John Kenton Britten was a New Zealand mechanical engineer who designed a world-record-setting motorcycle with innovative features and materials.
The Yamaha YZF-R1, or simply R1, is a 998 cc (60.9 cu in) sports motorcycle made by Yamaha. It was first released in 1998, undergoing significant updates in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2015, 2018 and 2020.
Matchless is one of the oldest marques of British motorcycles, manufactured in Plumstead, London, between 1899 and 1966. A wide range of models were produced under the Matchless name, ranging from small two-strokes to 750 cc four-stroke twins. Matchless had a long history of racing success; a Matchless ridden by Charlie Collier won the first single-cylinder race in the first Isle of Man TT in 1907.
The Honda RVF750R RC45 was a fully faired racing motorcycle created for homologation purposes for the Superbike World Championship by Honda Racing Corporation. The RVF750R was the successor to the VFR750R RC30. Like its predecessor, the RVF750R featured a DOHC liquid-cooled V4 4-stroke engine with gear driven cams and a single-sided swingarm, but unlike the RC30 it utilized electronic fuel injection, in a setup very similar to the production 1992 NR750. The US spec engine had a 749.2cc capacity and was rated at 101 horsepower; the European version was rated at 118 horsepower. A simple rewire modification to the PGM-FI box increased power in the US engine up to the 118 hp. It was manufactured from 1994 until 1995 and sold in limited numbers, followed by the VTR1000R SP-1 RC51 in 2000. Unlike the VFR750R RC30 and VFR750F from which the engine was originally derived the gear drive for the cams was moved from the centre of the engine in between the cylinders to the one side allowing a slightly narrower engine.
The MV Agusta F4 is an inline four-cylinder sport bike made by MV Agusta from 1999 until 2018. It was the motorcycle that launched the resurrection of the brand in 1998. The F4 was created by motorcycle designer Massimo Tamburini at CRC, following his work on the Ducati 916. The F4 has a single-sided swingarm, large diameter front forks and traditional MV Agusta red and silver livery. The F4 engine is also one of the few production superbikes to have a hemi-spherical cylinder head chamber design with 4 valves per cylinder.
The L-twin is a naturally aspirated two-cylinder petrol engine by Ducati. It uses a 90-degree layout and 270-degree firing order and is mounted with one cylinder nearly horizontal.
The Ducati Supersport and SS are a series of air-cooled four stroke desmodromic 2-valve 90° L-twin motorcycles made by Ducati since 1988. A limited edition Supersport called the SuperLight was sold in 1992. The name harked back to the round case 1973 Ducati 750 Super Sport, and the 1975 square case 750 and 900 Super Sport. The appellation 'SS' was applied only to the later belt drive (Pantah) based models.
The Triumph Street Triple is a standard motorcycle made by Triumph Motorcycles since 2007. The bike is closely modelled on the Speed Triple 1050 but uses a re-tuned inline three cylinder 675 cc engine from the Daytona 675 sport bike, which was released in 2006.
The Ducati Supermono is a lightweight, single-cylinder racing motorcycle made by Ducati and named after the Supermono racing class. 65 Supermonos were built by Ducati between 1993 and 1995.
The Yamaha FZ750 is a sports motorcycle produced by Yamaha Motor Corporation between 1985 and 1991. The FZ750 is notable for several reasons, perhaps the most radical being the 5-valve cylinder head. This became something of a Yamaha trademark. The FZ750 would be the first bike in the Genesis design concept.
BMW S1000RR is a race oriented sport bike initially made by BMW Motorrad to compete in the 2009 Superbike World Championship, that is now in commercial production. It was introduced in Munich in April 2008, and is powered by a 999 cc (61.0 cu in) transverse inline four-cylinder engine redlined at 14,200 rpm.
The Triumph Thruxton is a series of British motorcycles with parallel-twin engines and sports styling. The name Thruxton was first applied to a handbuilt machine for endurance racing in the mid 1960s, and later revived in the 2000s.
The 2009 Isle of Man TT Festival was held between Saturday 30 May and Friday 12 June on the 37.733-mile (60.725 km) Mountain Course. The 2009 TT races again include a second 600 cc Supersport Junior TT race and the Lightweight TT and Ultra-Lightweight TT races held on the 4.25-mile (6.84 km) Billown Circuit in the Isle of Man. A new event for the 2009 Isle of Man TT races was the one-lap TTXGP for racing motorcycles "to be powered without the use of carbon based fuels and have zero toxic/noxious emissions."
Superbike racing is a category of motorcycle racing that employs highly modified production motorcycles, as opposed to MotoGP in which purpose-built motorcycles are used. The Superbike World Championship is the official world championship series, though national Superbike championships are held in many countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, Australia and Canada. Superbike racing is generally popular with manufacturers, since it helps promote and sell their product, as captured by the slogan "Win on Sunday; Sell on Monday".
The Ducati ST series is a set of Italian sport touring motorcycles manufactured by Ducati from 1997 through 2007. In order of release, the series comprised five distinct models: the ST2, ST4, ST4S, ST3, and ST3S. Intended to compete with other sport-tourers such as the Honda VFR, the ST Ducatis had a full fairing, a large dual seat and a relaxed riding position for both rider and pillion. The ST bikes had a centre-stand, and could be fitted with optional matching luggage.
Andrew Stroud is a retired champion New Zealand motorcycle racer.
The Kawasaki Ninja H2 is a supercharged four-stroke supersport-class motorcycle in the Ninja sports bike series manufactured by Kawasaki, featuring a variable-speed centrifugal supercharger.
The Ducati Panigale V4 is a sport bike with a 1,103 cc (67.3 cu in) desmodromic 90° V4 engine introduced by Ducati in 2018 as the successor to the V-twin engined 1299. A smaller engine displacement version complies with the Superbike category competition regulations which state "Over 750 cc up to 1000 cc" for three and four cylinder 4-stroke engines.
Magni is an Italian company that builds specialist motorcycles. The company is based in the city of Samarate in the province of Varese. Magni, in addition to building the bikes that bear its name, is also active in the construction of specials to order and a supplier of special parts for the restoration of MV Agusta classic motorcycles.
