I finally got around to finishing up my stock 81 Pantah. I bought it in pretty good cosmetic shape but it had not run in years and had been worked on by some ham-fisted mechanics. With help from gdesmo in the form of new bosch pickups, it now runs very well. I got it running earlier this year, but the timing was all off. When I removed the timing side cover I found one bosch pickup and one kokusan pickup. The stock igniters did not like that kokusan! I also found that the charging rotor nut was only finger tightened and then the washer was bent over to hold it in place. It was a good thing that the previous owners never got it to run right or I would have been dealing with a sheared off woodruff key as well. I also found loose rear sprocket bolts and a broken speedo drive among other little things. It runs and drives very well now, but will need the usual fettling that these old bikes require after a long slumber. The tank has some rust on the inside that I am going to get rid of with molasses. I have read that this home remedy works quite well and is very paint friendly......it just takes more time than the modern acid kits take. I think a full brake system rebuild and pads are in order as well, and a slipping clutch that could use some attention.

This bike is as close to stock as you can get. The only non original items are the tires, battery, and fuel lines. It even has the original and complete tool kit! Did Ducati install the bar end mirrors or was that a very common addition to these bikes at the dealer? Nothing has been repainted or restored so it has the great patina that you only find on a 33 year old bike. Cosmetically all I did was clean everything. The seat has some small splits on the left and right side but I value the originality over a perfect new seat cover.

Dave

hi Dave,
Gees I love your bike!
I love the way the original Pantah Contis have that bend that follow the angled face along the rear seat base panel. The photo doesn't show this.....you have to look at it face on.
Ducati sold a lot of Pantahs, but not many remain now. Club members asked me why did I want to restore a simple old Pantah? Well, after 15 years it still looks great and it still runs like a dream.
Hold on to your dream. It's no longer just a little old Pantah!
If Ducati wanted to resurrect an old classic, this is what they should be going back to. The trusty little old Pantah and the mighty F1. Who needs a Vtwin scrambler?
Look after this.....
Cheers,
Steve

Looks great like that you didn't succumb to the temptation of Hailwood Red, quite like that colour.

I have owned I think 5 of them and have a bit of a soft spot for a good Pantah, light years better than any of the bevels.

Thanks for the compliments. I like it quite a bit, it is a cool little bike. Not the most comfortable riding position for around town, but on a nice twisty road or at the track the Pantah really shines.

Steve- the conti's do have some pretty good lines, but they really lack in the sound department.....nothing like the set of conti's on my bevel drive Darmah. Now on the other hand, the verlicchi 2-1 on my race bike sounds pretty awesome. As for a v-twin scrambler, there happens to be an 87 elefant 650 not too far from my house that has caught my eye.

Mark- no repaint here, that is the stock blue and that is how it will stay. It is a very good looking color. I like the reliability and ease of maintenance the belt engines have over the bevels, but I am the opposite of you.....I have a soft spot for old bevel twins. I love the healthy bark and gobs of midrange torque that my Darmah delivers in spades.

Dave

I kind of liked the SSD, but my budget didn't run to the repair costs building a big clutch 600 Pantah at the moment as my Cappucino bike

My bike is in print! http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/class ... azbla.aspx. I am so excited words can't even describe!

Dave

Very cool Dave. Good to see all of these vintage bikes get some press in the US. MikeV

Yes, that's awesome!

Thanks! I am really very pleased with how the bike and article turned out. It was a pretty significant bike that shaped Ducati for 30 years or so, belt drive and trellis frame, etc. However, it is not a very well known bike. I have seen MULTIPLE articles in that mag about bevel drives, but until now, no articles on Pantahs or F1's. There was a small blurb on an Alazzurra once.

Here in the midwest we had a particularly cold summer, but the saturday we picked for the photo shoot was in the 90's with close to 100% humidity.....go figure. I was sweating bullets in that helmet, riding a small stretch of road over and over again to get a good shot. The magazine fought me on the year of the bike saying it was an 80 model because of the fairing. I had to inform them that the frame and engine numbers made it an 81 as well as the black fork legs and 100% gold wheels. 80 models had polished legs and a polished lip on the wheels.

Not so sure that I agree with their current pricing however.....

Dave

Congrats Dave!
Paul