It’s a weird sensation to
feel the bike altering its
ride height when you
change the mode
DAVID WARBY ISset to
follow in the footsteps of
his famous father when
he challenges Ken’s 1978
record.
Spirit of Australia
II, built by the Warby
Motorsport Team, is
powered by a Rolls Royce
Orpheus803jetengine
from an Italian Air Force
fighter.Itproduces50per
centmorepowerthanthe
J-34unitKenusedtoset
the current record.
The team has
taken five years to
build the new
challenger,
which is
based on the
same design
as Ken’s
record-setting
boat, having
analysed all the
available data from
the 1977 and ’78 record-
breaking runs.
Improvements to
the 40-year-old design
include a longer hull for
a better centre of gravity
and a redesigned rudder.
While Ken didn’t even
have a seatbelt fitted to
Spirit of Australia, Dave’s
Spirit of Australia II
features a reinforced
cockpit, six-point
harness, HANS device,the latest Lifeline on-
boardairsystem,GPS
tracking, two-way radio,
three-stage built-in fire
extinguisher, and an on-
board flotation system.
Theteamistaking its
time to work up to record-
breaking pace, ironing
outanysmallissues it
encounters along the way,
andmakingsurethey
have the best possible
shot at the record when
the time comes.
On 17 May, Spirit of
Australia II ran its
first 320km/h
(200mph) run
on Blowering
Dam.
“It was
really good,”
David said
after the
initial run.
“We did have
some problems, but
we’ve managed to touch
200mph, and that’s what
we are happy about.
“Dad, I and the team
are going to take a look at
it and make some minor
mods to push it faster and
make it a little easier to
drive. To me, it still feels
a little heavy up the front,
but that may come out
with another 100mph of air
under the front of it.”Spirit of Australia IImy shoulders, I felt great. When things got a little
chilly, I f licked on the heated grips but had no use
for the seat heater thanks to the wind protection
offered by the large electric screen and fairing.
After a quick stop for lunch, it was time to tackle
the Snow y Mountains Highway for the second
time in just a few weeks – it’s becoming one of my
favourite rides.
The beautiful twisting ribbon of bitumen that
connects Cooma to Blowering Dam is fantastic on
any motorcycle, but the K1600GT is near the top
of the scale for awesomeness, thanks to a lovely
weight balance and smart electronics package.
With the electric suspension set to Dynamic
mode, ever y thing stiffens up a little more than in
Road mode. The system continually logs a range of
parameters, including cornering angle, braking,
acceleration and weight shift, 100 times every
second, and adjusts the suspension damping to
suit the road surface and how you are riding.
Working with the linked cornering ABS and
excellent four-piston Brembo calipers, the bike sits
f lat and stable, soaking up undulations in the road
surface that can make riding at speed hard work on
some bikes.
There’s barely a hint of front-end dive or rear-end
squat from the Duolever and Paralever suspension,
- Low-mounted foglight
located at the bottom
of the fairing - Left-hand switchblock
is festooned with various
buttons - Panniers proved very
accommodating for a
few days away - Buttons on the side
of the bike to adjust the
semi-active suspension - That saddle was
a sweet place to be
perched for six hours
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④
③
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Second-generation
speed freak David Warby
on Blowering Dam①