The restoration began in 2015 after receiving the 600 Pantah from Ian Gowanloch. The bike as far back as I can remember lived outside, first under a bike cover, then as the cover deteriorated, the bike was living outside.
The whole bike needed going through. There wasn’t a single part that was serviceable when it arrived. Ian and I knocked the brake pads out and lifted the calipers off to be able to get it to roll and move it into the van.
Seat was good for the base, and a good indication of it’s original shape. The fuel tank had rust holes all through it, so much so you could put your fingers through it. The smell of the old stale fuel is describable, It lingered for weeks even after the tank was emptied and wrapped up. The original radio unit had been removed by the Bologna Police force before the bike left for auction. Noting that the is no tacho drive in the head and no instrument fitted. The loud speaker and radio handset filled the space of the tacho on this particular model. I have an original brand new in it’s box Ducati police 2 way radio unit, but I was also lucky enough to find a very well looked after used unit which is what is now fitted to the bike.
Starting the strip down took some time as I was getting clear photos and notes on how particular parts were mounted, or the apparent surface finish the bike would need when it was eventually re-assembled. The other point is that even though this bike looks to be a TL Pantah it really isn’t, so much as a mix of many standard but different parts from different models. This includes Parallel twin, Bevel twin, TL Pantah, SL Pantah, and some parts like the crash bars, boxes, rack, forks, fairing, pistons and cams made specifically for the Ducati Pantah police bike model.
