 john kenton britten (1 august 1950 &ndash; 5 september 1995) was a new zealand mechanical engineer who designed a world-record-setting motorcycle with innovative features and materials. ==biography== john britten was born to bruce and ruvae britten at christchurch at 10 minutes to midnight and his sister marguerite just after midnight. so although they were twins they celebrated their birthdays on different dates. a dyslexic, he needed to have exam questions read to him at school and during his tertiary education, and his answers recorded by a writer, but that didn't stop him from developing into a remarkable engineer and architectural designer. his childhood heroes were notable fellow new zealanders, richard pearse (pioneer aviator), bill hamilton (father of the jet boat), bruce mclaren (champion driver and founder of the mclaren formula one team), and burt munro (world record motorcycle speedster and subject of the film the world's fastest indian). in his own short lifetime, britten was regularly and favourably compared with all of his heroes. britten completed a four-year mechanical engineering course at night school before joining ici as a cadet draughtsman, giving him a wide range of work experience including mould design, pattern design, metal spinning and various mechanical engineering designs. britten travelled to england where he worked for four months with sir alexander gibb & partners on a highway design linking the m1 motorway to the m4 motorway. back in new zealand he was design engineer for rowe engineering, designing off-road equipment and heavy machinery. in 1976, he built glass kilns and went into business as a fine artist designing and making hand-made glass lighting, later joining the family property management and development business. ==britten designed== britten worked on motorcycle design for some years, developing innovative methods using composite materials and performance engine designs. he created the britten motorcycle company in 1992 to produce revolutionary machines to his own design made of light materials and using engines he built himself, which became famous around the world. his britten motorcycles won races and set numerous speed records on the international circuits, and astounded the motorcycle world in 1991 when they came a remarkable second and third against the factory machines in the battle of the twins at daytona, united states of america. one of britten's radical motorcycles is on permanent display at the museum of new zealand te papa tongarewa, in wellington, new zealand.[http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?oid=159714&coltype=history&regno=t000649 britten motorcycle at
1950_births 1995_deaths Burials_at_Waimairi_Cemetery Motorcycle_designers New_Zealand_inventors People_associated_with_the_Museum_of_New_Zealand_Te_Papa_Tongarewa People_from_Christchurch