1.The Spezial felt nicely
balanced on the
smooth, sweeping roads
around Cooma
2.There’s no shortage
of screens, dials, read-
outs and buttons to keep
you occupied while out
on the big BMW
3.Billboards at
Blowering Dam celebrate
the world’s fastest man
on water for 41 years
4.One of the convenient
cubbies located just in
front of the rider’s shins;
it’s perfect for plugging
in your phone①②
③④
backwards. I found this feature comes in very
handy, especially when you’re riding something
with a wet weight a little over 330kg, plus another
15kg of luggage, and you park it nose-down.
The GT, GTL and B models each have three
variants. The K1600 chaperoning me to the dam is
the top-of-the-range GT called the Spezial, which
retails for $39,390 (plus on-roads). There’s also a
GT Sport ($37,290) and GT ($36,790).
My first impression was that BMW must charge
by the button because this thing has more stuff to
press and turn than a space shuttle cockpit, but it
doesn’t take too long to work out what everything
does, thanks to a well thought-out interface and
digital dash.
The additional investment of $2600 to move
up from the GT to the GT Spezial gets you a list
of extras, including ABS Cornering Pro, tyre-
pressure monitoring and heated seats. Our
test model also came with the optional BMW
Motorrad Navigator VI System ($1290).
Standard equipment across the GT range
includes keyless ignition, cruise control, adaptive
headlights, sat nav-ready audio system with
ON THE FAMILY’Skitchen
table in 1970, Ken Warby
set about designing Spirit
of Australia, and two
years later construction
began in his backyard.
Parts were added as the
budget allowed, and the
work was mostly done by
hand. Just three power
tools were used during
construction.
Three J-34 jet
engines were
purchased
at an RAAF
auction for just
$260.
Despite being
far from record-
ready, Warby began
testing the boat in 1974,
slowly building speed
until he claimed the
Australian record.
Warby threw in his day
job to focus on his record
attempt, displaying
Spirit of Australia at
Shell service stations
around Australia to raise
awareness and much-
needed cash.Sponsorship from retail
chain Fossey’s allowed
Warby to complete
the work required for
a genuine attack on
the world water speed
record of 459.02km/h
(285.22mph), which had
been held by American
Lee Taylor and his boat
Hustler since 1967.
On 20 November
1977, Warby’s jet-
powered Spirit
of Australia
rocketed
across
Blowering Dam
to claim a new
world record
of 464.46km/h
(288.60mph).
He returned in 1978 with
sponsorship from Speedo,
a determination to better
the 300mph mark,
and a J-34 jet engine
refurbished by personnel
from the Wagga Wagga
RAAF Apprentice Training
Centre in their spare time.
He bettered his mark at
511.121km/h (317.596mph).Spirit of Australia