Motorcycles
KTM 1290 Super Duke R
MCN lists 165 mph for the 2020–2023 1290 Super Duke R. The 1390 is a later bike with its own figure.
Top speed
Published as 165 mphPublished as 165 mphPublished as 165 mph
MCN specification table for the 2020–2023 1290 Super Duke R lists 165 mph. This is the previous generation, not the 1390. KTM does not state a vmax for it.
In context
- 2.5× a cheetah's timed top speedSourced · Cheetah, 29 m/s. Sharp 1997, mean of three timed runs over 201.2 m
- A football field in 1.2 sConstant · American football field, 100 yd (91.44 m)
- London to New York in 20 h 59 minConstant · London to New York, 5,570 km great-circle
Worked out from the sourced figure above, which stays the ranked number.
This list
Why it's so fast
A motorcycle is fast because the air only has to get around a rider and a fairing, not a cabin. The engine still has to stay in its power band, and many of the big numbers are factory limiters.
A small hole in the air
Less frontal area means less drag for a given speed. The rider's tuck is part of the shape. A sitting-up test is a different motorcycle.
Limiters are common
A published top speed on a modern sport bike is often an electronic cap the makers agreed to, not the speed the engine would reach with the cap removed.
The capped one people mean is the Suzuki Hayabusa.
This is how the category works. A note written for this entry appears here once it is in the database.
Provenance
Every measurement
Claimed, measured and official figures side by side, each with its source. The ranked figure is marked.
- 266km/h165mph73.8m/s143knRanked figure
MCN specification table for the 2020–2023 1290 Super Duke R lists 165 mph. This is the previous generation, not the 1390. KTM does not state a vmax for it.
Verified
Reference
Specs
- Model
- 2020–2023 1290 Super Duke R
- Test
- MCN specification table, 165 mph
- Not this bike
- 1390 Super Duke R
Spot a wrong number?
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