The Ducati Pantah is an Italian motorcycle with a 90° V-twin engine, produced between 1980 and 1986. Unlike its bevel-gear predecessors, it was the first Ducati with belt-driven camshafts, and it began the line of V-twins the company still builds.
Ducati Pantah at a glance
| Maker | Ducati, Borgo Panigale |
|---|---|
| Production | 1980–1986 |
| First shown | Milan Bike Show, December 1979 |
| Engine | 90° V-twin, single overhead camshaft driven by toothed belt |
| Frame | steel trellis, engine a stressed member |
| Models | 500SL, 600SL, 600TL, 650SL |
| 500SL power | 50 hp at 8,500 rpm |
| 500SL weight | 180 kg |
| 650SL power | 63 hp at 8,500 rpm |
| Racers | 600 TT2, 750 TT1 |
History of the Ducati Pantah
Replacing the parallel twins
When Ducati’s 1976 350 cc and 500 cc parallel twins proved a marketing failure, Fabio Taglioni went to work on a replacement. The Pantah 500 was developed from the last of the GP500 racers of 1973. It was first shown at the Milan Bike Show in December 1979.
A new kind of Ducati
The prototype was different from Ducati’s earlier bikes: a trellis frame with the suspended engine acting as a stressed member, and the swingarm pivoting on the rear of the crankcase. The single overhead camshaft was driven by a toothed rubber belt and primary transmission was by Morse chain. The front brake was a Campagnolo Hydroconico. The Pantah’s performance was impressive for the class: 500 cc, 50 hp at 8,500 rpm, 180 kg and a 1,450 mm wheelbase, significantly better than the bevel-head V-twins, which were too long, bulky and stable for racing.
The 500SL
The 1980 Pantah 500SL had a plain-bearing crankshaft and the same bore and stroke as the old 500 racer, 74 × 58 mm, but the head had a 60° included valve angle. The engines were noticeably lacking in bottom-end and mid-range torque, though they revved freely. The suspension seemed less precise than on earlier Ducatis and the 35 mm front forks lacked rigidity. Some riders found the final gearing too tall and the intake and exhaust restrictive, but changing these for higher-flow items and lowering the gearing gave a performance increase.
600SL, 600TL and TT2
The 1981 600SL had a fairing and hydraulic clutch actuation, with an 80 mm bore and the 58 mm stroke giving 583 cc. The 600 cc TT2 racer used an 81 mm bore. The last 600SL bikes wore MHR paint. The styling of the 1982 600TL proved unpopular and the model lasted only until 1983.
650SL, TT1 and Cagiva
In 1983 the 650SL was produced to homologate the 61.5 mm stroke of the TT1 750 racer. Rather than a production 750, the 650SL appeared with an 82 mm bore and the required 61.5 mm stroke. Its bodywork was virtually identical to the 600’s but painted red and yellow, with a different instrument layout and minor changes; it had more torque, was considered by many the definitive Pantah and produced 63 hp at 8,500 rpm. Cagiva took over Ducati Meccanica in 1985, Ducati engines promptly appeared in Cagiva-badged motorcycles, and the 650SL continued until 1986. The Cagiva Alazzurra was a revamped Pantah.
Design and features
- Belt-driven camshaft: the first Ducati V-twin without bevel gears, the pattern for later engines.
- Trellis frame: the engine as a stressed member, with the swingarm pivoting on the crankcase.
- Compact package: 180 kg and a 1,450 mm wheelbase, far shorter than the bevel twins.
- Racing: the 600 TT2 and the 750 TT1, and the 650SL built to homologate the TT1’s stroke.
Ducati Pantah versions
- 500SL (1980): the first production Pantah, 50 hp.
- 600SL (1981): fairing and hydraulic clutch, 583 cc.
- 600TL (1982–1983): the unpopular touring-styled version.
- 650SL (1983–1986): 82 × 61.5 mm, 63 hp, the most admired of the line.
- 600 TT2 and 750 TT1: the racing versions.
The Pantah engine went on to power the 750 F1 and the liquid-cooled Ducati 851. More Ducatis are in the Ducati collection.
Video: Test ride 1981 500 Pantah
Video by dbcycles on YouTube.
Sources
- Ducati Pantah, English Wikipedia: development, models, technical details, Cagiva takeover
.jpg){kind=link}
