Comments on: Six Brittens at 25th Sound of Thunder Anniversary

By: Owen Booth

Owen Booth — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 21:50:47 +0000

Yeah, a real shame. Peter Fenton, a great friend of John and Kirsten is cooking up something with regards to a road-going Britten. It’s still the sexiest bike ever to be made. I’m currently trialling prints of the Black and Yellow CR&S on New Zealands only Direct on glass digital printer. When I perfect it I hope to have a sample in our showroom at MetroGlassTech’s showroom on Halswell Junction road. I’d like to do one for Peter, and maybe sell a small run of them too to recover development costs but I suspect I need to seek permission to do this. Anyone know whom I might contact for this? Eileen can you help?

By: Chris Ratcliffe

Chris Ratcliffe — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 07:45:05 +0000

I am absolutely gutted i had no idea these 6 bikes would be at Sound of Thunder.I am hooked on the Britten myself and have a 7year old sons middle name after him.
Take a look at Perfomance Bikes Motorcycle Magazine July issue there is a screen saver Britten Photo in it,and also a Little Britten project,which i have just had painted.
Also i have built a road going Britten Replica myself based in Nelson.view on Trademe under Bros/Britten.

By: Eileen Yates

Eileen Yates — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:36:27 +0000

Just a clarification on comment #7. After John died in 1995 Britten Motorcycle Company continued to make the 10 bikes John had planned until the last one was completed in 1998. For those 3 years (and longer) we were actively seeking a joint venture partner for the company to keep the marque going.To facilitate this we branched out into prototype work in an effort to keep an income coming in. In the early days after Johns death his wife, Kirsteen, was not prepared to give away a greater than 50% shareholding in the company – understandably as it was the legacy she and the family had been left by John and she wanted to have some control over what happened to the company. Not many investors are prepared to invest the amount of money required without having control of a company. Its a moot point anyway as no investor was found. I think most motorcycle companies have enough trouble keeping their own marque afloat without taking on an unknown quantity. Case in point – John and the team spent his last 18 months working with representatives of the Indian Motorcycle Company. They went into receivership around the same time that John Passed away and all that work was for nought (and they have been in and out of receivership ever since.) Its a shame he hadn’t been working with someone else who could have secured the companies future but there you have it! In 2006 we finally sold the Britten factory building and the plant and equipment and put all the moulds, patterns etc into storage – if there is an investor somewhere out there who would be prepared to invest a HUGE amount to go to the next step -either a production racebike or a road bike, I am sure it could all be dusted off!

And yes- I see the bikes all the time but it was awesome to see that line-up of six bikes at Ruapuna.

Eileen Yates, Britten Motorcycle Company

By: chris

chris — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:04:23 +0000

Wow do I feel bad for Billy…Banned motorcycles?!?! Time to pack the bags and move to another town. Johns style put a signature on creativity. Great looking rigs!

By: Rich

Rich — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 03:58:31 +0000

When I was a school boy growing up in Bathurst (Australia), I was much more interested in cars than bikes.

Until one day, when my dad said to me: “Mate, I was up at Mount Panorama this morning. Tomorrow I’ll take you. There’s something up there you MUST see”.

He was right. The sight of a Britten V-1000 flying out from under the Bridgestone bridge, on it’s rear wheel, every single lap, is something I will never forget.

I’ve been hooked on bikes ever since.

Thanks Dad, and thanks John Britten.