bore / stroke | 98.9 mm × 65.0 mm (3.89 in × 2.56 in) |
| Top speed | 303 km/h (188 mph) |
| Transmission | 5-speed constant-mesh, manual, chain-drive / 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) [2] |
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 several world speed records.
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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.
Motorcycle journalist Alan Cathcart wrote in 2008:
"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". [3]
