Burt Munro Statue

(Photo by Todd DeFeo/The DeFeo Groupe)

Overview

The Burt Munro statue is a bronze monument in Invercargill, New Zealand, honoring motorcycle racer Burt Munro. Unveiled in November 2011, the statue stands outside Queens Park near the Feldwick Gates.

Created by bronze sculptor Roddy McMillan of McMillan Art, the work took about two years of full-time sculpting to complete. The sculpture is approximately 4.5 meters long and about 7% larger than life size. It depicts Munro crouched over his modified 1920 Indian motorcycle.

Munro was born on March 25, 1899, and became known internationally for his attempts to set motorcycle speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. On August 26, 1967, he set a speed record in the 1,000-cubic-centimeter Streamliner Modified Fuel category while riding his extensively modified Indian motorcycle. Munro was 68 years old, and the motorcycle was 47 years old. The record remained standing as of 2026.

Munro died on January 6, 1978. His achievements and association with Invercargill later gained wider recognition through accounts of his record attempts and the film “The World’s Fastest Indian.”

Quick Facts

Status
Existing
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Sightseers’ Delight started publishing in June 2016. The site, published by The DeFeo Groupe, collects and curates content about places where historical events large and small happened. The site builds off the legacy of The Travel Trolley, which launched in June 2009. The site aimed to be a virtual version of the trolley tours offered in so many cities.