Ducati
Pantah Gallery
The bike was first
shown at the Milan Bike show in December 1979.
The prototype was a departure from many of Ducati’s
standards: it had a trellis frame, with the
motor suspended under it acting as stressed
member, the swingarm was pivoted onto the rear
of the crankcase, the SOHC were driven by rubber
belts, the primary transmission was via a Morse
chain, the front brake was a Campagnolo “Hydroconico”….
But most of all, the claimed performance was
impressive: 500 cc, 60 Hp, 180 kg, 1450 mm of
wheelbase… significantly different from
the previous bevel head V twins, long, bulky
and stable, but also from the ill-designed parallel
twins, which never achieved interesting performances.
The 90° V-twin Pantah went as well as
it looked, and was quiet and gutsy to boot thanks
to Desmo valve gear, toothed belts for the cams
and a 60° valve angle - the last a common
racing modification. Handling was excellent
thanks to a light trellis frame although the
suspension was perhaps lagging a little behind
this creation. The styling was different, if
not to everybody's taste, especially as it looked
as if the fairing had come off something bigger.
At least it looked a lot more beautiful than
the later 600TL
With a top speed of 117mph it was no slouch,
but mods, and the later 600 version, could put
this up l0mph. More than a decade later, Ducati
are still using many of the ideas first realized
in the 500 Pantah. Fewer of these models are
coming onto the market these days. The original
Pantah finally went out of production in mid
1983.
| Bike |
Image |
Description |
Ducati 500 SL |
 |
Engine - 498cc 4-stroke ohc V-twin
Horsepower - 52bhp
Top Speed - 115 mph
Dry Weight - 170kg (374lb)
Date of Launch - 1980-1984 |
| Ducati 500 Pantah Prototype |
 |
|
| 1979 Ducati 500 SL Pantah |
 |
Air cooled, four stroke, 90°“L”twin
cylinder, SOHC, desmodromic 2 valve per
cylinder. |
| 1980 Ducati Pantah SL500 |
 |
Designed by Fabio Taglioni. |
| Ducati Pantah 500 SL |
 |
Ducati Pantah
history |
| 1981 Ducati 600 SL Pantah |
 |
Boring the Pantah has created a Duke
that is far from boring. Ducati's 600
big-bore version of the 500cc V twin is
a livelier. longlegged lady. And she is
the answer to critics who complained that
only half a litre of Italy's finest modern
vintage left riders thirsty for more.
Air cooled, four stroke, 90°“L”twin
cylinder, SOHC, desmodromic 2 valve per
cylinder. |
| 1981-83 Ducati 500 SL Pantah |
 |
Air cooled, four stroke, 90°“L”twin
cylinder, SOHC, desmodromic 2 valve per
cylinder. |
| 1982-84 Ducati 600 TL |
 |
Air cooled, four stroke, 90°“L”twin
cylinder, SOHC, desmodromic 2 valve per
cylinder. |
| 1983-84 Ducati 350 SL Pantah |
 |
|
| 1983 Ducati 350 SL Pantah |
 |
|
| 1983 Ducati 650 SL Pantah |
 |
Air cooled, four stroke, 90°“L”twin
cylinder, SOHC, desmodromic 2 valve per
cylinder. |
| 1983 Ducati 350 XL Pantah |
 |
The Pantah XL was a simplified version
of the fully faired Pantah SL 350, aimed
mainly at the Italian market. It was sold
in Spain and Greece. It was more expensive
than the Morini 3 1/2 Sport and of the
Guzzi Imola, and wasn’t all that
quicker. But most of all it was very heavy
for a 350… so sales were never outstanding.
Despite being less sophisticated, The
Morini was a “proper” 350
and not a bored down 500, so it offered
the kind of performance 18 years old wanted
(it was nearly 20 kg lighter than the
Ducati XL!!). And the Guzzi Imola had
that “little Le Mans” aura
around it that gave it that extra appeal.
Air cooled, four stroke, 90°“L”
twin cylinder, Desmo SOHC. |
| 1984 Ducati Pantah 600 SL |
 |
The 600cc Pantah appeared in 1981, courtesy
of an 80mm bore, but it also featured a
hydraulic clutch and larger front brake
calipers. The 600TL came out the following
year, with bikini fairing and vented side
panels. |
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