Burt Munro's Indian Scout

Django

Django

Road warrior
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Currently I'm around Sölden in the Austrian Alps (Ötztal) in vacation, hiking with spouse and dog.

Yesterday, waiting for the bus in Obergurgl I discovered out of a sudden a small exibition of historical Indians in the building next to me. And there it was, the Indian of Burt Munro, still holding the world record for motorcycles below 1,000 ccm! Unbelievable.

47a3d8707a2957da0e6a970f2de058cc.jpg
 
Awesome find. Neat movie too (World's Fastest Indian)
 
Considering your location, I wonder if the bike was being prepared for display at the TOP motorcycle museum on Timmelsjoch, just up the pass from you, which tragically burned down several months ago, taking its priceless and spectacular collection of motorcycles with it. When I was at the museum in August 2019, the Munro bike was not there, but I can’t think of a more renowned and celebrated location to exhibit such a storied and historic motorcycle. It must be more than a coincidence that you came across it so near the museum location. Or, perhaps the bike was in transit to the museum just before the inferno.
 
@Django
was there any explanation why the Aussy born Indian m/c, ended up in Austria ? In your picture the full fairing looks quite real, but could it be a replica?
If you can, please post the exact address of your sighting.
 
Upon closer inspection of the photo, it appears the bike is indeed headed to the TOP museum, which is reportedly reopening this coming winter with 200 bikes from collectors around the world. Very cool!
Munro’s 1920 Indian was 47 years old when he set the speed record at Bonneville in 1967. Everything about the bike, although heavily modified, was prehistoric. It seems like an impossible feat.

It’s weird to think that it’d be no different than riding the snot out of a “modern and reliable” ‘74 CB750 today. It’s the same 47-year span of time!
 
Its likely its not, but is!

So where’s the bike now?

The bike that Burt Munro devoted his life to now sits in a hardware store in Invercargill, New Zealand, surrounded by lawnmowers and BBQ sets. The store’s late owner, Irving Hayes, bought his old friend’s bike after Munro passed away and put it in his shop – E. Hayes & Sons Ltd. His grandson now continues that tradition. “The most authentic Munro Special is here in Invercargill,” John Munro says. “The first time Dad took his bike to Bonneville he brought it back with him again but that proved too expensive, so in future he left the frame and shell over there and only brought the engine and gearbox back each time. He had another engine here as well and when he sold a bike to collector Dean Hensley in the USA, he fancied it all up and chromed it and painted it. But the bike here in Invercargill is the real McCoy – it still has the original engine number on it.”

I had a recollection of the bike being in NZ, the magazine article above my provide an explanation as to how Burts bike can be in two places at once.

Regards NRTM
 
Earlier this year there was an exhibition of motorcycles at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art. One of the exhibits was one of Bert Munro's Indians. I've included some pictures I took below. For the arty photos curated by the gallery, see here.

The notes accompanying the exhibit (also pictured below) confirm noroomtomoove's post that one of the two extant Munro specials is in Invergargill, New Zealand. However, the exhibition notes claim there were two Munro Specials and that the other is part of the Clyde Crouch Collection (nice alliteration) in the USA. It is claimed the one in the Crouch Collection is the one on which Munro made his record setting run. But who'd know.

In any event, it seems likely that the one Django has pictured is from the Crouch Collection.

[url=https://postimg.cc/V5TjRmS6]

[url=https://postimg.cc/qNcy4K1h]

[url=https://postimg.cc/SnbCBdfb]

[url=https://postimg.cc/zVgT26Wk]

The material posted by QAGOMA is still on the web. If you're interested, check out the exhibits [url=https://motogoma.art]here.

j3gq, Mr Munro hailed from New Zealand and not Australia. While we'd love to claim him, our NZ cousins would be irritated if we did. Also from NZ was the remarkable John Britten who created this extraordinary motorcycle:
[url=https://postimg.cc/DJ4zyk7j]

There's more information about it and pictures [url=https://motogoma.art/britten-v1000]here.
 
Thanks Cormanus, this is hugely informative. I’d never seen the cutaway — it’s really quite amazing what he accomplished with such an unlikely motorbike.
 
Never seen the cutaway.. exactly what I was just thinking, and gotta say I've always wondered what those bikes look like on the inside, and now that I've seen it, gotta say it makes sense. Again I'm not an engineer so I don't understand why the need for the long fairing, but it's not my thing to understand, I'm perfectly happy with admiring the whole thing.
Thanks Cormanus

'14 CB1100 STD 5 speed
 
Fora, maybe? But forums is better in the contemporary vernacular, I think.
 
tod.branko_imp said:
Never seen the cutaway.. exactly what I was just thinking, and gotta say I've always wondered what those bikes look like on the inside, and now that I've seen it, gotta say it makes sense. Again I'm not an engineer so I don't understand why the need for the long fairing, but it's not my thing to understand, I'm perfectly happy with admiring the whole thing.
Thanks Cormanus

'14 CB1100 STD 5 speed
Click to expand...
Aerodynamics. The cigar shape goes into the wind well, and lets the wind pass smoothly over the sides before tapering off causing little disturbance at the rear.
Doesn't do well with side wind gusts however and will roll over very quickly.

Ever see the Dust Bin GP 500 Moto Guzzi racer from the 50's?Same principal only in a road racer

Moto Guzzi V8 - Nearly 300km/h in 1957 on a 500cc four-stroke
 
Thread starter
j3gq_imp said:
@Django
was there any explanation why the Aussy born Indian m/c, ended up in Austria ? In your picture the full fairing looks quite real, but could it be a replica?
If you can, please post the exact address of your sighting.
Click to expand...
The Indians were shown in a showcase of the Obergurgl Carat, a conference place here in the village Obergurgl.

Google Maps

@LongRanger: yes, the museum will reopen this winter in Obergurgl. Meanwhile the objects are distributed in halls and places around.

https://www.timmelsjoch.com/en/motorcycle-museum/
 
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