1920 Indian Scout - The "Munro Special" Sets Landspeed Records!

This highly modified Indian Scout set three land speed records in the 1960's at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Burt Munro was in his 60's when he travelled all the way from New Zealand to compete in the Speed Way, bringing along his 40 year old Indian Scout.

With an original top speed of 55 mph (89 km/h), Munro eventually modified the engine to run at speeds close to 200 mph! The exterior shell and the aerodynamic structure of the bike coined the nickname "The Munro Special". Since then, bike enthusiasts have created several replica's of the machine and has created inspiration for such films as "The World's Fastest Indian" starring Anthony Hopkins. GO SEE IT!

The biggest two challenges for Munro to overcome while modifying his bike were his lack of money and the fact that he worked full time as a motorcycle salesman. Also suffering from angina (a heart condition) Munro faced many obstacles in his pursuit to be the fastest, but nontheless he persevered to go above and beyond and in 2006, he was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

The Munro Special is now owned by a motorcycle enthusiast in New Zealand's South Island, and is on display at E. Hayes & Sons, Invercargill.

The story its performance and long since restoration can be found here: