We expect to be posting a story from the launch in Spain of KTM’s 1290 SuperDuke R shortly, but we found this video more than a bit entertaining. At a big, international race track press event such as this, the journalists tend to be very fast riders. Much faster than your average track day enthusiast. Nevertheless, none of the journalists has taken multiple pole positions in MotoGP like Jeremy McWilliams has. Since he also had a hand in developing the bike, McWilliams is quite familiar, and wickedly fast, aboard it. Enjoy the video, and stay tuned for our report:
Wow….he is in another league.
Sign me up. That looks like crazy fun!
I just watched the vid again and I cannot get over how this twin sounds at 9000-10000 rpm. This isn’t disparaging, but it sounds like a damned Evenrude. Those rpm’s are when my ZX-14 (and the other Japanese sporties) gets its shriek on. Huge difference in sound with two fewer cylinders. Truthfully, I rather like the way the Duke sings.
How much, if any faster would he be on the BMW S1000R? I watched the whole thing more than once. Wow, just insane!
Wow, he is really flying on that thing. Full on sportbikes with horrendoes ergonomics and low torture clip-ons are obsolete
Whoa. That’s sick. Smooth, slick. Does the front tire last longer if it’s used only for cornering?
This bike makes my 2011 Speed Triple look tame.
What a hack 😉
I can’t wait to get my insurance quote on that bike.
Neither can your insurance carrier.
To be fair it looked those journos were generally riding like sissies, first session of the day perhaps?
That was the difference between enthusiasm and aptitude.
A few perhaps, but the others didn’t exactly look slow…
He didn’t likely catch anyone who was going truly fast.
I can imagine the hot-shoe motojournalists composing copy while riding around the track….”The SuperDuke R is brutally powerful but I found it’s ability to hold the line in corners HOLY ****!”
Hoonmeister!
Whew! He passed those other bikes like they were a motorhome on a mountain road.
Loved the little wave we got at around seven minutes, that while taking a hard left at about 90 mph. When he dipped his helmet into camera range just after that, I bet we got a wink.
I am not so sure that the speedo’s units are mpg. They might be kmph.
By any measure it’s a fast bike that preforms well at speed. I was looking for signs of buffeting at high speeds, there was none.
I’m sure it was Ks but HOLY S@#T Batman! Those journos would spank me like he spanked them. It looks like my dream bike just got updateded. That bike didn’t even seem to wiggle when the wheel came down.
Yeah, not MPH, but KPH going on there. If that speedo is reading MPH then ‘you can keep your doctor. period!!’
I factored that–speedo was reading 140 and change when he waved. That’s 90 mph (don’t know about mpg).
Looks like this wasn’t one of my best days for units. To be honest I tend to focus more on MPG then MPH. Not that I don’t drive fast. But I rarely look at the speed o when I do.
Mere mortals (and motojournalists) showing an appropriate level of respect for this machine however wheelies at ~ 180kph mere childs play for Mr Williams. I’d love to hear what this thing sounds like with the full-on RC8R race pipes ….. go on Mr Williams – play us the real music – you know you want to
The way that thing builds speed is almost comical … like a video game. Must be a helluva wind blast with no windshield at that speed.
I like the way he just disposed of those other riders like he was a fat guy and they were hot wings.
Wadda ya mean – he just ate em up and “passed” them ?
Both are today’s winners
Congratulations!
hahaha…..
Love, among other things, the ~190 kph wheelies. Lift the front wheel so it skims the pavement? Heck no, point that thing at the sky! Crazy, cool.
He was running through those guys like they were demoing the 390’s. Crazy lean angles and very little sideways action that I could detect, probably on race rubber. He makes it look so easy and fun that I’m thinking, “I can ride like that, no problem!”. Reality is this journos would pass me like he passed them.
Hard to believe how high he is revving this huge v-twin. I figured he’d be riding the torque curve more in the midrange, but he seems to spend most of his time near and beyond the redline. Impressive.
I figured he would try to always use whichever gear allows engine power to be as great as possible, because wheel torque equates to engine power divided by wheel rotational speed.
Fek! Just goes to show that one of the secrets of riding fast is being extremely relaxed……….those dudes he past must have shat their pants!
Love the rev limiter light blinking all the time.
What a legend, and great bloke!
Thats why i love my Duke….gets me all excited..power wheelies galore…guy can ride !
Awesome.
Wow. Love the sound. I wish the camera view was just a bit wider, showing his right hand on the front brake. Could have learned something here. This bike better be in responsible hands, on the street!
Hard to tell how fast the wheelies really are when the speedo sensor appears to read the front wheel, triple digits anyway (kph or mph). Dunno ’bout you, but watching that’s got my heart pounding!
Envy.