Please Note #1: shipping to the US would be roughly $60. Due to the worldwide nature of this auction, it will end on Sunday at 7pm PST. This is outside of Iconic’s standard business hours so we may not be able to answer last minute questions.
Please Note #2: The seller of this piston is donating all sales proceeds to support the racing career of young rider (and Iconic friend), Cormac Buchanan. Iconic is waiving our usual buyer’s fee for this listing as well. Iconic sponsored Cormac this year in the American round of the Moto3 Championship:
The incredible save we refer to above (you can see the Iconic logo on the bottom of his windshield):
This is a hand-made piston which was cast, turned and fitted by Burt Munro – of The World’s Fastest Indian movie fame. The piston was also used in the movie itself.
Iconic has been provided two Letters of Authenticity to confirm the legitimacy of this piston. The first letter is from Ashley Bell, a long time friend of Burt. The signed letter is viewable here and the text is reprinted below for your convenience:
LETTER OF AUTHENTICITY
43 Craig Street
Invercargill 9810
New Zealand
2 October, 2025
To whom it may concern,
Item Description: Hand-crafted piston by Burt Murno.
This letter serves as an official Letter of Authenticity for a hand-crafted piston personally modified and fabricated by Herbert James “Burt” Munro (1899—1978), the legendary New Zealand motorcycle racer and mechanical innovator, best known for setting land speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the 1960s on his heavily modified 1920 Indian Scout.
The piston in question is an original, custom piece that reflects Munro’s distinctive engineering style, characterised by hand-machining, material improvisation, and innovative performance tuning methods developed in his home workshop at 105 Bainfield Road, Invercargill, New Zealand.
It displays clear evidence of manual shaping and reworking, consistent with known surviving examples of Munro’s engine components.
Provenance and Documentation: This item originates from a private collection and is accompanied by various documentation tracing its ownership and authenticity.
As a previous owner of this piston and the engine build by Burt Munro, l, Mr Ashley Bell, personally provide additional verification without hesitation.
A friend of Burt’s since 1954, I spent a great deal of time at his home in Bainfield Road and witnessed his innovations first-hand. For pistons he had a jig which he made for casting. And he almost always finished with the rings in slightly different places. Due to his bad eyesight, I was often tasked with checking the pistons he crafted for any cracks so I am very familiar with their characteristics.
In 1970, I purchased a 650cc motor for $100 from Burt which he had built from the various Velocette parts he had stashed and others he manufactured himself. As some of Burt’s motors were prone to do, when we first started it there was a thunderous bang and we ended up collecting bits of it from the gutter outside my work. Burt then rebuilt the motor, including this piston and a variety of spare parts.
I used Burt’s motor in an AJS frame with a Norton gearbox as a beach racer. Just as Burt, there was a real sense of satisfaction turning up to the race track with something that looked like a heap of junk and then beating the guys on their fancy new factory bikes.
I later sold the bike to Peter Ramage, of Invercargill, who still owns the original engine. It can be further evidenced this piston matches comparatively with authenticated components held in the E. Hayes & Sons collection and other recognised Burt Munro archives.
This piston is a genuine artifact of Burt Munro’s personal craftsmanship and innovation. It stands as a tribute to his enduring legacy in the world of motorcycle engineering and land speed racing. He was a stubborn old bugger in many ways, but I am pleased to be able to say that I knew him.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. Ashley Bell
George Begg’s book “Burt Munro Indian – Legend of Speed” refers to the above mentioned book and Peter’s ownership of it. An extract is available here. Per the seller’s friend, “the late Neville Hayes (owner of E. Hayes, where Burt’s Indian and other items are on display) verified it as one of Burt’s pistons and wanted the opporunity to buy it if Peter was ever to sell it.”
Peter Ramage (the current owner of the piston) has provided his own Letter of Authenticity here. His Provenance and Documentation is as follows:
This item originates from my own private collection and, as the previous owner of this piston, I, Mr Peter Ramage, personally provide additional verification without hesitation.
Many years ago, I spotted a motorcycle in the workshop of Mr Ashley Bell, on Clyde Street in Invercargill, which was located across the road from my own work at Southern Suzuki. I asked him if the “old clunker” was for safe, having no idea what it was. He said no and I got the same answer each time I asked. Out of the blue, Mr Bell asked if I still wanted it as he was going to the Isle of Man and could use the funds. I paid him before he even told me what the motorcycle was. It was a bit of a mongrel like all old race bikes.
My understanding is Burt Munro built the engine out of new and used spares for his Velocette motorcycle which is now on display at E. Hayes and Sons in Invercargill. I’ve seen photos of Burt with his Velocette, and reviewed his collection on display, and the pattern of the welding on the cases, the barrel and the carb all match those on my engine. Burt was known to be tight and I imagine he threw nothing away unless it was WELL buggered. I’m sure there was a revolving door of interchangeable parts.
Mr. Bell used Burt’s motor in an AJS frame with a Norton gearbox as a beach racer. Further verification of its authenticity is in the book Burt Munro Indian — Legend of Speed written by George Begg, which references me as the current owner.
The 2005 feature film The World’s Fastest Indian, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, was produced, written and directed by award-winning Roger Donaldson. Many of the props used for filming were actually owned by Munro, including all the exploded pistons and the piston mould that Hopkins uses for a scene in the film.
This piston was used in the film and its authenticity confirmed by Neville Hayes, who wanted to be positive there were no “ring ins” as props. As he said to me “it just adds credence to their bullshit claims“. Neville checked out this piston thoroughly and compared it to those in his own collection before approving it for use in the film as genuinely made by Burt.
While I retain ownership of the motor and gearbox, I have chosen to donate this piston to Cormac Buchanan in support of his 2026 Moto3 World Championship campaign. It just seems fitting. Many people helped Burt along his journey and I believe he’d get a kick out of helping Cormac in this modern racing era.
I hereby certify the authenticity of the described item to the best of my knowledge and based on the available evidence.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. Peter Ramage
Currently located in Invercargill, New Zealand, this piston is offered on a Bill of Sale only. Have any questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!
