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It is surprising to us that Kawasaki has been so tight-lipped about its upcoming Ninja ZX-25R model.

It is not like the Japanese brand has been shy about talking about the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R, instead they just don’t seem to want to say anything of substance about the machine.

Maybe it is because we already know the most important aspect about the ZX-25R – namely that it has a 250cc four-cylinder engine that revs to the moon, along with traction control and other go-fast electronics.

A special event took place earlier this year at the Ruapuna Raceway in Christchurch, New Zealand. Paying tribute to John Britten, not one, not two, but seven Britten V1000 motorcycles were on-hand to celebrate the 20th B.E.A.R.S. Sound of Thunder gathering.

Attending the occasion were Britten racers Andrew Stroud, Shaun Harris, and Loren Poole, as well as new owner of the CR&S V1000 “Black Beauty” race bike, Bob Robbins. Fans were given the special treat of two of the Britten V1000s superbikes lapping around the race track.

Undoubtedly, the day was surely a special event for those in attendance. Thankfully, Britten Motion Pictures commemorated the day with a short video, for those of us too far away to experience these special machines. Enjoy it, after the jump.

Guy Martin has had some amazing rides in his life, but we imagine this one will stick out for quite a while.

Testing the Britten V1000, ahead of the John Britten Memorial Tribute in Christchurch, Martin’s name gets added to the very small list of priviledged individuals who have ridden John Britten’s masterpiece.

The road racer has some high-praise for the now nearly quarter-century-0ld design, and makes note of how the Britten V1000 is both similar and different than superbikes of the 1990’s and superbikes of today.

Your moto-jealously starts right after the jump.

Arguably one of the most impressive motorcycles ever created, the Britten V1000 has also one of the most interesting stories. Designed and built by John Britten, an engineer from New Zealand, the V1000 had elements and ideas way ahead of its time in 1996 — such as carbon fiber wheels, frameless chassis, and Hossack front suspension.

The results were promising. The Britten V1000 won the Battle of the Twins at Daytona (1994), was 1st and 2nd in the New Zealand National Superbike Championship (1994), and set the fastest top speed at the Isle of Man TT (1993).

Unfortunately in 1995, John Britten passed away, and his loss was felt by a country and an industry. With only a handful of V1000s made, most motorcycle enthusiasts have had to glimpse these pieces of two-wheeled history standing still on a museum showroom. Not this year though.

While trolling through the doldrums of social media, I stumbled across this advertisement from the New Zealand Transport Agency about speeding, and posted it to the A&R Facebook page. The message is typical, but the execution is masterful, and so I thought it prudent to post it here as well.

You would be hard-pressed to find a motorist who doesn’t travel a comfortable margin above the speed limit at times, and while we consider that offense a casual breaking of the law, this video reminds us that the consequences are potentially less casual. So the next time you’re doing a couple clicks over the posted MPH, give this ad a thought.

For the three weeks, Asphalt & Rubber will be coming to you from New Zealand and Australia, as I’ll be taking my first true vacation in nearly six years (booyah!). The high-profile blogging lifestyle is a tough mistress, and so far this year I’ve been on the road nearly 40% of the time (that figure is pure exaggeration, though A&R‘s entire June article coverage came to you from airports, hotels, and the back of my car).

The plan for the coming weeks is for my time down under to be less of a working holiday than my trips have been in the past (like Qatar and the Isle of Man, for example), so A&R’s mix of daily news coverage will come at you in spurts, while longer op-ed pieces will try and fill-in the gaps on days where I’m riding around in Kangaroo pouches, or whatever the hell it is they do for fun around here.

Do you ever feel like your Ducati Superbike 999 just doesn’t go all the places you want to go? Are you more of a go anywhere, do anything sort of motorcyclist, but think GS-series BMW’s are for wussies? Have you ever killed a man just to watch him die? If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, then the Ducati 999 Testastretta Beach Racer might just be the all-purpose two-wheeler just for you.

Just days after WSBK wrapped up its season opener at Phillip Island, Australia, rumors are about that the Flammini Brothers are eyeing the Hampton Down circuit in New Zealand as a possible destination for the World Superbike Championship in 2012. Hampton Downs will reportedly have to increase its track length in order to qualify for FIM homologation, which should make the road course 2.4 miles long.