Watching the Isle of Man TT is an almost indescribably special experience for many, whether it’s your first time or your 50th. Racers you may know from other series line up for their chance to test their mettle against the mountain and find out who’s fastest on machinery derived from recognizable machines and manufacturers—well, mostly recognizable, that is.
There’s a name with a strong racing pedigree that’s dominated the Supertwin class since 2017 and yet, outside of racing circles, seems to largely fly under the radar. While plenty of enthusiasts know and love Bimota—a chassis-maker that found early on that it was better off using engines from other manufacturers in its builds—the name Paton sparks somewhat less recognition. That could also be because of Kawasaki and Bimota’s very public coming together in recent years, but we digress.
Paton has been producing fine racing machinery used in various European series since 1958. As of 2016, it was acquired by SC Project parent company Advanced Group società a responsabilità limitata (S.r.l.), which is a limited liability company according to Italian law.
Gallery: Paton S1-R Lightweight
Since 2017, it’s been kicking gas and taking names in the IOMTT Supertwins lightweight class, where the Paton S1-R is a well-established and dominant force. As an example, in the 2022 IOMTT, racer Peter Hickman switched away from an unproven Aprilia RS 660 to a Paton S1-R for the Supertwins class at the very last minute. The reason? He said that he wanted to go out on well-tested machinery. Although the ensuing battle with Michael Dunlop was close, Hickman ended up winning the 2022 Supertwin race aboard his Paton.
With all that in mind, we put to you, our RideApart readers, an extremely serious question: Is the Paton S1-R Lightweight street-legal replica bike the coolest sportbike that we don’t get in the States? I mean, just look at the thing. Look at its face (because yes, it definitely is a bike that has a face.) Look at these specs!
Its beating heart is a seemingly bulletproof 649cc Kawasaki ER6, tuned and fettled to do Paton’s will. The steel tube frame is TIG welded, as is the aluminum swingarm. The fuel tank is made of aluminum, the fairing is fiberglass, and the fenders, belly pan, battery cover, and undertail piece are all carbon fiber. The fork yokes are CNC-machined 7075 alloy. The componentry not made in-house by Paton is, of course, nothing short of impressive.
Suspension is provided by Öhlins, with a 43mm FGRT 204 fork up front and a set of TTX30 piggyback shocks in the rear. Braking duties are performed by Brembo, with M4-108 radial front calipers and a Brembo 19 RCS radial front brake master cylinder, as well as a Brembo P34C rear caliper and PS13 rear brake master cylinder. Brake discs are by TK. Aeronautical braided stainless steel brake lines complete the braking package.
Other choice bits that come stock on a Paton S1-R Lightweight include: Valter Moto clip-ons and footpegs, Domino controls, OZ Piega forged aluminum wheels, Metzeler Racetec RR tires, a full SC Project exhaust, a Race Seats seat, and Rizoma LED turn signals and mirrors.
Equipment that’s available as an option includes: Full carbon fiber fairing, a high or low Race Seat saddle, OZ Racing Cattiva magnesium wheels, a titanium SC Project two-into-one exhaust, a larger Febur water cooler, Valter Moto lever guard, Dynojet Power Commander V ECU, Dynojet Power Commander quickshifter, a K&N air filter, and/or a GB Racing engine protection kit.
If all that isn’t cool enough for you, Paton also offers engine tuning services to its customers, from cylinder head machining to engine remapping. That’s obviously key for racers, but whew—it's a lot to think about.
Pricing, as you’ve likely guessed by now, isn’t cheap. As of 2019, it was €24,900, which works out to $26,787.15 as of June 1, 2023. When moto journalist Sir Alan Cathcart took a Paton S1-R Lightweight out for a test ride at the track in 2019, he noted at that time that it cost more than a Ducati Panigale V4 S. Here in 2023, the Panigale V4 S now runs US customers a cool $31,595, but then again, everything costs more in the future.
