This dense salt pan is the remnants of an ancient lake and is so flat that the curvature of the Earth is noticeable. The Bonneville Salt Flats are located in Utah, United States, about 160 kilometres west of Salt Lake City.Being of modest means, Bert Munro made his own barrels, pistons, flywheels, cams and followers, lubrication system, and even carved the tread off normal tyres with a kitchen knife to make high speed slicks.The engine in this motorcycle is so delicate that it had to be stripped completely after every two or three runs.Production: Special, competition Interesting facts Indian Scout Special 1920 (engine) / Collection: Clyde Crouch / Photographs: Robert LaPrelle Specifications RELATED: Read more about the bikes in ‘THE MOTORCYCLE’ exhibition Two original ‘Burt Munro Special’ machines were built – one in New Zealand and one in the United States – with one engine travelling back and forth according to Munro’s racing schedule.ĭELVE DEEPER: Browse a LIST OF MOTORCYCLES The original 1920 Scout was barely capable of a top speed of 96 km/h, but Munro continuously tuned the engine, making every single component as light as possible by hand, and installed it in a streamlined chassis of his own design. On this run, Munro set the land speed record of 296 km/h for a motorcycle under 1000 cc, a record that remains unbroken. New Zealander Burt Munro rode this highly modified motorcycle on his final speed run at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, United States. Installation view of ‘The Motorcycle: Design, Art, Desire’, Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), Brisbane highlighting the Indian Scout Special on display / Photograph: Natasha Harth © QAGOMA Indian Scout Special 1920 (Engine) Why didn’t he just buy a faster bike? He just liked the personal challenge of making an old bike go faster. Bert Munro, a man who never let the dreams of youth fade, was 68 and riding a 47-year-old modified 1920 Indian Scout, when despite the odds, he achieved the land-speed record for a motorcycle under 1000 cc to make motorcycle history in 1967.
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