What to look out for

The Pantah might lack some of the glamour and charisma of Ducati’s bevel-drive V-twins, but the good news is that it also comes without most of the expense and aggravation. “They’re generally reliable and there are very few issues with them; not like the bevels,” says John Fallon of Made in Italy.

“The engine is basically the one that went on to power all those thousands of Monsters, and it’s very reliable. The 500s had a few gearbox and clutch issues but those should be sorted by now. The valvegear is desmo of course, but they’re not particularly hard to work on, and the belt drive isn’t a problem. People say you should change the belts every two years but you can get away with longer, and it’s not an expensive job.

Spares availability is pretty good, too. “You’ll struggle to find fuel tanks, and bodywork is exclusive to the Pantah,” says John. “But most engine parts and things like brakes are shared with other models, so keeping them on the road shouldn’t be a problem.”