Burt Munro - 50th Anniversary | Indian Motorcycle (2024)

FAQs

What happened to Burt Munro's Indian Motorcycle? ›

In its final stages, the Indian's displacement was 950 cc (as built it was 600 cc) and was driven by a triple chain drive system. The "Munro Special," as Munro called his bike, is now owned by Neville Hayes, in New Zealand's South Island, and is on display at E Hayes & Sons, Invercargill.

In 1967, 68-year-old New Zealand native Burt Munro made motorcycle history by setting a new official land speed record - 184.087 mph with unofficial top speed of 205.67 mph—when he raced his heavily modified 1920 Indian Scout Streamliner across the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, U.S.A. Now, to celebrate the 50th ...

Burt Munro

After a lifetime perfecting his classic 1920 Indian motorcycle, Munro sets off from New Zealand to test his bike at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. With all odds against him, Munro wins support from unusual allies in his quest to set a new speed record.

In the movie, Burt is trying to break the 200 mph (322 km/h) barrier. In reality, the speed was a bit lower. Munro only topped 200 mph in unofficial run. In timed runs, he did 190 mph (306 km/h) in qualification while his final average speed of the two record runs was 183.59 mph or 295.453 km/h.

Members in North America are required to ride U.S.-built motorcycles; Harley-Davidson bikes are most common in the club, although other American brands, such as Victory and Indian, are also permitted.

The fastest motorcycles that are also street-legal have top speeds of around 250 mph. But all that is nothing compared to the motorcycle land speed record of 376.363 mph! The current record was set by rider Rocky Robinson on September 25, 2010, in Utah. Read on to learn how Robinson made motorcycle history.

Today, E Hayes and Sons are the proud and respectful custodians of Burt Munro's legacy through our ownership of his Authentic, Original and Legendary 1920 Indian Scout. This remarkable machine is on display along with many other items of memorabilia here in our store for you to share - where Burt himself left them.

In 1967, Munro coaxed his beloved streamlined Indian to 183.58 mph. That set a record in the category of "streamlined motorcycles under 1,000cc." To qualify, he made a one-way run of 190.07 mph, the fastest ever officially recorded speed on an Indian.

Sir Anthony Hopkins was 68 years old when he shot this movie (Born 1937, movie filmed in 2005).

The 1920 Indian Scout 'Burt Munro Special' — the 1920 Indian Scout portrayed in the film — started life as a 600 cc motorcycle with a designed top speed of 55 mph. Munro's streamlined record-setter was substantially modified with capacity being increased to 950 cc, and a recorded speed of 205 mph.

Where was the world's fastest Indian shot? ›

The World's Fastest Indian, New Zealand

The crew spent several weeks at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah before moving to New Zealand to film the rest of the movie over 11 weeks in 2004.

The Gilroy Indians were produced from 1999 to 2003, with several models introduced during this time, including the Indian Scout, Indian Chief, and Indian Spirit. However, financial difficulties and quality control issues eventually led to the closure of the Gilroy factory in 2003.

Indian Motorcycle (or Indian) is an American brand of motorcycles owned and produced by American automotive manufacturer Polaris Inc. Independent operations ended in 1953; resumed operations in 1999 in Gilroy, CA. Purchased by Polaris Industries in 2011.

Bobby Seeger and Elisa Seeger, major players in the Indian Larry bike shop and the driving force behind the creative and diverse line of Indian Larry merchandise continue to offer the public an opportunity to own something special.