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The World's Fastest Indian movie / three threads combined

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#41 · (Edited)
I’d heard they’d opened up a museum @ Bonneville Salt Flats. I stopped there last summer. I guess the museum is just in the planning and fund raising stages. I think Munro’s record still stands.
 
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#43 ·
Rusty Arse said:
I’d heard they’d opened up a museum @ Bonneville Salt Flats. I stopped there last summer. I guess the museum is just in the planning and fund raising stages. I think Munro’s record still stands.
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Yes, you can look in the AMA records on-line. I think that if you go to Bonneville trying to break it you would have some heavy "resistance" from the organizers and the participants who hold him in high regard.
 
#44 ·
VetteGuy said:
Yes, you can look in the AMA records on-line. I think that if you go to Bonneville trying to break it you would have some heavy "resistance" from the organizers and the participants who hold him in high regard.
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Sadly Bonneville has lost about 2/3 of their track over the years. Speed Week didn’t even happen last year.
 
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#45 · (Edited)
If you ever get the chance, make sure to visit the E-Hayes and Sons hardware store in Invercargill, New Zealand. As well as being a fully stocked hardware store, they also have a sizeable motor museum, including much of Burt Munro's original gear, his 1936 Velocette, and of course his 1920 Indian Scout.* There's also the actual car and trailer from Roger Donaldson's World's Fastest Indian movie (starring Sir Anthony Hopkins), and a bunch of high quality brand merchandise that you won't find anywhere else, not even from Indian themselves. Alternatively, have a read of great biographies like One Good Run, and Burt Munro: The Lost Interviews, available at many online book-stores. Roger Donaldson's original documentary "Offerings to the Gods of Speed" that preceded/inspired The World's Fastest Indian movie, can be found quite easily on YouTube.

In addition to the Thunderstroke-powered partial-streamliner that (Polaris) Indian built for promotional purposes, Indian has honoured Burt's achievements with a performance-modified 2017 Scout "Spirit of Munro," piloted by Burt's "Grand Nephew" (in actual lineage terms cousin twice-removed), Lee Munro. Lee has continued the family legacy at Bonneville, and at the dry-lake in El Mirage, CA. Set in 2018, Lee holds the Partial Streamliner class land speed record of 186.681 mph, but has managed higher speeds above 192 mph on one-way runs, and hopes to break 200 mph in the right salt and weather conditions.

*Or at least the original engine. In point of fact, it was fitted to a second frame so that Burt didn't have to keep swapping out to his faithful Velocette for testing, once he started the practice of leaving the original frame in the US, and only transporting the now highly-customised, hand-rebuilt motor on each subsequent trans-pacific trip. The original frame and restored shell, plus a second motor that he built, is part of a travelling display that otherwise resides in the US. Thus is can be said that there are two Munro Special Scouts in existence.

Some photos to enjoy!

Burt and the original Munro Special at Bonneville, 1963. Recolouring of the original B&W photo by me using generative AI.
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Original 1920 Indian Scout engine modified by Burt for land-speed record attempts.
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One of the streamliner shells built for The World's Fastest Indian movie, on display at E-Hayes & Sons Hardware, Invercargill, NZ. At 6'2", 95kg, I'm not even close to fitting inside!
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Memorial to Burt at the Invercargill Botanic Gardens
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Burt's modified original frame, restored streamliner shell, and replacement engine. Now a travelling display (taken in Brisbane Australia, 2021)
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Lee Munro at Bonneville aboard the Spirit of Munro 2017 Indian Scout.
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#46 · (Edited)
NZCam said:
If you ever get the chance, make sure to visit the E-Hayes and Sons hardware store in Invercargill, New Zealand.....
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Terrific writeup, NZCam! Thanks for adding to the conversation with it here.

And now, what I've always looked forward to would be a film about another of your fellow countrymen and another who made a major contribution upon the history of motorcycling. Yep, I'm talkin' about John Britten here. Wouldn't that be cool! Well, except of course for what would have to be a sad ending to the movie and due to his untimely death.

(...say, maybe you'd know...I've heard that there was a time in which Britten had been in talks with someone about using a variation of his V1000's engine to power a to-be-revived Indian brand...know anything about this?)
 
#47 ·
Dargo said:
Terrific writeup, NZCam! Thanks for adding to the conversation with it here.

(...and now, what I've always looked forward to would be a film about another of your fellow countrymen and another who made a major contribution upon the history of motorcycling...yep, I'm talkin' about John Britten here...wouldn't that be cool!)
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Most welcome! There's so much more to the Munro legacy, I've barely scratched the surface.

100% Agree a John Britten bio-pic would be a great idea... I wonder if Henry Cavill would be down to play the lead role?

John Britten's V-1000 Superbike in the Te Papa Museum, Wellington NZ.
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#48 ·
I've actually witnessed his final No.10 (and the last I've heard was/is owned by a father and son who own and operate the Solvang California Motorcycle Museum) doing three very fast exhibition laps on SoCal's Willow Springs racetrack. Was standing right next to it as they placed the starter unit under its rear wheel and then popped the clutch to fire it to life.

What an amazing sound it made as it flew past the stands while the guy's son was astride it. The sound it emitting sounding to me like a combination between a modern Ducati twin and an Harley XR750.

(...I'll never forget it)
 
#51 ·
I always enjoyed the tribute to the 'ole man in the shop' that... well I say we, but most of us grew up with. The 1 liners, etc. Offerings to the god's of speedBrought back alot of memories growing up in shops and what not.

"Spectacles, testicles, wallet, watch."

"If you don't go when you wanna go then when you do you go you've found you've gone."

"You've got a flat tire!" "Well the good news is it's only flat on the bottom!"
 
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#52 ·
I’ve watched this movie at least 10 times, and it never gets old… I watched it again last night, it’s on Pluto for those looking for,it. It’s not on Netflix or Hulu, either.
Charlie
 
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#56 · (Edited)
Cempty said:
I was at Walmart today. Parked my CBDH and was about to go inside. An old gentleman approached me. He told me his dad rode an Indian. This gentleman was in his 70s or 80s so his dads bike must have been really old.
Anyway he recommended I watch this movie. Its based on a true story. Its a really good movie. I recommend you watch it.
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i may not be as old as that man but i will be 70 in a few months and i ride a 2019 Chief Dark Horse. but here is the treat. one day while out for a little ride, going home from Pensacola, i see in my mirror, an older man on a vintage Indian Chief coming up on my left side. what a treat, lthis bike was probably early 1950's vintage and close to my year of birth (1953).. luckily i had my sportcam with me so i pulled it out of my pocket and got some hand hold video of him riding by. when he passed me the sound of his mufflers was awesome! here is the link:
 
#57 ·
Cempty said:
I was at Walmart today. Parked my CBDH and was about to go inside. An old gentleman approached me. He told me his dad rode an Indian. This gentleman was in his 70s or 80s so his dads bike must have been really old.
Anyway he recommended I watch this movie. Its based on a true story. Its a really good movie. I recommend you watch it.
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Where's the link, bro?
 
#59 ·
I own a copy of the movie. As an owner I thought I just had to have it and of course I like it.
 
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#60 ·
Hi
Yep sure is a fantastic movie. While in New Zealand a few years ago, we were at a New Year's Eve party on South Island with my wife and I wearing Indian jackets etc. A roughly 80+ year old woman also asked if we had seen the movie - to which we replied we love it. Well then she asked, do you remember the scene on the beach where Bert Munroe ride his bike along the sand flats with his girlfriend on the back? Of course, I replied - to which she said "I am that girl - Burt Munroe's girlfriend". WOW was my reaction and we exchange Indian stories into the night. Very fond memories for me.
Steve 'Hoddo'
 
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