How A 1920 Scout Streamliner Became The Fastest Indian Motorcycle In History

Indian Motorcycles, a company that still makes its motorcycles in America, has produced some of the most iconic bikes ever made. One of the fastest was a modified 1920 Indian Scout Streamliner, which entered the history books in 1967. 68-year-old Burt Munro saddled up and tipped the speedometer over 184 miles per hour. He also hit an unofficial top speed of 205.67 miles per hour. These rides took place at the Bonneville Salt Flats, home to the Bonneville Speedway, after years of relentless work on a motorcycle that once topped out at 55 miles per hour.

Munro's Scout, called the "Munro Special," was the result of years of modifications. Those mods included a cut-down Ford truck axle which became the Scout's new rods. Munro also changed the bike's overhead valves to side valves, and even hand-built his own cams. He spent years improving his bike, and setting land speed records in Australia, and his home country of New Zealand. It all lead to his record-setting 1967 run on a Scout that was almost entirely custom built.

Munro didn't have a corporate sponsor to bankroll him, and he didn't have a state-of-the-art garage maxed out with tools. All he had was the know-how and determination to make his Scout do things that had never been done before. Munro's career and legendary run was later immortalized in "The World's Fastest Indian," a 2005 movie starring Anthony Hopkins. Munro was also inducted to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame the following year.

Burt Munro's grand-nephew Lee Munro, also a competitive racer, took his own modified Indian motorcycle to the Bonneville Salt Flats in September of 2017. Lee's bike, dubbed the "Spirit of Munro," incorporated some design inspiration from Burt's iconic Scout, the "Munro Special." The new bike's modifications and bigger engine lead to Lee hitting 191 miles per hour. While that number topped Burt's record of 184, Lee's bike was in a different weight class with a different size engine.

Beyond the Munro family, Indian's racing legacy is built on a long line of legendary riders. One of those riders is "Iron Man" Ed Kretz, who became one of motorcycle racing's first breakout stars, with wins in nearly every major event in the U.S. from the late 1930s through the 1940s. He also won the first Daytona 200 in 1937. Following him was the Indian Wrecking Crew, a group of riders who tore up the track on both the road and the dirt. They dominated motorcycle racing over the next 10 years, cementing Indian's place in racing history. The Wrecking Crew name was revived by Indian in 2016 for a brand new team of riders, in tribute to the originals.

Indian Motorcycles continues to push the envelope today, with bikes like the Challenger, the FTR SuperHooligan, and the FTR750. The riders on these bikes have brought home multiple championships through the years, in events like the American Flat Track series, and the King of the Baggers competitions.