Herbert James "Burt" Munro will go down in history books as one of the most memorable bikers to have ever graced our roads. Addicted to speed from an early age, Burt spent the bulk of his youth with a wrench in hand, converting his quite ordinary motorcycles into two-wheeled works of art.
His hard work paid off in more ways than one and his wrench time saw him shatter every record that lay before him in the under-1000 cc category. The legend holds records that have stood the test of time, and his legacy has been immortalized by the New Zealand community as well as America’s first motorcycle company, Indian Motorcycle.
Burt Munro made such an impact on the biker community, he had a 2005 movie based on his life dubbed The World’s Fastest Indian. While the movie is not an exact play-by-play of activities in Burt’s life, it brings to light the sheer determination it took the old man to achieve greatness, crossing borders in pursuit of the fastest achievable speeds on a motorcycle, and his successes with the Bonneville speed runs.
Here is a deep dive into the legacy of Burt Munro.
Burt Munro’s Early Life
Munro was born to William Munro and Lily Agnes Robinson on 25th March 1899, alongside his twin sister who sadly didn’t make it past that day. The speedster grew up on a farm in Edendale and right away his interested in speed was unmistakable as he spent a good deal of time cutting across the farm in the family’s fastest horse.
The fledgling jokey with a penchant for the fast lane could hardly contain himself during the introduction and evolution of the automotive industry, and he did just about everything to leave the farm to experience the world. After a series of jobs and lending a hand on the family farms, he became a professional speedway rider, then at the start of the Great Depression, he found himself a job as a motorcycle salesman and mechanic. The stage was set.
Munro raced his way all the way to the top of the New Zealand motorcycle scene.
Even While Grasping At The Straws, Burt Munro Did Not Slow Down
A common narrative among those who rise to the top of racing circles is proper financing and upbringing. Munro however, was left out of this demographic as he had to claw his way through life. From 1926 he began scrapping parts using his meager motorcycle salesman salary to breath fresh life into his Indian Scout, which he had acquired in 1920 at the age of 15. Interestingly, this bike that would originally top out at 55mph went on to be upgraded for the rest of his life, alongside his 1936 Velocette MSS.
The Records That Cemented Burt Munro’s Legacy
By 1938, 18 years after he had laid his hands on the Indian Scout, Burt was quite well known in the motorcycle scene in New Zealand. Over the years he had continued to tinker with the Scout that had come in a 600cc V-twin, putting in a kerosene blow-lamp, hand-built castings, and new pistons forged to fit the over-bored cylinders. By this time, the bike was doing 90mph and had a total displacement of 1000cc. He fine-tuned almost every single aspect of the bike, including adding extra springs to handle the extra power, and changing out the sprockets for homemade versions. It wasn’t a very neat job, but it would do for his ambitions. It’s safe to say that he wasn’t an idle man.
Burt clocked his first speed record, a 120.8 mph feat in 1938 in New Zealand. He would, of course, go on to amaze even more. Rather difficult to overlook, was the fact that most of Burt’s competition would slide up next to him in professionally cut motorcycles put together by teams, while his choice of rocket appeared to be a bunch of toolshed materials stitched together into a motorcycle; they were, in fact, toolshed materials he had crafted into motorcycle parts. Much to the horror of his rivals, that didn’t stop him from leveling them on the track.
In 1962, Burt clocked a 178.95 mph speed with his 850cc bike, setting the 883 cc class record of the time.
1966 saw him hit 168.07mph in his 920cc engine, setting a 1000cc class record.
Munro set his unbeaten under 1000 cc class record of 183.59 mph in 1967. However, in his qualification race, he had pulled off an even more impressive 190.07 one-way run, which is the fastest ever official speed ever captured on an Indian. His 1967 record was later revised to 184.087mph in 2014.
The World’s Fastest Indian
In 2005, Sir Anthony Hopkins starred in The World Fastest Indian, the movie which honored Burt by putting together his Bonneville speed runs, and telling the tale of struggle, determination, and pulling off the seemingly impossible. The movie did well and inspired the Southland Motorcycle Club to create the annual Burt Munro Challenge in 2006 to honor his ingenuity and the heart he poured into motorcycles and speed.
In 2013, Indian Motorcycle also announced the production of a custom-built streamliner dubbed The Spirit Of Munro, as a tribute to Munro’s achievements with the Indian Scout.