John Britten: The Man and His Revolutionary Motorcycles
One of the greatest stories in motorcycling is that of John Britten and his revolutionary racing machine. In Christchurch, New Zealand, he and his dedicated team designed and built the Britten V-twin motorcycle from scratch. The Britten V-twin roared onto the track and proved itself an iconic machine that could outrace the factory-built twin-cylinder motorcycles of the time. John Britten tragically died from cancer in 1995, but the legend of the man and machine is one of the most incredible engineering and design feats of the twentieth century.

After years of research, author Tim Hanna was able to give due credit to the man and his achievements. The biography details Britten’s early life, the development of his vision and the early prototype motorcycles, and dives into the grueling cycle of hard work, setbacks, and failures before the Britten V-twin finally was able to beat the world’s best. His bikes had legions of fans worldwide who not only were captivated by the elegance, originality, and power of his machines, but also by the romance of his story—an individual taking on some of the world’s biggest and best motorcycle manufacturers and winning.

This updated and revised edition includes a new foreword from the author and all new stunning period photography of the man, the team, and the powerful machines they created. Printed for the first time in a high-quality hardcover format, this title appeals to readers both inside and outside the motorcycle fraternity because of its universally inspiring theme—that extraordinary things are possible when a person turns their dreams into reality.

1146891978
John Britten: The Man and His Revolutionary Motorcycles
One of the greatest stories in motorcycling is that of John Britten and his revolutionary racing machine. In Christchurch, New Zealand, he and his dedicated team designed and built the Britten V-twin motorcycle from scratch. The Britten V-twin roared onto the track and proved itself an iconic machine that could outrace the factory-built twin-cylinder motorcycles of the time. John Britten tragically died from cancer in 1995, but the legend of the man and machine is one of the most incredible engineering and design feats of the twentieth century.

After years of research, author Tim Hanna was able to give due credit to the man and his achievements. The biography details Britten’s early life, the development of his vision and the early prototype motorcycles, and dives into the grueling cycle of hard work, setbacks, and failures before the Britten V-twin finally was able to beat the world’s best. His bikes had legions of fans worldwide who not only were captivated by the elegance, originality, and power of his machines, but also by the romance of his story—an individual taking on some of the world’s biggest and best motorcycle manufacturers and winning.

This updated and revised edition includes a new foreword from the author and all new stunning period photography of the man, the team, and the powerful machines they created. Printed for the first time in a high-quality hardcover format, this title appeals to readers both inside and outside the motorcycle fraternity because of its universally inspiring theme—that extraordinary things are possible when a person turns their dreams into reality.

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John Britten: The Man and His Revolutionary Motorcycles

John Britten: The Man and His Revolutionary Motorcycles

by Tim Hanna
John Britten: The Man and His Revolutionary Motorcycles

John Britten: The Man and His Revolutionary Motorcycles

by Tim Hanna

Overview

One of the greatest stories in motorcycling is that of John Britten and his revolutionary racing machine. In Christchurch, New Zealand, he and his dedicated team designed and built the Britten V-twin motorcycle from scratch. The Britten V-twin roared onto the track and proved itself an iconic machine that could outrace the factory-built twin-cylinder motorcycles of the time. John Britten tragically died from cancer in 1995, but the legend of the man and machine is one of the most incredible engineering and design feats of the twentieth century.

After years of research, author Tim Hanna was able to give due credit to the man and his achievements. The biography details Britten’s early life, the development of his vision and the early prototype motorcycles, and dives into the grueling cycle of hard work, setbacks, and failures before the Britten V-twin finally was able to beat the world’s best. His bikes had legions of fans worldwide who not only were captivated by the elegance, originality, and power of his machines, but also by the romance of his story—an individual taking on some of the world’s biggest and best motorcycle manufacturers and winning.

This updated and revised edition includes a new foreword from the author and all new stunning period photography of the man, the team, and the powerful machines they created. Printed for the first time in a high-quality hardcover format, this title appeals to readers both inside and outside the motorcycle fraternity because of its universally inspiring theme—that extraordinary things are possible when a person turns their dreams into reality.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781642341300
Publisher: Octane Press
Publication date: 05/13/2025
Edition description: 9781877333088
Pages: 550
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Tim Hanna is the author of three best-selling biographies of notable New Zealand motorcyclists, including John Britten. His biography of Burt Munro, One Good Run: The Legend of Burt Munro, traced Burt's amazing land-speed records at Bonneville and was the number one best seller in New
Zealand when it came out. Burt was the subject of the popular film The
World's Fastest Indian. His third motorcycling biography was the story of
Kim Newcombe, a mechanic and Australasian scrambles champion who built his own grand prix motorcycle in Berlin using a German two-stroke outboard marine engine. Kim: The Kiwi On The König records his rookie efforts in Grand
Prix racing in the hazardous 1970s when, against all the odds, he achieved second place in the 1973 Grand Prix World Championship in the premiere 500cc class.

Tim and his wife, Janel, live in a hundred-year-old farmhouse on an acre in the country located toward the bottom of the South
Island of New Zealand. They share their property with numerous dogs, cats,
chickens, and ducks. Although the nearest landmass to the south is Antarctica,
the region offers superb roads, spectacular mountains, lakes, and forests, and a generous number of clear days ideal for a sporting motorcyclist. Tim gravitates to old things and is currently completing a decades long restoration of a
120-year-old, forty-five-foot motorsailer.

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