The Britten V1000 is a handbuilt race motorcycle

Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

 designed and built by John Britten

John Britten

John Kenton Britten was a New Zealand mechanical engineer who designed a world-record-setting motorcycle with innovative features which are still ahead of contemporary design.-Biography:...

 and a group of friends in Christchurch

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

, New Zealand during the early 1990s. The bike went on to win the Battle of the Twins in Daytona

Daytona International Speedway

Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...

, USA 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

Radiator

Radiators are heat exchangers used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in automobiles, buildings, and electronics...

 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

Britten Motorcycle Company

Britten Motorcycle Company is a Christchurch, New Zealand motorcycle manufacturer created by John Britten in 1992. The Britten V1000 motorcycles were unusual for their heavy use of carbon fiber for the fairing, wheels and swingarm. Britten motorcycles had no chassis in the traditional sense...

 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,’

Specifications

• Wheelbase 1420 mm
• Weight 138 kg
• Fuel Tank Capacity 24 litres
• 166 HP @ 11,800 rpm
• Maximum safe engine speed 12,500 rpm
• Maximum speed 303 km/h

Engine

• Water-cooled 999 cc 60 deg V-Twin quad-cam 4-stroke
• 4 valves per cylinder, belt driven
• Compression ratio 11.3 : 1
• Bore x stroke 98.9 mm x 65 mm
• Piston, flat-top slipper
• Titanium conrods with oil feed to little end
• Titanium valves Inlet Ø40 mm Exhaust Ø33 mm
• Wet cast-iron cylinder sleeves / opt silicon carbide–coated alloy sleeves
• Composite head gaskets
• Back torque dry clutch
• Wet sump. Oil feeds to bigends, gudgon, camshaft lobes & gearbox shafts
• Programmable engine management computer with history facility
• Fuel injection - sequential, 2 injectors per cylinder

Transmission

• Gearbox, 5-speed constant mesh / opt 6-speed
• Primary ratio 1.97
• Gear ratios 1st 2.5, 2nd 1.77, 3rd 1.38, 4th 1.125, 5th 0.961

Chassis

• Fully stressed engine with ducted under-seat radiator. Top chassis, girder & swing arm all constructed in carbon/kevlar composites
• Front Suspension: double wishbones with girder
• Rear Suspension: swing arm with adjustable three-bar linkage
• Shock Absorbers: Öhlins
• Rake: adjustable
• Trail: adjustable
• Front Wheel: 3.5" x 17" in-house carbon composite
• Rear Wheel: 6.0" x 17" in-house carbon composite
• Front Brakes: Twin 320 mm cast-iron rotors with opposed 4-piston Brembo callipers
• Rear Brakes: 210 mm rotor with opposed-piston Brembo calliper

1992

• 1st Battle of the Twins, Assen
  Assen
  Assen is a municipality and a city in the north eastern Netherlands, capital of the province of Drenthe. It received city rights in 1809. Assen's main claim to fame is the TT Circuit Assen the motorcycle racing circuit, where on the last Saturday in June the Dutch TT is run...
  
  , Holland
• 2nd Pro Twins, Laguna Seca, USA
• DNF Battle of the Twins, Daytona, USA

1993

• Fastest Top Speed at the Isle of Man TT
  Isle of Man TT
  The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...
  
  
• 1st (BEARS) 2nd (Formula 1) Australian TT Bathurst
  Bathurst
  -Places:In Australia:* Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia and the following things associated with the city** Bathurst Regional Council, the local government area for the Bathurst urban area and rural surrounds...
  
  
• 3rd Battle of the Twins, Assen, Holland
• NZ Grand Prix title
• World flying mile record (1000 cc and under)
  • 302.705 km/h
• World standing start -mile (400 m) record (1000 cc and under)
  • 134.617 km/h
• World standing start mile record (1000 cc and under)
  • 213.512 km/h
• World standing start kilometre record (1000 cc and under)
  • 186.245 km/h

1994

• 1st Battle of the Twins, Daytona, USA
• 1st and 2nd New Zealand National Superbike Championship