Munro's father never supported his wish to see the world outside his farm, which gave rise to Munro’s passion for motorbikes. Munro was over the moon with his new purchase. “We (were) greeted by a scruffy elderly gentleman with a wicked twinkle in his eyes and a broad, winning smile. Using his Munro Special set speed records in New Zealand races, starting with New Zealand open road record. Read more. In 1967, Burt Munro made his final trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats. It was about being quick after all, and not about stopping. So he decided to start modifying. Beautiful interpretation of the Yamaha XJR1300 by Speed Tractor Tokyo. When he returned to Tappers where he would stay for the next four years, he no longer worked as a salesman, but as workshop foreman. Burt Munro was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2006, a tribute to the pursuit begun eight decades earlier. Somehow he managed to bypass the fee and Burt could travel towards Speed Week. Dedication to motorcyclesMunro quit working in the late 1940s so he could devote his time fully to improving his Indian and Velocette racing bikes. Roger Donaldson (1971). One of his dreams was to run his homebuilt 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle, dubbed the Munro Special, on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. His excitement at seeing the seemingly endless Salt Flats of Bonneville made him realize that this was the place to be, and he vowed to return with the Indian Scout; name the Munro Special. His speed was incredible and he was the fastest racer. Your email address will not be published. ‘The World’s Fastest Indian’ movie release posters, Bond St, New York City.Photo Brian Sweeney, 2005. According to his friend George Begg this was only one of many differences in the partnership, starting from when Burt arrived three months late for the starting date of the job itself. On a 48-year-old Indian Scout, the 68-year-old Munro thundered down the Salt Lake track at 184.07mph to set a world record speed in the under 1000cc streamliner class. Again – he could not repair the bike in time to have a go at the record 24 hours later. In order to pay for his ocean crossing, Munro worked as the ship’s cook. Updated record certificate, 1967, Permission Munro Family Collection. Some even say that he was going 195mph at one point. Scheduling regular service appointments helps keep your motorcycle at peak performance, operating correctly and safely. Burt Munro, 1977, with his beloved Indian – Permission Norman Hayes, Neville Hayes Collection. A storm made a race impossible and caused the Speed Week to be delayed. His requests got declined, which is why Burt settled for a single car garage where he lived and worked from then on. He could not see where he was or where he was going. In 1953 he and his Indian raced to 124.138 mph at the NZ Beach Open Capacity Flying Half-Mile, which he would raise to 131.380 mph on February 9, 1957. With a combined age of over 100, Munro and his Indian were an unlikely duo. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2006. Without any distractions, he embarked on a ten-year stint of 16-hour days. He worked as a farmhand and had developed an interest in racing horses when he saw them galloping across the farm, though he never pursued it. Helpful. In one of his scrapbooks Burt recalls that his father was not happy about his attempts. In 1967, Munro coaxed his beloved streamlined Indian to 183.58 mph. His Indian already had been strained from the high speeds and going even faster now was an additional strain on the engine. When he was born, doctors did not have a lot of confidence in Burt’s survival as his twin sister was still born. It’s been 50 years since Burt Munro set a new land speed record and made history. Still competing in local events, his ability for pushing the trusty Scout to faster and faster speeds was gaining him a well-earned reputation throughout New Zealand. 15 miles per hour being the speed limit at that time. He is said to have tested his health by running up an escalator going down – if he could beat the escalator he was still fit to go for races. The movie, starring Anthony Hopkins and directed by Roger Donaldson, was met with favorable reviews. It wasn’t until the release of Roger Donaldson’s movie the ‘World’s Fastest Indian,’ that the world finally appreciated the unassuming Kiwi’s mechanical genius and dedication to the pursuit of speed. Then she got the wobbles just over half way through the run. His focus and innovation paid off as he set an official land speed record of 184.087 mph, and posted an unofficial top speed of 205.67 mph. However, he was unable to turn the Indian quickly as it did not have proper brakes. The New Zealander was not too familiar with the race course, which is why on that return run, he got confused by the now descending mileage boards. Burt Munro passed away of natural causes on 6 January 1978; he was 78 years old. We were so far off the black line that we missed a steel marker stake by inches. He formed a new goal—to race on the flat, expansive Bonneville Salt Flats. From then on Burt took things a bit easier. The opposite was true in America, so taking his first vacation in over 30 years, Munro once more used every cent he had taking a tramp steamer to the US. When he received a letter from his father to come home and help on the new farm in South Invercargill, he returned dutifully to help his family. In 1951 Burt purchased new land on Bainfield Road, Invercargill. Burt, however, already seemed to display the resilient streaks he was known for later and against the odds survived. The stature is worth a brief stop at Queen's Park. This design allowed for a much more robust geared primary drive for the 3-speed hand change box. The machine was built by hand “by Jeb Scolman of Jeb’s Metal and Speed in Long Beach, California. Margaret told Roger Donaldson that she “used to worry about him living in that shed (but…) he didn’t spend the winters there – he would go away to the States about April or May each year and come back around November. Used parts of motorbikes were lined up on a shelf, which he called “Offerings to the God of Speed”. However, what was most remarkable about Burt’s journeys, was that no matter what happened to him, Burt always found a solution and never gave up. It was designed from the ground up to house the new Thunder Stroke™ 111 engine and showcase its awe-inspiring power and performance.”, On behalf of his friends Frank Oddo wrote in his obituary “Even though most of his life was well spent some ten thousand miles away, he touched ours more than a little.
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