Paul Smart Tribute: Ducati ST2 “Paolo Accorto”

[weeksy]

https://www.bikebound.com/2025/10/31/paolo-accorto/

[Count Steer]

Don't think I've really realised how clever that frame/engine arrangement is before that pic of the stripped down bike.

[Skub]

It's very well thought out and built. I don't necessarily want to own or ride it,but I can admire it.

[mangocrazy]

The single sided aluminium swingarm doesn't fit well stylistically with the aqua-green steel frame. I'd have stuck with a subtly beefed up double sided steel swinger, meself.

[Count Steer]

In slightly sideways thinking, that frame/engine arrangement reminds me how different, clever even, was using the engine as a stressed frame component in my old Panther 120. 'Look ma! No downtube'.

+ One big (650cc...even then we were metric!) pot with 2 zorsts.



(That's not mine. Mine was a '63).

[Taipan]

Hideous!

[Yorick]

All that effort and money, then give it a fairing that is useless

[KungFooBob]

I would flippin' love that Panther.

[Count Steer]

I would flippin' love that Panther.

They're quite sensible prices for decent condition bikes. For some reason they never really got 'collectible'. Last time I looked, reasonably seriously, a lot of them seemed to have ended up in Oz though and shipping charges were a bit Could always buy one and ride it back.

[mangocrazy]

In slightly sideways thinking, that frame/engine arrangement reminds me how different, clever even, was using the engine as a stressed frame component in my old Panther 120. 'Look ma! No downtube'.

+ One big (650cc...even then we were metric!) pot with 2 zorsts.



(That's not mine. Mine was a '63).

Using the engine as a stressed frame member (and eliminating the downtube/cradle) goes back way further than that - Vincent Black Shadows used that arrangement, and also used monoshock suspension!

But running the swingarm pivot in the crankcases, as older Ducatis did, is a recipe for cracked crankcases, due to the twisting forces involved, especially with a single-sided swingarm.

[KungFooBob]

In slightly sideways thinking, that frame/engine arrangement reminds me how different, clever even, was using the engine as a stressed frame component in my old Panther 120. 'Look ma! No downtube'.

+ One big (650cc...even then we were metric!) pot with 2 zorsts.



(That's not mine. Mine was a '63).

Using the engine as a stressed frame member (and eliminating the downtube/cradle) goes back way further than that - Vincent Black Shadows used that arrangement, and also used monoshock suspension!

But running the swingarm pivot in the crankcases, as older Ducatis did, is a recipe for cracked crankcases, due to the twisting forces involved, especially with a single-sided swingarm.

Honda did it with the Firestorm. Iirc Moriwaki made plates to weld to the frame to reinforce the motor swingarm pivot.

[mangocrazy]

Honda probably did it for the same reason that Ducati did - reduce the wheelbase to make the bike turn better.

[KungFooBob]

Honda probably did it for the same reason that Ducati did - reduce the wheelbase to make the bike turn better.

But Honda then fitted budget forks and undid the wheelbase advantage!

[mangocrazy]

I remember being at the NEC show the year that Honda introduced the Firestorm and Suzuki debuted the TL1000S (1996?). I quite liked the look of the Honda, but my money went on the TL...

[Count Steer]

In slightly sideways thinking, that frame/engine arrangement reminds me how different, clever even, was using the engine as a stressed frame component in my old Panther 120. 'Look ma! No downtube'.

+ One big (650cc...even then we were metric!) pot with 2 zorsts.



(That's not mine. Mine was a '63).

Using the engine as a stressed frame member (and eliminating the downtube/cradle) goes back way further than that - Vincent Black Shadows used that arrangement, and also used monoshock suspension!

But running the swingarm pivot in the crankcases, as older Ducatis did, is a recipe for cracked crankcases, due to the twisting forces involved, especially with a single-sided swingarm.

The Panther 100 was launched in 1932 and, iirc, the layout was unchanged up to the final 120s in 1966. The Vincent Black Shadow was launched in 1948. However, the first Panther prototype was 1900 and was then manufactured in 1901...and the mighty (1.5hp ) engine was a stressed frame member/downtube.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phelon_%2 ... %20Panther.

[.....]

The duc looks like it had an argument with the headlight