Australian Motorcycle News - June 21, 2018

Quickspin

32 amcn.com.au

allowing you to throw the bike around with a bit

of vigour. This thing might look like a big tourer,

but it delivers an equal amount of exhilaration as

a sportsbike, and the harder I rode it, the more I

gelled with it.

The crackling note the six-cylinder fires from

the twin exhausts is like no other motorcycle on

the market, and when you’re dancing up and down

on the bi-directional quickshifter with the engine

popping and the electronics auto-blipping the

throttle, it sounds more like a Formula One car

than a motorbike.

According to BMW, the K1600 delivers two-

thirds of its ma x imum torque at just 2000rpm.

This is one of the reasons it belies its size when

being thrown at a twisting mountain road. Twist

the throttle on corner exit and the power comes

on smooth and strong. Nothing is sudden with the

K1600, it all just f lows effortlessly – and fast!

Having shedloads of torque available right off

the bat, you would expect the bike to be a bit of a

handful off the mark, but not in BMW land. The

Bavarian boffins have provided a light clutch

action with barely a hint of grab, and lovely low-

revs fuelling that makes pulling away so simple

even a beginner could do it.

As the highway snakes down towards the vast

and picturesque Blowering, you get a great view

of the dam and its 20km stretch of water reaching

from Talbino to the Blowering Dam wall. During

its 1978 world record run of 510km/h (316mph),

Warby’s Spirit of Australia was covering 140 metres

every second; that’s one kilometre in just seven

seconds. The 160km ride from Cooma to the dam

had taken me a little over two hours, but Warby

would have done it in little more than 18 minutes.

The launching ramp at The Pines that Warby

used is still in use, and now features a billboard

celebrating his record-breaking runs. It is just

a few kilometres from the dam wall, which

still features the original billboard I remember

standing next to all those years ago.

Now, 40 years after the under-celebrated Aussie

broke his own world record (see breakout), his son

David is preparing to keep the family name the

fastest on water with an all-new jetboat christened

Spirit of Australia II. And he will launch his

attempt from the very same ramp.

Standing on the water’s edge, I thought about

my fascination with speed. And while I love the

idea of going fast, and I was more than happy with

the K1600GT’s 280km/h-plus top-speed capability

at my disposal, I’ll leave the really high-speed stuff

to the experts.

specs

K1600GT Spezial

ENGINE

Configuration In-line six-cylinder

Cylinder head DOHC,

four valves per cylinder

Capacity 1649cc

Bore/stroke 72 x 67.5mm

Compression ratio 12.2:1

Cooling Liquid

Fuelling EFI, 6 x 52mm

Mikuni throttle bodies

Power 118kW @ 7750rpm (claimed)

Torque 175Nm @ 5250rpm (claimed)

TRANSMISSION

Type Six-speed

Clutch Wet

Final drive Shaft

CHASSIS

Frame material Aluminium

Frame layout Bridge type

Rake 27.8 ̊

Trail 108.4mm

SUSPENSION

Dynamic ESA with automatic

damping adaptation.

Front: Electronically adjustable

Duolever, 125mm travel

Rear: Electronically adjustable

Paralever, 135mm travel

WHEELS/TYRES

Wheels Cast aluminium

Front: 17 x 3.5 Rear: 17 x 6.0

Tyres Bridgestone Battlax BT021

Front: 120/70ZR17

Rear: 190/55ZR17

BRAKES

Brembo, Bosch ABS (partialintegral)

Front: Twin 320mm discs,

four-piston fixed calipers

Rear: Single 220mm disc,

two-piston caliper

DIMENSIONS

Weight 319kg (wet, less cases)

Seat height 810-830mm

Width 1000mm

Height 1440mm

Wheelbase 1618mm

Fuel capacity 26.5L

PERFORMANCE

Fuel consumption 5.7L/100km

(claimed)

Top speed 285km/h (est)

CONTACT & SALE INFO

Tes tbike BMW Australia

Contact http://www.bmwmotorrad.com.au

Colour options Mars Red metallic;

Black Storm metallic; Lupin Blue

metallic/Black Storm metallic

Warranty Two years, unlimited km

Price $39,390 (plus on-road costs)

Available Now

BMW K1600GT Spezial

Danger in the water

In 1930, Englishman Henry Seagrave was chasing

100mph (160km/h) when he hit a submerged log and

was killed. Then, in 1952, countryman John Cobb, was

killed chasing 200mph (320km/h). Fifteen years later,

another Brit, Donald Campbell, was also killed while

attempting to better his existing record of 276.33 mph

(444.71 km/h). Then, in 1980, American Lee Taylor

lost his life while preparing to challenge Warby’s 1978

record. In 1989, American Craig Arfons also lost his life

while preparing for an assault on Warby’s title.

It might be an imposing

lump, but the K1600GT

Spezial is quite easy to

handle away from town