When it comes to home-brew motorcycles there is one name that stands atop all the rest. John Britten. A native to New Zealand, John and his small team rocked the motorcycling world with their V1000. Built in the early 90’s the V1000 was a technical marvel in every sense of the word. The V1000 wasn’t just a technical marvel either, it was built to race. Over 4-years the V1000 competed at countless races, with the most iconic being Daytona and of course the Isle of Man TT.

John Britten was a brilliant person. Despite suffering from severe dyslexia he managed to become an incredible Engineer and Architectural designer, setting him on a trajectory towards greatness. After his schooling he moved from project to project, working on things like the M1 in England and designing heavy machinery in his native New Zealand. It was in 1992 when he founded the Britten Motorcycle Company that his true calling really set in. Inspired by Bruce McLaren(McLaren F1) and Burt Munro John(world’s fastest Indian) was set on creating the most advanced motorcycle the world had ever seen. And he did just that.

The V1000 was spectacular in every aspect. It was so incredibly different than every motorcycle built up until this point that it pushed the boundaries of believable. Even after 25-years, the V1000 is still a technical marvel. The engine, which was built by hand, produced 166hp at the rear wheel. A number that wouldn’t be rivaled until almost 10-years later. Yet Britten managed to accomplish this with a wet weight just north of 300lbs, making it almost 200lbs lighter than the same year GSXR1100. The V1000 also featured technology that is just now appearing on the modern crop of superbikes. This includes things like on the fly adjustable suspension and tunable geometry for different handling characteristics. Truly an incredible piece of engineering.

Unfortunately for John building a motorcycle of this caliber took many man hours of R&D. So naturally, the V1000 suffered some pretty extensive growing pains. Reliability hindered its racing performances. That’s not to say it didn’t impress, quite the contrary actually. In the early runnings the V1000 was a force to be dealt with. It just happens that to win a race you must first finish. A slew of DNF’s frustrated John and his team, but this never deterred them from giving it 110% over each and every race weekend. In 1993 the V1000 went on to record several race wins, as well as a handful of records. The fastest top speed at the Isle of Man TT is one of its top accolades.

In 1994 John Britten and his team entered the ’94 TT with high hopes for the prestigious road race. Unfortunately, the TT is as grueling as it is long, causing many mechanical failures for the V1000. Unfortunately, the mechanical problems were the least of their problems for this particular race. Mark Farmer, one of the designated pilots for the Britten team tragically perished from a high side crash. The TT is known for being a deadly race, with one wrong move likely being your last. Still this put a black cloud over an already frustrating week at the Britten tent. With just one bike left they charged out for the Senior TT, completing one lap before another catastrophic failure. Although thankfully the rider, Nick Jefferies, walked away unscathed.

Unknowingly this would be the last time Britten competed in any real capacity. John Britten was diagnosed with an inoperable skin cancer, eventually leading to his death in late 1995. He was barely 45-years old, taken much too soon. His team finished production of the 10 V1000’s that had been planned, but further engineering had been permanently halted. The Britten V1000 would never truly compete again, but it didn’t just fall off the face of the earth either.

Since John’s untimely death, the V1000 has gained a cult like following. It is as iconic as ever, allowing Johns legacy to live on through his work. We have yet to see a motorcycle as advanced as the V1000, and I doubt we will truly ever see something as brilliant. While Britten forever rocked the world in just 4 short years, it’s hard to imagine what he could have done if he was still alive. Unfortunately, we will never know. But that can’t stop us from marveling over the astonishingly good Britten V1000 even 25 years later.

An old, yet great, video about the Britten Team

MCN Taking a closer look at the V1000

Guy Martin taking the V1000 for a couple of laps