NCR Millona M16 super bike

What happens when you take a rare and expensive motorcycle and make it even more expensive? The NCR Millona M16, that's what.

The NCR Millona M16 is the latest creation from Italian performance company NCR and 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 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.

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. Demanding to ride? Bank on it...

Even the wheels are made from carbon fibre, along with all bodywork, ensuring the M16 is one of the most exotic motorcycles ever made.

The suspension of the Ducati Desmosedici was not to be baulked at to begin with, but NCR has improved the Ohlins components, ensuring the M16 Millona runs suspension that is claimed to be of MotoGP specification. Up front are 43mm Ohlins FGR000 forks, while an Ohlins TTX monoshock holds up the rear wheel.

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. Shudder. There are indicators and a brake light at the rear, but the front end seems to be without mirrors...

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.