Ducati Pantah servicing
1979 to 1986 · 499cc to 649cc belt-drive Desmo V-twin · Greenwich, London
Ray Petty Meccanica services, repairs and restores the Ducati Pantah (500 SL, 600 SL, 650 SL, 600 TL and the 350s built mainly for Italy, 1979 to 1986) at its independent Ducati workshop in Greenwich, London. The Pantah was the first Ducati to drive its camshafts with toothed rubber belts, so on any Pantah that comes in, the age of those belts is the first thing RPM wants to know.
About the Pantah
Fabio Taglioni's team developed the Pantah to replace Ducati's 350 and 500 parallel twins. After a prototype at the 1977 Milan show and a pre-production run in 1979, the 500 SL went on sale for 1980, and Ducati built 3,835 Pantah 500s up to 1983. Its air-cooled 90° V-twin (74 x 58mm, 499cc) hangs from a steel trellis frame as a stressed member, and it has an electric starter with no kickstart. The 583cc 600 SL arrived in 1981 with a fairing and a hydraulic clutch, and the 600 TL ran from 1982 to 1983. The 649cc 650 SL took the 61.5mm stroke of the TT1 racer and was the last of the line, sold until 1986. Smaller 350 XL, SL and TL versions were built mainly for Italy.
Servicing your Pantah
Each cylinder has its own toothed cam belt, and the valves are Desmodromic, closed by a second rocker rather than relying on springs. Setting the clearances is a slow job, because the rocker shafts have to come out before the shims can be changed. Belts are renewed by age as well as mileage, in line with the factory schedule. Two 36mm Dell'Orto PHF carburettors with accelerator pumps (30mm on the 350s) need cleaning and balancing, and the 600 SL's electronic ignition uses a Bosch control box. The clutch is a wet multi-plate, worked by cable on the 500 SL and 350s and hydraulically on the 600 and 650. RPM recommissions Pantahs that have been laid up for years and calls the owner to agree any work before it starts.
Book your Pantah in
Tell us what it needs, or how long it's been off the road, and we'll take it from there.
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Saturday: 10am to 5pm
Sunday and Monday: closed