The Legacy of Burt Munro

Many people believe that our family connection to Burt Munro began in 1977, when Burt sold his prized 1920 Indian Scout - the 'Munro Special' - to my father Norman Hayes and myself, for permanent display in our store.

But our close friendship with this remarkable Southlander began many years earlier, when Burt first met my grandfather Irving Hayes, founder of our iconic hardware store. Irving began supporting Burt’s speed-record attempts by funding his trips to the United States.

Our family has always enjoyed a passion for motor racing and speed and our friendship with Burt continued, with my father Norman and myself sharing his enthusiasm, innovation and determination to realise his dreams.

Those dreams finally became real on the Salt Flats of Bonneville in August 1967 before being immortalised in Roger Donaldson’s 2005 movie ‘The World’s Fastest Indian’, which took Burt’s story to the world.

Today, E Hayes and Sons are the proud and respectful custodians of Burt Munro’s legacy through our ownership of his Authentic, Original and Legendary 1920 Indian Scout.  This remarkable machine is on display along with many other items of memorabilia here in our store for you to share - where Burt himself left them.

Neville Hayes (1954 - 2024)
Managing Director

The Burt Munro story

Herbert ('Burt') James Munro was born on the 25th March 1899 at Edendale, a country town 30km from Invercargill, New Zealand.

Burt bought his Indian motorbike new in 1920 as a standard model Indian Scout which had a side-valve engine of 600cc capacity. The price was ₤120 with acetylene lighting although he could have bought an electric lighting model but it was quite a bit more expensive at the time. The engine number was 50R627.

The Indian Scout was very advanced for it’s time with a helical gear transmission and a mechanical oil pump working on a total loss system. The top speed was in the region of 60mph.

In the 1920′s Burt started tuning the bike for speed and eventually had it exceeding 90mph in side-valve form.

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Nothing beats the Original.

The remarkable story of Burt Munro is echoed throughout our store in a range of unique exhibits and displays which can only be fully experienced here.

From engine parts which Burt hand-made in his workshop, to his other prized machine: a 1936 MSS 500 Velocette, modified for speed of course, it's all here and FREE for you to see and enjoy during normal shop hours.

You'll find original Burt Munro memorabilia in every corner of our shop, as well as replica items and props from Roger Donaldson's 2005 movie 'The World's Fastest Indian', the film which carried Burt's inspirational story around the world.

Here, you can imagine for yourself what it was like for Burt on the Bonneville Salt Flats by squeezing yourself into a full size replica of his Streamliner for a photo opportunity you'll always remember.