In 1993, John Britten, a very ingenious engineer from New Zeeland came up with the Britten V1000. This was a 999cc racing motorcycle weighing 304 pounds (138 kg) and capable of reaching speeds in excess of 187.5 mph (300 km/h). While this information alone is impressive for the period, the amazing part is that Britten built the V1000 by himself in his garage.
Britten’s innovative ideas brought him the joy of seeing his creation competing against Japanese and European racing bikes of the time and actually winning. Sadly, he died of a vicious strain of malignant cancer just 3 years after completing the bikes, and the technology died with him. Considering that the Britten V1000 was ranked 6th Greatest Ever Motorbike in a Discovery TV show, we have reasons to believe that the motorcycle industry could have had a significant contribution from the respective direction.
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