Hall of Fame Induction for Burt Munro

Forty-five years after his death, Burt Munro continues to burn brightly in the minds of motorcyclists around the globe. The famed Indian-mounted Bonneville Speed Trials racer from New Zealand has been inducted into North Dakota’s Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame, Ultimate Motorcycling reports.

Munro was immortalised in the 2005 docudrama, The World’s Fastest Indian, where he was portrayed by Anthony Hopkins. Munro continually modified his 1920 Indian Scout, setting eight speed records in New Zealand. Born in 1899, Munro travelled across the Pacific Ocean ten times to the Bonneville Salt Flats, where he set speed records in 1962, 1966, and 1967.

“You live more in five minutes on a bike like this going flat-out than some people live in a lifetime,” the Invercargill native is claimed to have famously observed.

“Burt’s a legend,” Gary Gray, vice president – racing, technology and service for Indian Motorcycle, noted. “His accomplishments, through trials and tribulations, inspire our racing efforts today. While it may be overdue, it’s quite an achievement for Burt to be enshrined into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame, and we’re incredibly proud and grateful to celebrate Burt Munro, not just today, but every day.”

Original article by Ultimate Motorcycling, August 11, 2023.