Purves, 27, was jailed for nine months and also handed a five-year driving ban after reaching the top speed on the A702 near West Linton, Peeblesshire, earlier this year.
Police caught Purves on May 13 when they were alerted by a ”high-pitched engine noise” while on patrol.
Peebles Sheriff Court heard that one of the officers involved, a man of 28 years’ experience, was ‘’shocked” at the ”excessively high speed” achieved by Purves.
Fiscal depute Alastair Learmonth told the court: ”The speed libelled (charged) of 166mph is thought to be the highest speed recorded on a public road in Scotland.”
Purves, from Cockburnspath, Berwickshire, earlier admitted a charge of dangerous driving.
His lawyer argued the case for a non-custodial sentence, saying his client was a man of good character who had been ‘’seduced” by the power of his high-speed bike.
Sheriff John Horsburgh told Purves: ”The speed at which you were driving this motorcycle makes a custodial sentence the only appropriate one.”
The court heard Purves was clocked on the stretch of road between West Linton and Dolphinton at around 7.25pm.
When police caught up with him, their equipment recorded that he had reached 166.15mph on his Suzuki bike, the court was told.
Mr Learmonth said: “It appears that Mr Purves did not dispute the speed recorded.”
Defence lawyer Graham Walker said his client, who has now sold his bike, was of good character, remorseful and was “normally a mature and reasonable young man in every way”.
He said it was clear no other vehicles were using the road at the time and nor were any cars parked nearby.
“I think it’s fair to say the level of risk that the public were subjected to was very low but there was considerable danger, I think, to the accused himself,” he told the court.
Mr Walker said that Purves’s parents had been “extremely supportive” of him, but he added: “They have also been extremely angry about the risk that he took that day.”
Purves’s speed was “appalling”, Mr Walker said, but stressed his client posed a low risk of re-offending.
“It’s fair to say that superbikes or motorbikes of this kind may have a seductive speed appeal and I think it’s also fair to say that Mr Purves was seduced by that element of speed on a long, quiet, straight stretch of road,” he said.
Sheriff Horsburgh reduced Purves’s sentence to nine months from a starting point of 12 months on account of his guilty plea.
The court heard Purves was clocked on the stretch of road between West Linton and Dolphinton at around 7.25pm.
When police caught up with him, their equipment recorded that he had reached 166.15mph on his Suzuki bike, the court was told.
Mr Learmonth said: “It appears that Mr Purves did not dispute the speed recorded.”
Defence lawyer Graham Walker said his client, who has now sold his bike, was of good character, remorseful and was “normally a mature and reasonable young man in every way”.
He said it was clear no other vehicles were using the road at the time and nor were any cars parked nearby.
“I think it’s fair to say the level of risk that the public were subjected to was very low but there was considerable danger, I think, to the accused himself,” he told the court.
Mr Walker said that Purves’s parents had been “extremely supportive” of him, but he added: “They have also been extremely angry about the risk that he took that day.”
Purves’s speed was “appalling”, Mr Walker said, but stressed his client posed a low risk of re-offending.
“It’s fair to say that superbikes or motorbikes of this kind may have a seductive speed appeal and I think it’s also fair to say that Mr Purves was seduced by that element of speed on a long, quiet, straight stretch of road,” he said.
Sheriff Horsburgh reduced Purves’s sentence to nine months from a starting point of 12 months on account of his guilty plea.
