Ducati Pantah
Encyclopedia
The Pantah was the first of the belt-driven camshaft Ducati
motors, the first generation of the current Ducati V twins. First shown December 1979, it came on the market as the 1980 500SL and the last of the line 650SL was sold in 1986. Successful in racing as the 600 cc TT2 and later TT1 750 cc racer, it was a lighter, shorter wheelbase motorcycle, in a new trellis frame that was to become a trademark Ducati feature.
went to work developing the Pantah.
The Pantah 500 is where the current line of V twins began. Developed from the last of the GP500 racers of 1973, the Pantah and its successors have shown that, contrary to the previously accepted wisdom, a twin can race against the fours and win.
The bike was first shown at the Milan Bike Show
in December 1979. The prototype was different again to Ducati’s earlier bikes: it had a trellis frame, with the suspended motor acting as a stressed member, the swingarm pivoted on the rear of the crankcase
, the SOHC was driven by toothed rubber belt, the primary transmission was via Morse chain
and the front disc
was a Campagnolo Hydroconico. The claimed performance was impressive: 500 cc, 50 hp (36.5 kW) @ 8500 rpm, 180 kg, 1450 mm of wheelbase, significantly different from the earlier bevel head V twins which were long bulky and stable, and easily surpassed the ill-conceived 1976 parallel twins.
The Pantah came onto the market in 1980 as the red and silver 500SL, with the engine using belt driven camshaft
s, and a plain bearing crankshaft
. It had the same bore and stroke as the old 500 racer, 74 mm x 58 mm, but the head had a 60 degree included valve angle and kept the belt driven camshafts used on the final 500GP engine version. They were noticeably lacking in bottom end and mid range torque, but revved freely enough. The suspension
seemed less certain than earlier Ducati models, and the 35 mm front forks lacked rigidity.
Enthusiasts found the final gearing too tall, and the intake and exhaust restrictive. If you changed those for higher flow items, and lowered the gearing, it gave a performance increase.
activation. It had an 80 mm bore and the 58 mm stroke giving 583 cc (The first Pantah based racer, the 600 cc TT2 racer used 81 mm) By 1984 the last of the 600SL bikes had MHR paint.
In 1982 the 600TL was released, and the styling was promptly panned. The TL only lasted till 1983.
Many suspect that Suzuki named their revolutionary TL1000S
90-degree v-twin after the Ducati TL.
(from CAstiglioni GIovanni VArese) took over Ducati Meccanica in 1985. Ducati engines promptly appeared in Cagiva-badged motorcycles.
The 650SL continued to be produced after the Cagiva take-over, and ended production in 1986. The Cagiva Alazzurra was a redesigned Ducati Pantah.
For the full history of the ensuing Pantah based motors see Ducati Air-cooled V Twins
(1970 on).
Ducati Motor Holding
Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. is a motorcycle manufacturer in Bologna, Italy. It produces motorcycles for both road use and motorcycle racing.- History :...
motors, the first generation of the current Ducati V twins. First shown December 1979, it came on the market as the 1980 500SL and the last of the line 650SL was sold in 1986. Successful in racing as the 600 cc TT2 and later TT1 750 cc racer, it was a lighter, shorter wheelbase motorcycle, in a new trellis frame that was to become a trademark Ducati feature.
Pantah 500 cc
When the 1976 350 cc and 500 cc vertical twins were recognised as a marketing disaster, Fabio TaglioniFabio Taglioni
Fabio Taglioni was an Italian engineer.Born in Lugo di Romagna, he was chief designer and technical director of Ducati from 1954 until 1989. His desmodromic L-twin design is still used in all current Ducati motorcycle engines...
went to work developing the Pantah.
The Pantah 500 is where the current line of V twins began. Developed from the last of the GP500 racers of 1973, the Pantah and its successors have shown that, contrary to the previously accepted wisdom, a twin can race against the fours and win.
The bike was first shown at the Milan Bike Show
EICMA
EICMA , or the Milan Motorcycle Show is an annual trade show in Milan, Italy featuring motorcycles. The 2008 show drew over half a million visitors. The show is frequently used by manufacturers to debut new models....
in December 1979. The prototype was different again to Ducati’s earlier bikes: it had a trellis frame, with the suspended motor acting as a stressed member, the swingarm pivoted on the rear of the crankcase
Crankcase
In an internal combustion engine of the reciprocating type, the crankcase is the housing for the crankshaft. The enclosure forms the largest cavity in the engine and is located below the cylinder, which in a multicylinder engine are usually integrated into one or several cylinder blocks...
, the SOHC was driven by toothed rubber belt, the primary transmission was via Morse chain
Roller chain
Roller chain or bush roller chain is the type of chain drive most commonly used for transmission of mechanical power on many kinds of domestic, industrial and agricultural machinery, including conveyors, wire and tube drawing machines, printing presses, cars, motorcycles, and simple machines like...
and the front disc
Disc brake
The disc brake or disk brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel while it is in motion.A brake disc is usually made of cast iron, but may in some cases be made of composites such as reinforced carbon–carbon or ceramic matrix composites. This is connected to the wheel and/or...
was a Campagnolo Hydroconico. The claimed performance was impressive: 500 cc, 50 hp (36.5 kW) @ 8500 rpm, 180 kg, 1450 mm of wheelbase, significantly different from the earlier bevel head V twins which were long bulky and stable, and easily surpassed the ill-conceived 1976 parallel twins.
The Pantah came onto the market in 1980 as the red and silver 500SL, with the engine using belt driven camshaft
Camshaft
A camshaft is a shaft to which a cam is fastened or of which a cam forms an integral part.-History:An early cam was built into Hellenistic water-driven automata from the 3rd century BC. The camshaft was later described in Iraq by Al-Jazari in 1206. He employed it as part of his automata,...
s, and a plain bearing crankshaft
Crankshaft
The crankshaft, sometimes casually abbreviated to crank, is the part of an engine which translates reciprocating linear piston motion into rotation...
. It had the same bore and stroke as the old 500 racer, 74 mm x 58 mm, but the head had a 60 degree included valve angle and kept the belt driven camshafts used on the final 500GP engine version. They were noticeably lacking in bottom end and mid range torque, but revved freely enough. The suspension
Suspension (motorcycle)
A motorcycle's suspension serves a dual purpose: contributing to the vehicle's handling and braking, and providing safety and comfort by keeping the vehicle's passengers comfortably isolated from road noise, bumps and vibrations....
seemed less certain than earlier Ducati models, and the 35 mm front forks lacked rigidity.
Enthusiasts found the final gearing too tall, and the intake and exhaust restrictive. If you changed those for higher flow items, and lowered the gearing, it gave a performance increase.
Pantah 600SL, 600TL and TT2 racer
In 1981 the silver 600SL became available with fairing and hydraulic clutchClutch
A clutch is a mechanical device which provides for the transmission of power from one component to another...
activation. It had an 80 mm bore and the 58 mm stroke giving 583 cc (The first Pantah based racer, the 600 cc TT2 racer used 81 mm) By 1984 the last of the 600SL bikes had MHR paint.
In 1982 the 600TL was released, and the styling was promptly panned. The TL only lasted till 1983.
Many suspect that Suzuki named their revolutionary TL1000S
Suzuki TL1000S
- General background :The Suzuki TL1000S was introduced by Suzuki in 1997 and was produced until 2001 and is frequently referred to as the TLS or Suzuki TLS. It is notable for the V-twin engine which is still used in Suzuki's modern SV1000 and V-Strom 1000 motorcycles.The TLS motor featured a 90°...
90-degree v-twin after the Ducati TL.
Pantah 650SL and TT1 750 racer
In 1983 the 650SL came about because of the need to homologate the TT1 750 racer’s 61.5 mm stroke. Instead of producing a production 750, the 650SL was born with 82 mm bore and the required 61.5 mm stroke. bodywork is virtually identical to the 600 but was painted red and yellow, had a different instrument layout and some other minor changes, but it had more torque, and that was a big improvement and was considered by many as THE pantah. The 650SL produced 63 hp at 8,500 rpm.Cagiva takeover
Cagiva SpACagiva
Cagiva is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer. It was founded in 1950 by Giovanni Castiglioni in Varese, originally producing small metal components. It went into the motorcycle industry in 1978. The name is a portmanteau derived from the founder and the founding location, i.e. CAstiglioni GIovanni...
(from CAstiglioni GIovanni VArese) took over Ducati Meccanica in 1985. Ducati engines promptly appeared in Cagiva-badged motorcycles.
The 650SL continued to be produced after the Cagiva take-over, and ended production in 1986. The Cagiva Alazzurra was a redesigned Ducati Pantah.
For the full history of the ensuing Pantah based motors see Ducati Air-cooled V Twins
Ducati V-twin motorcycles
The next new Ducati engine to appear after the Ducati Apollo was the 90°V twin, initial Grand Prix racing versions being 500 cc, and the production bikes were 750 cc. There was also the Ducati 750 Imola Desmo that won at Imola in 1972. These engines had bevel gear shaft drive to the overhead...
(1970 on).