I remember walking into Mark and Sylvia Grinnall’s stunning Mid West Moto showroom in Stourport-on-Severn, not so long ago and being transfixed by the Spirit of Munro Streamliner inspired by a legendary motorcycle land speed record campaigner, called Herbert ‘Burt’ Munro.

I remembered a 2006 film starring Anthony Hopkins called ‘The World’s Fastest Indian’ about Munro and I’ve been a fan of his ever since. Some research also unveiled another film – this time a documentary from 1971 called: ‘Offerings to the God of Speed’, which is also well worth seeking out.

Herbert ‘Burt’ Munro was an amazing chap. He was nearly 68 when he set the ‘Up to 1000cc’ motorcycle land speed record in 1967. A record that still stands.
By http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/nor-west-news/473663, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26964005

Plus, I’ve always had a fascination with those who pursue land speed records, particularly those on two wheels and the up to 1000cc record.

Munro was born in Invercargill, New Zealand in 1899 and had at various times been a speedway rider, farmer, mechanic, motorcycle racer (the best in New Zealand for several years) and motorcycle salesman. At night he’d work all night on his 20-year-old Indian Scout 600cc bike.

Burt Munro’s amazing Munro Special (based on a 1920 Indian Scout) –

With a lack of finance and a full-time job, he followed his dreams and set off on a path that led to him taking the ‘Up to 1000cc’ world land speed record. He achieved 184.087mph in August 1967 (aged nearly 68!) at Bonneville Salt Flats. Amazingly, that record still stands.

Known to his friends and family as ‘Bert’ and accepted a shortened version of ‘Herbert’ when an American motorcycle magazine misspelt his name as ‘Burt’ he decided to use that.

Although Munro visited Bonneville fourteen times in total, setting three records in the process, his personal life wasn’t one of luxury. When he and his wife divorced he lived in a lock-up garage in Invercargill and lack of funds meant he would hand cast uprated components for his Indian Scout 600, which was originally 600cc having a top speed of 55mph. By the time he finished the ‘Munro Special’ packed 950cc and achieved 183mph on it! Burt had also created a trick triple-chain drive system, for it.

Munro died at home in New Zealand in 1978 aged 78.

In 2013 Indian Motorcycles teamed up with Bonneville legend and engineer Jeb Scolman to create the Spirit if Munro that celebrated Burt Munro’s achievement in 1967 but also showcased their then new Indian Thunder Stroke 111 engine.

This all brings me to the Spirit of Munro recreation of 2013. Indian Motorcycles, for whom the Grinnalls are a main dealer, wanted to celebrate the memory of Burt Munro with a recreation of his Munro Special and also as a vehicle to showcase their all-new Thunder Stroke 111 49-degree V-Twin engine.

They teamed up with Jeb Scolman of Jeb’s Metal and Speed based in Long Beach, California, who built the ‘SoM’ project. As a ‘streamliner’ this type of bike is usually thought of as being akin to a two-wheeled torpedo, but Indian wanted it to be more like a motorcycle.