Remembering the Britten...

[Gramps]

A man & bike ahead of their time. Not sure how to embed the videos so follow the link.

https://www.motorcycledaily.com/2013/01/three-part-john-britten-biography-video-series-incredible-story-of-a-motorcycle-genius/

 

[GL4435]

Fantastic ... thank you for posting that!

 

[DennisJ]

Thank you for posting the series. I remember reading about the Britten in Ccycle World and had forgotten about it until I say the name again. Fantastic story and a reminder of what motorcycling was about.

 

[GinaMcD]

It's worth the trip to the Barber museum just to see that bike, especially after you learn the story behind it.

 

[Panman]

That was very interesting, thanks for the post!

 

[wfooshee]

Some of my own shots of the bike at Barber's museum:

That last shot is the radiator, lying horizontally under the seat. The third shot is the front shock. The picture of the bike at the top of the linked page shows a shock in front of the engine; that's the rear shock!

I keep finding things in the pics that I didn't notice in person. Things like an exhaust header per valve, not per cylinder.

 

[El Toro]

I always take pictures of this bike when I visit Barber too. I have been 8 or 9 times since January 2006.

The bubblegum colors draw your eye to the bike no matter where it is displayed.

I think that in many ways Britten built a bike that is overly complex. He was a master at the packaging, that's for sure.

There's no way to know how it would have been developed further because of his early passing.

I read at one time that someone else was acquiring the rights to build the bikes from the heirs, but I've never seen any such story again in later years.

In many ways, Britten was New Zealand's Buell, or more accurately, Eric Buell was the USA's John Britten. Buell had the good (and bad) fortune to be strongly influenced by our entrenched H-D hierarchy. Britten had the good (and bad) fortune of being uninfluenced by any established motorcycle industry in his home country, and so he did not have to worry about building thousands, but only 10. You approach the problems differently when you know you're only going to be building a double handful.

I am envious of John Britten. He was able to follow his dream, and it did not end for failure of the dream, but for other reasons, sad though they are.

 

[Chuck35]

Thanks for the post Gramps. I really enjoyed the vids. One cant help but wonder where this would have went had John lived longer...

 

[Karl]

For those of you in the West, there is a V1000 at the Vintage Motorcycle museum in Solvang. https://www.motosolvang.com/bike_pages/1995_Briiten_V1000.htm

Well worth a stop when riding through on Hwy 1/101

 

[Canadian FJR]

I had the privilege of seeing one on a dyno at the Sport Bike rally (Parry Sound, Ont.) around 1995 or 96.

Hard to believe how fast that thing could build revs.

Canadian FJR

 

[Auburn]

I got to see it raced in a Formula USA race at Road Altanta in October 1994. The Britten was an incredible sounding machine at full song down the sraight away. It was amazingly fast too.

 

[garyahouse]

Just finished watching the three videos. Thanks for the link. REALLY enjoyed them. Wouldn't it be great if someone made a movie about this? About the closest thing I can think of... to it would be the movie staring Anthony Hopkins entitled, "The World's Fastest Indian." (CLICKY) If you've not seen that movie, it's DEFINITELY worth your time.

Gary

Darksider #44

ps While I was at Barber Motorsports museum, I spent a great deal of time examining the Britten. It's such an amazing feat of engineering. I took like a zillion close up pics of it, and it amazes me that all this took place soooo long ago.

 

[El Toro]

About the closest thing I can think about it the movie staring Anthony Hopkins entitled, "The World's Fastest Indian." (CLICKY) If you've not seen that movie, it's DEFINITELY worth your time.
Gary

Darksider #44

YMMV on "The World's Fastest Indian." It was DEFINITELY a waste of time here. Burt Munro was about three orders of magnitude lower in his innovation or his ability compared to John Britten. Burt was a pathetic, but possessed, tinkerer. Britten was a master of his craft.

 

[Panman]

Wow, PATHETIC, had to look that up. "Arousing pity, esp. through vulnerability or sadness." "Miserably inadequate."

All this out of a old flat head 1920 Indian Scout that maybe could do sixty stock from the factory.

He may have been bit odd but he did it his way!

• In 1962, he set a world record of 288 km/h (178.95 mph) with his engine bored out to 850 cc (52 cubic inches)[2]
• In 1966, he set a world record of 270.476 km/h (168.066 mph)[9]
• In 1967, his engine was bored out to 950 cc (58 cubic inches) and he set a class record of 295.453 km/h (183.586 mph). To qualify he made a one-way run of 305.89 km/h (190.07 mph), the fastest-ever officially-recorded speed on an Indian.[2] The unofficial speed record (officially timed) is 331 km/h (205.67 mph) for a flying mile.[2]

 

[maddad]

About the closest thing I can think about it the movie staring Anthony Hopkins entitled, "The World's Fastest Indian." (CLICKY) If you've not seen that movie, it's DEFINITELY worth your time.
Gary

Darksider #44

YMMV on "The World's Fastest Indian." It was DEFINITELY a waste of time here. Burt Munro was about three orders of magnitude lower in his innovation or his ability compared to John Britten. Burt was a pathetic, but possessed, tinkerer. Britten was a master of his craft.

We went on a bike trip around the New Zealand South island a few years ago. The guy that we rented motorcycles from was a friend of John's and knew the project team well. He was heavily involved in the New Zealand motorcycle racing scene as well. We also visited the museum where Burt Monroe's motorcycle was and had lots of discussions on both.

A couple of things that we came away with.

- Although Burt Monroe may not have been an engineering marvel or polished person, he did some amazing things with a single bike and the little bit of money/training that he had. I believe the stock bike was actually 35 mph top speed. Not only did he completely rebuild the bike to break 200 mph, he over came huge adversity to do so. Having met a lot of Kiwi's I think he is a great representation of the Kiwi 'just do it' attitude and of a lot of us bikers that do purely for the love of it. What he was doing was years ahead of everyone else and many years before John Britten started.

- Not to short change Britten, but he was plague with constant business and personal battles with his team. Start and stop of projects and in the end something I don't think ever got into production.

Both very interesting people and what they did. And if you haven't seen "The world's fastest Indian" you are truly missing out on a great movie.

 

[Khunajawdge]

Excellent post Gramps, thanks!

The one thing I was always impressed with, when I learned about (and saw) the Britten during the exhibition entitled The Art of the Motorcycle at the Guggnheim in Las Vegas (The Venetian casino/hotel), was that the engine WAS the frame. Everything else bolted to it.

 

[El Toro]

Burt Munro's accomplishments and records are sort of analogous to someone deciding in 2013 that they would take a 1970 XLCH and begin to work to make it go faster and faster and faster, setting records along the way over the next decade.

People like Burt because he had projects that were within the scope of their own vision of what could be done.

If you reach into the jar of motorcyclists and pull one out, you'll have a good many Burt Munros before you pull out a John Britten.

Hopkins played a more sympathetic Munro than Munro played. The movie would fall into the category of Schmaltz ... and, of course "not that there's anything wrong with that."

 

[rogdeb]

Excellent post Gramps, thanks!

The one thing I was always impressed with, when I learned about (and saw) the Britten during the exhibition entitled The Art of the Motorcycle at the Guggnheim in Las Vegas (The Venetian casino/hotel), was that the engine WAS the frame. Everything else bolted to it.

This is the exhibition where Deb and I saw the Britten also. A truly amazing looking bike in real life . Some guys are just sooooo talented ---- jawge will know what I mean.

 

[FJRay]

Excellent post Gramps, thanks! :clapping: The one thing I was always impressed with, when I learned about (and saw) the Britten during the exhibition entitled The Art of the Motorcycle at the Guggnheim in Las Vegas (The Venetian casino/hotel), was that the engine WAS the frame. Everything else bolted to it.

This is the exhibition where Deb and I saw the Britten also. A truly amazing looking bike in real life . Some guys are just sooooo talented ---- jawge will know what I mean.

I was there also and spent a good bit of time at the Britten. Spent almost two days in the exhibit and the program is in the table next to me.