The World’s Fastest Indian

Doug McIntyre reminded us that we must go to Invercargill if for nothing else to see the original Indian motorcyle ridden by Burt Munro who holds the under-1000cc world record at 183.586 mph . If you haven’t seen “The World’s Fastest Indian” it’s a great flick and will make you want to come to Invercargill (which he only spells with one “l” to save on ink–gives you an idea of what kind of character this guy was). We started off the day in Invercargill at the local museum watching a short documentary about Mr. Munro (it’s in the special features of the DVD if you rent it) and looking at photos and replicas of his bikes. But we wanted more so we sought out the original motorcycle housed at a local hardware store. It was bit weird walking into a hardware store to look at a display of old motorcycles, but it was a regular occurence in this town. We spent about 45 minutes admiring the collection of bikes. The owner of the hardware store, Norman Hayes, had supported Burt’s efforts and when Burt became ill and could no longer ride, he sold them to the owner knowing the bike would remain in the Southland where he wanted it. Norman Hayes was also a tinkerer and motorcycle enthusiast which was apparent from the size of his collection on display. There was even a one of a kind engine he created out of hardware and household parts.

We have a complete gallery of photos from the day on Flickr if you want the whole show.