The 5 Fastest Pikes Peak Motorcycles Of All Time

A select few events are hailed as the last bastion of their respective motorsports. For motorcycle racing, it's the Isle of Man TT. For rallying, it's the Dakar. And for hill climbs, it's Pikes Peak. Also known as the "Race to the clouds", the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is set on Pikes Peak mountain, located in Colorado Springs. It's certainly not for the faint-hearted, sporting a 12.42-mile road snaking through the mountain. Until recently, that road was a mix of dirt and tarmac. Racers had to deal with 156 corners, with many lacking guardrails and leading to hundred-foot drops. And they climbed the mountain to reach 14,110 feet in an atmosphere so thin that it could starve a car's engine of oxygen. It was, and is, a proper test of man and machine.

Motorcycles had been a regular fixture in Pikes Peak since their very first race in 1916. The first motorcycle to do the climb was a 1914 Excelsior Twin ridden by Floyd Clymer, setting a time of 21:58.41. Motorcycles have gotten a lot faster since then. In fact, the top five fastest motorcycles at Pikes Peak all clocked a sub 10:00 time. So why did they get banned?

Pikes Peak has faced its share of fatalities due to motorcycle accidents. However, Carlin Dunne's fatal crash in 2019 seemed to be the last straw, with organizers banning motorcycles from the event afterwards. The Pikes Peak veteran was about to set a new record aboard a Ducati V4 Streetfighter prototype when he crashed just a few meters from the finish line. Banning the motorcycle class means the following records are now set in stone.

In 2019, one of the fastest motorcycles on Pikes Peak was piloted by Lucy Glockner, the lone female racer in the 2019 climb. She broke the sub-10-minute barrier, a time of 9:58.878, cementing her place in history as one of the top five fastest riders on Pikes Peak. The German racer piloted a 2019 BMW S 1000 R that was modified with taller and wider handlebars in place of the standard ones.

A BMW S 1000 R is the German bikemaker's liter-class naked offering, which shares its 999cc inline four-cylinder engine with the S 1000 RR faired superbike. A 2019 S 1000 R, in stock form, delivers 165 horsepower and 84 pound-feet of torque. Glockner's race bike was prepared for the race by Wunderlichs Motorsport along with the ProKasro race team, with special attention being given to the engine and chassis.

While Lucy did not win the race, she came second overall, placing behind Rennie Scaysbrook piloting a 2018 Aprilia Tuono V4 1100. She probably would have won if she was piloting a 205 horsepower M 1000 R. 

American road racer Jeremy Toye set a time of 9:58.687 in the 2014 Pikes Peak hill climb aboard a 2015 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. Though Jeremy did benefit from the entire stretch being paved with tarmac at this point, he did not break the ultimate record set by Carlin Dunne in 2012. Still, he won the overall Open Class that year. What's even more impressive is that it was Jeremy's first time racing at Pikes Peak, a feat that earned him the 2014 Rookie Of The Year title as well as King of the Mountain. Just before the race, Jeremy even had a crash during a qualifying run.

Besides its livery , the 30th Anniversary Edition of the 2015 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R did feature special alterations like an Ohlins electronic steering damper and a titanium exhaust. In stock form, its 998cc inline four-cylinder motor delivers 197 horsepower and 83 pound-feet of torque. For the race, Jeremy's team focused on keeping the motorcycle light and tuning the motor to deliver better mid-range performance. It used carbon fiber wheels, as well as aluminum and titanium parts that brought the weight to a scant 362 pounds.

This was also the last year a traditional superbike could compete. Following the deaths of participants riding faired sport bikes with clip-ons, the organizers passed a regulation mandating participating motorcycles to have a factory-fitted one-piece handlebar. Faired sports bikes and superbikes were effectively banned as a result, with naked motorcycles and adventure tourers taking their place.

Carlin Dunne, the winner of multiple Pikes Peak runs, set the third-fastest motorcycle record time of 9:52.819 aboard the 2012 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S. This record stood unbeaten for five years before finally being taken down in 2017. Dunne pushed speeds of over 144 miles per hour over dirt and tarmac sections to achieve this feat. This motorcycle's performance was so special that the company behind it later made the Ducati Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak as a way to celebrate (and capitalize on) its various wins.

The Ducati Multistrada 1200 also won the Pikes Peak hill climb in 2010 and 2011. It had some parts removed such as the headlamp, tail lamp, tail section, and mirrors. The motorcycle also had lightweight aluminum OZ wheels, suspension tuned by Race Tech, and upgraded brake components like Brembo MotoGP brake pads, radial master cylinders, and monoblock calipers lifted from the Ducati 1198.

The Multistrada's 1198cc L-twin delivers 160 horsepower in stock form. It made use of special ECU tuning to compensate for a lack of oxygen at the higher altitudes of Pikes Peak.

The second-fastest motorcycle on the Pikes Peak hill climb was a 2017 KTM 1290 Super Duke R. It was used during the 2017 edition of the hill climb event with racer Chris Fillmore at the helm, and it was the one that broke the Multistrada's five-year streak with a record time of 9:49.625. 

The KTM 1290 Super Duke R is a formidable super naked bike. Its 1,301cc LC8 V-twin engine delivers 177 horsepower, offering intense bursts of acceleration. To prep the motorcycle for Pikes Peak, Chris and his trusted mechanic started by taking off unnecessary parts such as the mirrors, rear seat cowls, and rear footpegs. The race motorcycle featured KTM PowerParts such as 320mm wave disc brakes, tuned WP forks, a stiffer rear WP shock, a steering damper, and a full Akrapovic titanium exhaust. A lot of time was spent drilling and lock wiring bolts on the motorcycle to prevent them from coming off during the race, particularly due to excessive vibration. 

The record for the fastest motorcycle on Pikes Peak is 9:44.613, and that time is held by a 2018 Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory. It was ridden by Australian rider Rennie Scaysbrook during the 2019 climb. Like the Ducati Multistrada Pikes Peak edition motorcycles that celebrate the hill climb race bikes, Aprilia launched a Tuono V4 1100 Factory "Summit Attack" edition superbike that's exclusive to the US and limited to just 25 units. 

The 2018 Aprilia Tuono 1100 Factory pushes an impressive 175 horsepower from its V4 motor, but a significant portion of its record-breaking pace can be attributed to its Ohlins semi-active electronic suspension and rider aids such as APRC, cornering ABS, and a bi-directional quick shifter. 

An honorary mention has to be the Lightning electric superbike, which was raced by Carlin Dunne during the 2013 Pikes Peak hill climb. It is not only the seventh fastest motorcycle to race Pikes Peak, it absolutely decimated the gas-powered two-wheeled competition that year by fetching a 10:00.694 time, which was over 20 seconds quicker than the fastest combustion engine motorcycle that year. It could have broken the 10-minute barrier if not for slippery road conditions due to the previous downpour. In fact, EV domination in Pikes Peak even extends to the four-wheeler category.