jayleno and the special

[Scott Parker]

Some intersting videos of Jay at pebble beach with The "Munro Special"..http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/...h_2010/1248351

[Scott Parker]

here is the other one..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW9Y_RwEBgw

[Sargehere]

Thanx for the videos, Scott! You always bring interesting vids into discussions.

[redfred84]

Pebble Beach Concours

Great Stuff Scott! Thanks for sharing these videos for those of us who don't do TV. It was great to see our bikes finally recognized by the Pebble Beach Concours! Pebble is the ultimate venue of these events, and the bikes actually stole the show this year. Next year will feature bikes of Italian manufacture.
Thanks, RF.

[Scott Parker]

glad you guys enjoy what I have to offer here...I think this one goes along with the thread.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mznWO...eature=related Seems like no one remembers my grandpa owning the "special"

[c.o.]

Your grandpa owned that bike??? Cool I'm not much of a TV watcher either so this stuff is great!!! I'm another one that appreciates what you come up with Scott!

[Tommo]

It's such a shame that the bike has been so over restored.
Anyone that truely knew Burt knows that that sort of standard of finish is something he never bothered with.
Compare the restored bike with the one in this photo from, I think, 1969 and tell me that they look like the same bike.

[Scott Parker]

Hey Cory,Do you still have the dvd I sent you ? It's in there, right after the Sears I believe. It' my understanding Grandpa made Burt his windshield as grandpa worked manufacturing plastics back then. Grandpa would have agreed with Tommo. After he saw the pictures of the SPECIAL in Tod Raffertys book The Indian he said it looked blood red.

[c.o.]

Scott, you bet I still have it!! I wouldn't let go of something like that!!! I'll have to sit down and re-watch it. It's funny how the temptation to over-restore a bike detracts from what they were meant to be. I'm thinking both your Grandfather and Tommo had/have the right outlook.

[Chris Haynes]

When Dean Hensley owned The Munro Special he had Steve Huntsinger do the meticulous Concours de elegance restoration on it. Although not as it was when Burt owned it is a magnificent thing to see. By the way Burt had two of these bikes. He brought one to America and kept the other in New Zealand. The same engine was used in both bikes. He would come to the USA with the engine. Install it in the bike and head for Bonneville. After the races the engine came out and went back to New Zealand for more fiddlin'. I'm not sure how the complete machine got left in America. Mike Parti tells me he got to see the engine torn down while Burt was working on it. He said that it had two different length rods in it. A "Speed Secret" Burt called short rodding. Dean Hensley stuck the engine while showing it off at Davenport many years ago. I see it is running again now. We have to find out who did the last engine rebuild to find out if that is true or not.

[Tommo]

The original bike that started all this is the one that's still here in NZ and as far as I'm aware the engine that set the records is in this bike.
Chis is correct in saying that in later years only the motor came back and forth between NZ and USA.
One of the Hayes family that owns all Burt's stuff out of the famous shed in Invercargill is probably one of the only people that can give you the true story but I think I'm correct in saying that when Burt realised there would be no more record attempts he wrangled one more trip to the USA by building a motor to power what had been left in behind in America.
This motor was cobbled together using whatever Burt had in that shed from previous developments and blow-ups and on the understanding that Burt got a FREE TRIP he went to the USA and installed this motor in the bike.
The fact that it had different length rods probably backs this up to some degree but as far as rumour goes here in NZ that particular motor never powered the bike with Burt aboard in any record attempts.
I think it's very sad that Burt's heart and soul have been torn out of that bike and it has been made into something it never was. I wonder how it would sit in todays AMCA Competition judging because it looks nothing like Burt's hand beaten, hand crafted machine that had officials scratching their heads and trying to decide if it was safe to run.

[Scott Parker]

In '79 the historical society of Amador County came out to my Grandpa's house and made a video tape of his collection of motorcycles. This is a segment from the video showing the Special...sorry I had to record it off my TV...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd--HRWdrbM

[c.o.]

Thanks for that Scott!!! The recording off the TV was a hoot... it sounds like your household is pretty active..... It's really too bad that the bike didn't remain the way it was in that clip.

[Chris Haynes]

[QUOTE=Scott Parker;105847]In '79 the historical society of Amador County came out to my Grandpa's house and made a video tape of his collection of motorcycles.

Your Grandfather must have been ole Lyle in Volcano. I remember he tried to open a museum but the county fathers threw so many hurdles at him that he gave up. I am gonna try to open one there myself next year. A mile and a half out of Valcano on Pine Grove Volcano Road.

[Ross]

I was told the bike was at Sammy Pierce's shop in the late 70's.