Paton Enters 2014 Isle of Man TT

Italian racebike manufacturer Paton announced its return to international racing in entering the Lightweight TT race in the 2014 Isle of Man TT. The Paton name has been around since 1958, most notably competing in the late ’90s and early 2000s in the Grand Prix World Championship, but has been relatively quiet since the end of the 500cc era.

Paton will enter its all-new S1, the company’s first street-legal motorcycle. First unveiled at the 2013 EICMA show in Milan, the S1 is powered by a 649cc parallel-Twin engine  based on a Kawasaki Ninja 650‘s powerplant. Paton claims an output of 71.1 hp at 8500 rpm and 47.2 ft-lb. at 7000 rpm. Paton claims the S1 has a curb weight of 348 pounds and can reach a top speed of 215 kph (133.6 mph) and has a 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) time of 3.9 seconds.

Suspension is comprised of a 43mm telescopic fork with adjustable preload, rebound and compression up front and twin adjustable Ohlins shocks at the rear. Four-piston calipers grip the twin 295 front disc brakes.

Paton has secured rider Olie Linsdell to race the S1. Linsdell has previously ridden for Paton, competing in the Senior Classic race in the 2010 Manx Grand Prix on a 500cc race bike.

“Racing has been Paton’s goal since it started in 1958, and with modern classes it means making a street legal bike, which also carries the added motivation of increasing our small firm’s technical knowledge by having to solve problems it has never had to face before as well as providing a new challenge,” says Roberto Pattoni, Paton technical director. “It is a culmination of all our history into one single product.”

Paton has a long racing history. The company was formed in 1958 by former FB Mondial chief mechanic Giuseppe Pattoni (Roberto’s father) and designer Lino Tonti. One of Paton’s first races was the 1958 Isle of Man TT, piloted by an 18-year-old Mike Hailwood in the future world champion’s Grand Prix racing debut.

[Source: IOMTT, Paton]

By Dennis Chung