PATON S1-R LIGHTWEIGHT 60th Anniversary Limited Edition (2024 - on) Review

If mile-munching is your thing, then the S1-R 60^th Anniversary is absolutely not for you – unless those miles are during TT race week in the Supertwin class, that is. Like so many race bikes it is beautifully uncompromising in its stance, thanks not only to the ‘bars and ‘pegs, but also down to the sheer length of the tank, and how far back the seat sits. As a smaller rider, the controls are a real stretch and only in the raciest of riding positions does it truly make sense, while the bespoke Race Seat is large and roomy, but is also incredibly firm.

This is only intensified by the Öhlins set-up which is brutally stiff, especially on the rear with that bespoke, TTX30 double shock set-up – and we wound the settings off as far as they could go. On the flipside, the sheer accuracy and poise of the chassis is phenomenal, steering so sharply that you have to process your brain to how much corner speed can be carried, and then multiply it. Although the S1-R is stable, thanks to its geometry, set-up and its lack of weight, its agility is something that pretty much all bog-standard road bikes can only dream of.

In terms of braking, the Paton benefits from having a high-specification set-up from the TK discs all the way up to the Brembo master cylinders too, which gives the S1-R not only a monstrous amount of stopping power, but a huge amount of feel through the lever too – especially without the intervention of ABS. It truly offer the best of all worlds, in terms of progression, feel and bite.

Although that 649cc parallel twin motor might have modest, Kawasaki origins, the S1-R 60^th Anniversary model that we tested comes with a host of goodies for a bit more go, including the ‘Stage 1’ tuning kit, with Pistal Racing High Compression Pistons, a Paton-spec’d Power Commander V, a Suter Slipper Clutch and of course, those monstrous SC-Project ‘Lightweight TT’ Titanium ‘pipes, which make a monumental amount of difference to its character.

From the very bottom of the rev range it pulls with incredible efficiency, and does so near enough all the way to that 10,000rpm redline. It’s predictable in its delivery and it’s a pleasant amount of power for the road, as you really can ring its neck to within an inch of its life. The aftermarket quickshifter also does an ample job of aiding with faster riding too.

Yet it can also be surprisingly docile too; it will sit at 70mph under 5000rpm, and it will also bimble through town without being too aggressively lumpy, like so many race bikes are. Yet I can’t imagine the Patons sold will be seeing too much motorway or city mileage, and if you did, there would be some serious noise complaints from those earth-shattering ‘pipes.

It’s a ferocious motor that punches well above its weight – but in the current age of standard parallel twins pumping out around (and over) 80bhp as standard, I just wish it had a bit more, especially considering the price and its mighty performance in the arena of racing.

Although build quality on earlier models wasn’t amazing, the SR-1 is a step-up from the Italian manufacturer. From the premium Rizoma goodies to the finish on the handmade aluminium swingarm, it is an impressively put-together bit of kit.

But then again, there are a few niggles: the dash on our test bike was unreliable, the stand is an absolute nightmare to get up and down and the brake lights are incredibly weak, but they are all things that don’t make a single bit of difference on a racetrack, or for someone invested in Paton’s heritage.

We’ve all seen the race bikes have their issues in terms of mechanicals, but they are so heavily tuned that you shouldn’t have to worry as much about their reliability of the more basic, S1-R’s motor.

Although value is subjective, whichever way it’s spun, £41,995 for a parallel twin does feel like a serious kick in the teeth, even with its high-spec componentry and impressive parts list.

But then again it is no normal machine – It’s an instantly recognisable racing replica, with its own history and heritage. If you’ve got the cash to drop on any machine of this price, then it won’t make one jot of difference, and Paton will only sell a handful of these a year.

If you’re looking for electric gizmos then you won’t find them here, besides a quickshifter, a budget Kawasaki dash that occasionally shows the wrong speed, and a set of indicators and brake lights.

But on the flipside, the S1-R 60^th Anniversary is packed with incredible componentry, from the OZ Racing Forged wheels and Brembo stopping power to those beautiful Öhlins twin shocks, which are not only beautiful, but also bespoke for these Patons. For a replica of a race bike, I’d take gold components over cruise control any day of the week.