The John Britten story is simply amazing. If you visit The Kneeslider, you're probably aware that he designed and built the motorcycle that bears his name, but until watching this DVD, I didn't really know many of the details about the person behind the bike and the team of people he assembled to create this world class racer. John Britten was from New Zealand, and as the film points out, it's a very long way to anywhere when you need spare parts, so the population of the island has become quite the nation of do it yourselfers, fixing, modifying or making from scratch and John was right up there at the top of that group. He started with go karts, then found an old Indian Scout which he restored, followed by an old International truck which he dragged out of a swamp and fully restored. His house was converted from a stable and he turned it into a stunning place and when he couldn't find what he wanted, like cabinet handles or plumbing fixtures, he simply designed what he needed and cast them up. It takes about 2 minutes of watching this before you're totally engrossed, the range of skills and knowledge involved in creating the Britten V-1000 is immense, as will be your respect for what he did. The engine was designed and built from scratch, creating the molds and casting the metal parts in his garage. The body, suspension, literally almost everything was built right there! Britten wanted to race against the best from around the world and he knew you weren't going to beat the factory teams at their own game, so he figured he would just build a better bike, and he did. Watching the Britten power wheelie while passing a Ducati at high speed, the other racer in full tuck as the homebuilt Britten motors on by is pretty darned impressive. The Britten V-1000 itself is mechanical eye candy, a perfect example of the idea that great engineering looks good and something John Britten was aware of, he worked hard to make it look right. What a combination, great looks and high performance, something many attempt but few pull off. It is truly unfortunate that cancer claimed John Britten so young at the age of 45. As many have so often wondered, what else might he have accomplished had he had more years to develop his ideas. The underlying story here that became so very apparent to me was how John Britten exemplified the "doer" attitude. The words "can't be done" weren't part of his vocabulary and no matter how many obstacles appeared in his path, he kept moving forward. This DVD is a remastered version of the VHS tape that was available in the past. It also has some additional items not on the old tape, there is on board video at Ruapuna and the Isle of Man as well as a photo slide show. There's a lot of commentary by John Britten throughout which gives you a sense of who he was and you see him working with his team under extraordinary time pressure to finish the bike before Daytona. If you like The Kneeslider and the kinds of bikes we feature here, if you love the idea of building mechanical things, if workshops and engineering are words that make you sit up and take notice, and above all, if you like the positive "doer" attitude, buy this DVD. I recommend it without reservation. --The KneesliderIn 1990, a one-man-band race team in New Zealand attempted to take on the rest of the world in the battle of the twins series. The Britten V1000 was the result, and this DVD tells the story of the bike and the man behind it... John Britten was a creative and talented engineer, a New Zealander who worked in a wide range of fields including mechanical engineering, pattern design, metal spinning, road building, glass shaping and - inevitably - motorcycle development. Britten started work on his own racing motorcycle in the late 1980s, creating bodywork for a bevel-drive Ducati. Unable to make the Ducati motor reliable enough for regular racing, Britten searched for a replacement and, after trying a couple of local alternatives (there aren't too many motorcycle manufacturers in NZ…), decided to build his own. This film picks up the story of the Britten V1000 and its development at the start of the 1990s. Britten designed the bike from scratch with a view to taking on the factory teams which dominated  America's Battle of the Twins at Daytona. We see John Britten in his home workshop, creating the shape of his racer out of wire and then painstakingly building up the bodywork from lightweight carbon fibre composites. Britten's design used the engine as a stressed member and so was effectively 'frameless', and he pushed the boundaries of the use of carbon fibre to include the wheel rims, fasteners, front forks and swinging arm at a time when this material was scarcely seen, even on the most expensive prestige motorcycles. The V1000 was remarkable in many other ways; the shock absorber lives not at the back of the bike but in front of the engine. The radiator was located under the saddle. Britten utilised a sophisticated (for the time) data management system which recorded what was happening in the engine. Very few components came from the parts-bin shelf, like the tyres, monoshock, brakes and gearbox. Almost everything else on the V1000 was conceived in Britten's mind, and then turned into reality. A quietly spoken man, Britten played down the number of hours and the amount of effort he dedicated to the bike's design. His friends, who joined him on turning a dream into reality and spent much of their own spare time in his workshop, are happier to talk on camera about Britten's talents, skill and determination. He designed the engine, drew his own blueprints and even cast his own steel (there's an entertaining sequence about heating and quenching metals - don't do this at home, kiddies!). To make the most of various racing regulations Britten built two versions of his engine, one at 1000cc and an 1100cc five-vale variant which output around 170bhp. As is the way with all projects, when the Daytona deadline loomed the bike was nowhere near ready. At its first test outing the V1000 spat off and hospitalised the test rider - something of an ominous start - when the funky carbonfibre front end revealed its limitations. Despite this set back the bike was repaired and finished just in time to be shipped to America for the race against the fastest proddie racing twins in the world. You might think that a home-built bike would stand no chance against the Ducati effort at a time when the Italian firm's twins ran away with most championships but, despite endless mishaps and last minute panics, the V1000 emphatically proved John Britten's point. The film then follows the Britten team as they raise funding with a European partner and come to the Isle of Man to race the TT circuit. It doesn't flinch away from the stark truth of motorcycle racing - that accidents happen and not everyone walks away from them. Britten talks frankly about dealing with a major incident, and we hear from the wife of one racer who shares her concerns every time her husband takes to the track. This isn't a fairy story, it is real life. --Realclassic UKThe story of one of the motorcycling world s greatest heroes, New Zealander John Britten, is being released once again; this time completely remastered and with some mouthwatering specials such as onboard track footage of Isle of Man and Ruapuna races. The new edition of One Man s Dream DVD also includes a photo slideshow and an interview with the filmmakers. This video document depicting life of an ingenious engineer, tragically deceased John Britten, is a must-have for any motorcycling enthusiast. It is an amazing story of a man dreaming of conquering the world of racing from his backyard and eventually succeeding. The film follows John and a couple of his mates building a racing motorcycle from scratch and racing it against big factory teams such as Ducati. One of the most memorable moments of the film is Britten V1000 rider Andrew Stroud pulling a big wheelie alongside the leading Ducati in the Battle of Twins at Daytona. In spite of being old enough to vote, the Britten V1000 motorcycle is by no means obsolete. Its design features such as frameless building and carbon-fiber-everything are considered to be exotic even by today s standards. It is even more amazing when you realize that everything was designed and produced at home on a tight budget. Nothing will seem impossible after watching this outstanding documentary. --2 Wheel Tuesday