Italy-based motorcycle tuner NCR has
announced that it will be offering an ultra-exclusive sportbike named
the Millona 16 or M16 for short, a bike that takes one of the most expensive roadbikes ever built, throws almost all of it in the bin and replaces it with the most exotic materials on the planet.
Based off of Ducati’s fabulous $72,500 Desmosedici D16RR MotoGP replica street bike,
the NCR M16 is guaranteed to provide even more jaw-dropping performance
not to mention aesthetic charm. It was unveiled at the World Ducati
Week on June 10, in front of hordes of faithful Ducatista.
The new NCR Millona M16 is the kind of
bike that would make even Jorge Lorenzo stand up and take notice, the
kind of motorcycle that many riders would give up their first-born just
to ride once. Based on the Ducati Desmodesici, a rare bike in itself,
the Millona M16 is even closer in specification to a MotoGP race bike on
paper. In the flesh however, the design strays far from typical MotoGP
race bikes, what with its half fairing.
Ducati’s Desmosedici RR broke new ground
when it was released in 2006, as the first true MotoGP replica for the
road. With more than 200 hp on tap and a svelte 171kg to haul about, it
looked decades ahead of its time. But now that BMW’s S 1000 RR superbike
can pretty much match those figures for a fraction of the Desmo’s
US$77,000 pricetag, Desmosedici owners can stay ahead of the game by
dropping their hallowed steeds off at NCR and having them worked over
into this, the NCR M16.
That said it does feature a pair of
exhausts, one exiting just aft of the crankcase and the other tucked
handsomely into the duck tail rear section. And some of the work
that’s gone into the subframe is very appealing. Having run racing
teams in the Superbike World Championship (NCR Ducati etc), NCR knows a
thing or two about making bikes go fast, and no expense has been spared
on this stunning machine.
The Millona M16 boosts the Desmosedici’s
power from 180hp (132kW) to around 200hp (147kW) at the rear wheel,
which should be enough for a top speed in excess of the triple tonne.
The 990cc V4 has come in for some serious tuning to reach more than
200hp, and as the photos show, a custom made 4 into 2 titanium exhaust
with asymmetrical end pipes has been hand crafted for this particular
work of automotive art.
Two hundred ponies is a lot of power in
anyone’s book, but get this — NCR has kept the bike’s overall weight
down to 145kg, which is lighter than most 800cc MotoGP V4 race bikes.
The bike’s low mass comes from its
carbon fibre and titanium construction. With an ultra light-weight
carbon fibre frame and carbon fibre swingarm, the NCR M16 Millona is
guaranteed to be a very stiff motorcycle, without the sort of flex and
give normally found in alloy frames.
Even the Desmo’s magnesium rims and
superb metal discs are replaced by carbon fiber wheels and ceramic
matrix composite discs with all bodywork, ensuring the M16 is one of the most exotic motorcycles ever made.
The fairings, already carbon fiber as
stock, are cut down to a bare bikini minimum, the aluminum tank and CrMo
steel trellis frame are thrown out in favor of custom carbon fiber
units, and the swingarm, subframe and tailpiece are hand-made out of you
guessed it. Anything that’s not carbon fiber is machined from titanium –
engine covers, clip-ons, fuel filler cap, the whole exhaust systems – not to mention every single nut and bolt on the bike.
And even the electronics are MotoGP
grade, but NCR has managed to keep many of the Desmosedici’s road-legal
elements (lights and so forth) meaning that it could be legal to ride on
the road in some countries. There are indicators and a brake light at the rear, but the front end seems to be without mirrors.
The ECU is pre-programmable with up to 3
different engine maps, there’s a fully adjustable traction control
system to keep the power under control, and a datalogging and telemetry
system that records everything from throttle, brake and gear inputs to
what the suspension’s been up to as you were riding.
And then the business side of things – how much? Well, NCR has not released a price, saying it will divulge details to serious buyers only. However, we have already known the price tag. About EUR135,000 – that’s on top of the price of the Desmosedici RR donor bike.
Thanks to all of these things - the raw muscle, light weight, exclusive design and a huge price tag – the NCR M16 has every right to call itself exclusive – maybe the most exclusive motorcycle in the world. [NCR Factory via GizMag]
