Today I rode about a 100km's on my Pantah 500SL. Mostly mountains road with lots of hairpins. It was the first real ride on this bike since I bought it. Before this ride I had replaced the 1980 date coded brake lines and the pads. My previous bike was a Paso 906 and I noticed right away that the Pantah was the quicker steering bike. Compared to the Paso you really notice 30kgs less weight. Narrow 18" wheels also make it seem more agile. In many other areas you feel that the Pantah however is an older generation of bike. Comfort is nowere to be found and braking, which improved a lot after 100km's, is still half as good as the Paso's and those weren't very good either. The thing which bugs me the most is the clutch operation. Cable operated (new cable) but after a while my hand could barely squeeze the lever and I ended up with using only half of the available lever operation as my hand wouldn't go further. Now owners of bevels would probably say I'm a pussy but it really made the ride less enjoyable. Getting numb hands from the rather racy seating position (even with the slightly raised Tommaselli clip-ons) and the infamous Ducati L-twin vibrations didn't make it better. Is there something to be done to make the clutch operation a tiny bit lighter?
A friend of mine has a 350 Pantah and the clutch lever is ridiculously hard to pull. Optimizing the cable routing and a Teflon lined outer cable did help a bit but not much. Obviously physics can't be cheated but a better lever ratio may help with force whilst still allowing disengagement. Otherwise some softer clutch springs or a lesser amount of them will also help with lever force. On many more modern Ducati the amount of springs can be reduced from 6 to 4 and still allow the clutch to engage safely.
When my 500Pantah was new, the standard clutch was prone to slipping. I had to fit stronger springs. Made it really heavy on the left hand, but at least the clutch could take the torque.
I rode my Pantah on Sunday. About 230km of sweeping roads. I find that above 4000 rpm the gearbox changes smoothly and effortlessly, up and down without the clutch being pulled. You should consider picking up this skill if you don't already
Ref all: thank you for your replies. The purpose of a forum is keeping everybody happy with their classics! The cable is new and lubricated. I noticed the routing could be slightly better so I will work on that. Changing up without clutch (or pulled only half way) is no problem but down I rather not do without using the clutch. can wear in the clutch basket be a contributing factor? There are only 14000km on the Odometer, and the bike showes it, but the first 40 years are not very well documented. It might be a good idea to remove the RH engine cover and take the clutch appart and see if its a stock set-up or that somebody 'improved' it with an extra plate or stronger springs. Are there sets for sale with modern material disks which require less clamping force hence softer springs?
I don't know what clutch plates are available but I'd be surprised if there weren't some that could be made to fit. Worth investigating.
You say new AND lubricated? Daft question, is the lubricant you have used definitely compatible with what I assume is a nylon or plastic lined cable. I do remember back in the day that it was possible to completely bugger a clutch cable by using oil down it with a plastic liner - the oil caused the liner to swell almost seizing up the cable. Quick test,, disconnect the cable on the clutch end and feel how much resistance is in the actual cable, ISTR that we had this exact issued with mu mate Matt's Pantah somewhere back in about 1986! A new unlubricated cable sorted it to be only slightly painful to use!
I started with the easy things. I loosened the clutch cable at both ends and flushed it by squirting brake cleaner in the cable at the top until grease and oil came out from the bottom. Blown it through with compressed air and lubed with Teflon spray especially made for bicycle selector and braking cables. Then I rerouted the cable. Made it run outside the frame tube instead of curving on the inside and bended the spring steel guide near the headstock to allow for a better cable run. It feels certainly a bit less heavy now so I will test ride it first before I remove the RH engine cover. The clutch itself feels good. Its smooth in operation and it does not slip. I'm a gentle rider anyway which means I'm always easy on the clutch, gearbox and have never pulled a wheely in my life.
Incidentally "enlightenment" is generally used in a cultural or philosophical sense. But I really love using it about making motorbike controls lighter in operation. Let's all use it that way in future.
Last night a distant Italian neighbour, who has owned a Guzzi 500 Falcone for years, said the trick at the time was to tie the clutch lever to the handle bar with a ziptie and leave overnight. The clutch springs would soften a bit resulting in a 'enlightened' clutch.
